HP 4100 Flash DIMM Problem

[Radzewicz]

Hi again Hugh,

OK I tried the JA approach but to my surprize the Flash Dimm does  not show up under \Storage listing . Only the RAM is listed as a RAM drive with about 219MB capacity (I have 256 MB RAM in the printer). So I could not initialize or erase it since it wasnt there.

It does show up in the printers print Configuration page as 8 MB, but when I print the Memory Map it shows up as 16k <!> which to me sounds suspiciously like the capacity of an EPROM (there are two small chips on the Flash Dimm, I imagine that one of them is an EPROM with the module description that gets read by the printer.

Im out of ideas  and coming to the conclusion that the 8MB Flash just doesnt work in this printer. Too bad. I will try to find the correct 2 or 4 MB module but searching for them I find that the vendors who have them have jacked the prices up to over $100 and I wont pay that on principle. Anyway thank you for your help, if you can think of anything else please let me know. Since the 8MB module is useless to me, if you want to experiment with it send me an email with your mailing address and i;ll put it in the mail to you and you can have a go at it: SRadzewicz@yahoo.com

-Stan

[Hugh_Hood]

Stan,

I share your frustration that the 8 meg flash DIMM is not working in your 4100, as I had been looking at those as well.

There is a chart somewhere (I don't have it handy) showing that the 8 and 12 meg flash DIMMs would work in the 4050's and 4100's, even though the original specs for those printers only allowed 2 and 4 meg units.

Before you give up on it, have you tried swapping the positions of the RAM and Flash, as I mentioned in my previous post?

If that yields no fruit, I have one other suggestion --

I agree that $100+ is too much to pay for a 2 or 4 meg flash DIMM. I tried to buy another one recently and would not pay that. Instead, I bought a new-in-box EIO hard drive for one of my 4050's and it cost me only $30.00. Plus it has many gigs of capacity.

I think the guy has several more available if that interests you. Let me know.

Again, trying swapping the RAM and flash slots before you throw in the towel on your flash DIMM.

Hugh Hood

[Hugh_Hood]

Stan,

I found the chart that shows the HP Part #s for the Flash DIMMs compatible with the 4000/4050/4100/4200 series LaserJets:

2 meg Flash DIMM: C4286A

4 meg Flash DIMM: C4287A

8 meg Flash DIMM: C8530A

12 meg Flash DIMM: C7867A

I hope that helps, and that your 8 meg Flash DIMM part # is C8530A.

Hugh Hood

[Radzewicz]

Hi Hugh,

Yes I did swap the Flash with the DRAM, moved the Flash into slot two, it didnt make any difference.

I suppose I could try a HDD, but to tell you the truth, what would I do with it?  I was  trying this 8MB Flash because it was an inexpensive mod to make. I really dont have a need for the extended storage and Im not even sure what i would do with it if I hjad it, I just wanted to extend the capability of my printer with a cost effective trial. What would I possibly put in 10 GB of storage? I dont download fonts or really need to store jobs, $6 for the DIMM was cheap enough to make the effort and maybe learn something more about my printer, $30 is extravagent.

I would venture a guess that these is a 4MB 100-pin Flash DIMM printer memory somewhere that will work in the 4287 slot, I doubt that that part is specific to HP only, and I would guess that it was once a standard  memory module 20 years ago.

[Radzewicz · Accepted solution]

Hugh

I have good news, I tried another solution and it seems to have worked: I deceided to give it one more try so I bought another Flash Dimm module, this one is a combination Flash and RAM dimm: C9129BA

HP OEM LaserJet LJ 8150 4MB Flash, 8MB  Web Access C9129-60001

and installed it and did the initialization and it took:
DIMM Slot 2:  Side 1 : 4 MB Flash 
DIMM Slot 2:  Side 2 : 0 MB SDRAM  (from the web browser at the printer ip)

The SDRAM part of the dimm did not take, but I already have 256MB installed, the max for this printer.

Printing a configuration page shows the same 4MB/0MB. The printer comes on and up with no warning message.

I ran the Jet Admin SW and this time the sw saw the 4MB flash and it took the initialization with a success. It shows me capacity of 3,571 (in KB)

I offered the seller $7 for the C9129BA on EBay, included shipping. I'm not exactly sure how this dimm was intended to be used except that it was for an 8150 printer: That was the clue, you had given me the parts for the 8100 series so I tried it.  the part I was using that did not work was a C9168  8MB flash.

I dont know what to do with it but now it seems to be there ok, this 9129 part.

So, what can I do with it to conclude that it is working? Is there are way I can write to it?

Thank you,

Stan

[Hugh_Hood]

Stan,

Nice work getting the 4 meg Flash portion of the C9129 DIMM to function in the 4100. At a price <$10.00, that is indeed an economical solution!

In fact, I may just order one myself and try it in one of my 4050's.

It appears that HP sold the C9129 for the 8150N as containing an 'embedded web server', and I suspect that is what you have on Side 2 of that DIMM.  It may be write-protected, too. I'd be interested to know whether Web JetAdmin 10 will let you 'erase' that Side 2 and let you use it for your own purposes.

You asked what you can write to and store on your Flash. Basically, for PCL operation, you can store TrueType fonts, PCL bitmapped fonts, and PCL macros. For PostScript operation, you can store PostScript fonts and PostScript files.  Having those resources directly on the printer is very helpful when using applications that do not go through the standard GUI print driver on the host computer.

You can use Web JetAdmin 10 (as well as other programs and methods) to download those resources to the Flash, and when you print a configuration page, your file system area should show you what the directories' contain.

Again, thanks for taking a chance that the C9129 might work. Nothing I have shows that it should; but you have proved otherwise! I've made a note.

Hugh Hood