Black or Blank Copies

By Raymond Cote

Last month I asked techs to send in questions about any ongoing problems they may have had. One technician from Long Island, NY, sent in the following question about flash faults:

“I was experiencing some problems with flash lamps and random black copies on a Xerox 5090 copier. I changed the flash lamps and that did not fix the problem. Next I changed the Illumination Power supply, and the black copies only got worse. I examined the flash harness assembly and the flash lamp contacts; they were fine. I even swapped the flash lamp holders, without success. When I ran DC-951 Initialize, all the numbers were where they were supposed to be and the machine seemed to be happy—but the black copies persisted.”

After speaking to the technician, I discovered that the age factor for the lamps bounced all over the place—going from 6 to 202. The system fault was 06-232 and was a hard failure all the time. Flash lamp replacement is usually recommended, making sure that the trigger wire is in contact with the ground contact on the flash lamp holder. You will notice there are two different flash lamps being used: 122E273 and 122E275. Oddly enough they are the same with one minor difference: The 122E273 flash lamp has one thin trigger wire that circumvents the lamp itself whereas the 122E275 lamp has three trigger wires that circumvent the lamp envelope. The extra wires on the lamp make for a better contact on the flash lamp holder Assembly ground contact. (If you have a choice, order the 122E275 flash lamps).

Next, take a good look at the P216 plug going to the Illumination Power Supply. Inspect it for burnt or discolored pins. Make sure they are all in good condition. If you see some pins that are visibly damaged, replace them. I have replaced pins (both male and female) on the plug and the jack (of the ISP) on numerous occasions. In one rare occasion, one of the pins actually backed out of the plug—probably from vibrations. When the plug backed out, it caused black copies. Actually, the customer complained about intermittent black copies for about two weeks before we discovered the real problem of the loose pin.

Inspect very carefully the Molex connector P216; it is a delicate connector and it has been known to break very easily. Sometimes, if we are not too careful, we can get the wires mixed up and they end up in the wrong positions. (NOTE: The proper wire colors for connector P216 reading from left to right (from the rear of the machine) are: grey, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, brown, white, black, brown, and red. The last 4 wires (white, black, brown, and red) are the most critical for 06-234 and 06-232 system faults.

Check all connections on the MIN DIO PWB. Make sure you have a good mechanical connection on all plug /jacks and Molex connectors. While you are at it, double-check all communication lines for tightness and make sure they are not pushed in too far. You will notice that when you connect a communication line to a connector you will hear a distinct click. When you hear this click, do not push it any further. Because there is another fraction of an inch of travel, we sometimes try to push it still further to get a better contact. Don’t do it—pull the connector back until it clicks in the home position. If the 06-232 system fault still persists, replace the trigger PWBs, MIB PWB, and check J2 for any loose connections or damaged pins. Another area of concern is the cooling blowers: Make sure they are working and the filters are not clogged with dirt (53K142).

 --Random Faults caused by an open Metering Roll Ground

Noise can be induced randomly, causing various chain 03, 05, 06, 08, 09, 10 & 12 faults. A broken or intermittently open Metering Roll or Fuser Ground Wire will cause one or more faults to occur. Erratic operation of some components is common.

In the 5090 family of copiers: System faults will include 03-203, 03-204, 03-221, 03-222, 03-223, 03-232, 03-241, 03-242, 03-245, 03-373, 05-101, 05-104, 05-106, 05-114, 05-301, 05-313, 05-314, 06-232, 06-234, 08-122, 08,153, 08-903, 09-201, 09-212, 09-213, 09-220, 09-322, 10-101, 10-102, 10-103, 10-104, 10-105, 10-201, 10-204, 12-247.

Check continuity of the Metering Roller (part number 22K9162) between the roller itself and the bearing on the end of the roller and the whole grounding circuit with your ohmmeter. Less than 25 ohms is desired; 10 ohms is typical and zero ohms would be ideal. If you have a reading of more than 25 ohms, inspect for a broken or loose wire or connectors and repair or replace as needed. Ground wire part number 117K11010. If the ground wire is intact, replace the Metering Roller or install a grounding bracket for a more positive ground (the Metering Roll Ground Bracket repair kit, 600K89920). When you re-assemble the metering assembly, make sure the ground wire is in solid contact with the bearing on the Metering Roller. I have noticed in three separate incidents that insulated wire was used as a ground wire in the metering assembly. And these three 5090s were subject to random system faults that went on for months until the insulated wire was discovered and repaired correctly.

--06-232 / Defective Flash Lamps (122E273).

Repeated 06-232’s may occur after changing lamps, power supply, lamp assemblies, flash harness, etc. One of the new flash lamps, previously installed, was defective. Don’t assume, like I did for two days, that the new flash lamps were good lamps. Replace the flash lamps again and make darn sure that the trigger contact on the lamp holder assembly is actually making good mechanical contact on the trigger wire on the flash lamp envelope.

--06-232 Faults with 09-213 system faults.

Started with 06-232 Faults, and then went to 09-213 Faults. All voltages were correct, but the lamps in the trigger boards do not flash. Inspect the MIN (Marking Imaging Node) Harness near the Processor; make sure it is not shorted to the frame. Repair/replace the MIN Harness.

--06-232 Faults and Black Copies

The signal Flash Enable (L) +15VDC from the MIB PWB (REF TS-15) was missing. If P211-19 of the MIB PWB was disconnected, the 15VDC was measured at TS 15. I found the 15 VDC was missing at the right flash lamp (TP2). Refer to the wiring data, section 7 (+15 VDC distribution). I also discovered a broken wire at the in-line connector (1A8W1CP6).

--06-234, 09-360 Faults with black copies

The age factor is climbing to 200 after being manually reset to 100 in DC 131 MIN 169. Check the Molex connector P/J216 (on the IPS). Make sure that all the pins are making proper contact and they are in good physical condition.

The question of quality replacement parts will always haunt us in the field, and we will always be tempted to use less-expensive parts in our repair process. To me, this has and will be a concern for a long time to come. In the past I have accepted and installed competitive flash lamps in the 5090 copier only to be disappointed when they failed prematurely. When you consider the frustration factor—both yours and your customers’—it makes more sense to use quality parts. And this is also true for transport belts, drive belts, and ‘O’ rings. You pay for what you get, and you get what you pay for.

Once again I would like to encourage any technician or self-maintainer to submit any machine problems they are having, and I will do my best to help resolve your problems or concerns.

Raymond Cote can be reached at 718-931-2830 or e-mail: VillageCopierNY@AOL.COM.