Fixed Optra S - prints great but with a loud hum (was: Replace OptraS?)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kelly
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K

Kelly

After living with an inkjet for a few weeks and reading advice from
Tony, Bullitt and Bob (thanks, guys!) I decided to have my nine-year-old
Optra S repaired. Errors 934 and 935 had stopped it from printing.

My repair guy replaced the scanner and it prints fine again. I printed
the menus and saw that it's only printed 38,267 pages. So I think it
should last another nine years.

But it now makes a fairly loud humming sound, like a jet engine taking
off, which it didn't make before this repair. Is this sound a sign of a
problem? Is there a way to make it quieter?

Thanks.

Kelly
 
Kelly said:
After living with an inkjet for a few weeks and reading advice from
Tony, Bullitt and Bob (thanks, guys!) I decided to have my nine-year-old
Optra S repaired. Errors 934 and 935 had stopped it from printing.

My repair guy replaced the scanner and it prints fine again. I printed
the menus and saw that it's only printed 38,267 pages. So I think it
should last another nine years.

But it now makes a fairly loud humming sound, like a jet engine taking
off, which it didn't make before this repair. Is this sound a sign of a
problem? Is there a way to make it quieter?

Thanks.

Kelly
Click to expand...

Exactly which model of Optra S is it? Does it hum all of the time, or
just during printing? I've noticed a jet-like sound only when the
scanning mirror (see next paragraph) spins up to speed prior to the
start of a print job.

Some of the higher speed models are a bit on the noisy side, like the
2450/2455 and 3455, especially the latter. Laser printers work by
using a laser or LED light source, reflected off of a moving mirror,
onto the photorecepter belt. In higher speed lasers, the mirror may be
a motor-driven polygonal cylindrical drum with multiple mirrors on it,
which spins at a very high rate of speed in order to direct the laser
beam in a scanning motion across the photoreceptor drum/belt. The
faster the printer and the higher the resolution, the faster this
mirrored drum spins. I don't know if your Lexmark uses this type, but
if it does, and If this is the 'scanner' that was replaced, chances are
it was replaced because of failure of the motor to drive it at the
required rpms. Perhaps the new motor is bit noisier than what your were
used to prior to the failure, and you're just noticing the difference.
Does it sound like it did when it was new?

I'm really just guessing, since I can't inspect your printer, but it
sounds logical. If your guy says its all ok now, then I'd suggest it's
related to a new scanning mirror motor. Maybe it'll get quieter with
use...

Another thought... these printers can be set to print at 300, 600 and
1200 dots per inch. I would expect more motor noise at 1200 dpi
because of the much higher spin rate required by the scanning mirror in
order to maintain rated print speed. If you have it set to 1200 dpi
(or your guy left it set there), perhaps reducing the resolution to 600
dpi (or even 300 dpi) may decrease the noise, as well as wear and tear
on the motor.

Bullitt
 
[email protected] said:
Exactly which model of Optra S is it? Does it hum all of the time, or
just during printing? I've noticed a jet-like sound only when the
scanning mirror (see next paragraph) spins up to speed prior to the
start of a print job.

Some of the higher speed models are a bit on the noisy side, like the
2450/2455 and 3455, especially the latter. Laser printers work by
using a laser or LED light source, reflected off of a moving mirror,
onto the photorecepter belt. In higher speed lasers, the mirror may be
a motor-driven polygonal cylindrical drum with multiple mirrors on it,
which spins at a very high rate of speed in order to direct the laser
beam in a scanning motion across the photoreceptor drum/belt. The
faster the printer and the higher the resolution, the faster this
mirrored drum spins. I don't know if your Lexmark uses this type, but
if it does, and If this is the 'scanner' that was replaced, chances are
it was replaced because of failure of the motor to drive it at the
required rpms. Perhaps the new motor is bit noisier than what your were
used to prior to the failure, and you're just noticing the difference.
Does it sound like it did when it was new?

I'm really just guessing, since I can't inspect your printer, but it
sounds logical. If your guy says its all ok now, then I'd suggest it's
related to a new scanning mirror motor. Maybe it'll get quieter with
use...

Another thought... these printers can be set to print at 300, 600 and
1200 dots per inch. I would expect more motor noise at 1200 dpi
because of the much higher spin rate required by the scanning mirror in
order to maintain rated print speed. If you have it set to 1200 dpi
(or your guy left it set there), perhaps reducing the resolution to 600
dpi (or even 300 dpi) may decrease the noise, as well as wear and tear
on the motor.

Bullitt
Click to expand...

oops, by the way, I believe 600 dpi is the standard setting...

Bullitt
 
(e-mail address removed) wrote:




oops, by the way, I believe 600 dpi is the standard setting...

Bullitt
Click to expand...

Thanks for all this information! The part number of the new scanner is
IBM-99A0065. Maybe it's one of the faster ones? My printer is the Optra
S 1650, not a speed freak.

The resolution was set to the default 600 dpi so I tried a few jobs at
300 dpi. It may have sounded a tiny bit lower at first, but quickly got
pretty noisy and remained loud while each page printed, getting even
louder towards the end, just as it did when it was set to 600. The
noise occurs before and during printing. When it pauses between pages,
as it does when a page has graphics, it's quiet during the pauses.

The size of the job doesn't affect the humming/whining jet plane sound.

I don't remember it being this loud when I first got it nine years ago,
but I think if the printer were as loud then as it is now, it would have
bothered me and I'd remember that.

Kelly
 
Kelly said:
Thanks for all this information! The part number of the new scanner is
IBM-99A0065. Maybe it's one of the faster ones? My printer is the Optra
S 1650, not a speed freak.

The resolution was set to the default 600 dpi so I tried a few jobs at
300 dpi. It may have sounded a tiny bit lower at first, but quickly got
pretty noisy and remained loud while each page printed, getting even
louder towards the end, just as it did when it was set to 600. The
noise occurs before and during printing. When it pauses between pages,
as it does when a page has graphics, it's quiet during the pauses.

The size of the job doesn't affect the humming/whining jet plane sound.

I don't remember it being this loud when I first got it nine years ago,
but I think if the printer were as loud then as it is now, it would have
bothered me and I'd remember that.

Kelly
Click to expand...

The part number is correct for the Lexmark Optra S 12xx/16xx. Hmm, you
sure your guy used a new part? If it was a used or refurbished part,
the part may have other issues. If it's new, it may have sat around
for so long that things like the motor bearings may have gone dry. If
you think it's abnormally noisy, you should have him check it over
again. Hopefully you got a 30-day warranty on the part and labour so
it shouldn't cost you much, if anything.

This part is the entire printhead assembly. Just google 99A0065, and
you'll get a huge list. (Note: IBM used Lexmark's OEM chassis for
making their own version of the Optra S, so your guy may have gotten
hold of an IBM part, but rest assured, it's really a Lexmark part).
Depending on how much you paid for it, you may not want to see this,
but...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lexmark-99A0065...itemZ6855832951QQcategoryZ51328QQcmdZViewItem

With the huge number of these lasers that are still in service out
there, it's created a big parts market for used, refurbished, and
remanufactured parts. You can save quite a bit of money with
refurbished, but make sure it has a warranty of sufficient duration so
you can check that the printer works just as good as it did prior to
the failure.

That's about all the advice I can provide without actually seeing the
printer.

Bullitt
 
Kelly wrote:




The part number is correct for the Lexmark Optra S 12xx/16xx. Hmm, you
sure your guy used a new part? If it was a used or refurbished part,
the part may have other issues. If it's new, it may have sat around
for so long that things like the motor bearings may have gone dry. If
you think it's abnormally noisy, you should have him check it over
again. Hopefully you got a 30-day warranty on the part and labour so
it shouldn't cost you much, if anything.

This part is the entire printhead assembly. Just google 99A0065, and
you'll get a huge list. (Note: IBM used Lexmark's OEM chassis for
making their own version of the Optra S, so your guy may have gotten
hold of an IBM part, but rest assured, it's really a Lexmark part).
Depending on how much you paid for it, you may not want to see this,
but...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lexmark-99A0065...itemZ6855832951QQcategoryZ51328QQcmdZViewItem

With the huge number of these lasers that are still in service out
there, it's created a big parts market for used, refurbished, and
remanufactured parts. You can save quite a bit of money with
refurbished, but make sure it has a warranty of sufficient duration so
you can check that the printer works just as good as it did prior to
the failure.

That's about all the advice I can provide without actually seeing the
printer.

Bullitt
Click to expand...

Hi Bullitt,

Thanks for your advice. I called Lexmark and they told me that they
give a 90 day warranty on the part when it's new. My guy has given me a
180 day warranty. I don't know if it's new or refurbished, the price he
charged was reasonable, not rock bottom and not high end. Lexmark also
told me that a high pitched whine indicates a problem, and I would say
that might describe the sound the printer now makes.

But the printer prints flawlessly and my guy is reluctant to change
anything based on a sound. He told me that he was told by his supplier
that the newer parts spin faster and make more noise.

Since my warranty is twice as long as the one Lexmark gives for new
parts, I'll live with the noise and enjoy the crisp text and fast printing.

Thank you again for all your help.

Kelly
 
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