fixing HP Officejet 4500 scanner failure

[t]

The printer is out of warranty. On turning it on, it reads "Scanner
failure. unable to scan, copy or send a fax. Press OK to continue". On
pressing OK, the message disappears. The computer can print without any
issues.

I ran the diagnostics at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=3986399#N447
and
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02073847&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en
but it did not fix the issue.

Followed steps at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&product=3919449&tmp_track_link=ot_search
but that too did not help.

The scanner was working fine till last week. Connected the Officejet
4500 to another computer(running Windows 7), directly to the socket in
wall, but still the scanner does not work.

The Officejet 4500 is connected to a desktop running Windows XP. Glanced
the manual at
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02051571.pdf but did not find
steps to resolve this error.

1. Do I have to replace the bulb as
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_ZkjG3mrU Since it is in another language, I
cannot understand the video but have to follow the steps shown in the
video.

2. Is the scanner bulb generally available at a local Best Buy/Staples
store?

3. What else can I try?

 

[Paul]

The printer is out of warranty. On turning it on, it reads "Scanner
failure. unable to scan, copy or send a fax. Press OK to continue". On
pressing OK, the message disappears. The computer can print without any
issues.

I ran the diagnostics at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=3986399#N447

and
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02073847&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en

but it did not fix the issue.

Followed steps at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&product=3919449&tmp_track_link=ot_search

but that too did not help.

The scanner was working fine till last week. Connected the Officejet
4500 to another computer(running Windows 7), directly to the socket in
wall, but still the scanner does not work.

The Officejet 4500 is connected to a desktop running Windows XP. Glanced
the manual at
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02051571.pdf but did not find
steps to resolve this error.

1. Do I have to replace the bulb as
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_ZkjG3mrU Since it is in another language, I
cannot understand the video but have to follow the steps shown in the
video.

2. Is the scanner bulb generally available at a local Best Buy/Staples
store?

3. What else can I try?

"Additionally, the scanner mechanism bulb might not turn on when trying
to scan, copy, or fax.

* The scanner bulb temperature is too low."

That's a pretty clever way to tell the bulb still works.

I guess that means the bulb is running all the time, as long
as the machine is running ? A CCFL is good for up to 25,000 hours,
if that's the bulb type.

The other part of the procedure, the "power cycling" thing, is to attempt
to cause the mechanical parts to resynchronize. Some printers, there are
motors, and also optical detectors that detect when a rotating shaft is
in the right position. And then the power is enabled or disabled. So the
design uses mechanical elements, but also uses optical components to
make sure the mechanical bits have the right orientation. That is
typically used in the paper path, to pick up paper. But I fail to see
how that would cause the scanner message. As normally, they'd have
another goofy code to indicate the thing didn't line all the bits
inside it up properly.

In the past, did you see white light leaking from the machine
at power up ? As an indication the scanner bulb was being tested.
If it doesn't leak some light like it used to, that too might
confirm the bulb thing.

If the machine had diagnostic software, that would be another possibility.
But what are the odds of that.

Paul

 

[t]

"Additionally, the scanner mechanism bulb might not turn on when trying
to scan, copy, or fax.

* The scanner bulb temperature is too low."

That's a pretty clever way to tell the bulb still works.

I guess that means the bulb is running all the time, as long
as the machine is running ? A CCFL is good for up to 25,000 hours,
if that's the bulb type.

The other part of the procedure, the "power cycling" thing, is to attempt
to cause the mechanical parts to resynchronize. Some printers, there are
motors, and also optical detectors that detect when a rotating shaft is
in the right position. And then the power is enabled or disabled. So the
design uses mechanical elements, but also uses optical components to
make sure the mechanical bits have the right orientation. That is
typically used in the paper path, to pick up paper. But I fail to see
how that would cause the scanner message. As normally, they'd have
another goofy code to indicate the thing didn't line all the bits
inside it up properly.

In the past, did you see white light leaking from the machine
at power up ? As an indication the scanner bulb was being tested.
If it doesn't leak some light like it used to, that too might
confirm the bulb thing.

If the machine had diagnostic software, that would be another possibility.
But what are the odds of that.

Paul

Thanks, what else do you think I could try? I don't get the "The scanner
bulb temperature is too low" message.

I tried the utility at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=3986399#N447

but it did not fix it.

 

[Paul]

Thanks, what else do you think I could try? I don't get the "The scanner
bulb temperature is too low" message.

I tried the utility at
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&product=3986399#N447

but it did not fix it.

In a quick search, I found the same info as you did.

Normally, the machine would detect the CCFL works, by using
the CMOS or CCD sensor that does the scanning. My scanner for
example, positions the sensor over a "white reflective strip" inside
the scanner, and that is used for calibration. If the bulb
was dead, the unit would "fail to calibrate".

But the available info I could find for the scanner in your
4500, somehow, they measure temperature. It could be a
reference to "color temperature", which is an entirely
different thing than "room temperature". In which case,
maybe the CCFL still works, but it's become brownish.
(When the CCFL tube ages, the color becomes non-white.)

Possible light sources for scanners, include CCFL and LEDs.
One trick for CCFLs, to make them work temporarily, is to
turn down the intensity. When a CCFL is marginal, running
it at a lower intensity, sometimes coaxes the inverter to
run it for a few more weeks. But when a CCFL is used in a
scanner (and not in an LCD screen), there isn't any control
of that nature. So there's really nothing a user can play
with.

I think my scanner, came with a spare bulb. Which is probably
a good thing, seeing as the company that made my scanner went
out of business about ten years ago.

Occasionally, a CCFL stops working, because of a bad
contact between the CCFL socket and the tube. But a much
more common fault, is the inverter has stopped working.
The inverter has overload protection, so the item won't
become a smoking mess. And it doesn't take much of a change
in operating conditions, before the inverter switches itself
off.

You'd have to check the available documentation, to see what
kind of bulb (illumination source) it uses. Even a LED source
can break, so LEDs aren't the answer either. White LEDs for
example, have a finite life. The unfortunate part about
CCFL tubes as an alternative, is the flaky nature of the
inverter. If the inverter was well designed, the 15000 to
25000 hours of the CCFL tube would seem like forever. But
few CCFLs get to see their "brown phase" of operation,
because the inverter gives up well ahead of that point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ccfl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCFL_inverter

Paul

 

[t]

In a quick search, I found the same info as you did.

Normally, the machine would detect the CCFL works, by using
the CMOS or CCD sensor that does the scanning. My scanner for
example, positions the sensor over a "white reflective strip" inside
the scanner, and that is used for calibration. If the bulb
was dead, the unit would "fail to calibrate".

But the available info I could find for the scanner in your
4500, somehow, they measure temperature. It could be a
reference to "color temperature", which is an entirely
different thing than "room temperature". In which case,
maybe the CCFL still works, but it's become brownish.
(When the CCFL tube ages, the color becomes non-white.)

Possible light sources for scanners, include CCFL and LEDs.
One trick for CCFLs, to make them work temporarily, is to
turn down the intensity. When a CCFL is marginal, running
it at a lower intensity, sometimes coaxes the inverter to
run it for a few more weeks. But when a CCFL is used in a
scanner (and not in an LCD screen), there isn't any control
of that nature. So there's really nothing a user can play
with.

I think my scanner, came with a spare bulb. Which is probably
a good thing, seeing as the company that made my scanner went
out of business about ten years ago.

Occasionally, a CCFL stops working, because of a bad
contact between the CCFL socket and the tube. But a much
more common fault, is the inverter has stopped working.
The inverter has overload protection, so the item won't
become a smoking mess. And it doesn't take much of a change
in operating conditions, before the inverter switches itself
off.

You'd have to check the available documentation, to see what
kind of bulb (illumination source) it uses. Even a LED source
can break, so LEDs aren't the answer either. White LEDs for
example, have a finite life. The unfortunate part about
CCFL tubes as an alternative, is the flaky nature of the
inverter. If the inverter was well designed, the 15000 to
25000 hours of the CCFL tube would seem like forever. But
few CCFLs get to see their "brown phase" of operation,
because the inverter gives up well ahead of that point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ccfl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCFL_inverter

Paul

Thanks. I hear getting a bulb would be difficult for this model.
I appreciate your advice and time.