Recharger Magazine

Remanufacturing the Samsung CLP-510/ Xerox Phaser 6100 Toner Cartridges

• Jun 01, 2006

Introduced in January 2005, the Samsung CLP-510 series of printers is based on a 25-ppm black/6-ppm, 600-dpi color Samsung print engine. The 510 machines are an enhanced version of the CLP-500 machines, which are 21-ppm black/5-ppm color.

The CLP-510

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Unlike the CLP-500 cartridges, chips are used to shut the cartridges down after toner low is reached. In fact, the chips will shut the cartridge down when the max page count is reached regardless of the amount of toner left. If you were to take a starter/low-yield cartridge and put in the high-yield load of toner, it will still shut down at 2,000 pages. To convert a low-yield cartridge to a high-yield you must either convert the chip with a special reset box or replace the chip. Reset boxes are now available that can reset the OEM chips, convert low to high yield, and convert Samsung to Xerox and visa versa.

There are seven user-replaceable cartridges in these machines, four toner cartridges, a drum unit, transfer unit and the waste container. The drum and waste collector will be covered in a future article. The toner cartridges are all installed through the left cover (with the display in front of you). The drum unit and transfer belt are installed through the top cover, and the waste container is installed through the front cover.

Each cartridge has its own slot. From top to bottom, they are: black, yellow, magenta and cyan. Note that unlike the CLP-500-based cartridges, the back tabs are the same for each color cartridge. The chips identify the correct cartridge. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

As with the CLP-500 machines, the instructions/sequence on how to replace the toner cartridges are listed on the printer. These instructions must be followed in sequence, or the gear train of the printer will be damaged. Trust me …

As you can see from the pricing, replacing multiple cartridges can quickly get very costly. Buying these machines may be inexpensive, but using them certainly isn’t — our industry’s favorite kind of pricing system!

These machines use the single-pass print system similar to the HP 4600 and its predecessor the CLP-500. As there are a few differences, we will cover the cartridge theory here also.

Taking test prints, cartridge troubleshooting as well as minor printer troubleshooting will be covered at the end of this article.

Samsung CLP-510 Color Printing Theory

The color toner cartridge printing process is best explained as a series of stages or steps.

The first stage in the printing process is the primary exposure stage. Light from the eraser lamp strikes the drum. This eliminates any residual charges on the drum surface, and ensures a consistent charge density.

In the second stage, the primary charge roller (PCR) places a uniform negative DC voltage on the OPC drum surface. The amount of the negative DC voltage placed on the drum is controlled by the printer’s intensity setting. See Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2

Figure 3

In the third stage, the laser beam is fired onto a rotating mirror (called the scanner). As the mirror rotates, the beam is reflected into a set of focusing lenses. The beam then strikes the drum’s surface, neutralizing the negative charge and leaving a latent electrostatic image on the drum. The areas where the laser did not strike the drum will retain the negative charge. See Figure 4.

Figure 4

The fourth or developing stage is where the toner is developed on the drum by the developing section (or supply chamber), which contains the toner particles. The development stage is actually made up of two steps: toner charging, and the actual development.

In the toner charging stage, the toner stirring blade turns inside the hopper. As it turns, friction causes a negative potential to develop on the toner. In addition, a toner charging roller also places a negative voltage on the toner. These two charges ensure a uniform charge on the toner. Once the toner is properly charged, the toner will coat the developer roller. The toner will also be held onto the developer roller by another negative DC bias voltage. This voltage is controlled by the printer’s intensity setting, and causes either more or less toner to be attracted by the developer roller. This in turn will either increase or decrease the print density. The toner is first fed to the developer roller by the feed mechanism, which in this case is an open-cell foam roller. The amount of toner on the developer roller is controlled by the doctor blade, which uses pressure to keep the amount of toner on the roller constant.

As the laser-exposed areas of the OPC drum approach the developer roller, the toner particles are attracted to the drum’s surface due to the opposite voltage potentials of the toner and laser-exposed areas of the OPC drum. See Figure 5.

Figure 5

The fifth stage is the transfer stage. This is where there are some large differences from monochrome printers. A pre-transfer lamp illuminates and reduces the adhesion of the toner to the OPC drum and allows a better transfer to the image transfer belt (ITB). The different color latent images are then transferred from each toner cartridge to the ITB in a specific sequence. First the yellow is transferred, and then the magenta is built up on top of the yellow followed by the cyan and black. The full image on the ITB is then transferred to the paper using the T2 transfer roller. See Figure 6.

Figure 6

In the sixth stage the image is then fused onto the paper by the fuser assembly. The fuser assembly is comprised of two heat rollers. This is a bit different from other systems. There is a fixed upper heat roller with a 500-watt lamp inside, and a spring-loaded lower heat roller with a 300-watt lamp inside. This system ensures proper fusing in all print conditions. (Remember, these machines come with built-in duplex.) See Figure 7.

Figure 7

The final stages are where the ITB belt and drum are cleaned.

The OPC drum is cleaned after every complete image has been transferred to the ITB. The ITB is cleaned after every complete image has been transferred to the paper. A cleaning solenoid activates and a cleaning blade removes the waste toner from the ITB. The waste toner is transferred to the waste toner tank.

The waste tank has one section that breaks a sensor signal to show it is installed, and also has a section that, when it fills up, blocks a sensor and triggers a waste toner full message. See Figures 8, 9 and 10.

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Remanufacturing Instructions

1) Remove the three screws from the top cover. See Figure 11.

Figure 11

2) With the handle facing you, remove the screw from the left side. See Figure 12.

Figure 12

3) Pry the cover away from the two tabs on the left side and lift the left side up slightly. See Figure 13.

Figure 13

4) Pry the cover away from the two tabs on the right side. Lift the cover up and away from the cartridge. See Figures 14 and 15.

Figure 14

Figure 15

5) Carefully remove the fill plug. Do not insert a small screwdriver down the side of the fill plug as the fill plug wall is very easily damaged. Instead, insert a flat-head screwdriver under the lip of the plug and work the plug out. See Figures 16 and 17.

Figure 16

Figure 17

6) Remove the fill plug, and dump out any remaining toner. Vacuum/blow out any remaining toner from the cartridge.

7) Remove the two screws from the top cover above the developer roller. See Figure 18.

Figure 18

8) With the flathead screwdriver, pry the black end cap off the developer roller shaft on the small gear side of the cartridge. Remove the black washer, developer roller drive gear, and the two small gears next to it. Remove the white plastic bushing. See Figures 19, 20 and 21.

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

9) On the large gear side, remove the three screws and contact from the circuit board (PCB). See Figures 22 and 23.

Figure 22

Figure 23

10) Remove the PCB. See Figure 24.

Figure 24

11) Remove the two screws from the gear cover. Remove the cover by lifting up and away from the cartridge. See Figure 25.

Figure 25

12) Pry the black end cap off the developer roller shaft. See Figure 26.

Figure 26

13) Remove the large developer roller gear. See Figure 27.

Figure 27

14) Remove the feed roller drive gear, flat washer and bushing from the cartridge. See Figures 28 and 29.

Figure 28

Figure 29

15) On the small gear side, remove the E-ring from the developer roller shaft, and pry off the metal bushing. See Figures 30 and 31.

Figure 30

Figure 31

16) Remove the developer roller. The metal bushing on the opposite side is locked in place by a metal contact plate. See Figures 32 and 33.

Figure 32

Figure 33

17) Clean the doctor blade and feed roller. Do not use any chemicals on the doctor blade as they will damage the feed roller, and may react with the replacement toner. If there is a build-up on the doctor blade, carefully take the wood side of a cotton swab and rub it along the edge of the blade. Be very careful not to damage or bend the blade. See Figure 34.

Figure 34

18) Wipe the developer roller down with a clean lint-free cloth. It is also not advisable to use any chemicals here either. The residue from the chemicals may react with the replacement toner. Check with your vendor before using anything other than a clean cloth on these parts.

19) Install the developer roller, long-shaft side to the large-gear or PCB side. See Figure 35.

Figure 35

20) On the small-gear side, install the metal bushing and E-ring. You may have to tap the bushing in place to get access to the E-ring slot. See Figures 36 and 37.

Figure 36

Figure 37

21) Install the plastic bushing, three gears, black washer, and black end cap. See Figure 38.

Figure 38

22) Install the two screws on the metal developer roller cover. See Figure 39.

Figure 39

23) On the large-gear side, make sure the metal bushing is still in place. If not, press it back in. Install the plastic bushing. See Figures 40 and 41.

Figure 40

Figure 41

24) Install the feed roller drive gear, spacer side towards the cartridge. See Figure 42.

Figure 42

25) Install the gear train cover and two screws. See Figure 43.

Figure 43

26) Install the large drive gear, flat washer, and black end cap. See Figure 44.

Figure 44

27) Install the PCB three screws and contact. See Figure 45.

Figure 45

28) Fill with the appropriate toner, and replace the fill cap. Remember, it is not a good idea to change the color of a cartridge. See Figure 46.

Figure 46

29) Reset or replace the chip. Reset boxes are available that can reset the OEM, convert low to high yield, and also convert Samsung to Xerox or visa versa. See Figure 47.

Figure 47

30) Snap the top cover in place and make sure the four tabs are locked in. See Figure 48.

Figure 48

31) Install the three top screws and one side screw. See Figure 49.

Figure 49

Taking Test Prints

Demo Page

• With the printer ready, press the Menu button until you see “Information” on the bottom of the display.
• Press the Enter (asterisk) button to access the menu.
• Press the Enter button when “Demo” appears on the bottom of the display.
• The Demo page will print out. (This is a duplexed page.)

Configuration Page

• With the printer ready, press the Menu button until you see “Information” on the bottom of the display.
• Press the Enter (asterisk) button to access the menu.
• Press the Enter button when “Configuration” appears on the bottom of the display.
• The Configuration page will print out.

Printer Error Messages

These machines have text error messages that appear on the display. There is no need to list them here. A few messages that may not be clear are LSU and ITB error messages. LSU stands for laser scanning unit and ITB stands for image transfer belt.

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Contact Mike Josiah and the technical staff of Summit Technologies at (631) 218-8376 or visit www.summitechnologies.com.

This article originally appeared in the June 2006 issue of Recharger.