Epson C 2900 Manual

							xRevision B
Epson AcuLaser C2900N Confidential
CONTENTS
1. About this manual ............................................................................................................. ii
2. Marks giving caution .........................................................................................................ii
3. Related documents...........................................................................................................ii
4. Safety ...............................................................................................................................iii
4.1 Power source ......................................................................................................................................... iii
4.2 Driving units ........................................................................................................................................... iv
4.3 High-temperature units .......................................................................................................................... iv
4.4 Laser beams ...........................................................................................................................................v
4.5 Warning/caution labels........................................................................................................................... vi
4.5.1 Caution label for Printer ................................................................................................................. vi
4.5.2 Caution label for ROS ................................................................................................................... vii
5. Unpacking the Printer  ..................................................................................................... ix
6. Revision History............................................................................................................... ix
Chapter 1  Troubleshooting ............................................................................................. 1 - 1
Chapter 2  Operation of Diagnostic ................................................................................. 2 - 1
Chapter 3  Removal and Replacement Procedures ........................................................ 3 - 1
Chapter 4  Plug/Jack(P/J) Connector Locations.............................................................. 4 - 1
Chapter 5  Parts List ........................................................................................................ 5 - 1
Chapter 6  Principles of Operation .................................................................................. 6 - 1
Chapter 7  Wiring Diagrams and Signal Information ....................................................... 7 - 1
Chapter 8  Product Specifications ................................................................................... 8 - 1 
						

							Confidential
CHAPTER
1
Troubleshooting 
						

							Chapter 1   Troubleshooting
Chapter 1 Troubleshooting CONTENTS
Epson AcuLaser C2900N Confidential
1. Troubleshooting Overview ........................................................................................... 1 - 1
1.1 Flow of Troubleshooting.................................................................................................................... 1 - 1
1.2  Check Installation Status ................................................................................................................. 1 - 2
1.3 Cautions on Service Operations ....................................................................................................... 1 - 3
1.4 Cautions on Using FIP ...................................................................................................................... 1 - 4
1.5 Items To Be Confirmed Before Going To FIP Troubleshooting ........................................................ 1 - 6
2.  FIP ............................................................................................................................ 1 - 12
2.1  FIP ................................................................................................................................................. 1 - 12
2.2  Flow of FIP ..................................................................................................................................... 1 - 12
2.3  Status Code List............................................................................................................................. 1 - 13
3. Error Code FIP .......................................................................................................... 1 - 25
4. Image Quality Trouble ............................................................................................. 1 - 126
4.1 Entry Chart for Image Quality Troubleshooting............................................................................. 1 - 126
4.2 Print Image Quality Specifications ................................................................................................ 1 - 130
4.3 Image Quality FIP ......................................................................................................................... 1 - 134
5. Abnormal Noise Trouble .......................................................................................... 1 - 173
5.1 Entry Chart for Abnormal Noise Troubleshooting ......................................................................... 1 - 173
5.2 Operation Mode Table .................................................................................................................. 1 - 174
6. Other FIP ................................................................................................................. 1 - 180 
						

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1. Troubleshooting Overview
To increase the efficiency of troubleshooting, ensure that preliminary checks should be made to confirm 
the trouble status before proceeding to the Fault Isolation Procedure (FIP), Operation of Diagnostic 
(Chapter 2), Wiring Diagrams (Chapter 7), and Principles of Operation (Chapter 6).
1.1 Flow of Troubleshooting
Flow of the troubleshooting is as follows:

Check installation status
Check trouble status
Execute FIP
Check for recovery
End Replace the Printer.
Operation of Diagnostic
Principles of Operation
Wiring Diagrams
Reference
information
If the problem persists 
						

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1.2  Check Installation Status
Be sure to check the following items before starting the troubleshooting procedures
1) The power supply voltage is within the specifications (measure the voltage at the wall outlet).
2) Power cord is free from breakage, short-circuit, disconnected wire, or incorrect connection in the 
power cord.
3) The printer is properly grounded.
4) The printer is not installed at a place subjected to high/low temperature, humidity, and sudden tem-
perature changes.
5) The printer is not installed at or near water facilities, humidifier, heating appliance, fire, dust, or in 
airflow from air conditioner.
 
6) The printer is not installed in a place subjected to volatile or inflammable gas.
7) The printer is not installed under direct sunlight.
8) The printer is installed in a well-ventilated place.
9) The printer is installed on a firm and stable surface.
10) The paper meets the specifications (standard paper is recommended).
11) The printer is handled properly.
12) The high frequency service items are replaced at the recommended print count intervals. 
						

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1.3 Cautions on Service Operations
1) Be sure to remove the power cord unless otherwise required.
While the printer is powered ON, never touch the conductive parts unless 
otherwise required.
Never touch the conductive parts of the power switch and inlet of the LVPS, 
because they are live even while the printer is powered off.
2) When checking some parts with covers removed and with the interlock, safety, and power switches 
ON, disconnect the connectors (P/J411 and P/J412) on the ROS ASSY except unless otherwise 
required.
When checking some parts with covers removed and with the interlock, safety, and 
power switches ON, laser beams may be irradiated from the ROS ASSY. For your 
safety, be sure to disconnect the connectors (P/J411 and P/J 412) unless otherwise 
required.
3) When checking some parts with the Front Cover removed and the printer powered ON, be sure to 
remove the connector (P/J16) on the PWBA MCU unless otherwise required.
When checking some parts with the Front Cover removed and the printer powered 
ON, be sure to remove the connector (P/J16) on the MCU. Otherwise, a high voltage 
may be output from the HVPS.
When connecting the connector (P/J16) on the MCU according to the instructions 
in the FIP, never touch the HVPS and high voltage parts.
4) When outputting a high voltage using the Diag Tool, etc., keep all the covers on unless otherwise 
required.
When outputting a high voltage using the Diag Tool, etc., ensure that:
- The high voltage carrying parts must never be touched.
- The instructions in this manual must be followed.
5)  When operating the drive unit using the Diag Tool, etc., keep all the covers on unless otherwise 
required.
When operating the drive unit using the Diag Tool, etc., ensure that:
- The drive unit must never be touched.
- The instructions in this manual must be followed.
6) When touching hot parts, be careful not to get burnt.
7) While working, be sure to wear a wrist band or the like to dissipate static charges from your body. 
						

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1.4 Cautions on Using FIP
1) When troubleshooting according to the FIP, have on hand a normal MCU, LVPS, HVPS, Fuser 
Unit, TRANSFER ASSY, etc., for possible fault isolation.
2) In the initial check according to the FIP, check only items which can be simply checked.
3) In the initial check according to the FIP, check the constitutive parts of the major check parts and 
related parts, as well as major check parts.
4) When working with the printer, be sure to remove the power cord unless otherwise required. Never 
touch live parts if not required, while the power cord is connected.
5) Connector condition is denoted as follows:
[P/J12]
Connector (P/J12) is connected.
[P12]
Plug side with the connector (P/J12) removed (except when attached directly to the 
board).
[J12]
Jack side with the connector (P/J12) removed (except when attached directly to the 
board).
6) [P/J1-2PIN  P/J3-4PIN] in the FIP means measurement with the positive side of the measuring 
instrument connected to [2PIN] of [P/J1] and the negative side to [4PIN] of [P/J3].
 
7) [P/J1 P/J2] in the FIP means measurement for all terminals corresponding between [P/J1] and 
[P/J2] based on “Wiring Diagrams”.
8) In [P/J1-2PIN  P/J3-4PIN] in the FIP where voltage is measured, [P/J3-4PIN] on the rear 
negative side is always at the AG (analog ground), SG (signal ground), or RTN (return).
Therefore, after checking of proper conductivity between AGs, SGs, or RTNs respectively, the rear 
negative side can be connected to the PIN of AG, SG or RTN instead of [P/J3-4PIN].
However, care should be taken not to confuse [AG], [SG], and [RTN] because they are not on the 
same level.
9) When measuring the voltage at small connectors, use the dedicated tool. Handle the tool with care 
because its business end is pointed.
10) When measuring the voltage, set the TRANSFER ASSY, toner cartridge and sheet feeder, close 
the COVERs and power ON unless otherwise required.
11) Numerical values in the FIP are only for guideline. Approximate values are acceptable.
12) In each step of the FIP, parts removal and other procedures implicitly required for the step are 
omitted.
13) In the FIP, Replacement means the replacement of the parts that are considered to be the cause 
of the trouble. Replacement of those parts means the replacement of the assembly part (HIGH 
ASSY) that contain them. 
						

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Confidential 14) In the FIP, the sheet feeder immediately below the printer main body is called Tray 1, and the 
cassette below it is called Tray 2.
15) Some of the instructions in the FIP are branched off depending on the specifications. Follow the 
applicable instruction.
16) For some optional components, you may have to refer to the manual of the relevant component for 
troubleshooting. Have the relevant manual at hand as needed. 
						

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1.5 Items To Be Confirmed Before Going To FIP Troubleshooting
Basic Printer Problems
Some printer problems can be easy to resolve. If a problem occurs with your printer, check each the fol-
lowing:
1) If a message is displayed on the LCD of operator panel, see “2.3 Status Code List”.
2)  The printer power cable is plugged into the printer and a properly grounded electrical outlet.
3)  The printer power is powered ON.
4)  The electrical outlet is not turned off by any switch or breaker.
5)  Other electrical equipment plugged into the outlet is working.
6)  All options are properly installed.
7)  If you have checked all of the above and still have a problem, turn off the printer, wait for 10 sec-
onds, and then turn on the printer. This often solves the problem.
8)  If the printer does not start-up after downloading the ESS firmware, or does not operate normally, 
execute the download of ESS firmware again by the download mode (Refer to “1.2 Firmware 
version up procedure using the download mode” of Appendix_1.).
Display Problems
1) If the operator panel displays only diamonds or is blank, check and try the action below.
If the problem persists even after checking and executing the items below, execute FIP- AC 
Power or FIP DC Power.
a) Turn off the printer, wait for 10 seconds, and turn on the printer.
b) Self Test Message appears on the operator panel. When the test is completed, “Ready to 
Print” is displayed.
2)  If menu settings changed from the operator panel have no effect, check and try the actions 
below.
Settings in the software program, the printer driver, or the printer utilities are overriding the set-
tings made on the operator panel.
a) Change the menu settings from the printer driver, the printer utilities, or the software pro-
gram instead of the operator panel.
b) Disable the settings in the printer driver, the printer utilities, or the software program so you 
can change settings on the operator panel.
Printing Problems
1)  If a job did not print correct or incorrect characters were printed, check and try the actions below.
a) Make sure “Ready to Print” appears on the operator panel before sending a job to print. 
Press Menu to return to “Ready to Print”.
b) Make sure print media is loaded in the printer. Press Menu to return to “Ready to Print”.
c) Verify that you are using the correct printer driver. 
d) Make sure you are using the correct Ethernet or USB cables and it securely connected at 
the back of the printer.
e) Verify that the correct print media size is selected.
f) If using a print spooler, verify that the spooler has not stalled.
g) Check the printer interface from the “Configure” menu. Determine the host interface you are 
using. Print a Panel Setting page to verify that the current interfaces settings are correct.
h) Output fonts will not print correctly using the PCL driver in its default mode. To correct this 
problem, use PostScript driver when using the PCL driver.  
						

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Confidential 2)  If secure print is not available or not printing, refer to the requirements below.
a) Minimum 256 MB is required.
b) RAM Disk must be enabled using the operation panel.
c) The number of secure print jobs your printer can store is dependent on the job size includ-
ing number of pages, graphics, color attributes, and the amount of memory installed. To 
increase this number, add additional memory.
3)  If print media misfeeds or multiple feeds occur, check and try the actions below.
a) Make sure the print media you are using meets the specifications for your printer. Refer to 
Print Media Guidelines of this section.
b) Flex print media before loading it in any of the sources.
c) Make sure the print media is loaded correctly.
d) Make sure the width and length guides on the print media sources are adjusted correctly.
e) If the print media are overfilled in sources, reduce the amount of media.
f) Load the recommended print side correctly for the type of print media you are using.
g) Turn the print media over or around and try printing again to see if feeding improves.
h) Check the print media type loaded in the source, and refill only one type of print media, if 
print media types are mixed.
i) Refill a new ream of print media, if some reams are mixed.
j) Remove the top and bottom sheets of a ream before loading the print media.
k) Do not reload print media until the print media source is empty.
4)  If envelope misfeeds or multiple feeds occur, check and try the action below.
a) Remove the stack of envelops from the Single Sheet Inserter (SSI).
5)  If page breaks in unexpected places, check and try the action below.
a) Check the “Job Time-out” in the Basic Settings menu and increase the value.
6)  If a job prints from the wrong source or on the wrong print media, check and try the action below.
a) Check the “Paper Size” and “Paper Type” in the Tray Settings menu on the printer operator 
panel and in the printer driver.
7)  If print media does not stack neatly in the output tray, check and try the action below.
a) Turn the print media stack over in the tray or multipurpose feeder.
Print Media Guidelines
Print media refers to paper, labels, envelopes, and coated paper among others. Your printer provides 
high-quality printing on a variety of print media. Selecting the appropriate print media for your printer 
helps avoid printing troubles. This section describes selecting print media, caring for print media, and 
loading the print media in the standard 250-sheet tray.
Paper
For the best print quality in color, use 75 g/m
2 (20 lb) xerographic, grain long paper. For the best print 
quality in black and white, use 90 g/m
2 (24 lb) xerographic, grain long paper. It is recommended that 
you perform trial print before purchasing large quantities of print media.
When loading paper, identify the recommended print side on the paper package, and load the paper 
accordingly. See Loading Print Media in the Standard 250-Sheet Tray and the Optional 250-Sheet 
Feeder and Loading Print Media in the SSI for detailed loading instructions.
Paper Characteristics
The following paper characteristics affect print quality and reliability. It is recommended that you follow 
these guidelines when evaluating new paper stock.