Smoking laser printer from the US

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DavyG

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#111659 10-Nov-2012 14:15

Just got my new laser printer shipped over from the US where it had served me well. Plugged it in and it instantly when pff and started smoking. I switched it off after barely a second. I see now that it runs only on 110-120 volts. And can see that it needs a step-down adapter to run out of our electric systems.

What I can't find, though, is basically how rooted will it be after a second of 240 through it and a wee smoke. Any advice gratefully received. Feeling rather foolish and traumatized buy it all.

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#715145 10-Nov-2012 14:21

Sounds like it's good and fryed to me.

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Zeon

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#715146 10-Nov-2012 14:21

It may have over voltage protection in which case it could be possible to repair. How good is the printer, might be easier just to buy one with an auto switching 110-240v PSU?

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KevinL

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#715147 10-Nov-2012 14:21

Potentially completely rooted, although no real way of telling until you try it with a step down transformer. If you take it apart charred/fused components would be some indication though.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#715153 10-Nov-2012 14:30

It is probably FUBAR, if not I suspect for the price of repairing it you could probably get a new laser printer with warranty and a new toner cartridge...

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DavyG

6 posts

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#715158 10-Nov-2012 14:35

Thanks guys.

I figure something must have fried to have produced the smoke - and done it pretty instantly. But if it's just fried one little replaceable bit, and I can get an adapter to run it, then I'd get it fixed and I wont have wasted my time shipping it over here.

It's not top of the line by any stretch, but I really like it. Fast wireless b/w (I hardly even need colour) laser printer that is way cheaper to run than the ink sales devices (sold as printers) that I have previously owned.

This is the model http://printscan.about.com/od/brotherlaserprinters/gr/Brother-Hl-2270dw-Laser-Printer.htm

DavyG

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#715159 10-Nov-2012 14:37

Thanks Freitasm. Top of your list was my baby...

freitasm

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#715160 10-Nov-2012 14:37

The Brother HL-2270DW laser printer retails between NZ$155 and NZ$260 in New Zealand. For that price I'd get a new one with warranty. Better than the repaired one - you will have to pay a fee just to have someone look at it, then decide if the repair is worth or not...

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sbiddle

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#715163 10-Nov-2012 14:52

Odds are you've completely cooked the transformer. The unknown would be whether any damage would have occured to the mainboard if a surge was generated.

gregmcc

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#715190 10-Nov-2012 15:38

DavyG: Just got my new laser printer shipped over from the US where it had served me well. Plugged it in and it instantly when pff and started smoking. I switched it off after barely a second. I see now that it runs only on 110-120 volts. And can see that it needs a step-down adapter to run out of our electric systems.

What I can't find, though, is basically how rooted will it be after a second of 240 through it and a wee smoke. Any advice gratefully received. Feeling rather foolish and traumatized buy it all.

No way to really tell what the damages is, most likely cooked some of the parts in the power supply, but once those parts are reparied who know exactly what other damage has been done.

More than likely that the cost of repairs will exceed the price you paid for it, cut your losses and get another printer

dickytim

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#715634 12-Nov-2012 07:16

I have some of these at work that I quite like, they don't seem too pricy to run either

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=PTRHPL1972396&name=HP-Laserjet-P1102W-Mono-Laser-Printer-18ppm-ePrint

Has wireless, I have been using one on my desk for the last 2 weeks at work and it seems to run fine.

cyril7

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#715641 12-Nov-2012 07:42

Hi as with most modern equipment it will be a switch mode supply, which is quite complex and normally not intended to be component level repaired and typically would be module replaced, and based on having tried to source a supply for a similar sized mass production product recently it not worth the hassle, as others have said you can get a spanker with a warranty for $150.

As an aside I have normally avoided brother as a printer brand, but after being burnt a few years back with a top of the line (albeit Soho grade) Fuji Xerox that ate through toner and then a fuser at an alarming rate then had a total melt down at 5yrs old.

Since then I declared never to spend so much on a printer again and settled for a mono laser brother HL-2250DN ($130 on special at Warehouse stationary) which is perfectly fine for my needs, we also have a brother colour injet wireless MFC which other than eating too much ink works well too.

techricky

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#715646 12-Nov-2012 08:22

Agree with the above..
I'm involved with repairing similar sized power supplies in more specialised and expensive equipment. When an autovoltage select fails the damage to the small switchmode supplies can be quite spectacular despite having a mains input fuse! Sometimes a quick repair, often not.

I wouldn't really want to run a laser printer on a stepdown/auto transformer, even the small printers will draw 500W + for the fuser lamp while printing which would mean a pretty heavy and expensive transformer.

The cheap small voltage adapters that are similar to a triac light dimmer internally are not suitable for powering any electronic devices!

BlueShift

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#715650 12-Nov-2012 08:29

Smoke is a non-replaceable, factory-installed vital componant of most, if not all, electronic equipment.
The plasma-particulate nature of the smoke enables the transfer of both positive and negative ions thoughout the operational framework of the electrical subsystems of the device. It is injected into the core of many of the vital components during their assembly in the factory - it requires precise conditions of temperature, pressure, and the exact wavelength of infra-violet light to imbue the correct properties of ion transmission and plasma refractorisation to the smoke-enhanced components.

This is why, once the smoke escapes, your electronic device is stuffed.

wellygary

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#715651 12-Nov-2012 08:47

BlueShift: Smoke is a non-replaceable, factory-installed vital componant of most, if not all, electronic equipment.
The plasma-particulate nature of the smoke enables the transfer of both positive and negative ions thoughout the operational framework of the electrical subsystems of the device. It is injected into the core of many of the vital components during their assembly in the factory - it requires precise conditions of temperature, pressure, and the exact wavelength of infra-violet light to imbue the correct properties of ion transmission and plasma refractorisation to the smoke-enhanced components.

This is why, once the smoke escapes, your electronic device is stuffed.

+1, yip once the magic smoke escapes its all over rover.....

ubergeeknz

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#715664 12-Nov-2012 09:28

Oh and even if it gets repaired, you will need a beast of a step down to run a laser printer. Probably the step down alone would cost you more than the replacement printer.

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