Tektronix Phaser 300i User manual

Service Manual
Phaser ™ 300i and Phaser ™ 300RX
Color Printer
Warning
The following servicing instructions are for
use by qualified service personnel only. To
avoid personal injury, do not perform any
servicing other than that contained in
operating instructions unless you are qualified
to do so.
This printing Sept 1995
070-8818-01

Copyright © 1995 by Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon. Printed in the United States of America. All rights
reserved. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission of Tektronix, Inc.
This instrument, in whole or in part, may be protected by one or more U.S. or foreign patents or patent applications.
Information provided upon request from Tektronix, Inc., P.O. Box 1000, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-1000.
If acquired subject to FAR or DFARS, the following shall apply:
■
Unpublished — rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
■
Restricted Rights Legend — Use, duplication or disclosures by the government is subject to restrictions as set forth
in subparagraph (c) (1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software at DFARS 252.227-7013, or in
subparagraph (c) (2) of the Commercial Computer Software – Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as
applicable. Tektronix, Inc., P.O. Box 1000, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-1000.
Tektronix
®
is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. TekColor™, ColorCoat™, ColorStix™ and Finepoint™ are
trademarks of Tektronix, Inc. Phaser™ is a trademark of Tektronix, Inc. for color printers and related products.
Adobe™ and PostScript™ are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated which may be registered in certain
jurisdictions.
Times™, Helvetica™ and Palatino™ are trademarks of Linotype-Hell AG and/or its subsidiaries.
Other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
PANTONE
®
* Colors generated by the Phaser 300i Color Printer are four-color process simulations and may not
match PANTONE-identified solid color standards. Use current PANTONE Color Reference Manuals for accurate
colors.
PANTONE Color simulations are only obtainable on these products when driven by qualified Pantone-licensed
software packages. Contact Pantone, Inc. for a current list of qualified licensees.
* Pantone, Inc.’s check-standard trademark for color reproduction and color reproduction materials.
© Pantone, Inc., 1988.
TE/JG

Users safety summary
Terms in manual:
CAUTION Conditions that can result in damage to the product.
WARNING Conditions that can result in personal injury or loss of life.
Power source:
Does not apply more than 250 volts RMS between the supply conductors or between either supply
conductor and ground. Use only the specified power cord and connector. Refer to a qualified service technician for
changes to the cord or connector.
Operation of product:
Avoid electric shock by contacting a qualified service technician to replace fuses inside the
product. Do not operate without the covers and panels properly installed. Do not operate in an atmosphere of
explosive gases.
Safety instructions:
Read all installation instructions carefully before you plug the product into a power source.
Terms on product:
CAUTION: A personal injury hazard exists that may not be apparent. For example, a panel may
cover the hazardous area. Also applies to a hazard to property including the product itself. DANGER: A personal
injury hazard exists in the area where you see the sign.
Care of product:
Disconnect the power plug by pulling the plug, not the cord. Disconnect the power plug if the
power cord or plug is frayed or otherwise damaged, if you spill anything into the case, if product is exposed to any
excess moisture, if product is dropped or damaged, if you suspect that the product needs servicing or repair, and
whenever you clean the product.
Ground the product:
Plug the three-wire power cord (with grounding prong) into grounded AC outlets only. If
necessary, contact a licensed electrician to install a properly grounded outlet.
Symbols as marked on product:
DANGER high voltage:
Protective ground (earth) terminal:
Use caution. Refer to the manual(s) for information:
WARNING:
If the product loses the ground connection, usage of knobs and controls (and other conductive parts) can
cause an electrical shock. Electrical product may be hazardous if misused.
!

Service safety summary
For qualified service personnel only:
Refer also to the preceding Users Safety Summary.
Do not service alone:
Do not perform internal service or adjustment of this product unless another person capable of
rendering first aid or resuscitation is present.
Use care when servicing with power on:
Dangerous voltages may exist at several points in this product. To avoid
personal injury, do not touch exposed connections and components while power is on.
Disconnect power before removing the power supply shield, soldering, or replacing components.
Do not wear jewelry:
Remove jewelry prior to servicing. Rings, necklaces, and other metallic objects could come into
contact with dangerous voltages and currents.
Power source:
This product is intended to operate from a power source that will not apply more than 250 volts rms
between the supply conductors or between either supply conductor and ground. A protective ground connection by
way of the grounding conductor in the power cord is essential for safe operation.

Service Manual v
Contents
1 General Information
The Phaser 300i Color Printer 1-2
RAM and printer capabilities 1-2
The Phaser 300RX Color Printer 1-3
Phase-change inks 1-3
Print engine assemblies 1-4
Rear panel 1-8
Phaser 300i 1-8
About the Ethernet AAUI connector 1-8
DIP switches 1-8
Phaser 300RX 1-9
Phaser 300i rear panel DIP switches 1-10
Front panel 1-11
Specifications 1-13
Regulatory specifications 1-16
2 Installing the Printer and Drivers
Pre-install questions for customers 2-2
Unpacking 2-5
Printer inventory 2-5
Setting up the printer 2-7
Removing the shipping block 2-7
Installing SIMM memory 2-8
Installing an Ethernet card 2-8
Setting rear panel switches 2-9
Cabling the printer 2-10
Connecting the printer to a Macintosh 2-10
LocalTalk connection to a Macintosh 2-10
Ethernet connection to a Macintosh (requires Ethernet card option) 2-10
Connecting the printer to a PC 2-11
Direct connection to a PC 2-11
Networked connection to a PC using the Ethernet port 2-11
Connecting the printer to a workstation 2-12
Direct connection to the workstation 2-12
Networked connection to a workstation 2-12
Installing a SCSI hard disk drive on a Phaser 300i (optional) 2-13

vi Phaser 340 Color Printer
Turning on the printer 2-14
The startup page 2-14
The configuration page 2-15
Driver and communication set up 2-21
Loading the Macintosh driver 2-21
Installing the Tektronix driver for Windows 3.1 2-22
If you have other Tektronix printer drivers already installed 2-22
Configuring the Tektronix Windows printer driver 2-23
Updating the standard Microsoft Windows PostScript driver 2-25
Installing the printer driver for OS/2 Version 2 2-27
Configuring the printer's serial port for a PC 2-29
Using printcap to configure a workstation for the printer's serial port 2-31
Configuring a Novell NetWare server for the printer 2-32
Configuring TCP/IP on a UNIX host 2-33
3 Verifying the Printer and Host Connections
Printing from a Macintosh 3-1
Selecting the printer via the Chooser 3-1
Printing the directory from a Macintosh 3-2
Verifying that an application communicates to the printer 3-3
Using the Error Handler utility 3-3
PC verification 3-4
DOS connection verification 3-4
Windows 3.1 driver verification 3-4
OS/2 connection verification 3-5
Novell NetWare verification 3-6
Using the Error Handler utility 3-7
Workstation verification 3-8
Verifying connection and printing using TCP/IP protocols 3-8
Using the Error Handler utility 3-9

Service Manual vii
4 Key Operator Training
Overview 4-1
Printer controls and indicators 4-2
Loading media 4-6
Clearing paper jams 4-8
Cleaning 4-8
Warranty information 4-10
Service support 4-10
Supplies ordering 4-11
If you need help 4-11
HAL information system 4-11
Customer Support Hotline 4-12
Service support 4-12
Electronic bulletin board 4-12
5 Theory of Operation
Overview 5-1
Functional block diagram 5-2
The printhead and printing 5-4
Phaser 300 ink 5-6
Print modes 5-6
Standard mode 5-6
Enhanced mode 5-6
Premium mode 5-7
Fusing 5-8
Maintenance station 5-9
Maintenance station cam 5-10
Maintenance cycles 5-12
Ink loading 5-13
Paper feeding 5-15
The paper path's operation 5-16
Paper loading 5-16
Paper measure 5-17
Printing 5-18
Exit positioning 5-18
Fusing and exiting 5-19

viii Phaser 340 Color Printer
6 Troubleshooting
System power-up sequence 6-1
Print engine troubleshooting 6-2
Verifying image processor operation by using the Test Pattern Generator 6-2
Verifying print engine operation by using its self-test print 6-3
Verifying power supply operation 6-4
Measuring power supply voltages 6-5
Inspecting the power supply fuses 6-6
Testing for a shorted motor 6-6
+40 and HV safety interlocks 6-7
Testing motor resistances 6-9
Media jams and the paper path 6-10
Media-based problems 6-10
Jams 6-10
Jam — Paper tray 6-11
Jam — Manual-feed input 6-12
Jam — Internal 6-12
Jam — Rear cover 6-13
Jam — Output tray 6-13
Frequent X-axis stalls (jam — rear cover errors) with no obvious cause 6-13
Checking the paper-feed motor and drive train 6-14
Media problems 6-14
The media skews passing through the paper path 6-14
Paper tray indicates empty when it is not 6-15
Printing and print quality problems 6-16
Paper edges are rippled or wrinkled 6-16
White portion of print is colored 6-16
Stripes, spots or streaks in print (missing ink) 6-17
Large spots or blobs on the print 6-17
The print appears as jagged swaths (bi-directional misalignment) 6-17
The image is printed skewed on the paper 6-18
In a swath's vertical row of dots, one dot is offset from the others 6-18
Forward and reverse swaths of prints made in bidirectional mode do not align 6-18
Entire image appears fuzzy; dots feature many satellites 6-19
Inconsistent printing 6-19
Blank lines or double lines across the entire image 6-19
In the test print, the colored fills are not horizontally level with each other 6-19
Severe banding in color fills 6-19
The image is not centered on the print when it should be 6-19
The fuser stalls 6-20
The print is wrinkled 6-20

Service Manual ix
Troubleshooting missing or deflected jets 6-20
Customer-performed steps to recover faulty jets 6-20
Service-performed procedures to recover faulty jets 6-21
Macintosh printing problems 6-22
Image never prints 6-22
Image prints in black-and-white 6-22
Image is rotated 90 degrees 6-23
Printer isn’t in the Chooser 6-23
PC DOS printing problems 6-23
Image never prints 6-23
Windows printing problems 6-25
Image never prints 6-25
Blue color on the screen is printing too purple 6-25
Windows message “Problem writing device LPT1: Cancel or Retry” 6-25
Workstation printing problems 6-26
Image never prints 6-26
Error Messages 6-27
Engine error codes 6-27
Service mode message 6-41
Communication interface error 6-41
Phaser 300i image processor 6-43
Image processor normal indicators 6-43
Image processor hard and soft error indicators 6-43
Verifying the image processor's operation 6-43
Image processor self-diagnostics 6-44
Phaser 300i image processor rear panel switches for self-testing 6-44
Printing the configuration page 6-46
Printing the demo page 6-46
Rear panel switches (diagnostics) 6-47
Trace mode 6-48
Resetting NVRAM 6-49

x Phaser 340 Color Printer
7 Cleaning and Maintenance
Service preventive maintenance procedure 7-1
Cleaning and inspecting 7-2
Paper-pick roller cleaning 7-2
Cleaning the feed rollers 7-4
Feed roller cleaning 7-4
Other cleaning 7-7
Cleaning the paper tension blade 7-7
Cleaning the paper clamp 7-9
Cleaning the drum 7-10
Cleaning the wiper blade 7-12
Cleaning the fuser rollers 7-14
Replacing the fuser wiper 7-15
General cleaning and checking 7-16
8 FRU Disassembly/Assembly
Required tools 8-2
The printer cabinet 8-3
Paper path frame 8-5
Backup system 8-6
Paper feed rollers 8-8
Fuser 8-10
Printhead 8-12
Installing the printhead 8-14
Air pump 8-17
Removing the air pump 8-17
Installing the air pump 8-19
Front panel, ink loading chamber and sheet metal bracket 8-20
Maintenance station 8-22
Installing the maintenance station 8-24
Replacing the maintenance station wiper 8-26
Power supply 8-27

Service Manual xi
Motors 8-28
X-axis motor, idler and cable 8-28
Rewinding the X-axis cable 8-29
Checking the X-axis cable tension 8-29
Y-axis motor 8-32
Looping the Y-axis drive belt 8-33
Adjusting the Y-axis belt tension 8-34
Paper-feed motor and belt 8-36
Tensioning the paper-feed drive belt 8-37
Exit motor and chain 8-38
Paper-clamp motor removal 8-39
Paper-clamp motor installation 8-40
Paper-tension blade motor 8-42
Paper-tension blade 8-43
Transducer 8-44
Drip plate 8-45
Drum 8-47
Dot clock encoder strip 8-51
Dot clock encoder strip alignment 8-51
Engine control board 8-53
Carriage board 8-54
Controller interface interconnect 8-56
Image processor board 8-57
Installing RAM SIMMs 8-59
Installing the Ethernet card 8-61
Enabling TCP/IP with the downloadable software key 8-62

xii Phaser 340 Color Printer
9 Checks and Adjustments
Required tools 9-1
Placing the printer in Utility or Service mode 9-2
XY Calibration 9-6
Printhead maintenance and test printing 9-7
Checking and adjusting the printhead 9-9
Printhead drive voltage adjustment 9-9
Printhead-to-media spacing (tailpiece adjustment) 9-11
Tilt adjustment 9-14
Voltage, convergence and temperature adjustment for a new printhead 9-17
Setting enhanced printing convergence 9-21
Temperature offset adjustment 9-22
Adjusting for an aged printhead 9-24
Sensors check 9-25
Motors check 9-26
Paper path check 9-27
NV RAM 9-29
Maintenance station vacuum check 9-33
A Field Replaceable Units List
B Test Patterns
C Wiring Diagrams
D Test Pattern Generator
Index

Service Manual xiii
Figures
Figure 1-1 The Phaser 300 Color Printer 1-1
Figure 1-2 Print engine major components 1-4
Figure 1-3 Print engine components (continued) 1-5
Figure 1-4 Print engine sensor, switch and solenoid locations 1-6
Figure 1-5 Print engine sensor, switches and solenoid locations (continued) 1-7
Figure 1-6 The Phaser 300i rear panels 1-9
Figure 1-7 The Phaser 300RX rear panel 1-9
Figure 1-8 The front panel and its functions 1-11
Figure 2-1 The Phaser 300 and its packaging 2-6
Figure 2-2 Removing the shipping block 2-7
Figure 2-3 Connecting a SCSI hard disk drive to the Phaser 300i 2-13
Figure 5-1 Block diagram of the printer 5-2
Figure 5-2 The printhead and its jet nozzles 5-4
Figure 5-3 The printhead's jet stack 5-5
Figure 5-4 The fuser 5-8
Figure 5-5 The maintenance station 5-10
Figure 5-6 The maintenance station cam 5-11
Figure 5-7 Ink load mechanism 5-14
Figure 5-8 Paper loading 5-16
Figure 5-9 Paper measuring 5-17
Figure 5-10 Paper printing 5-18
Figure 5-11 Print positioning for exit 5-18
Figure 5-12 Print fusing and exiting 5-19
Figure 6-1 Measuring the DC voltages (test points) 6-5
Figure 6-2 Interlocks for top and rear access covers 6-8
Figure 6-3 Checking printhead alignment 6-18
Figure 7-1 Cleaning the pick roller 7-3
Figure 7-2 Unhooking the upper feed roller 7-4
Figure 7-3 Removing the upper feed roller 7-5

xiv Phaser 340 Color Printer
Figure 7-4 Cleaning the lower feed roller 7-6
Figure 7-5 Cleaning the paper tension blade 7-8
Figure 7-6 Cleaning the paper clamp 7-9
Figure 7-7 Cleaning the drum with a wipe 7-10
Figure 7-8 Cleaning the drum with the cleaning tool 7-11
Figure 7-9 Cleaning the wiper blade 7-13
Figure 8-1 Removing the printer cabinet covers 8-4
Figure 8-2 Removing the paper path frame 8-5
Figure 8-3 Removing the backup system 8-7
Figure 8-4 Removing the paper feed rollers 8-9
Figure 8-5 Removing the fuser 8-11
Figure 8-6 Removing the printhead 8-13
Figure 8-7 Connecting the printhead’s hybrid cable 8-14
Figure 8-8 Installing the printhead 8-15
Figure 8-9 Moving the engine control board out of the way 8-17
Figure 8-10 Removing the air pump 8-18
Figure 8-11 Removing the front panel, ink loading chambers and sheet metal bracket 8-21
Figure 8-12 Disconnecting the maintenance station 8-22
Figure 8-13 Removing the maintenance station 8-23
Figure 8-14 Routing the air hoses 8-24
Figure 8-15 Replacing the wiper element 8-26
Figure 8-16 Removing the power supply 8-27
Figure 8-17 Removing the X-axis motor, idler and cable 8-28
Figure 8-18 Rewinding the X-axis cable 8-30
Figure 8-19 Removing the Y-axis motor 8-32
Figure 8-20 Looping the Y-axis motor belts 8-33
Figure 8-21 Tensioning the Y-axis drum belt 8-34
Figure 8-22 Tensioning the Y-axis drum motor belt 8-35
Figure 8-23 Removing the paper feed motor and belt 8-36
Figure 8-24 Tension the paper feed drive belt 8-37
Figure 8-25 Removing the exit motor 8-38
Figure 8-26 Removing the paper-clamp motor 8-39
Figure 8-27 The paper-clamp motor in its retracted position 8-40
Figure 8-28 Inserting the paper clamp motor with push rod into the drum 8-41
Figure 8-29 Removing the paper-tension blade motor 8-42

Service Manual xv
Figure 8-30
Removing the paper-tension blade 8-43
Figure 8-31 Removing the paper-tension blade 8-44
Figure 8-32 Removing the drip plate 8-46
Figure 8-33 Preparing to remove the drum 8-48
Figure 8-34 Removing the drum 8-49
Figure 8-35 Aligning the dot clock encoder strip 8-52
Figure 8-36 Removing the engine control board 8-53
Figure 8-37 Removing the carriage board 8-55
Figure 8-38 Removing the controller interface interconnect cable 8-56
Figure 8-39 Removing the image processor board (serial number B01xxxx) 8-57
Figure 8-40 Removing the image processor board (serial number Blxxmdy) 8-58
Figure 8-41 Installing RAM SIMMs (serial number B01xxxx) 8-60
Figure 8-42 Installing RAM SIMMs (serial number Blxxmdy) 8-60
Figure 8-43 Installing the Ethernet card on the image processor board
(serial number B01xxxx) 8-61
Figure 8-44 Installing the Ethernet card on the image processor board
(serial number Blxxmdy) 8-62
Figure 9-1 Utility mode menu structure 9-3
Figure 9-2 Service mode menu structure 9-4
Figure 9-3 Printhead drive voltage adjustment 9-10
Figure 9-4 Setting the tilt adjustment 9-16
Figure 9-5 Setting convergence for standard printing 9-19
Figure 9-6 Setting convergence for enhanced printing 9-21
Figure 9-7 Printhead temperature adjustment 9-23
Figure 9-8 Measuring maintenance station vacuum 9-33
Figure A-1. The printer cabinet A-3
Figure A-2 The internal printer A-7
Figure B-1 Front panel test pattern B-1
Figure B-2 Print quality check test pattern B-2
Figure C-1. Wiring diagram C-1
Figure D-1. Plugging the Test Pattern Generator into the printer's parallel port D-2

xvi Phaser 340 Color Printer
Tables
Table 1-1 Normal operation — 300i rear panel DIP switches 1-10
Table 1-2 Physical dimensions 1-13
Table 1-3 Printer clearances 1-13
Table 1-4 Functional specifications 1-13
Table 1-5 Electrical specifications 1-14
Table 1-6 Environmental specifications 1-15
Table 2-1. Configuration page settings for the Phaser 300i 2-15
Table 2-2. Values for modifying the DEVPARAMS.PS file 2-30
Table 6-1 Motor and solenoid resistances 6-9
Table 6-2 Error codes and their meanings 6-28
Table 6-3 Communication protocol error byte 6-42
Table 6-4 PXi self-test LED displays 6-45
Table 6-5 Image processor diagnostics -- rear panel DIP switches 6-47
Table 6-6 Trace mode LED patterns 6-48
Table A-1. FRU parts list of the printer cabinet A-2
Table A-2. FRU parts list of the exploded printer A-4
Table A-3. Printer accessories A-8
Table D-1. Test Pattern Generator DIP Switch settings for Phaser 300 D-3

Service Manual
1-1
Chapter
1
General Information
This field service manual contains information useful for troubleshooting,
repairing, adjusting, and maintaining the Tektronix Phaser™ 300i Color Printer.
This manual includes troubleshooting guides, adjustment procedures, a field
replaceable units (FRU) list and assembly/disassembly procedures for selected
FRUs. To ensure complete understanding of the product we recommend
participation in Phaser 300i service training.
Figure 1-1 The Phaser 300 Color Printer
8818-01

1-2 Phaser 300i and 300RX Color Printer
1
General Information
The Phaser 300i Color Printer
The Phaser 300i Color Printer combines Tektronix' phase-change ink-jet printing
technology with Adobe’s PostScript Level 2 page description language. The
Phaser 300i features RS-232 serial, standard parallel and AppleTalk interfaces for
host communication. An Ethernet adapter is optionally available. It allows the
printer to communicate using the EtherTalk and Novell protocols. Optionally,
the Ethernet adapter can use the TCP/IP protocol. The 300i also features a
SCSI-compatible interface to connect to an external hard disk drive for font
storage. The “i” image processor board, installed in the lower-rear of the Phaser
300 print engine, gives the Phaser 300 its PostScript capability. The combination
of the Phaser 300 print engine and the “i” image processor, produces the Phaser
300i Color Printer.
RAM and printer capabilities
The Phaser 300 requires 14MB to print full bleed images on Tabloid Extra media.
The base configuration of 10MB supports default halftone or Finepoint level 1
rendering of pages up to B/A3 Tabloid size. At 10MB, Finepoint level 2 is
provided on A/A4 letter size or smaller media only. TekColor Finepoint level 2
screening technology is used for rendering fine detail on all parts of the page
(text, graphics, and scanned images). To render full bleed tabloid images using
Finepoint level 2 requires the 22MB memory configuration. If sufficient memory
is not available for Finepoint level 2, Finepoint level 1 is used. The 22MB
configuration is also required for PCL5. Image processing and I/O throughput
increase substantially at 18MB, with an incremental 20 to 30% improvement at
22MB. Finepoint level 2 renders text, graphics, and rotated images, where
Finepoint level 1 only applies to rectangular, scanned image data.

Service Manual 1-3
General Information
1
The Phaser 300RX Color Printer
The Phaser 300RX Color Printer is a parallel interface color printer using the
4699 series phase-change ink print engine. The host communicates bit-mapped
images to the printer using a modified Tektronix Parallel Interface protocol
which is based on the Centronics interface protocol. The RX’s interface allows
for faster communication speeds than a standard Centronics parallel interface.
Whereas the Phaser 300i printer features an image processor board which
perform the PostScript image processing, the Phaser 300RX instead features a
rear panel parallel connector and an interconnecting cable leading to the
printer’s engine control board. Data from a host computer (properly formatted)
is piped directly to the print engine control board.
Phase-change inks
Note Turning the printer off and allowing it to cool down causes it to
perform a printhead cleaning and purge cycle upon power-up. The
printer's purge cycle consumes a significant amount of ink. During
normal use and servicing, turn the printer off and allow it to cool
down only when necessary.
Phase-change inks are solid at room temperature and are liquid at the higher
temperature used during printing. The inks solidify almost instantly after being
jetted onto a sheet of paper. Because Tektronix' proprietary phase-change inks
bleed much less than ordinary liquid inks, they allow the printer to print
brilliant colors on plain paper. The Phaser 300i can print on a variety of media
weights and finishes ranging from Vellum to Bristol and on sizes ranging from
4 x 6 ins. (100 x 150 mm) to 12 x 18 ins. (305 x 457 mm). It prints images at 300
dots-per-inch addressability.

1-4 Phaser 300i and 300RX Color Printer
1
General Information
Print engine assemblies
Figure 1-2 Print engine major components
8818-20
Paper-feed
stepper motor Front panel
Ink loader
Precision frame
Paper-clamp
motor
Waste bin
Maintenance system
filter
Air pump
Fuser
Exit motor
Paper-path
frame
Backup system
Fan
Power supply
Engine
control board