Light printing on LJ5

Beware of friends bearing free printers.

Is it an HP 5M, 5P, 5L, 5N, or 5Si. They're all quite different.

My guess(tm), is that it's the laser scanner assembly. The optics are either full of filth, or the laser diode is low on output. I vaguely recall that you know something about lasers. However, it's more likely that the rotating mirror or plastic optics are filthy.

I recall that this was the lightly used printer that I suggested you replace about 9 months ago.

Depending on model, most have the adjustment. Make sure the "economode" is off.

Get a new (used) printer.

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Damp paper ? Try passing some sheets through the system, so heated by fuser roller, and then passing through again the other way up

I think you have a dusty lightpath. If there's dust or fogging on the rotating mirror (warning: it takes a lot of disassembly to get to that), or on the scanner enclosure window, it hurts thin lines like that. The mirror can only be dusted (blow dust off with compressed air), not wiped. The window can be wiped off with isopropyl alcohol, but if there's a film on the inner surface, it's complete-disassembly time.

Yes, well, it has been adeqaute for my needs.

LaserJet 5

:)

Could be, but I think I was only complaining about paper feed then, and a good cleaning of the exit roller fixed that.

Off.

In this case I tend to agree but might explore the scanner assembly, probably after I get a new printer!

Thanks!

Roger all that, if it is a 5L.

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Can you switch to a different type font to keep on using the printer for a few more months until the toner cartridge finally gives out?

I really hate satisfied customers. It's really bad for my repair biz.

Ok, EX II series printer:

You might be able to get away with just a (dry) air hose cleaning. The laser slot is at the top of the printer. Remove the toner cartridge and you should see the slot. There's no window. Just blow some (dry) air into the slot and hope that it removes the dust. I would give it about a 30% chance of success. If not, remove all the plastic outer case parts. When you get the top off, you should see the laser scanner assembly. No need to remove it. As I vaguely recall, the top is held on with one screw and some simple snaps (not sure). Once the lid is off, clean the haze off the optics and mirrors.

I once had a customer with about 10 laser printers including several HP5m models. Some of them required cleaning the scanner optics about twice per year. It took me a while to figure out what happened. They were using refilled toner cartridges. The cart vendor was applying stickers onto the cartridge that eventually would just fall off. I was wondering where the glue went. I eventually suspected that it was being volatized and was coating the inside of the laser printers, including the scanner optics. Wiping down the inside of the printer and finding a thin sticky layer confirmed my guess. I told the vendor, who initially thought I was nuts, but eventually thanked me for solving a running mystery.

In some cases that would work but for graphics and stuff like UPS/USPS on-line mailing, there is no choice as far as I know.

Thanks for looking!

OK, well, cleaned the two large lenses with isopropyl, dusted off the scanner mirrors, blew out the long mirror. Basically, no change.

Time for new piece of junk printer, but that should be adequate for my needs.

Thanks!

Sam, I think he's asking:

LaserJet 5M? LaserJet 5P? LaserJet 5L? LaserJet 5N? or LaserJet 5Si

The actual model number usually starts with 'C', followed by four numbers and sometimes another letter on the label with the serial number

Were they obviously dirty? Did you clean the laser lens?

I don't have an easy way to measure the laser output, but my guess(tm) is that it's low. I may have a replacement scanner assembly or laser:

I can't check right now as I'm at home.

Ask your friend if he has any more free printers.

Here's a photo of my favorite source of free printers:

Does it matter? They all certainly have the same print engine right?

Looks to me like the laser guts are dirty and the optics need cleaned.

I was just trying to be sure about the muddle number. The various mutations of HP LJ5 are very different printers. There really is a LaserJet 5 with no suffix (C3916A). It's really a repackaged LaserJet 4+ with a Canon EX II engine. I've never actually seen one.

The various "5" models have quite different guts, engines, and model unique problems. The 5, 5M, and 5N use EX II engines. The 5P is a VX engine. The 5Si is a WX engine.

He tried that, with no success. That leaves low laser output. It's rare, but I've seen it with heavily used EX engines. It's also possible that the laser is somehow otto focus. That might explain the light thin lines for characters, while large areas are normally black. Hard to tell from here.

No, they don't.

One of several possibilities. That's like claiming every defective piece of electronic equipment only needs to be plugged in.

Never had to crack open a P or Si. By the time the 4's were ready to be canned for the 5's we recommended the 5M for those still printing from Novell on coax or the 5N for those we weaned off coax onto twisted pair.

We had spare parts on the van including the optical box. Was easy to sub for trouble shooting after the warranty expired. Since most of these 5's were in industrial complexes and factories 99% of the problems were cloudy lenses, prisms and the occasional white out fluid on the long output lens.

C3916A

They were just detectably dusty.

I cleaned both of the large lenses, the optic just after the laser diode module, dusted off the scanner mirrors, and blew out any dust on the long turning mirror. There is no window on the output (I seem to recall someone mentioned something like that).

This is a LaserJet 5, C3916A.

Thanks guys, it's not worth the time to do more to this 12+ year old printer.