500 noise when plotting

[Mr_Gibson]

when ploting as the printer heads slide back and forth at particular times it makes a harsh studdering noise which in turn is causing lines on my plots to be doubled bubbled or askew. any ideas on how to fix this? or whats wrong in the first place

[jasonmiamifl]

You should try :

When power on & carriage box moved out to center, unplug the power...

manually move the carriage box left & right & see does it touch the paper. 

make sure it move freely & not touching paper.

Check paper & make sure it is not warp ( curl little )

clean & lubricate the silver metal rod. check the belt & make sure it is in good condx.

Check & clean the printhheads & especially the black.

Also try different roll of paper,

Must be one of them. 

[davidzuts]

Also check the condition of the betl when you move the carriage assembly.  Older belts tend to lose belt material which adheres to the motor shaft and pulley causing bumping and slipping.

[Mr_Gibson]

well ive noticed from running it back and forth and letting it run on its own that if its moving slow theres no problem but when moving fast as it goes to slow down it vibrates really hard. it seems the printer head is loose on the bar it slides on. are there bushings of some sort that have gone out or something that can be fixed  or do i need a new part?

[davidzuts]

That carriage will move up and down a bit which is normal.  There are bushings on both side of the carriage.  If you move the carriage to the center and look down on the left and right sides of the carriage will be I believe a torx 15 screw which secures the bushing to that side.  Just tighten.  If already tight then they are not the issue.  Look at the condition of the belt since a bad belt will be more noticeable at higher speed.

[jasonmiamifl]

Now your problem might be :

If  someone changed the carriage belt & the tiny piece on the top of the carriage box might fell off & the carriage box was

moving & caused the noise, also lines not straight.

If steps I mentioned earlier , also David's suggestions & you still have same problem. the above must be the cause.

[Mr_Gibson]

BELT LOOKS IN GOOD COND SCREWS ARE TIGHT... WHERES THE CARRIAGE TOP?

[davidzuts]

The carriage top is where the flat ribbon cable comes off the right side of the carriage.  That cable fits into grooves and then there is a small piece that fits into the grooves to hold everything in place.  Sometimes that piece (black) does not fit right or just breaks.  It does not matter as long as the ribbon cable itself is fitted between the two sets of grooves.  You say the belt looks good.  Most times the wear of the belt is at the edges when the carriage is over the service station look on the left side and when the carriage is all the way to the left look near the pulley.  Also look at the pulley and the motor shaft for any belt debris that may have adhered since it will cause noise.  Sometimes the carriage can be noisey and as long as no print defects no issue, but if defects you need to determine what is happening.  Remove the top center cover piece and stick a wad of paper in the cover open switch on the right side.  Now you will be able to observe and look at what is happening.

[Mr_Gibson]

YEAH I AM HAVING PRINTING PROBLEMS. THATS BEEN THE BIGGEST ISSUE LINES ARE COMING OUT JACKED UP

[jasonmiamifl]

see photo, it is missing that small piece

also there is a piece connected to the spring, if missing & cause carriage box moving up & down little...