Overview Supplies Required Tools Required Disassembly Cleaning Page Troubleshooting

Remanufacturing the HP LaserJet 2400 Toner Cartridges
0357

Overview

Preliminary instruction/information article dated 11/10/2004. A complete set of instructions with printer information will be released as soon as our investigations are concluded, and HP releases the service manual.

Released in October 2004, the HP LaserJet 2400 series of printers are based on a 1200dpi, 30-35ppm Canon engine. As with all the new HP cartridges, these cartridges use a chip to monitor toner low functions. The 2400 cartridge and chip are basically updated versions of the 2300 (Q2610A) cartridge. The cartridges for the 2400 are the Q6511A, rated for 6000 Pages at 5% coverage, and the Q6511X, rated for 12,000 pages at 5% coverage. Testing is ongoing to see what (if any) components from the 2300 cartridges will work.

The LaserJet 2400 series of printers use a 400 MHz processor and the most basic unit has 32Mb of DDR memory. The 2300 has a 266MHz processor, so this is quite an upgrade. The 2420, 2420d and 2420dn all have a monthly duty cycle of 75,000 pages/month. The 2430tn and the 2430dtn have a monthly duty cycle of 100,000 pages/month. When compared to the 2300 that has a 30,000 page/month duty cycle. These machines are much more robust. HP has again packed a lot of power into a relatively small machine. The cartridges have list prices of $179.30 for the 11A and 301.40 for the 11X. (Both prices as of November 2004).

So far the LaserJet 2400 series consists of the following printers:

LaserJet 2420, 2420d, 2420dn, 2430tn, 2430dtn.

It should be noted that the 2420 machines are rated for 30ppm, and the 2430 machines are rated for 35ppm.

Supplies Required

• Toner 560g HP-2400 type for 11X, 270g for 11A (Preliminary weights)

• New OPC Drum

• New Wiper Blade

• New PCR [Optional]

• 99% Isopropyl Alcohol

• Magnetic Roller Cleaner

• Kynar Padding Powder

• Nu-Finish car polish

• Conductive Grease

Tools Required

• Toner approved vacuum.

• A small Common screwdriver

• A Phillips head screwdriver

• Needle nose pliers

• 1/16" or smaller punch

• Xacto knife with Chisel blade. See text and picture

Disassembly

Figures 1-8 show the differences (or similarities) between the 10A (2300) cartridge and the Q6511X cartridges. The cartridges have been made so that they are not physically interchangeable. Figures 9-12 show the Q5611A cartridge.

Figure 1	Figure 2
Figure 3	Figure 4

Figure 5	Figure 6
Figure 7	Figure 8

Figure 9	Figure 10
Figure 11	Figure 12

Figure 13 shows the new pull tab for the seal. This tab prevents the cartridge from being installed unless the seal has been pulled. (Unless the tab has been separated from the seal of course).

If you look at the boxes, HP is trying to us the last three characters of the part number as the name of the cartridge. Since these cartridges will be the 11A, 11X, and the new 1160/1320 cartridges will be the 49A, 49X, it has now become important when your customers order a cartridge to verify if they want a toner or ink cartridge.

As with all other black HP cartridges, the chips on these cartridges do not shut down the entire cartridge, they disable the toner low features. The cartridge will run if the chip is removed, but the error message must be cleared first. As with past HP chips, the toner low function is disabled if a used chip is installed. We are still in the initial stages of testing these cartridges. By the time you read this, we should have this as well as other questions answered.

Figures 14-17 Show the display panel when a cartridge is inserted in the printer with a no chip, figures 18-19 show the display panel when a cartridge is inserted with a used chip.

Figure 13	Figure 14
Figure 15	Figure 16

Figure 17	Figure 18
Figure 19

Figures 20-22 show the Supplies Status Page in the following states:

• New cartridge
  
• Full used chip
  
• Full no chip

1) Remove the drum cover by prying the spring loaded arm, and then carefully pry off the two metal bars out of their holders. The cover must be in the closed position in order to pry off the spring loaded arm. Be careful not to loose the spring! See Figures 23 & 24

2) Place the cartridge with the drum side up. Note on each end of the cartridge, there are small silver pins. To separate the two halves these pins must be removed. Like the 96A/10A cartridges, these pins cannot be pulled out, or pushed in from the outside of the cartridge (the wiper blade is in the way). The only way to disassemble the cartridge without damaging it is to push the pins out from the inside. To do this, both the OPC Drum and PCR must first be removed. Replacement pins are available that can be removed from the outside.

Figure 23	Figure 24

3) With the pair common screwdriver, remove the Metal Axle pin/spring loaded cover located on the right side of the cartridge. This is a new type of drum axle pin configuration. It comes out easily enough, but be careful as it seems somewhat fragile. The opposite side now has plastic rivets it is not necessary to remove it. See Figure’s 25 & 26

4) Hold the two halves slightly apart and remove the Photoconductive Drum being extremely careful not to scratch it. If the drum is in good shape and you plan to re-use it, blow off any toner and debris from drum being careful not to let the air gun come in contact with the drum surface. Do not polish or wipe the drum with a dry cloth since this may scratch the drum. See Figure 27

5) Carefully remove the Primary Charge Roller (PCR), by gently prying it out of the clips on either end. Be careful as the PCR Holders come loose easily!! Place the PCR aside. See Figure 28

Figure 25	Figure 26
Figure 27	Figure 28

6) Take the Xacto knife with the chisel blade and cut the pin cover off by slicing it at the side wall of the cartridge. See Figure’s 29 & 30. This will give you access to the pins where you can take the small punch or a small screwdriver, and gently press both of the metal pins out from the inside of the cartridge. To make this process easier, push the pins out 1/2 way, and pull them out from the outside with needle nose pliers or wire cutters. The pins will move out enough to grab them with pliers from the outside. See Figure’s 31 & 32

7) Separate the two halves.

8) Remove and clean the PCR. Clean the PCR holders with alcohol.

WARNING: Do not clean the OEM PCR with alcohol, as this will remove the conductive coating on the roller. IF the PCR is an after market, follow the cleaning methods recommended by the manufacturer. If the PCR is an OEM, we recommended that it be cleaned with a PCR Cleaner. We have been using Nu-Finish car polish on our OEM PCR's for years with no problems. To clean the roller with the Nu-Finish car polish, apply a small amount and buff with a clean lint free cloth until the roller is clean and shines. If the roller is damaged, or worn out it should be replaced with a new roller.

Figure 29	Figure 30
Figure 31	Figure 32

9) Remove the two screws and the Wiper Blade. Clean the toner out of the waste chamber. See Figure 33

NOTE: Be very careful not to damage or distort the thin Mylar Recovery Blade next to the wiper blade. If this blade is bent or damaged in any way, it should be replaced.

10) Due to the aggressive nature of the toner used in these cartridges, we recommend that the Wiper Blade be replaced each cycle. Lightly coat the new blade with Kynar drum padding powder. Replace the Wiper Blade into the cartridge. See Figure 34

NOTE: We do not recommend using Zinc Sterate on this cartridge, as it will stick to the PCR and cause small white voids in the printed characters.

11) Place a small amount of conductive grease on the black PCR holder, install the PCR. Place the waste chamber aside. See Figure 35

Figure 33	Figure 34
Figure 35	Figure 36

12) To remove the magnetic roller, first remove the right end cap by removing the two screws. Note the gears in the end cap are held in place. Carefully lift the roller out of the cartridge. Be very careful not to damage the wire contact at the opposite end of the roller. See Figure’s 36, 37 & 38.

13) Remove the doctor blade by removing the two screws and lifting it out straight up. When removing this blade, be very careful not to break the alignment pins. These pins keep the doctor blade at the proper distance from the magnetic roller. There is a thin bead on adhesive under the blade. Be sure to keep it clean so that it stays sticky. See Figure’s 39 & 40

Figure 37	Figure 38
Figure 39	Figure 40

14) Vacuum the Toner Supply Chamber thoroughly.

15) Fill the hopper with 2400 type toner through the magnetic roller opening. See Figure 41 Use 560g HP-2400 type for 11X, 270g for 11A (Preliminary weights)

16) Inspect the green and black End Caps on the Magnetic Roller Sleeve. Make sure they are not cracked. If they are cracked, they will tear the coating off of the OPC drum. See Figure 42

17) To change the Magnetic Roller Sleeve, press the magnet from the gear side until the white bushing pops out from the other side. Slide the Stationary Magnet out from the old sleeve and into the new. Place the two end caps, bushing, and gear on the new sleeve; black on the contact side, green on the gear side. Note that the bushing end cap also has a smaller bushing that fits around the MRS sleeve. These small bushings may cause a problem when the cartridge has been refilled multiple times. Clean the contact spring of the magnetic roller, and the contact-side end cap with the alcohol. Coat the contact side end cap with a small amount of conductive grease. See Figure’s 43, 44, & 45.

Figure 41	Figure 42
Figure 43	Figure 44

18) Install the new Doctor Blade. Make sure the adhesive seal has remained tacky. If not, clean it lightly with a small amount of alcohol. New replacement seals are being investigated. See Figure 46

19) Install the Magnetic Roller Assembly, Hub, gear, and large end cap. Spin the roller a few times in the proper direction to make sure all is aligned properly. (Make sure the Spring Contact is clean and not bent) In the3 large bushing, there is a smaller u-shaped bushing. This bushing is similar to the ones used in the HP-4000 series, and may wear out just as quickly. Testing is ongoing to determine if this part will need to be replaced. See Figures 47 & 48

Figure 45	Figure 46
Figure 47	Figure 48

20) Install the large end cap and two screws. Make sure the gears are clean. See Figure 49.

21) Coat the OPC Drum with the Kynar, and replace the OPC Drum and spring loaded metal axle assembly. See Figure’s 50 and 51.

Figure 49	Figure 50
Figure 51	Figure 52

22) Install the drum cover onto the toner hopper. Set the spring as shown in Figure 52, and install the metal bars on both sides. Once installed, release the tail of the spring so that the cover closes properly. See Figure’s 53 and 54

23) Place the two halves together, and insert the two silver pins. See Figure 55

24) Replace the chip. See Figure 56

Figure 53	Figure 54
Figure 55	Figure 56

Cleaning Page

Running the Cleaning page.

The cleaning page helps keep the fuser free of toner particles. HP recommends that it be run every time a new cartridge is installed.

1) Press the MENU button to open the menus.
2) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “CONFIGURE DEVICE” appears on the display.
3) Press the SELECT button.
4) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “PRINT QUALITY” appears on the display.
5) Press the SELECT button.
6) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “CREATE CLEANING PAGE” appears on the display.
7) Press the SELECT button.
8) Follow the instructions on the cleaning page to complete the process

Changing the Printers Intensity (Density)

1) Press the SELECT button to open the menus.
2) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “PRINT QUALITY” appears on the display.
3) Press the SELECT button.
4) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “TONER DENSITY” appears on the display.
5) Press the SELECT button.
6) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until the desired setting (1-5) appears on the display. “3” is the default setting

Printing Test Prints

There are a number of test pages that can be run from the menu. There is a “Menu map”, “Configuration Page”, “Supplies Status Page”, and the “PS or PCL font list”. The Supplies Status Page or the Configuration page are the best to use. They have Solid Black, Gray Scales, and text.

1) Press the SELECT button to open the menus.
2) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until “INFORMATION” appears on the display.
3) Press the SELECT button.
4) Press the UP or DOWN arrows until the page you wish to print appears on the display.
5) Press the SELECT button.

Troubleshooting

Although these cartridges are new, symptoms pertaining to the HP-2300 should apply here.

Repetitive defect chart:

4mm Drum
47mm Mag
38mm PCR

Broken Top Fin: If the Plastic fin on the top right side of the cartridge is broken, the display will read INSTALL CARTRIDGE.

Memory Supplies Error: this occurs when the chip is either missing, or damaged. The machine will still work, but the SELECT “check” button must be pressed to clear the message.

A dirty or Bad Primary Charge Roller (PCR): this will show on the test print as vertical gray streaks down the page, as a gray background throughout the page, or as ghosting where part of a previously printed area is repeated.

Dirty PCR Connection: This will show as horizontal dark black bars across the page, or as shading throughout the page.

Scratched Drum: This is shown by a very thin, perfectly straight line that runs from the top to the bottom of the test page.

Chipped Drum: This will show as a dot or series of dots that repeat 3 times per page. Any drum defects will repeat 3 times per page based on the drum circumference of 94mm

Light Damaged Drum: This will show up as a shaded area on the test print that should be white. Again this will repeat 3 times per page.

Worn-Out Drum: This will usually show up as shading on the right side of the page. It will usually start right from the edge of the page, and work in towards the center. The pattern will normally look like tire tracks.

Bad Wiper Blade: This will show as either a gray line approximately 1/8" thick or as shading across the entire page. In either case there will be a film of toner on the drum surface that matches the defect.

Bad small Magnetic Roller Bushing: When this u-shaped bushing wears out, gray scale pages, and pages with heavy graphics will exhibit light and dark line across the page.