If there is an internal bronwout the CPU generally notices that it was rebooted by the watchdog tiimer and grumbles on the lCD display or flashes the lights in a distinctive "I'm unhappy" pattern.
That tends to be something daft going on in the power management of another networked PC somewhere. Some of them broadcast the equivalent of "wake up" to all peripherals at the least provocation. I have known certain (broken) printer drivers that did that all the time on Vista even when they were *supposed* to be printing a real job!
You may find that it doesn't do it when isolated from the network / USB connection to a PC. Check power management settings.
*IF* related to capacitor failures, then what happens when you shut down, let cool, and turn on?
Interesting you mention time of day:
*IF* related to maintaining some type of standby temperature to keep ready for printing, Has the room ambient changed? Temperature sensor? temperature setting? Our ambient house temp has dropped from 82-88 down into the 78 - 82 range we all to follow the outside temps ...a bit. You can't believe how happy all the electronics have become.
Gents, I think the printer may have given the answer in one last message. This morning it kept cycling every few minutes. Turned it off, back on ... only the display backlight is left, otherwise dead. I am not sure I want to repair it.
Does anyone know if the Brother software on the individualy PCs also works with other models?
Does anyone know whether Brother TN450 and TN350 toner cartridges are interchangeable (disregarding toner amount)? Mostly, whether a TN350 goes into a TN450 slot.
Reason is that newer printers seem to all employ the TN450 and that would render already bought TN350 useless. From pictures they look very similar.
I maintain several businesses that are just stuffed full of various model Brother laser printers. I won't say anything nice about Brother printer mechanical reliability, but I've seen no bulging caps or similar failures on any of their models. Capacitor failure is of course possible, but unlikely. If I search for "Brother laser printer bulging capacitor" or run similar searches, I find nothing.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Well, that's a new one for me. I deal with about 100 assorted Brother lasers printers and haven't seen that yet. Something died. The symptoms sound like the high-ESR electrolytic in the power supply. The ESR is reasonably low when hot, but when cold, the ESR climbs.
At the price of a replacement AOI printer, it's probably not worth it.
Some parts work, others don't. The BRadmin software is uniform across the most of the small AOI machines. The individual print drivers are not uniform. To avoid the inevitable mess, I suggest you uninstall everything, and reinstall from the replacement printer CD. Then, update online. Be sure to check for firmware updates.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
I'm about 90% certain that they are NOT interchangeable. The TN420 is the underfilled "starter" cart version of the TN450. The TN420 can be refilled to full capacity by installing the missing gears on the cart. It's not worth the effort since clone TN450 carts are available on eBay for about $15. Random example: Two for $25. There were "starter" cart versions of the TN350, but they were sold under the same TN350 part number. I have both TN350 and TN450 carts in the office. Let me know if you want me to try it.
For the very low cost of an eBay cart, I don't think it's worthwhile trying to preserve your investment in TN350 carts, unless you have a large quantity.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Well, I don't like refurb for gear with lots of mechanical stuff in there and the electronics boards are that long-lived either. I can get an older model new MFC for that price.
The driver needs to be re-installed, that's for sure. For scanning I use the Brother Control Center, hopefully that can stay. It only shows the MFC-7820N as available but maybe it will recognize the new one.
Are you absolutely sure it never did this before? Most laser printers, if left on all the time, will turn the photoconductor drum/belt every few hours to make sure they don't stick to the wiper blades. If the wiper blade sticks, it can destroy the blade or photoconductor. Of course, the printers survive being turned off for a week with no damage, so I don't know how important this cycling could be. Usually, HP printers just make a soft clunk, they only move the motor a few degrees and don't power up the rest of the stuff.
I just ordered a Canon MF4890dw since the Brother model I was after went out of stock during the few minutes (literally) I spent perusing its PDF manual. The good thing is that this one not only has duplex printing but also duplex intake on the sheet feeder for scan and copy.
My hope is also that the mechanical quality is a tad better, similar to my first Canon copier. That thing was nearly indestructable.
I've had no out of the box failures buying that exact model as a refurbished printer. I think I've resold about 8 of those printers so far. The regular price is $169 instead of $129. You're going to have difficulty finding a different AOI laser printer at the same price. As far as I can tell, the only difference between refurb and regular is the length of the warranty. As far as I can tell, the printers have never been out of the box or used.
The only problems I've had with refurbished Brother printers was with this color laser: There are some really flimsy parts on the toner carts, which I think got mangled during manufacture. I had to buy a replacement yellow cart (4 colors for about $60). However, I don't recommend this printer because the print quality was marginal the 3 printers that I've resold.
Good luck. If Windoze, make a backup of the registry before proceeding. If it's HP printer software, make several backups.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
The 7460 was available at $129 and then .. poof .. sold out in minutes while I was reading something in its PDF manual. Later it showed up for $169. The 7360 is $129 (or at least was a few hours ago) on Amazon but no duplex printing.
I really want that one year warranty because then my credit card pops that up to two years.
Thanks. Since the 7460 went out of stock within minutes and then later popped up $40 I ordered a Canon MF4890dw for $190. Its user interface and SW seems to be a bit on the clumsy side. AFAIU you have to walk over to the printer and switch it to scan, then scan, walk over again and switch to normal mode. Oh well, good exercise to get out of the chair. Toner is more costly but I am hoping for a little better quality. What really sold me on it was the duplex intake for the scan/copy sheet feeder. I had a Canon copier in the 90's and it was super quality.
The Brother MFC-7820N was good to me but did have occasional issues after power failures and also a few paper jams on the intake side.
I don't know. I think the fuser assembly might be the interchageable. Possibly, the rubber feed rollers are removable. I can't check right now. I can probably fix it, but my profit will probably equal the shipping cost.
The difference between the MFC-7460DN and the MFC-7360N that I suggested is that the 7460DN does does double sided printing and is slightly faster (27 ppm versus 24 ppm).
I just checked my pile of Brother carts. The TN-350 is VERY different from the TN-450. The TN-350 is made to piggyback on the DR-350 selenium drum assembly to form the toner cartridge. The TN-450 has everything in one package. They are not interchangeable.
Careful. The problem is that some require a "deductable" for a replacement printer. You end up paying them roughly the used printer price for a replacement. There are also other scams. However, for $9, it seems low risk.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Sigh. Too late. $200 retail. About 50% more expensive.
I have two customers with slightly earlier models and one with a recently purchased Canon MF4890dw. They seem reliable and do not break without user assistance. They are certainly not indestructible. I've replaced the hinges on one printer and removed coffee (sugar) damage from the other. They're very different from the older Canon LBP-xxxx series printers, which could probably survive a nuclear attack.
My main objection to these printers was the older 105 toner cartridge, which bypassed so much toner into the waste bin, that I would often see lengthwise smearing before it would run out of toner. Refilling
105 carts was difficult, messy, tedious, and irritating. The design of the cart stunk. Fortunately, I can now get refills for $15/ea.
I also had problems with front panel operation, which I considered convoluted and complexicated when compared to the Brother printers. The printer made quite a bit of noise when operating which is still a problem at a dental office. The scanner section sucks but is usable. The hopper feed likes to jam and the duplex scan is painfully slow.
The MF4890DW uses the newer 128 cartridge, which I haven't had the pleasure of dissecting yet. They do look similar, but hopefully, the
128 will be an improvement over the 105 cartridge. Same price $15 for refills on eBay.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
I don't care about speed but double-sided printing is something I need a lot. So far I always had to do the "print odd then even pages" and turn the stack around in the paper feed reservoir. Which resulted in numerous paper jams if I didn't wait long enough to let the curl sag back out.
Thanks for checking but meantime I have ordered a Canon MF4890dw.
I looked at the fine print and this one seemed ok, they even paid for shipping if they wanted it back.
I paid $190 plus tax, Brother didn't have anything that compared right now.
That's how my Canon copier was, could probably have survived a collision with a Russian tank. But the printer will be in a no-coffee zone.
I've once tried to refill a HP cartridge but I must have gotten the wrong kind of toner because it didn't print at all after that.
The low noise level was actually lauded in several reviews. The MFC-7820N was noisy while printing. Sits 4ft from my chair but that never bothered me.
I don't want to send out cartridges for refill and don't have an Ebay account. So I'll have to find a good off-brand toner supplier because the original is around $70. This looks good:
formatting link
When buying from Amazon there is usually a good exchange policy, hopefully also if they are just the fulfillment entity. With Brother the original was always $40-50 so I never looked for off-brand.
Well, the thing has croaked. After a power cycle it won't do a thing, no buttons work and other than the backlight nothing is visible on the LCD. So I ordered a new printer.
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.