Apr 142011
 

We have seen a couple of occasions where HP Designjet L25500 customers have had the following error but there is no visible jam:

HP device alert:
Event:Non-continuable error – Possible substrate jam

In these examples we found it was due to the carriage rail not being sufficiently lubricated and after extended or high volume use the carriage tension on the drive motor is strong enough that it suspects a possible media jam when this is not the case.

Your printer will prompt you regularly to undertake a carriage roller lubrication using the supplied oil. With other brands of printers this would typically be a paid technical callout but HP have given you the tools and instructions for you to undertake this maintenance yourself keeping the running costs of your printer low. If you would like Cielab to come and do this lubrication on your behalf along with a clean and condition check and report please call us on 1300 CIELAB (1300 243 522) within Australia.

You should refer to your supplied manual and follow the steps for “Carriage Roller Lubrication” however here are a couple of additional notes to help this process go smoothly:

  • Check that you have the latest firmware – this is done by entering the IP address of your printer into your browser and checking the update firmware section. The last firmware update (as of the date of this post) included a change to the schedule to more regularly prompt you to do this lubrication so the chance of this error is less likely.
  • When you lubricate the rail (the chrome bar that the heads run along) be very careful not to touch or damage the fine strip just above the rail. This is an “Encoder Strip” and should you damage this in some way it will need to be replaced by a HP Technician.
  • Be very sure to run a line of oil the full length of this rail if it is dry. Also be sure to lubricate the felt pads each side of the carriage well as these pads help keep the rail lubricated during use.

NOTE: This following suggestion should be only attempted by an experienced opperator and with extreme care at each step. Cielab will accept no liability in the event that this suggestion creates a problem with your printer so proceed at your own risk.

If your printer won’t even turn on and you suspect that this may be the problem because the carriage is not moving as expected during the startup process then we suggest that you turn the printer off at the wall and ensure it is not hot. Open the window then carefully run some of the supplied lubricant along the rail and if the head carriage is not parked then gently move it left to right and back until it moves with only some medium resistance. The heads will always have some resistance in them due to the motors and belts used to drive it so please consider this.
If you have done this and feel like the carriage is now moving easier than before the full length of the rail, then check nothing has been left inside the printer, close the door and turn it on.

If this resolves the problem then after the startup process has completed we recommend you follow your manual and undertake the guided lubrication process straight away again. this will ensure that everything is well lubricated but also reset the counter so that the L25500 printer knows that it has just been lubricated.

This suggestion is only to help perhaps get you running in the short term until Cielab or HP can attend to your printer to resolve the problem formally.

 

Please note that by offering this information we accept no liability, and it is important that you call HP support on 13 10 47, or Cielab on 1300 243 522 (both numbers within Australia) to book a technician callout as required.

  One Response to “HP Designjet L25500 Possible Substrate Jam but none visable”

  1. I would like to update this post with some new info relating to these printers as they get older

    Excessive lubrication of the rail can build up in a mixture of oil and ink creating a “grease” like sludge on the rail. If this is the case then you ay need to clean the old sludge off from the rail before applying fresh lubricant. To clean this rail we suggest an isowipe BUT please be very careful when ever doing anything near this rail that you do not touch the encoder strip in any way. These are extremely fragile and expensive to replace.

    We have discovered that the lubricating felts on each side of the carriage do deteriorate with a lot of use of the printer and may require replacement. When they deteriorate they tend to bind on the rail adding tension on the drive motor and this can throw this substrate jam error. Within warranty period this is usually done by HP.

    NOTE: Please note that as per our terms and conditions all info supplied is as a guide only and no guarantee or warranty is assumed

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