Laserwriters

[ArmorAlley]

How much trouble are LaserWriters nowadays?

There are two LaserWriters available at not-unreasonable prices in Switzerland. I'd have to rent a car and go collect them though for they are heavy & bulky:
1. https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/apple-laserwriter-iig-(us-model)-1988-1189722260/
2. https://www.ricardo.ch/de/a/apple-laserwriter-pro-und-imac-5g-1189537534/

Both have their problems. The first one, aside from being 30 years old, has a US power supply and dodgy RAM, the second has paper-feed problems.
My questions are:
a. Is fixing these a matter of watching YouTube videos and being patient?
b. How easy are parts to get?
c. What about toner cartridges? Get the existing toner cartridges refilled? Are there third party toner cartridges available online?

I do have an original LaserWriter that will eventually become a project, but that will be for the 512K (which also needs some TLC). This won't be on a network.

I already have an OKI C321dn which prints A4 colour nicely on my EtherTalk network, so I don't need a LaserWriter, but it would be great to have a networkable LaserWriter II (or Pro) along the rest of my collection/sprawl. Ideally one of the A3 colour LaserWriter Pros is what I want, but beggars can't be choosers.

Are either of these worth getting as working printers or this an exercise in madness? (I do realise that both parts of the question can be answered yes)

 

[olePigeon]

All the service source manuals are available, it's relatively trivial to follow. I think the problem is finding replacement rubber pieces (like rollers, belts, etc.) and working toner cartridges.

 

[ScutBoy]

I just re-did a Laserwriter II. The "A/C power block" at least in the US versions is the same as the HP Laserjet 2. Here are US part numbers:

HP SX-ACPM-B
RG9-0205

If you can find the European equivalents I think you should be OK. Common symptom of failure of this part is two flashing red lights after the printer completes "warm up". The service source manuals are great to help troubleshoot.

As @olePigeon says, the rubber parts can be a challenge. Federon or other "rubber conditioners" can help - unless like my original Laserwriter where a lot of the rubber rollers have turned to goo :-(

The toner cart is HP 92295A or compatible.

 

[beachycove]

The LW Pro 630 would be a better bet. It is still easy to get toner for, as it takes the same cartridges as the HP4, 4+ etc (HP92298 and -98x). These cartridges are available and are also relatively easy to service, should you want to give that a go (e.g., streaking can often be cured by heat reforming the silicon blade in the cartridge, to provide extra tension). The rubber rollers can generally be rejuvenated with any proprietary rubber treatment, though that tends to last only a year or so, and then you need to do it again, in my experience (I’ve had two of these things, using one for 10+ years until very recently). Parts are pretty ubiquitous for things like the drive belt, fuser, etc., since the machines were so common. Obviously, lots is available used.

It is AppleTalk and Centronics-parallel only (note that the 630 Pro has AAUI EtherTalk, unlike the 600) and it is relatively slow, but the output, including for greyscale graphics, is excellent.

I personally prefer the HP4+M, because it can take a duplexer and is faster, while also having TCP/IP. Otherwise, it is much the same machine, down to being controllable via the Apple Printer Utility as a LW.

 

[robin-fo]

I recently bought a LaserWriter IINT and a "new" toner cartridge from Ricardo. The printer itself works without issues, but there is some smearing on the prints, probably due to toner residues on the photosensitive drum. This problem can likely be resolved by using the new cartridge I bought (not tested yet, but it solved the same problem on my LaserWriter 4/600PS). I guess this issue appears after being in storage for some time.

Here's a picture: (That wasn't the first page I printed after I got it!)

 

[robin-fo]

Btw the replacement toner cartridge for the LaserWriter II is the Canon EP-S. There is currently one for sale on Ricardo (available separately according to the seller).

Edit: HP 95A is probably the same cartridge as the Canon EP-S

 

[ArmorAlley]

Thank you very much everyone! This gives me something to sleep on.
@beachycove speed isn't a problem but good quality is a great plus.

 

[NJRoadfan]

HP has long discontinued the 95A cartridges, so any you find "new" will certainly be "old stock". Thankfully the LaserJet II/III cousins were very popular and a healthy market of re-manufactured toner cartridges exists. The Canon SX engine used by the LaserWriter II series is fairly reliable. The power supply is the common weak point followed by pickup rollers and the fuser (this is technically a consumable item).

The LaserWriter Pro is based on the Canon EX engine also used by the HP LaserJet 4. Its indestructible as far as I know. They just keep on going.....

To "switch" a printer to 240VAC, you need to swap out the power supply and fuser to 240VAC parts.

 

[beachycove]

I posted a few entries back that toner cartridges can be serviced. Just for posterity, because it is not widely known — and to document the fact for we tinkerers on the 68kmla (and to keep our old Laserwriters too in use!) — here is the text of a useful post found on another site, concerning the common “ghosting” problem encountered with old toner cartridges: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-laserjet-drum-problems/

… residual toner that does not transfer to the paper is removed by a rubber wiper blade, where it then accumulates in the waste section of the cartridge.

This wiper blade is under tension against the full width of the drum when new, to ensure complete removal of excess toner. With time and age, the rubber wiper blade takes on a compression set (as all rubber parts eventually do) and relaxes. No longer able to get under the residual toner, the wiper blade is easily lifted and allows some toner to remain. The symptom is exactly as you are seeing.

This wiper blade relaxation is the underlying reason for unopened, aged NOS cartridges displaying ghosting.

Toner pickup by the drum from the supply roller depends on the quality of the photoelectric drum surface to hold sufficient charge. With surface deterioration, the result would be insufficient toner pickup and blacks would not be very dense. Which then implies even less excess toner. So the claim that surface deterioration is the cause of ghosting is suspect.

On the 98A cartridge, I've removed the wiper blade, jigged it to restore the curve, heated the assembly to allow the rubber to relax into this curved state, then set the curve under cold running water. I've performed this procedure three times over the now twenty-year life of a single 98A cartridge, the original drum in this cartridge (emerald) is also twenty years old and shows no sign of the claimed age related deterioration. Each time, the result has been "good as new."