Remanufacturing the Samsung ML-2955 Toner Cartridge
- By Mike Josiah
- May 01, 2012
First released in January 2012, the Samsung ML-2955 series of printers are based on a 29-ppm engine with a maximum resolution of 1,200-by-1,200 dpi. The first page out is stated to be less than 8.5 seconds. Depending on the model number, other options/specs are available.
The MLT-D103L/S cartridges do not have a built-in drum cover. They come new with a special removable two-piece plastic drum cover/shield. This is a change for Samsung, in that they normally use heavy paper with foam glued to it to protect the drum. This new cover also clips into the base of the PCR holders so that during storage, the PCR is not touching the drum. This will help prevent flat spots on the PCR. See Figures 1 and 1a.
These cartridges have plastic rivets that need to be cut off; holes then need to be drilled, and screws must be installed to hold it all together. It’s not a hard process, and it’s covered completely in these instructions. See Figures 2 and 2a.
The standard cartridge (Samsung Part No. MLT-D103S) is rated for 1,500 pages. The HY cartridge (Samsung Part No. MLT-D103L) is rated for 2,500 pages. As with pretty much all cartridges these days, the cartridge has a chip, and it has to be replaced each cycle. The OEM chips are regional, so be sure to get the proper chip for your region. These machines, when new, ship with a 1,000-page starter cartridge.
The MLT-D103S has a list price of $54.99, and the MLT-D103L has a list price of $69.99 (as of February 2012).
There are quite a few machines that use this cartridge:
ML-2950ND
ML-2951ND
ML-2955ND
ML-2955DW
SCX-4728FD
SCX-4729FD
SCX-4729FW.
One interesting thing about this series is they have a user setting for altitude adjustment. There are four different settings depending on the altitude the device is to be used in. They are also capable of poster printing, allowing the user to blow up a picture over four, nine or 16 pages.
Cartridge troubleshooting will be listed at the end of these instructions.
1) Place the cartridge with the handle up and the contact side facing toward you. With the chisel blade knife, slice off the heads of the three plastic rivets. Leave the end cap and arm in place for now. You may have to custom-grind your chisel blade to get into the small areas of the rivets. You can also use a small common screwdriver if the edge is sharp. See Figure 3.
2) On the drum-gear-side end cap, take the chisel blade knife and slice off the heads of the three plastic rivets as was done on the contact side. See Figure 4.
3) Remove the drum axle arm from the contact side of the cartridge. To remove it, turn the arm so it is facing straight down, then pull the arm straight out to remove. There are small tabs on the back of the arm that are freed, and the arm is straight down. Note that the arm is stamped with an “R” for the right side. See Figures 5 and 6.
4) While still on the contact-side end cap, locate the top, bottom and front tabs. Press in on the tabs and remove the end cap. See Figures 7, 8 and 9.
5) On the drum gear end cap, remove the drum drive gear and the remaining arm the same way as the right side: Turn it to be straight down and pull it straight out. Press in on the top and bottom tabs, then remove the end cap. Note that the arm is stamped “L.” See Figures 10, 11 and 12.
6) Remove the gears. See Figure 13.
7) Separate the two halves slightly and lift off the middle top cover. See Figure 14.
8) Lift up on the drum/waste hopper and free up each side from the side tabs. Rotate the waste half so that the curved bottom clips on each side come free. Be careful to hold the drum so it does not become damaged. Remove the drum/waste assembly. See Figures 15 and 16.
9) Remove the drum. See Figure 17.
10) Remove the PCR from the assembly. See Figure 18.
11) Clean the PCR with your normal PCR cleaner. Warning: Do not clean the OEM PCR with alcohol, as this will remove the conductive coating from the roller. If the PCR is aftermarket, follow the cleaning methods recommended by the manufacturer. If the PCR is OEM, we recommend it be cleaned with your standard PCR cleaner.
12) Remove the three screws from the wiper blade, then remove the blade by lifting it up slightly and sliding it out from underneath the PCR holders. Be careful not to damage the alignment pins. See Figure 19.
13) Clean out all the waste toner from the hopper. Make sure the seals are clean. See Figure 20.
14) Carefully pry up the seal above the chip holder in the right side of the waste chamber. See Figure 21.
15) Pry up the plastic chip cover with a small screwdriver or chisel. See Figure 22.
16) Remove the old chip and install the new one. Make sure the chip fits into the top slot and that the contacts are facing out and toward the edge of the chamber. See Figures 23 and 24.
17) Install the plastic chip cover. If it is not sticking well, you can use double-sided tape to hold it in place. Set the wiper blade seal back in place. We recommend that you glue it back down with a small amount of 100 percent silicone caulk or adhesive. (Phenoseal or GE work best in our tests). See Figure 25.
18) Install the cleaned or new wiper blade and three screws. See Figure 26.
19) Place a small amount of conductive grease in the holders and install the PCR. Note that there is a spot on the holders for a PCR cleaning roller. They are not used in the cartridge. Samsung seems to be using parts from other cartridges for the 103. See Figure 27.
20) The large gear side of the drum axle shaft has conductive grease on it. Regardless of whether you are replacing the drum or not, clean the old grease off and replace it with new grease. See Figure 28.
21) Install the drum into the waste hopper. The axle should click into place. Make sure the gear side of the drum is on the correct side. See Figure 29.
22) On the supply hopper, carefully pry out the fill plug and dump out any remaining toner. The fill plug can be difficult to remove, as it is recessed. Take a small common screwdriver and work it around the edge, lifting slightly until it comes loose. See Figure 30.
23) Remove the developer roller. See Figure 31.
24) Remove the two screws from the doctor blade, then remove the blade. See Figure 32.
25) Clean out all the remaining toner from the hopper. Be careful not to lose the seal port plug from the side of the cartridge. No seals are used in this cartridge, but the seal port is there. Samsung has installed a foam/plastic seal to cover the port. See Figure 33.
26) Make sure the doctor blade sealing foam and the developer roller seals are clean and intact. See Figure 34.
27) Clean the doctor blade edge so there is no evidence of buildup along the edge. If any buildup exists, the cartridge will streak. No chemicals should be used. We have found using a clean ice-cream-type wooden stick works great for scraping the blade clean without damaging it. See Figure 35.
28) Install the doctor blade and two screws. See Figure 36.
29) Clean the developer roller with a dedicated DVR cleaner and place it back into the hopper. Place the long shaft side to the gear side of the cartridge. See Figure 37.
30) Fill the hopper with ML-2955 toner, replace the fill plug and check for leaks. See Figure 38.
31) Install the gears in the order shown. See Figure 39.
32) Place the two halves together by setting the curved bottom clips into the toner hopper. Roll the hopper up so that both sides of the waste hopper snap into the toner hopper. See Figures 40 and 41.
33) Slide on the middle top cover. Make sure the long lower edge of the cover fits under the edge of the waste hopper. See Figure 42.
34) Install the gear-side end cap. Drill three small holes that correspond to the screw size you’re using in the three plastic rivets you removed at the start of these instructions. Install the three screws into the end cap. See Figure 43.
35) Clean the contacts on the contact end cap and replace the conductive grease. Snap the end cap into place. See Figure 44.
36) Install the contact-side end cap and drill three small holes that correspond to the screw size you’re using in the plastic rivet posts. Install the three screws into the end cap. See Figure 45.
37) Install the two drum axle arms as shown. Make sure you place the two arms on their correct sides: “L” to the contact side and “R” to the gear side. They should be installed just as they were removed. Press them in straight up and down, then turn them slightly toward the back of the cartridge as shown. See Figures 46 and 47.
38) Install the drum drive gear on the gear side of the cartridge. See Figure 48.
39) Install the drum cover assembly by sliding the bottom black part of the drum cover over the drum and sliding the orange top part so that the two small tabs on each side fit under the white locking tabs located on each side of the cartridge. See Figures 49, 50 and 51.
Repetitive defect chart
Upper heat roller 77.6 mm
OPC drum 75.49 mm
Lower pressure roller 75.4 mm
Supply roller 63.22 mm
Transfer roller 47.12 mm
Developer roller 36.75 mm
PCR 26.7 mm
Printer error codes
Here are a few of the more common error codes (for SCX machines):
C2-1410 Install new toner cartridge
C2-1510 Toner cartridge is not compatible
M1-1010 Paper jam Tray 1
S2-4110 Door open.
Printing test pages
Demo Page: With the printer in the Ready state, press and hold the Cancel button for about two seconds until the status LED blinks slowly. Release the button.
For SCX machines, you can just make a copy of a test page.
This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue of Recharger.