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P10503 Xerographic Test Fixture
Xerographic Test Fixture User Manual
P10503 Table of Contents
Engineering Specifications
LabView User Interface Guide
Initialization File Formatting
Fixture Maintenance Guide
High Voltage Power Supplies Configuration Settings
Troubleshooting
Wiring Diagrams
P10503 Engineering Specifications
Red quantities are recommended for good results.Some recommended ranges reference other parameters using brackets.
The following settings are for the light blue Xerox 1R608 photoreceptor, but may work for others.
Subsystem / Parameter / Units / Controllable? / Recommended Range / Subsystem Output?
1 / Charging / Photoreceptor Velocity / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 80-120 (110) / N
2 / Charging / Coronode Current / μA / Y (LabView) / -1800 (-1800) / N
3 / Charging / Grid Voltage / V / Y (LabView) / >=-650 (-800) / N
4 / Charging / Spacing / mm / Y / 1-2 / N
5 / Charging / Stray Light / erg / Y / Minimize / N
6 / Charging / Temperature / °F / N / N
7 / Charging / Humidity / %RH / N / N
8 / Charging / Photoreceptor Thickness / μm / N / 25 / N
9 / Charging / Initial Photoreceptor voltage / V / N / -50 / N
10 / Charging / Final Voltage / V / Y / ~=[3] / Y
11 / Charging / Ozone/Nox Generation / g or ml / N / Minimize / Y
Subsystem / Parameter / Units / Controllable? / Recommended Range / Subsystem Output?
12 / Exposure / Lamp Intensity / erg / Y / 1-2 / N
13 / Exposure / Exposure time / s / Y (LabView) / dependent on [17]
(0.4s if [17] set to 23 ohms) / N
14 / Exposure / Spacing / mm / Y / 0.5 / N
15 / Exposure / Stray Light / erg / Y / Minimize / N
16 / Exposure / Charged Voltage / V / Y / ~=[10] / N
17 / Exposure / External resistance
(10W resistors) / ohm / Y / >= 23 ohms / N
18 / Exposure / Temperature / °F / N / N
19 / Exposure / Humidity / %RH / N / N
20 / Exposure / Photoreceptor Thickness / μm / N / N
21 / Exposure / Exposed Voltage / V / Y / -50 to -150 / Y
Subsystem / Parameter / Units / Controllable? / Recommended Range / Subsystem Output?
22 / Development / Bias / V / Y (LabView) / -700 (-700) / N
23 / Development / Mass on roll / mg/cm2 / Y / 30 / N
24 / Development / Roller speed / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 270 (270) / N
25 / Development / Spacing / μm / N / 300 / N
26 / Development / Stray Light / erg / Y / Minimize / N
27 / Development / Photoreceptor Velocity / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 60 (60) / N
28 / Development / Exposed Voltage / V / Y / -50 to -150 / N
29 / Development / Toner Concentration / % / N / 5 / N
30 / Development / Temperature / °F / N / N
31 / Development / Humidity / %RH / N / N
32 / Development / Developed Mass / mg/cm2 / Y / 0.5 / Y
33 / Development / Dirt/Dust / mg/cm2 / N / Y
Subsystem / Parameter / Units / Controllable? / Recommended Range / Subsystem Output?
34 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Lamp Intensity / erg / Y / 4-5 / N
35 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Spacing / mm / Y / 25 / N
36 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Charged Voltage / V / Y / -650 / N
37 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Photoreceptor Velocity / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 110 (110) / N
38 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Temperature / °F / N / N
39 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Humidity / %RH / N / N
40 / Pre-Transfer Erase / Erased Voltage / V / Y / -50 / Y
Subsystem / Parameter / Units / Controllable? / Recommended Range / Subsystem Output?
41 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Bias
(transfer to drum from PR) / V / Y (LabView) / =-[22] (-[22]) / N
42 / Transfer / Photoreceptor Velocity / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 110 (110) / N
43 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Velocity
(transfer to drum from PR) / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 110 (110) / N
44 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Lifting Pressure / psi / Y / Maximize / N
45 / Transfer / Developed Mass / mg/cm2 / Y / 0.5 / N
46 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Bias
(transfer to paper from drum) / V / Y (LabView) / -3000 (-3000) / N
47 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Velocity
(transfer to paper from drum) / mm/s / Y (LabView) / 77 (77) / N
48 / Transfer / Transfer Drum Normal Force / g/mm / Y / 700 / N
49 / Transfer / Paper Feed Velocity / mm/s / Y / 65 / N
50 / Transfer / Transferred Mass on Transfer Drum / mg/cm2 / Y / 0.45 / N
51 / Transfer / Toner Tribo / μC/g / N / N
52 / Transfer / Temperature / °F / N / N
53 / Transfer / Humidity / %RH / N / N
54 / Transfer / Transferred Mass / mg/cm2 / Y / 0.45 / Y
55 / Transfer / Residual Toner on Transfer Drum / mg / N / Y
P10503 LabView User Interface Guide
0 –LabView Controls
To those unfamiliar with the LabView environment, press the white arrow button to start the LabView virtual instrument (VI) program. To end it, press the red octagon button.
1- Operation Panel
Thepush buttons labeled START, STOP, and RESET perform their obvious functions. Remember that a RESET has to be performed after every test run in order to perform another test run. Also, a RESET has to be performed when the program is started to ensure that the carriage is in the home position and all fixture devices are at their default (standby) settings. START is used to initiate a test run. STOP halts the test run and the carriage after the completion of the current state of execution.
Note that using the STOP button is not the same as using the emergency stop switches located on the physical test fixture which immediately turn off power to all fixture devices.
2 - Test Run Settings
A test run is always preceded by RESETing the fixture and always starts from the charging station. Use the “Test Run End State” dropdown to signify which station the photoreceptor carriage will travel to and end at. All of the functions associated with stations between the start state (charging) and user-specified end state (inclusive) will be executed when START is pressed.
3- Station Control Panels
The push buttons with green LEDs located above the horizontal line of each station panel are used to control the position of the photoreceptor carriage (PC) when a test run is not in progress.
The push buttons with green LEDs located underneath the horizontal line of each station panelare used to immediately activate or deactivate the corresponding devicefunction when a test run is not in progress. The input controls in the system inputs panel associated with a function are disabled when the function is active.* Note that the “Transfer Bias Active” function has an additional “-/+” slider switch located to its right. Use this switch to change the polarity of the bias voltage applied across the transfer drum.
The checkbox located to the right of each push button is used to enable or disable thatfunctionwhen a test run is performed. A check indicates that the function will be performed during a test run while an empty box indicates that it will not be performed. The checkboxes can only be modified when a test run is not in progress.
4- System Inputs Panel
This panel shows all of the available controls that can be changed for each substation. You are only allowed to change parameters within safety limits. Switch between the tabs to select which station controls you wish to view and modify.*
5 - Configuration File Text Field
Press LOAD to select a premade plaintext (.ini) configuration file in order to automate changing of various input controls and settings for a specific test. Refer to the following section to see how the file is formatted. A file called “default.ini” will automatically be parsed and used for performing test runs if another file is not selected.
Press SAVE to save the current input control settings to an .ini file. After SAVE is pressed a dialog will appear so that the file name and location can be specified. Note that specifying the name and location of an existing file will cause the program to overwrite that file without warning.
6- System Outputs Panel
This panel shows current outputs for each substation device as well as time plots for photoreceptor voltage, high voltage power supply output voltage, high voltage power supply current, and carriage velocity. Switch between the tabs to select which stationoutputs or plot you wish to view.
The legend for each plot is shown at the bottom of the plot area. Each entry in the legend has a checkbox to the left of it. To add or remove an entry from the plot, check or uncheck the entry’s checkbox. This is useful if only certain types of data wish to be viewed. Data for an entry will still be acquired and buffered regardless if that entryis shown in the plot or not.
Check the “Use Axis Limits” checkboxto the right of the legend to use static upper and lower Y-axis limits (hardcoded in the LabView program) for the current data type being plotted. This is useful if a spike in the acquired data causes an undesirable change in the axis scale. Leaving the checkbox unchecked will cause the axis limits to match the minimum and maximum values of the data being acquired.
Check the “Synchronize Tab Views to Current State” checkbox to have the program automatically show the input panel tab and output panel tab associated with the current station for the state being executed in the test run.
Check the “Synchronize System Input and Output Tab Views” checkbox to have the program automatically switch the output panel tab to match the station of the input panel tab selected and vice-versa. Tabs will not be changed to match the current station for the state being executed in the test run.
7- Save File Text Field
Press SAVE to write the acquired data shown in the output panel plots to an Excel (.csv) file. After SAVE is pressed a dialog will appear so that the file name and location can be specified. Note that specifying the name and location of an existing file will cause the program to overwrite that file without warning.
8 –Data Recording Controls
Data acquisition will be paused after each test run in order to allow the user to have time to save relevant output. At this time the output panel plots will cease updating and the “Pause Recording” button LED will be active. Press the “Pause Recording” button to resume recording or press the “Reset Recording” button to clear the buffered data and resume recording with empty plots.
Note that the time between consecutive data acquisitions is not always consistent. The PC running the LabView program is not a reliable real-time system. Sometimes the PC will experience slow-down because of background processes and/or lag time. To account for this each data value acquired is recorded along with a timestamp denoting the beginning of the data acquisition period. The “Elapsed Time Between Data Observations” output shows the elapsed time between the beginning of the last two consecutive data acquisition periods. Optimally, this number should be within the 0.25 – 0.35 second range. The longer the program runs (and the more data that is accumulated in the buffer), the larger this number becomes.
* Modifying controls in the system inputs panel and/or activating station functions when not performing a test run requires RESETing the system before a test run can be performed.
P10503 Initialization File Formatting
Proper format of an .ini configuration file for initialization is as follows:
[Charging Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Coronode (mm/s)=
Coronode Current (uA)=
Grid Bias (v)=
[Exposure Station Parameters]
Expose Time (s)=
[Developer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Developer (mm/s)=
Developer Roller Velocity (mm/s)=
Toner Bias (v)=
[Pre-Transfer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Pre-Transfer LEDs (mm/s)=
[Transfer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Transfer Drum (mm/s)=
Number of Transfer Drum Rotations=
Transfer Drum Velocity (Transfer to Drum) (mm/s)=
Transfer Drum Velocity (Transfer to Paper) (mm/s)=
Transfer Bias (Transfer to Drum) (v)=
Transfer Bias (Transfer to Paper) (v)=
A sample .ini file:
[Charging Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Coronode (mm/s)=110
Coronode Current (uA)=-1800
Grid Bias (v)=-800
[Exposure Station Parameters]
Expose Time (s)=0.4
[Developer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Developer (mm/s)=60
Developer Roller Velocity (mm/s)=270
Toner Bias (v)=-700
[Pre-Transfer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Pre-Transfer LEDs (mm/s)=110
[Transfer Station Parameters]
PC Velocity Across Transfer Drum (mm/s)=110
Number of Transfer Drum Rotations=2
Transfer Drum Velocity (Transfer to Drum) (mm/s)=110
Transfer Drum Velocity (Transfer to Paper) (mm/s)=77
Transfer Bias (Transfer to Drum) (v)=700
Transfer Bias (Transfer to Paper) (v)=-3000
P10503 Fixture Maintenance Guide
Confirmation checks before running fixture
- Ensure that photoreceptor is attached to carriage with double-sided tape and lies flat against the underside of the carriage. The shiny metallic side of the photoreceptor should be facing the carriage surface and the blue/brown side should be facing down.
- Ensure that photoreceptor is grounded. Attach the red alligator clip to the grounding strip of the photoreceptor.
- Ensure that shop air was powered on before use and an appropriate amount of air has been compressed.
- Ensure there is enough developer in development station sump and ensure developer is not depleted of carrier particles.
- Return carriage to the home position and reset device settings through the user interface by pressing RESET.
- Close the carriage door and observation door on the dark enclosure.
- Ensure desired settings are configured either through the interface or by loading a correctly formatted .ini file.
Maintenance process after running fixture
- Clean off transfer drum, paper feed roller, and photoreceptorwith a damp paper towel if excess developer remains on them after a test run. Wipe dry.
- Return carriage to the home position and reset device settings through the user interface by pressing RESET.*
- Close the carriage door and observation door on the dark enclosure.
* Ensure that photoreceptor is not outside of enclosure for more than 20 minutes or ability to charge and expose with that specific photoreceptor will be drastically reduced or eliminated. Less than 5 minute intervals of direct exposure to light is preferred.
P10503 High Voltage Power Supplies Configuration Settings
The xerographic printer utilizes four high voltage power supplies. For general use, settings for these devices should only be changed through the LabView interface. In order to be controlled remotely by the LabView program, the power supplies should be configured as follows using the physical controls located in the front of each device:
610C (Corona, Grid, Toner):
Set to POWER: ON
Set to HV: REMOTE
Set to FUNCTION: AMPLIFIER
Set COMPLIANCE knob to highest (10)
Set large COMMAND/OFFSET knob to 0
Set polarity (+/-)switch to OFF
Use both COMMAND and METER switches to set I for Corona power supply; V for Grid and Toner power supplies
Use IT whenever possible as a setting (instead of IR)
Use both COMMAND and METER switches to specify range of 0-2000 microamps for Corona power supply; 0-1kV for Grid and Toner power supplies
615-3 (Transfer):
Ensure POWER button is pressed in
To ensure LabView integration, connectBNCcable into the HIGH VOLTAGE: REMOTE connector on the front panel and set the red switch to ON
Set MASTER: DC to ON, and MASTER: AC to OFF
WAVEFORM settings are irrelevant since AC will not be used
Set CONSTANT VOLTAGE: AC to 0
Set CONSTANT VOLTAGE: DC BIAS to 0; DC polarity settings are irrelevant
Set to MODE: CONSTANT VOLTAGE
Set CONSTANT CURRENT: AC to 0; AC current range settings are irrelevant
Set CONSTANT CURRENT: DC BIAS to 0; DC polarity settings are irrelevant
Set HIGH VOLTAGE OUTPUT LIMIT compliance knob to 5kV
Set DC: MONITORmeter setting to kV
AC: MONITOR meter setting is irrelevant
Set INPUT SELECT to AMPLIFIER; connect BNC cable into the CAT II connector on the front panel
P10503 Troubleshooting
Problem / SolutionImage appears washed-out; image appears too light; not enough toner transferred to paper in areas of image with a lot of detail / Slightly increaseexposure LED resistance (which will increase exposure LED intensity)
Not enough toner transferred to paper / Increase developer roller velocity; decrease carriage velocity over developer roller; ensure there is enough developer in development station sump; ensure developer is not depleted of carrier particles
Image appears blocky/dense; image lacking detail; too much toner transferred to paper in areas of image with a lot of detail / Slightly decrease exposure LED resistance (which will decrease exposure LED intensity); ensure dark enclosure doors are closed before test run
Too much toner transferred to paper / Decrease developer roller velocity; increase carriage velocity over developer roller
Toner does not transfer from transfer drum to paper / Increase magnitude of “Transfer Bias (Transfer to Paper)” setting to result in a more negative value
Strange/erratic charge results (“After Coronode” line of “Photoreceptor Voltage vs. Time” plot does not show a nice flat valley after initial charge) / Check to make sure alligator clip is attached to photoreceptor grounding strip; photoreceptor may have gone bad
Image appears fuzzy; image text appears blurred / Ensure that negative transparencies are attached to the surface of the glass exposure plate, not the underside of the plate; ensure that the exposure station is lifting at the appropriate time
Horizontal stripes appear across the length of the image (parallel to the direction of carriage movement) / Check for crud and debris accumulating on coronode wires causing hotspots (turn coronode and grid power supplies on and look through the grid mesh at the purple wires; hotspots will be brighter than average); turn fixture power off and clean wires with denatured alcohol
Vertical stripes appear across the width of the image (perpendicular to the direction of carriage movement) / Increase developer roller velocity
Uneven image transfer across width of paper; poor transfer from photoreceptor to transfer drum / Increase transfer drum lift pressure; replace pneumatic lift system with linear actuators
Uneven image transfer across length of paper; poor transfer from transfer drum to paper / Place paper into the paper feed at the right time; reduce pressure of paper feed roller located underneath transfer drum; create gearing system that forces synchronization between paper feed and transfer drum rotation
P10503 Wiring Diagrams
Figure 1: Main Wiring Scheme