Ricoh Mp C3000 Service Manual

							 
SM 6-41 B230/B237/D042 
Detailed 
Descriptions 
6.7.3 TONER CARTRIDGE 
RFID (Radio Frequency ID) 
 
Each toner cartridge of this machine has a RFID ch ip [A]. This stores the total “on” time of 
the toner supply clutch.  This is used to calculate the amount  of toner remaining in the toner 
cartridge. The chip is also used to detect whet her the cartridge is installed (if the cartridge 
is not installed, the machine does not det ect a signal from the memory chip). 
The RFID transmits its data to the RFID  antenna board [B] without any contact.    
						

							 
B230/B237/D042 6-42 SM 
6.8  WASTE TONER COLLECTION 
6.8.1 TONER COLLECTION PATH AND DRIVE 
From PCU 
 
The used toner from the collection augers in the four PCUs drops into the toner collection 
duct from the four openings [A][B][C][D] at the  front of the PCUs. The toner collection auger 
[E] in the duct transports this used toner towa rds the toner collection bottle [F]. The coil [E] 
is driven by the toner transport motor [G ]. The openings and PCUs correspond as follows:   
Yellow 
 [A], Cyan  [B], Magenta  [C], Black  [D].   
						

							 
SM 6-43 B230/B237/D042 
Detailed 
Descriptions 
From Image Transfer Belt Unit 
 
The toner collection auger [A] moves the used  toner from the image transfer belt and the 
used toner drops into the toner collection duct  [B]. The toner collection coil [C] moves the 
used toner to the opening [D] at the rear of t he toner collection bottle. The toner transport 
motor [E] drives the toner collection coil. 
Used Toner Distribution Mechanism 
 
The toner collection bottle has tw o openings (front and rear). The opening at the front is for 
the toner from the PCUs, and the opening at the rear is for the toner from the image  transfer belt.   
To distribute the toner inside the bottle evenly,  the auger [A] moves the toner to the center 
area. The mixing auger has two spirals in different  directions. As a result, it is possible to 
gather the toner in the center area of the t oner collection bottle even if the mixing auger 
always rotates in the same direction. The t oner transport motor [B] drives the mixing auger 
via a timing belt and gears.  
						

							 
B230/B237/D042 6-44 SM 
6.8.2 TONER COLLECTION BOTTLE SET/ NEAR-FULL/ FULL 
DETECTION 
 
The toner collection bottle has a projection at  its rear side. When the toner collection bottle 
is set, this projection pushes the waste toner bottle set switch at the rear of the machine. As 
a result, the machine detects that the  toner collection bottle is installed. 
The bottle near-full/full detection mechanism  is above the bottle. When the used toner 
pushes up the used toner feeler [A], the  waste toner sensor [B] turns off   
At this time, the machine detects  that the toner collection bottle is almost full, and displays 
a message. 
After this, when 500 sheets of paper have been c opied, the machine detects that the toner 
collection bottle is full, and the machine stops.  
						

							 
SM 6-45 B230/B237/D042 
Detailed 
Descriptions 
6.9  IMAGE TRANSFER AND PAPER SEPARATION 
6.9.1 IMAGE TRANSFER 
Overview 
 
 
1. Image transfer belt (ITB) 
2. ID sensor 
3. ITB drive roller 
4. Paper transfer roller 
5. Rotation encoder  6. Lubricant application roller 
7. Toner collection auger 
8. Cleaning blade 
9. Cleaning roller 
10. Image transfer roller 
 
The toner is moved from the four drums to the 
ITB by the four image transfer rollers. This is 
done with one rotation of the ITB (four toner  images are super-imposed onto the belt). The 
arrow above the C and M drums on the diagram  shows the direction of ITB rotation. 
The ITB drive roller then moves the four-color  toner image from the transfer belt to the 
paper. The paper transfer roller is an idle roller. 
The cleaning unit in the transfer unit cleans  the belt surface with the cleaning blade and 
roller. The used toner collected from the belt is  transported to the toner collection bottle. 
There are seven ID sensors. Three of them  are for the line position adjustment. Four of 
them are for process control.    
						

							 
B230/B237/D042 6-46 SM 
ITB (Image Transfer Belt) Drive 
Drive Motor 
 
The ITB drive motor [A] drives the image transfer belt [B] and the cleaning unit via gears 
and the ITB drive roller [C]. The speed of ITB  drive depends on the process line speed (see 
‘Laser Exposure – Optical Path’). 
Transfer belt speed control  
 
This machine uses the rotation encoder  to control the transfer belt speed.     
The encoder [A] is on one of the rollers. This  encoder checks the rotation speed of the 
image transfer belt. The controller  analyzes the signals from the encoder. Then it adjusts 
the rotation speed of the image transfer belt. 
The encoder contains a disk t hat has 300 notches on its surf ace [B]. These notches are 
read by the sensor [C]. The controller counts the number of notches  that the sensor has 
read in the unit of time. If the sensor has  read an unusually large number of notches or an 
unusually small number of notches, the controller ignores such  unusual signals. Therefore, 
incorrect reading does not affect the rotation speed.  
						

							 
SM 6-47 B230/B237/D042 
Detailed 
Descriptions 
 
Filter H:   
The number of notches read by  the sensor when the rotation speed of the transfer belt is at 
its highest possible value. 
Filter L:   
The number of notches read by  the sensor when the rotation speed of the transfer belt is at 
its lowest possible value. 
ITB Current 
 
Each image transfer roller [A] applies current to  the image transfer belt to attract the toner 
from each drum [B]. The hi gh voltage supply board supplies current to the image transfer 
rollers and grounds the belt at roller [C]. 
The bias that is applied to t he image transfer belt is automatically corrected for paper size, 
temperature (measured by the te mperature/humidity sensor at the rear lower right side of 
the machine). 
The other rollers are grounded to  neutralize the belt surface.  
						

							 
B230/B237/D042 6-48 SM 
Transfer belt cleaning 
 
The ITB-cleaning unit removes toner (during printing) and the ID sensor patterns (during 
process control or automatic line positi on adjustment) on the belt. Belt cleaning is 
completed while the image transfer belt makes one  rotation. The ITB drive motor drives the 
ITB-cleaning unit. 
The cleaning brush [A] always contacts the image transfer belt [B], and removes used toner 
from the belt. The cleaning blade [C] in the cleaning unit scrapes the toner off the image 
transfer belt. Then the toner collection auger [F ] transports the toner towards the toner 
collection duct. 
The lubricant application roller [D] applies lubric ant [E] to the image transfer belt to make 
toner removal easy. 
To drive the cleaning unit, the transfer belt ro tates gear [G], and gears at the front of the 
transfer unit drive the auger [F] and the rollers [A, D] in the cleaning unit.  
						

							 
SM 6-49 B230/B237/D042 
Detailed 
Descriptions 
ITB (Image Transfer Belt) Contact 
 
Mechanism  
The ITB contact and release mechanism increas es the lifetime of the image transfer belt 
and drums. The drum for black always contacts the belt. But the image transfer belt moves 
away from the other drums during monochro me printing. In the standby mode, the image 
transfer belt contacts only the black drum. It  moves away from the black drum when you 
turn the release lever counterclockwise.   
When the machine prints a color page, the ma chine waits until the previous page has gone 
through the paper transfer unit. Then the ITB  contact motor [A] turns on and a cam [B] 
moves the left side [C] of the image transfer bel t downward, so that it contacts the other 
three drums.   
The machine does not release t he image transfer belt from the color drums during the job, 
even if a monochrome page comes again. This  is because the total printing speed reduces 
if the ITB changes position.  But, if you change SP 2907 001 away from the default setting 
of zero, the image transfer belt will move away  from the color drums if the number of 
consecutive black-and-white pr ints reaches the value of SP 2907 001. The belt moves 
away from the color drums if the job is inte rrupted by any error except a power failure.   
The image transfer belt contact sensor [D] detec ts if the image transfer belt contacts the 
color PCUs. 
 
ƒ  If a power failure occurs when the image transfe r belt is in contact with the drums, the 
belt stays in this position. If you want to  remove the image transfer belt unit while the 
power is still off, you must release the belt. To do this, swing out the controller box and 
perform the following procedure: 
⇒
Rev. 03/2007
⇒ 
						

							 
B230/B237/D042 6-50 SM 
 
1.  Remove the Image Transfer Belt Contact Motor [A] (
 sec. 3.10.8). 
2.  Using needle nose pliers, turn  the Transfer Belt Contact Motor Shaft [B] until the flat 
surface of the shaft is facing up          . 
 
3.  Open the front cover of the machine and ens ure the Transfer Belt is away from the 
OPC units before removing. 
4.  To reinstall the Transfer Belt Contact Mo tor, first turn the shaft [B] until the flat 
surface is facing down     . 
5.  Reinstall the Transfer Belt Contact Motor. 
 
Transfer Belt Sensor   
The ITB contact sensor [D] oper ates as the detection sensor during machine initialization, 
and also as the position sensor during machine operations.   
Before machine initialization, t he left side of the image transfer  belt is in the home position. 
When initialization starts, the IT B contact motor lowers the left side until the actuator has 
passed the sensor. Then ITB contact motor lifts  up the left side to its home position. This 
action actuates the sensor in a certain pattern. 
The table lists the sens or actuation patterns. 
 
Machine status  Sensor pattern 
Initialization 
On  Off  On  Off  On 
Standby (Default)  On 
B/W printing  On Operation 
Color Printing  Off 
 
On: The actuator is  out of the sensor. 
Off: The actuator is  interrupting the sensor. 
[B] 
[A] 
⇒
Rev. 09/2006