On Mon, 22 Feb 2016 01:39:34 -0000 (UTC), news13
wrote:

Our HP5simx went to ****ty print and the "service/maintenace" was ~$500
about a decade ago. Sits idle atm, despite having a new full toner
cartridge in it. Once HP could lock you it to their toner cartridges,
the $ went through the roof.

The HP 5si is an a very old printer and about the size and weight of
half a refrigerator (without the Mopier options). I dealt with a few
of those (and the 4si predecessor) many years ago. During tax season
it ran continuously like a printing press. Keeping it clean and cool
were the major problems. Every year, I would tear the printers down
completely, clean out the accumulated crud, replace all the rubber
parts, and especially clean the fuser. Then the printer would get hot
from running all day, the paper would stick to the fuser and cause a
paper jam. The residue from the melted toner would stick to the fuser
roller, causing subsequent pages to have "ghost" impressions. I
couldn't fix the design and additional cooling was futile, so I
purchased some spare fuser assemblies and had them ready for a quick
swap. It was easy but leather welding gloves were helpful. The 5si
printers were eventually replaced with 4250 and 4300 printers, which
were faster, cheaper, better, cooler, but noisier.

The real HP POS is/was the 4V. Its sinuous paper path was never popular
and even the service techs hated it. The first time it locked onto a mysterious
error, I paid for a expensive service call. Now, it is just another POS
for deconstruction.

Yeah, but if you wanted B size prints (11x17") the 4V and 4MV were all
that could be found. The neighboring architects and planners that
wanted big prints without going to the expense of a plotter, both used
HP 4V printers. I would have to clean or fix them occasionally, but
nothing out of the ordinary.

The serpentine paper path above the paper tray is still with us on
todays printers. It's about the only way to obtain multiple paper
trays and duplex (double sided) printing without requiring a much
larger footprint. The price you pay is replacing the feed roller(s)
and friction pad(s) quite often. If you didn't clean and/or replace
these about every 10,000 pages, you're going to see feed problems.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558