Trouble Codes
By Jim Intravia 14-Feb-03
Just about every copier, digital or analog, has built-in electronic troubleshooting tools. You know them better as diagnostics, trouble codes and error codes. Some of these are messages that tell what is wrong with the machine. Some are aimed at the user (do we still say “key operator?”)
Do you wonder where the term “Key operator” comes from? As I understand it, way back in the 60’s or so, Xerox® copy machines were nearly always rentals, and the property of Xerox® corporation. Xerox® provided certain training for a person at each location. That person, though they were not paid, was bestowed with the title “Key Operator.” They were the only ones who were supposed to unlock the door to the machine, change toner, clear jams, add fuser oil and call for service.
When machines (copiers, printers or fax machines) break down these days, they don’t usually just sit there. They often, but not always, display a message. The message may be spelled out in an LCD display, something like “Add toner,” or “Call Service, Fuser error.” In some cases the message is nothing more than an alphanumeric display, such as L-3, C0500 or J2. Whoever reads the display then has to take the next step. If obvious, like “add toner,” presumably they do so. If less clear, such as a trouble code, they have to look it up. Many machines have decals, labels, or little flip charts on them, listing and describing what these codes mean. In most cases, they describe only the operator codes. Some machines (Konica and Xerox® for example) will use similar codes for operator problems and for service problems. This makes life harder for both service people and operators. The operators don’t know or don’t feel like looking up the code. They call service. If it is a service code, the technician is usually equipped to decipher it. The tech should have a service manual of some kind. The service manual will tell him or her the meaning of the code, the likely cause of the problem, maybe how to repair it, and how to reset the machine if necessary.
Unlisted codes
One of the annoying things that happen to technicians is this. They see a code that is not in their service manual. Often, this is because it is an operator code. The manufacturer did not list operator codes in their service manual. They think that it is a perfect world, meaning, in this case: The copier breaks down. A qualified end user (key operator?) looks at the machine. That person has their owner’s manual. That person is competent and looks in their owner’s manual. That person solves the problem.
A perfect world. What are you kidding? The end user’s life has been made easier and easier, and so, appropriately enough, they don’t know that much about their machine. It is quite common for some machines to go a year or more without a jam. By the time something goes wrong, the user may not be able to find the owner’s manual. Even if they have it, it may not occur to them to look in it. The manufacturer may have made it even easier. They may have printed the instructions for clearing a jam, emptying waste toner, resetting indicators, etc. inside the front door, or on top of the machine. But that is no guarantee that they will be read.
What happens next?
The customer calls their service company for a repair. The technician gets there and finds a trouble code which is not in the service manual. Since the machine was designed for a perfect world, the manufacturer may never have considered that the service technician would need information that is already in the owner’s manual. And so, the poor technician is sometimes as dumbfounded by a simple problem as was the customer. And sometimes the service technician doesn’t realize that they can look in the owner’s manual and does not know that the information is printed on the machine.
Sometimes the problem is not as easy as finding the owner’s manual, and may be indirectly caused by the owner’s manual. It may be a trouble code which is not in the service manual. I get occasional dealer calls about problems like this. Although we do not generally supply technical help, I have a heart, and sometimes do try to help with these. Typically, I give some general advice, which solves most of these problems. The first and most important is in the form of a question, which is “Did you see the display or did the customer tell you this is what it said.” Customers are influenced by owner’s manuals and stickers on the machine. The manual or sticker may list five codes; say L1, L2, H5, J3, and J7, each with an explanation: Close door, add paper, clear jam or whatever. And then sometimes it will say something like “J8-J12, call for service.” As a result, a customer who sees J9, will look in their manual, read the explanation, and call you to say the machine is displaying J812. After you get off the phone with them and discover there is no such code, I would suggest calling them back or proceeding to the service call. I would not start to worry too much about a code like that until you see it with your own eyes.
Not always so easy
That was an easy one. Sometimes the code is legitimately illegitimate. It is a code that is not listed in the machine service manual or owner’s manual. A little detective work usually (not always) will get you through. Some machines throw codes that are not listed. Whether it is a glitch in the electronics or a mistake in the original manual, we may never know. What often works is to look at service information on similar machines from the same manufacturer. You will sometimes find the same code listed for another machine. Typically, look at later machines. I suspect that the chip that contains the codes can be a later version, such as that used in later machines, and has more information and more possibilities than the original design.
Flash ROMs
Now that many machines are easily updated with Flash ROMs, we may find that the original information becomes outdated. When a machine’s firmware or software is “flashed” to update it, it may receive new information that does not match the service manual. You may find that service manual is out of date more often than in the past. Manufacturers will sometimes issue bulletins alerting their authorized dealers to situations such as this. However, it is not unusual for manufacturers to issue incomplete information in their bulletins. What is more common is that service managers do not read or execute all the service bulletins they receive. The bulletins are often lengthy and confusing. The subject of service bulletins is a whole other story for some other time. Nevertheless, if you can get your hands on them, you are better off than if you don’t.
Conclusion
Trouble codes were designed into machines to make it easier to keep running. Simply read the code, and take the prescribed steps. Theory and reality may not always match up perfectly. Trouble codes do save work, but sometimes they require a little more work than intended.
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