Baslinux mailing list

["Anthony Albert" <albert AT umpi.maine.edu>]

On 8 Dec 2005 at 17:04, sindi keesan wrote:
>On Thu, 8 Dec 2005, Anthony Albert wrote:
>> On 7 Dec 2005 at 22:35, sindi keesan wrote:
>>> QMS finally called back while I was here and explained that the flash rom
>>> (eeprom?) on the 'controller' (motherboard) is bad ('image checksum
>>> error') and no, we can't solder in a new one with a soldering iron, but I
>>> can buy a replacement controller.  They named two wholesalers.
>>
>> Ahhhh... this explains much.  Though, I would bet that you could
>> replace it with a sufficiently skilled touch.  However, you'd probably
>> need to find another printer of the same model first, from which you
>> could download the contents of the flash, to program the new one before
>> soldering it into place.
>
>They implied that it could not be soldered by hand. But my partner fixed 
>three dead motherboards by replacing capacitors and two of them still 
>work.  I thought the rom (is this the CMOS?) is usually socketed.

It might be socketed (EPROM & EEPROM often are), but if it's plain ROM 
or flash, then most likely, it's surface-mount soldered, which can be 
done by hand, but which is very tricky, as the leads are usually half 
the size, and spaced closer together, as compared to "standard" sized 
sockets, etc.   It is quite easy to damage the board past the point of 
repair if you're not practiced at it.

>>> One of them found the part number and can order the controller for
>>> $823.85.  For about $500 I can buy the entire unit, refurbished.
>>
>> That's often the case these days - replacement parts are more expensive
>> than purchasing a replacement.  You may be able to find another used
>> one, cheap, as a source of parts - that's what I was able to do with
>> mine.
>
>Some other places sell the board for $400-500 (new).
>
>The shipping on a dead printer would be rather high but maybe someone will 
>sell just the board.  I found a site where people were giving away various 
>HPs 'for refurbishing', or selling refurbished laser printers newer than 
>this one for $100-300.  Probably all mono.

Most likely they are.  Monochrome laser printers aren't too difficult 
to come across - many businesses discard them when they start getting 
unreliable, it being easier to replace them than to repair.

[SNIP]

>> HP printers (and most lasers), when hooked up to the parallel port,
>> will work pretty much like line printers, if all you're feeding them is
>> plain text.  In DOS, you can do "copy file1.txt lpt1: " and it'll print
>> out okay.
>
>Great, I will try printing text with it first.
>It does PCL (no mention of 5) and if you add something optional, also ps.
>Is PCL what the deskjets use?

I believe that the Deskjets use PCL, yes.  The Deskjets do not use PS, 
last I knew.

Anthony Albert
===========================================================
Anthony J. Albert                     albert AT umpi.maine.edu
Systems and Software Support Specialist          Postmaster
Computer Services - University of Maine, Presque Isle
        "This is only temporary, unless it works."
                        --- Red Green