SUDDENLY FULL BLACK PRINTS

[dr5chrome]

THIS PRINTER, P10006, suddenly started printing full black pages.

is it the printer or the computer?

thanks, dw

[Repairatrooper]

Follow these instructions to print an engine self test. If the engine self test comes out black then you have a printer problem. 

https://support.hp.com/za-en/document/c02007076

In most cases a solid black page is a problem with the drum contact which provides the voltage to the drum unit to allow the image to be written. In some cases the contact is simply bent and not contacting the drum in the cartridge.

[dr5chrome]

thanks for the reply.

test page through the OS - still all black.

the printer will not do a self test. holding down the "X" does nothing.

This is not a case of anything bending, and nothing is bent. The cartridge was not removed.

The printer simply ran out of paper and printed perfectly before that. Upon putting in new paper, the prints were ALL BLACK.. that sudden !

I dont want to buy a new cartridge because this one is new, maybe has 3/4 of the toner left in it.  If the printer is bad I dont want to waste the money on another cartridge.

removing the cartridge does nothing. reloading the software does nothing.

In all my days I have never seen this ALL BLACK thing. Did the printer suddenly fry? ..trash material??

thanks, dw

[ALS-77]

I'm sure Repairatrooper meant to give you instructions to do an Engine Test, not the OS test he linked to. 

Here are the instructions for an Engine Test from this link:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01980743

Engine test page
Follow these steps to print an engine test page to see if the product hardware is working.
1. Press the Power switch to turn on the product, if it is not turned on already.
2. Open and close the print cartridge door five times in succession within 30 seconds. The product prints an engine test page and returns to the Ready state.

I've found that the usual cause of a solid black printed page is due to a poor ground contact to the toner cartridge. The ground allows the high voltage applied to the drum to bleed off, if it doesn't, the drum becomes over-charged. Unusual that it happened after a paper out issue as it usually happens when the toner cartridge is replaced. It could be something internal to the toner cartridge that has failed, which would require replacing the cartridge. Is your printer properly plugged in fully to a properly grounded power outlet? Do not use a power strip, surge protector or UPS. Another possibility could be a bad power supply.

Another option to try is a Power Reset:
A safe option to always try is a Power Reset to eliminate a possible internal electrical issue:
First, make sure the printer is plugged straight into a wall outlet and not a power strip, surge protector or UPS.
With the printer plugged in and powered ON, disconnect the power cord from the printer. This will hopefully dissipate any electricity stored in the printer that could be hindering it.
Wait at least 30, preferably 60 seconds.
If there is a power switch, turn it to the OFF position.
Plug the power cable back into the printer.
Turn the printer ON with the power switch.

[dr5chrome]

ok - got it. didnt get the opening of the door 5x..

I did this test. the printer did ALL BLACK on its own.

so now the question..  is it junk? ..or the cartridge.

i dont see how the cartridge can be bad all of the sudden.

advise, thanks !  dw

[ALS-77]

Did you try the Power Reset I suggested?

Is your printer properly plugged in fully to a properly grounded power outlet? Do not use a power strip, surge protector or UPS.

It can still be a bad toner cartridge or power supply or bad ground somehow. Hard to say without being able to touch it and look it over personally.

[dr5chrome]

just tried that.  no difference. I do have all the computer stuff on a trip-lite unit. The power here fluctuates. The TL did give a click prior to this condition, but not imidate.

I ran an HP1300 for 12 years until it wore out. I have had this unit 4 months.

Since the cartridge just holds the toner, ill assume the printer is fried.

I dont know the internal working of this printer, and I dont understand why its doing what it is doing.

it would be a good thing if someone had a solution, or just tell me if its junk so i dont waste any more time on it

best regards.dw

[ALS-77]

Printer manufacturers really frown on using a power strip, surge protector or UPS as it limits the power the printer can get and cause very odd problems. I have fixed a few issues by moving printers off of these devices. The click you heard does not bode well as that indicates a power issue of some kind most likely it tried to fix. Those units are not well suited to handle laser printer power draws well and can damage printers too. 

I would recommend getting the cheapest toner cartridge you can to try, just to make sure it's not that. The power supply would be next, otherwise a new printer I guess.

[dr5chrome]

ok - thanks.  That the printer spits out black pages, would that indicate the powersupply is ok?

how does a power issue cause the toner cartridge to go out? If there is an issue with the printer and power would it not be a board of some sort?  Buying a toner cartridge to test the printer might be a big waste of money unless this is a common problem. Is there a way to bypass something on the cartridge, or is there something on it that burns out?

The tripp light is a must-have. its a pricy unit.  All they do is regulate the power and protect from power spikes. They do not reduce the power any devise needs to run. I have all my computers, scanners, printers running through them, for years. This problem is printer related. What likely happened is the printer itself created some sort of power spike.

thanks again. dw

[ALS-77]

I know the Tripp Lite's are pricey, but unless it is a heavy duty, commercial grade one, it may not handle the laser printer. Is the printer plugged into its own or is it shared with a lot of other devices? If you have everything plugged into one Trip Lite, you may be exceeding its power capacity. Again, it is recommended that laser printers should not be plugged into these because many times they really can't handle the surge load a laser printer can demand. What model # Trip Lite are you using? What are all the devices you have plugged into it? Also, the older they get, the less capable they become as internal components begin to age and deteriorate and don't work as well as they should. This is experience and knowledge I have from over 35 years working on computers and printers and my electronics degree.

I don't think the toner cartridge is the problem, but I always like to try another to rule it out just to be sure. I found a few online for only $16.

It could be a DC controller board, the high voltage power supply, or an electrical connection somewhere. The first time I ran into this was years ago on a printer that was working, then started printing black pages out of the blue. Finally traced the problem to a bad electrical ground contact that was supposed to touch the metal contact on the toner cartridge. It had slowly bent slightly out of position and didn't make contact like it was supposed to. Once I modified it, everything was great again. And ever since, anytime I ran into a printer printing black, 99% of the time it was a bad ground contact issue.