HP designjet 450C - for the archives.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not a problem, a solution.

I posted this some time ago asking for info, and no one replied..

My designjet came up with all three error lights hard on, and pressing
'cancel' resulted in the 'align media' and 'media error' light being on.


Assuming this was a media sensor error I called in the service engineer,
who promptly consulted the book of words and said 'thats your horizontal
movement motor detecting excessive load' Yeah. Right. Thank you HP.

And he proceeded to wipe the sliding bar with snake oil, clean the opto
encoder strip, and take 5 years of encrusted rubber and paper swarf off
the belt idle pulley - I had replaced the belt some time previously and
cleaned the motor pulley..

A few more print checks and it was restored to life.

So thats what that particular combination of error lights mean.

Other handy tips are

- using a bit of paper wedged in the end cover to allow it to work with
the cover open

- not using alcohol to clean the bar with - it dries out the bronze
bushes in the slider.

- always clean your idler AND the motor pulley when replacing the drive
belt.

- the position sensing strip is optically encoded etched stainless
steel. Fingerprints are bad, and folding is the end, but wiping with
solvent does no harm at all.

Just in case someone sometime has this problem..

 

[Michael Johnson]

Not a problem, a solution.

I posted this some time ago asking for info, and no one replied..

My designjet came up with all three error lights hard on, and pressing
'cancel' resulted in the 'align media' and 'media error' light being on.


Assuming this was a media sensor error I called in the service engineer,
who promptly consulted the book of words and said 'thats your horizontal
movement motor detecting excessive load' Yeah. Right. Thank you HP.

And he proceeded to wipe the sliding bar with snake oil, clean the opto
encoder strip, and take 5 years of encrusted rubber and paper swarf off
the belt idle pulley - I had replaced the belt some time previously and
cleaned the motor pulley..

A few more print checks and it was restored to life.

So thats what that particular combination of error lights mean.

Other handy tips are

- using a bit of paper wedged in the end cover to allow it to work with
the cover open

- not using alcohol to clean the bar with - it dries out the bronze
bushes in the slider.

- always clean your idler AND the motor pulley when replacing the drive
belt.

- the position sensing strip is optically encoded etched stainless
steel. Fingerprints are bad, and folding is the end, but wiping with
solvent does no harm at all.

Just in case someone sometime has this problem..

I have an old DesignJet 220E that I have used for over a decade. Over
time the metal strip will crack and need replaced. Also the flexible
ribbon cable will eventually have some of the wires break due to the
constant flexing. I have had to replace both but other than that the
plotter works like when it was new. Say what you will about HP's other
products but their plotter line is damn near bullet proof, IMO.