DELL 5100CN FAILS TO PICKUP PAPER - faulty feed solenoid ???

Hi

Thanks for the message, here's a summary

1) TEST D03 :  Can't identify BTR.   BTR is bias transfer roller ?  From the diagram it looks like the transfer roller is where the BTR should be.  Looking below the main motor with the side panel off the main motor cog turns & two cogs/rollers which I take to be the BTR also turn.  But if this is so I don't understand how this can be seen from the top in your description. 

2) TEST DO-3 & DO-50:  Registration Rollers are turning, one black rubber & one silver

3) DO-3 & DO-52:  Paper rollers are turning just inside blue drop down cover

4) DO-3 & D0-56:  Paper feed rollers are not turning

I think the BTR and the transfer roller are one and the same and in this test it doesn't rotate.  Doesn't look like it can with the photodrum removed ? 

John

I think the BTR and the transfer roller are one and the same and in this test they don't rotate.  Doesn't seem it can with the photounit removed but the doors closed ?

Thanks

Sorry for the delay. For some reason, I don't seem to be getting any email notification when this post is replied to.

OK..... We've definitely localized the problem to A)the MCU output or B)the wiring between the MCU and the Feeder or C)a problem inside the feeder itself.

This image is the electrical signal between the MCU and the Feeder.

This image is the connector location on the MCU.

This image is the location of the feeder components INSIDE the 500 sheet feeder unit.

This image is a blowup view of the prior image. These are down inside the 500 sheet feeder unit.

Now, when you energize DO-56, it should "pick" the Feed Solenoid shown in the first image. Based on my own experience, I did not have to remove the MCU nor any wires from any of the MCU connections to remove/replace a Developer Drive Assy. As you can see, there is not much in the way of signal path from the MCU (P/J47_11-12) down to the Feed Solenoid. There's one multi-pin connector on MCU, two of those wires go to the P/J474 connector pair, then to the solenoid. P/J474 is buried inside the Feeder unit base.

I know you probably checked the wiring 2-3 times...... but the alternative is much worse. I'd check 'em again, otherwise you be tearing into the Feeder unit...... NOT fun !!

Checked wiring on MCU all seated correctly no bent pins

When Do-56 is requested I can hear only a click from around the area beneath the main motor where the two white cogs I mentioned yesterday are , not from the tray.  Click sound is heard if the paper tray is locked in or out.  That would make me think a signal is neing sent from the MCU but something in the gearing is at fault ?

Requested internal report print ............message again asks for A4 paper to be loaded tray 1, the usually clutch noise associated with it collecting paper is still missing. 

 Is it worth doing a continuity check with a mutimeter for breaks  in the harness ?

The feeder components are actually inside the paper tray or on the under on the main printer base ?

Thanks

Thanks

(looks like the emails are working again..... :emotion-21:)

Just to clarify some things here....

When you EXEC DO-56, you should hear the click of the solenoid "picking" (if you're in a quiet enough location), but usually only once per revolution cycle. However, the feed rollers will not rotate unless you also have the main motor running using test DO-3. The fact that you do hear a click is encouraging. But if the tray is in, you won't see the paper feed rollers turning (take the tray out and put it aside).

What country are you in? Is your normal paper size Letter or A4? This might be an important clue as the Paper Size sensing signals also run thru this same harness that connects to P/J47, pins 1-4 (see this image)

If you do make any continuity checks, ensure the harness cable is 1st disconnected from P/J47 on the MCU. Make sure you do not connect an ohmmeter to the connector on the MCU.  Also, the MCU is a static sensitive board. Make sure you practice static safeguards to prevent damaging the board.

Did you disconnect any of the wires from the MCU when you replaced the Dev Drive Assy? What doesn't make ANY sense here is that the Dev Drive Assy has nothing in common with this problem.

The Feeder unit is under the printer base and is not part of the tray. Real difficult to access.

Quick check..... try running test (Digital Input) DI-11. While the test is running (LCD says EXEC), reach into the paper tray area and lift/lower the paper tray sensor flag arm* while watching the LCD panel..... tell me what happens?

*(this is the piece of plastic that hangs down from the top-inside of the tray opening)

ok,

The clicking only occurs when I operate the test DO-56, "cancel" and "exec" again and it clicks.  The feed rollers don't rotate, I'm feeling up under inside where the paper tray normally is.

I'm in the UK, A4 is the standard size here.  I have previous checked the counter that hangs down from the underside of the printer into the tray and it counts up as the pages would leave the tray, this counts up correctly when repeated touched/flicked.

No wires were discounted from the MCU board, not during the dev drv assy replacement, the first time I disconnected one was this moring after rinstruction to check the bundle. 

The tray did work fine until I started on the dev drv assy but maybe one encourage the other error to occur ?

Could I have software disconnected Tray 1 through the menu system by mistake ?

There has to be something simple here that we're overlooking...... made doubly difficult by trying to do this via this forum. After I make this reply, I'll initiate PM between us so that we can begin emailing.

I'm curious why you're feeling inside the printer instead of looking? You should be able to easily SEE these rollers if you LOOK inside the tray cavity. Get a flashlight, start DO-3 & DO-56 (start DO-3, leave it in EXEC mode, advance to DO-56, EXEC) then peer inside the unit at the top of the tray cavity. There are tandem paper feed rollers..... they "should" be rotating.

The fact that your printer is requesting A4 paper tells me that the signals from the paper size switch assy is not correct. Have you verified that the rear fence inside the tray is set to A4? You can test the size switch assy by running test DI-38. When the tray is OUT, the LCD should indicate "No Cassette". When you put the tray back in, the LCD should indicate the size the tray is currently set to; i.e., A4, Letter, etc.

Also, the paper sensor flag does not count the paper. It merely tells the printer whether paper is present in the tray, or not.

No; The DevDriveAssy has it's own set of motors/gears and is not connected to the Paper feed motor/gear path.

No; You can't disable the tray via software. Proof of that is that no cable connection is required to print the internal printer settings page.

Hi

I have sent you a couple of mails, is there anything else you can suggest ?

JM

Replied yesterday evening..... more coming.

Solved !  but can't see where to formally mark this as completed

Thanks again for all your help

JM

JM

 The last two links at the bottom of each post are Suggest as Answer and Verify Answer. Select the post that corrected the problem and then click Verify Answer.

Hi

Not on my page as viewed through internet explorer.....there is no "suggest" or "verify", when you reply there is still no option ?

JM 

JM,

It is there but you can only see the top part the words. This is what is looks like when I copied and pasted the options. They are in a row and verify is at the bottom choices and to the right.