Remanufacturing Lexmark X560 Color Toner Cartridges
The Lexmark X560 engine is a multifunction, 31-ppm black and 20-ppm color engine that runs at 600 dpi (2,400 dpi image quality). The first page out is stated to be under 11 seconds, and the printer runs off a 400 MHz processor. The memory comes standard at 384 MB and is expandable to 1.4 GB. These machines can print, scan, fax, copy and duplex. The chips on these cartridges need to be replaced each cycle.
There are LY (starter) cartridges and HY cartridges available. An LY cartridge cannot be made into an HY version, as there is a set of gears in HY cartridges not present in LY cartridges. HY cartridges use a second toner hopper located in the drum half of the cartridge. This hopper is present in the LY versions, but the necessary gears to move the toner are not.
These cartridges have a chip that must be replaced each cycle. In addition, they also have gears on the supply hopper(s) that must be set correctly for the cartridge to work.
The printers ship with a set of starter cartridges. Both the colors and the black are rated for 4,000 pages.
Current machines based on the X560 engine are:
Lexmark X560n
Lexmark X560dn
The cartridges used in these machines are as follows:
Black LY 0X560A2KG 4,000 pages
Cyan LY 0X560A2CG 4,000 pages
Magenta LY 0X560A2MG 4,000 pages
Yellow LY 0X560A2YG 4,000 pages
Cyan HY 0X560H2CG 10,000 pages $412.65 list
Magenta HY 0X560H2MG 10,000 pages $412.65 list
Yellow HY 0X560H2YG 10,000 pages $412.65 list
Black HY 0X560H2KG 10,000 pages $278.25 list
As you can see, these are extremely profitable cartridges to remanufacture.
These cartridges use both toner and developer. This system is a little different, so we are including the cartridge/printer theory here.
Figure 1 shows the basic layouts of the cartridges as they relate to the printer and also lists the steps used in the printing process. These steps are covered in more detail below.
In the first stage, the primary charge roller 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 printerís intensity setting. The PCR cleaning roller removes any toner or paper dust from the PCR. See Figure 2.
In the second stage, each colorís laser beam is fired onto a set of fixed mirrors and then onto the rotating mirror (called the scanner). As the mirror rotates, the beams are reflected into a set of focusing lenses. The beams then strike the drumís surface, reducing the negative charge and leaving a latent electrostatic image on the drum. In the areas where the lasers did not strike, the drum will retain the higher negative charge. See Figures 3 and 4.
The third (or developing) stage is where the toner is developed on the drum by the developing section (or supply chamber), which contains the toner and developer particles. The toner is moved from the hoppers by a series of agitators into the developer section, where the augers and magnetic roller are located. The toner is brought out to the drum by the magnetic roller. The toner is also held onto and attracted to the magnetic roller by a negative DC bias voltage. This voltage is controlled by the printerís 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 amount of toner on the magnetic roller is controlled by the doctor blade, which uses pressure to keep the amount of toner on the roller constant. See Figure 5.
As the laser-exposed areas of the OPC drum approach the developer roller, the toner particles are attracted to the drumís surface due to the opposite voltage potentials of the toner- and laser-exposed areas of the OPC drum. See Figure 6.
The fourth stage is the transfer stage. This is where there are some large differences from monochrome printers and also from other color lasers. In the primary transfer stage, the transfer rollers, which are located directly opposite each OPC drum, place a positive DC bias charge on the back of the transfer belt. Each toner cartridge has a separate transfer charge roller. As the paper moves through the machine, the image is transferred from the drum directly to the paper. This process is repeated for each color cartridge in the following order: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. See Figure 7.
The paper separates from the transfer belt as the belt turns back down to start the process again. The static charge on the back of the paper is decreased with a static-charge eliminator. This helps stabilize the paper feed and also prevents toner flares (spots) under low temperature and low humidity conditions. See Figure 8.
In the fifth stage, the image is then fused onto the paper by the fuser assembly. The fuser assembly is comprised of the upper heating assembly and lower pressure roller. The lower pressure roller presses the page up onto the upper heating assembly, which then melts the toner into the paper. This heating assembly is based on older technology. It uses a heat lamp and a pressure roller assembly ó not the ceramic heaters that many machines now use. See Figure 9.
OPC drum cleaning
The drum is cleaned after the image is transferred to the paper by the wiper blade. This part is fairly standard; the wiper blade scrapes the toner off the drum, and the recovery blade guides it into the waste chamber. These machines also have an erase lamp to remove any residual charges from the drum and allow the wiper blade to clean better. See Figure 10.
Cartridge troubleshooting will be covered at the end of this article.
Required tools
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Small common screwdriver
- Jewelers screwdriver set
- Spring hook
- Vacuum approved for toner
Required supplies
- Dedicated Lexmark X560 color toner (HY or LY)
- Dedicated Lexmark X560 color developer (HY or LY)
- Replacement chip (HY or LY)
- Dedicated OPC drum
- Drum cover
- Toner seal
- Fill-hole seal
- Cotton swabs
- Rubbing alcohol
- Lint-free cloth
1) Remove the two springs from either side of the cartridge. The contact side is easier to remove if the cartridge is upside down. See Figures 11 and 12.
2) Remove the screw from the black end cap on the contact side. See Figure 13.
3) Remove the screw from the white end cap. See Figure 14.
4) Remove the white end cap by prying up on the tab as shown. See Figures 15 and 16.
5) Remove the black end cap by prying up the tab to release it. Press down on the lower contact plate and pry the end cap up around the bottom edges until it comes free. Itís important to press the lower contact plate down so it does not become damaged. Two white gears will come off with the end cap. It is best to store them on their respective shafts as shown. See Figures 17, 18, 19 and 20.
6) Remove the single gear with the black axle as shown. Do not remove the three remaining gears, as they are attached inside the hopper. See Figure 21.
7) Separate the two halves. See Figure 22.
8) On the toner hopper, remove the magnetic roller clip by lifting up the two small tabs from the plastic shaft. Turn the contact toward the flat side of the mag roller shaft and remove. See Figures 23 and 24.
9) Remove the large mag roller drive gear. See Figure 25.
10) Remove the front auger drive gear so the bearing can be removed. See Figure 26.
11) Remove the round bearings from both sides of the mag roller. See Figures 27 and 28.
12) Remove the mag roller support bearings from both sides. See Figures 29 and 30.
13) Pull the mag roller out by lifting it up from the short shaft side. See Figure 31.
14) Remove the toner hopper sealing strip and the developer chamber sealing strip. New seals are now available, so there is no need to reuse them. See Figures 32 and 33.
15) Clean out all remaining toner and developer.
16) Install the mag roller long shaft side first. See Figure 34.
17) Install the support bearings on both sides of the cartridge. Make sure the tab on the bushing is set in its slot as shown. See Figures 35 and 36.
18) Install the round bearings on both sides of the mag roller. See Figure 37.
19) Install the front auger gear. Make sure it is installed correctly. It must mesh properly with the auger, or print voids will occur. See Figure 38.
20) Install the mag roller contact. Set the fingers so they are contacting the flat side of the shaft, and turn the whole assembly until it fits in place. See Figures 39 and 40.
21) Place a piece of paper across the developer chamber opening so it blocks the mag roller. Fill the chamber with the dedicated developer. Remove the paper. The paper makes it simpler to fill the chamber by blocking off the mag roller. See Figure 41.
22) Clean the edge of the developer chamber opening with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Install the new seal. See Figure 42.
23) For low-yield cartridges, fill the toner chamber now. Clean the edge of the chamber with alcohol and install the new seal. HY cartridges have two chambers, so it is easier for them to be filled later. Both chambers should be filled at the same time in order to get the correct amount in each. (They will be filled at the end of these instructions in step 46.) See Figures 43 and 44.
Note: Do not mix the developer with the toner. They must be separate inside the cartridge for the system to work correctly.
Place the toner chamber aside.
24) On the drum chamber, remove the ìEî ring from the contact or hub side of the drum. See Figure 45.
25) Pull the axle out from the gear side of the drum so that the inner drum ground contacts are not damaged. See Figure 46.
26) Remove the drum. See Figure 47.
27) Remove the PCR and clean with a lint-free cloth. See Figure 48.
28) Remove the PCR cleaning roller and vacuum or blow any toner from the roller. See Figure 49.
29) Remove the two PCR/PCR cleaning roller holders. Carefully pry them up from the sides. Clean them with a cotton swab and alcohol. See Figure 50.
30) HY cartridges have a seal and set of gears for the additional augers. Remove the seal and clean out any remaining toner. See Figure 51.
31) Remove the two screws and the wiper blade. Clean out any toner from the waste chamber. See Figure 52.
32) Coat the wiper blade with your preferred lubricant and install. Install the two screws. See Figure 53.
33) Clean the PCR holders and PCR cleaning roller holders with a cotton swab and alcohol. See Figure 54.
34) Install the cleaned PCR/PCR cleaning roller holders. See Figure 55.
35) Install the cleaned PCR cleaning roller. See Figure 56.
36) Install the cleaned PCR. Place a small amount of new conductive grease on the black holder side. See Figure 57.
37) Install the drum. See Figure 58.
38) Install the drum axle from the hub side. See Figure 59.
39) Install the E ring. See Figure 60.
40) On the toner hopper, install the white auger gear as shown. At this point, the remaining gears must also be set properly. If the cartridge is an HY cartridge, the top two gears must point to the arrows on the cartridge as shown. For all cartridges on the lower half, the gears must be pointing to the arrow and gear as shown. See Figure 61.
41) Install the developer roller drive gear. See Figure 62.
42) Place the two halves together. See Figure 63.
43) With the two gears placed on the black end cap, install the end cap. Make sure the tab locks in place. Install the screw. See Figures 64, 65 and 66.
44) Install the white end cap and screw. See Figure 67.
45) Install the springs on both sides of the cartridge. See Figures 68 and 69.
46) If you have an HY cartridge, fill the upper (drum unit) and lower (toner) hoppers now. We have found it best to fill the upper hopper with one-quarter of the bottle and put the rest in the lower hopper. See Figure 70.
47) Remove the old chip by prying it out and lifting up on the black plastic holder. Remove the old chip from the holder and slide the new chip into the rails. Make sure it snaps into place. See Figures 71, 72 and 73.
48) Install the chip holder assembly onto the hopper. See Figure 74.
49) Install the drum cover. See Figure 75.
Repetitive Defect Chart
OPC drum 75.4 mm
PCR 28.3 mm
PCR cleaning roller 25.1 mm
Black and color mag roller sleeve 27.9 mm
First primary transfer roller 31.4 mm
Drive roller transfer unit 56.9 mm
Upper fuser roller 82.7 mm
Fuser drive belt 94.2 mm
Pinch roller fuser assy. 18.8 mm
Exit roller fuser assy. 43.1 mm
Exit pinch roller fuser assy. 31.4 mm
Contact Mike Josiah at mikej@uninetimaging.com or visit www.uninetimaging.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2011 issue of Recharger.