Resetting an Epson C1900/C900 photoconductor unit?

[John]

Does anyone know how to reset an epson photoconductor unit which is
still printing OK?

After only 8000 pages, and while it was still printing perfectly, my
C1900 announced that the PCU needed replacing and refused to print
till I had obeyed its command.

Epson say that a PCU should last about 45000 pages.

Does anyone know how to reset either software or whatever it is on the
PCU that counts pages or assesses area printed.?
This is totally stupid and another example of how the computer
industry is getting away with behaving very aggressively towards the
consumer.

 

[NewStartup]

Epson say that a PCU should last about 45000 pages.

Epson say the PCU should do - "45,000 pages B&W, 11,250 pages Colour". They
also say "The above figures are approximate and are based on the number of
sheets printed under conditions of continuous printing. Intermittent use
may reduce page yield."

If you are printing colour pages I would say that 8,000 pages was good.

 

[John]

Epson say the PCU should do - "45,000 pages B&W, 11,250 pages Colour". They
also say "The above figures are approximate and are based on the number of
sheets printed under conditions of continuous printing. Intermittent use
may reduce page yield."

If you are printing colour pages I would say that 8,000 pages was good.

Sorry, you've missed the point - I had to replace a unit which was
working perfectly.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Have you contacted Epson about it... if the numbers are wrong maybe they
have a solution to offer you.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The reason that the color number is about 25% of the black one is
because color printing requires four passes of the PCU for each page.

Art

 

[John]

Have you contacted Epson about it... if the numbers are wrong maybe they
have a solution to offer you.

I've been in email correspondence with Epson - after two emails asking
me questions about age, number of pages (8000), number of colour pages
(4000 approx) they told me they could do nothing for me as the
warranty on consumables is only 3 months (the printer is 10 months
old). No suggestion as to how I could continue to use what was a
perfectly good Photoconductor unit, prematurely cut off in its prime!
Just hard luck mate!

Well, can you believe this. After running the replacement PCU for a
couple of days, I put replacement and original side by side to see if
I could see anything in the structure that would be capable of being
reset. Not a thing!

So I put the old PCU back to see what would happen - the printer
thinks that it is brand new. So it seems that it is a purely software
thing. I'm kicking myself for being so dumb as not to guess.

So why didn't the guy at Epson tell me that? Seems reptilian or is he
protecting me from something down the road? Whatever, why don't these
people communicate honestly?

 

[ClubCX]

Bad customer service from Epson? Do you live in the UK by any chance?

I can appreciate having a printer give an indication of consumable
wear, but to prevent a consumable from being used based simply on a
calculation is pretty lame. They should allow the user to continue
printing until the component physically stops working, I don't see why
it should damage the printer to do so. Have you spoken to the consumer
watchdog about this? If they agree that it's unfair, they can issue a
court order for manufacturers to stop this practise.

 

[John]

Bad customer service from Epson? Do you live in the UK by any chance?
Yes

I can appreciate having a printer give an indication of consumable
wear, but to prevent a consumable from being used based simply on a
calculation is pretty lame. They should allow the user to continue
printing until the component physically stops working,

I don't see why
it should damage the printer to do so.

I hope you are right

Have you spoken to the consumer
watchdog about this?

No, too soon, but if I weren't about to go away for some time, I'm
angry enough to go further.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

It seems that the printer companies are all stuck in this consumable
business model. They make the printers with every possible system to
confound using consumables beyond the arbitrary dates they conclude will
require replacement.

Some actually have a fuse built into components that is surged at a
certain life point to make the component no longer function. Many
printer companies make fallacious claims that they are protecting print
quality or other components, but it tee case of the OPC drum, I know of
many people who have the fuse replaced or just replace the fuse with a
link (which actually might remove a safety feature) and the drum and
printer continue to run perfectly fine for many thousands of extra copies.

I recently discovered that a Minolta Laser printer I bought, once the
toner cartridge empties, somehow reprograms or burns a fusible link or
something so that although it can be refilled, the printer will run at
1/4th the speed with a refilled toner cartridge.

I haven't heard Konica-Minolta's excuse for this, but I can bet it will
be something like: our printer is designed for the toner we use in the
cartridges. As such we know that those toners do not require extra
cleaning cycles between prints, but with other toners, to preserve print
quality we give the drum 3 extra cleaning cycles per page.

Of course, this is completely fallacious. However, it does two things,
one, it slows the machine to the print that some people may choose to
use OEM cartridges to maintain the speed, and secondly, the extra
cleaning cycles tend to both wear and scratch, as well as weaken the
photosensitivity on the drum, making it fail sooner, and the drum is
even more costly than the toner cartridge.

I am very seriously considering speaking to some political contacts I
have about developing legislation for Canada to outlaw this type of
garbage (literally and otherwise) on an environmental basis if nothing
more. The EU has already done so in a number of areas.

Art

 

[John]

I recently discovered that a Minolta Laser printer I bought, once the
toner cartridge empties, somehow reprograms or burns a fusible link or
something so that although it can be refilled, the printer will run at
1/4th the speed with a refilled toner cartridge.

I wonder if this is what brought about the premature shut down on my
photoconductor unit at 4000 colour pages - I have certainly been
refilling toner cartridges.

What was odd that when the shut-down occurred, I tried taking out the
original PCU and replacing it - this didn't release the shut-down.
However, by running a replacement PCU and then reverting to the
original the shut-down has been 'beaten.'

Now what processes would be at work which could release the block?
Presumably, the software 'sees' another serial number and then
releases. If it were this simple it would be possible to keep two
going until they were truly exhausted. A bit dumb, though, not to
keep track of former serial numbers, if that is the case.

I've made a reminder to myself to take up this issue with the UK
Consumer Association when I return in mid July.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Can't say for sure what mechanism is being used in your printer. There
are as many possibilities as printers, it appears.

Certainly, some printers do keep track of serial numbers and some have
shorter memories than others (one other number, two, three, etc.) to
create this juggling act.

The most interesting (and galling) part of the whole thing is the
excuses and explanations different manufacturers give for why they embed
these differing methods to force replacement of often perfectly
serviceable parts. I imagine they have a whole department set up just
to come up with plausible sounding excuses that consumers and government
agencies will believe.


Art

 

[me]

Can't say for sure what mechanism is being used in your printer. There
are as many possibilities as printers, it appears.

Certainly, some printers do keep track of serial numbers and some have
shorter memories than others (one other number, two, three, etc.) to
create this juggling act.

The most interesting (and galling) part of the whole thing is the
excuses and explanations different manufacturers give for why they
embed these differing methods to force replacement of often perfectly
serviceable parts. I imagine they have a whole department set up just
to come up with plausible sounding excuses that consumers and
government agencies will believe.

Cue Scotty: The lateral buffers cannae take the strain Capn.

If you read the Star Wreck books Scotty has a jargon manual - the most
intimidating book known to man with which to beat down the resistance of
the non-techie.