Bob Headrick answered my above post with the below, but that post of
his has not shown up here; so, on his OK, I post it here now:
At 08:25 PM 5/2/04, you wrote:
Problem: Neither the black nor the color on-screen
approximate-ink-level indicator [HP Director / Utilities (part of
printer assistant) / view ink level] has ever shown anything but full
to the top. [snip]
You take it from there: 1) How can I make the only approximate, but
color-separating, on-screen indicator work; and/or 2) do you know the
location of a publiclly available diagnostic routine that prints out
these levels independently?
It sounds like you have a problem with bidirectional communications
with the
printer. First check your cable. Is it an IEEE-1284 cable? If so it
will
have IEEE-1284 printed along the length of the cable. If it is not
please
replace the parallel cable with an IEEE-1284 cable (or use a USB
connection).
Also make sure you have the cable connected directly to the computer,
and are
not running the printer through a scanner port.
BINGO! You hit this one right on the button. I guess I had retained
a parallel-is-parallel outlook, as things have gotten faster. (And
HP's very skimpy hard-copy instructions with the printer did actually
say "IEEE-1284", but none of the tech-support people double-checked me
on this. I had a 4-ft, 25-to-25-pin cable marked "AWM E101344 STYLE
20276 VW-1 80ºC 150V FT1" with -- are those ferrite beads? -- on the
ends. . .going to my Mustek 1200 III EP scanner, and a 6-ft,
25-36-pin, unmarked cable from there to the 5650.) Since I didn't
have a second parallel connection on my computer, I switched to using
a 6-ft USB 2.0 cable from it to the printer. The two ink levels now
show fine on my monitor. (But why do I have to pay $25 for a lousy
6-ft, shielded 4-conductor cable? It can't be the cost of materials.
Is it the tight manufacturing tolerances?)
But I was hoping this fix might solve the other big question /
possible fault I have with this printer. It didn't. I refer to the
fact that -- in Fast Normal, two-sided printing, of text -- all the
first sides of the sheets take much longer than the second sides to
print (counting only the time to actually print and space). Some of
the HP tech-support people regarded this as normal, trying to bring in
the data-transmission time for each full sheet as occurring during the
printing of its first side; but certainly all of that occurs before
the actual printing of the first side begins, right? And other HP
people regarded this time difference as a fault that they hadn't heard
of before. With a test print of two pages of X's with one space
between them both horizontally and vertically, I repeatedly got actual
print times of 20 s for the first side and 7 for the second. Do you
think this is normal, and if so, how do you explain it? Otherwise,
what could be the problem? Actually, I'm not extremely concerned
about speed in this printing, and it seems to me the time taken
between sides, for ink drying, rather defeats the duplexer action, in
comparison to manual two-sided printing. However, if removal of a
problem can bring the print time of the first side close to that of
the second, in this mode, I'd be happier. And if this time
discrepancy is normal, I'd like a cogent explanation of why it exists.
I'll assume the few times the printer had run amok and printed sheet
after sheet of small amounts of garbage at their tops probably related
to my poor cabling arrangement; but I would assume that, with the best
of conditions, the printer could very infrequently get into this
condition. What I don't understand about such a situation with this
printer is that it does not appear that there is any quick exit tactic
for this, other than both pulling the printer's plug and disconnecting
it from my computer.
Before, I noted that, on paper-out, the pertinent printer-panel light
lit, but no notice of the problem appeared on my monitor. I assume
this is now corrected with the USB connection but haven't checked it.
I was flagged this way, specifically for paper-out, by my old 932c
printer. I believe the panel indicator serves also for jams and other
problems.
I might further ask of you if you know that, for sure, the 5650, like
the 932c, prefers always to be turned off by its own switch
(apparently so that it can do some housekeeping before dropping its
power). I presently have my other peripherals plugged into
computer-current-switched outlets in a surge protector that is
modified by some circuitry of my own design, connected to the
computer's ATX power control and +12V bus, so that all of my system
except my printer can be turned on and completely shut off by a
external momentary switch on my desk. It would be nice if the printer
didn't have to be an exception to this slave brigade.
I note that you didn't post this reply of yours to
comp.periphs.printers. You don't think any of this could be of value
to others checking in there? I didn't choose to post this response
there, with your email included, without your permission.
Ray
