HP DesignJet T610 won't recognize toner. Unable to update firmware. Now won't start properly at all

tschadom

Print Lurker
Joined
Feb 23, 2022
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Printer Model
HP DesignJet T610
Hey, this post is kind of my last resort.

A few months ago we (architectural students) got an old broken large format printer (DesignJet T610) for free. Otherwise we would't be able to afford a device like that, even though it's crucial for our work.
We wanted to challenge ourself in fixing it on our own. Again becauce of costs. The generous previous owner said to us, that only the carriage belt needs a replacement, that's just too much hustle for him. That's lot like changing a printhead. So we did that, with help of very comprehensive youtube tutorials. Successful it seems, because the print heads moved normally when the device was started.

But then the black toner PK Toner was no longer recognized. The strange thing is, when booted the first time after the repair, everthing seemed fine. We were even able to send a printjob that started to process without any errors occurring.
Then it stopped and it said we need to reload the PK Toner, because it's empty.

Alright, we thought thats reasonable, because we got a fake old toner with the printer that seemed to be empty for real.
Ordered a new original HP one and put it in optimistically.
The printer won't recongnize it. It says it's empty, which it is obviously not true, because it came fresh out of the box. The error now occurs right after booting the device. All the other toners are recognized.

I cleaned the contacts with alcohol and tried different toners.

Obviously first I thought thats because of our amateur repair job that we botched. But i don't understand how that should be possible, because in order to replace the belt you don't touch anything related to the toners. Where could we look at to troubleshoot any hardware problem?

I read somewhere that it could be a problem with the firmware of the printer, because it sat for so long.
I was unable to update it. The printer was not recognized by my windows 10 computer any longer, with the error clogging up the signal to the computer (at least thats my theory). Workaround? If there would just be a way to brute force the software. Even to ignore the toner error. Then we would just print without that faulty one.

Frustrated after the long repair job it now sat for another while.
Now when started, it just says that the printer needs to be restarted. Otherwise contact HP support. Yeah right. Try that.
I know, with all the fixing that's just not surprising. I would be bothered to take the thing apart again, maybe set the belt to a fresh start if we could sense any hope from you guys.
I know it seems like a lot and it's probably a hopeless case.
But it just seems like a shame if we just would throw that thing away, without trying out every last possibility

This is my last resort. Any tips, even just for one of the problems would be much appreciated.

If anyone from HP is reading this, please keep in mind that we are all possible future customers of a lucrative product of yours. The customer experience was not what we would wish for with a high end product like this designjet t610, even if we cancel out the bad situation we started out at.

Sry for any mistakes in my writing. English is not my first language.
 

The Hat

Printer VIP
Platinum Printer Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
15,617
Reaction score
8,691
Points
453
Location
Residing in Wicklow Ireland
Printer Model
Canon/3D, CR-10, CR-10S, KP-3
This is my last resort. Any tips, even just for one of the problems would be much appreciated.
Putting in a new original black cart may have caused the printer to pick up on the rest of the compatible carts not been OEM and now refuses to print. You could try buying a compatible black cart of the same brand as the other carts that are in the printer already.

Upgrading the firmware is the last thing you need to do, because that would kill off any hope of ever getting the printer to work again.. If you can afford it then buy all OEM carts..

That’s about the only suggestions that I have, sorry..
 

LazyHeat

Getting Fingers Dirty
Joined
Feb 10, 2022
Messages
11
Reaction score
5
Points
23
Printer Model
Canon Pro10 Pro100, HPDJ500
Hey, this post is kind of my last resort.

A few months ago we (architectural students) got an old broken large format printer (DesignJet T610) for free. Otherwise we would't be able to afford a device like that, even though it's crucial for our work.
We wanted to challenge ourself in fixing it on our own. Again becauce of costs. The generous previous owner said to us, that only the carriage belt needs a replacement, that's just too much hustle for him. That's lot like changing a printhead. So we did that, with help of very comprehensive youtube tutorials. Successful it seems, because the print heads moved normally when the device was started.

But then the black toner PK Toner was no longer recognized. The strange thing is, when booted the first time after the repair, everthing seemed fine. We were even able to send a printjob that started to process without any errors occurring.
Then it stopped and it said we need to reload the PK Toner, because it's empty.

Alright, we thought thats reasonable, because we got a fake old toner with the printer that seemed to be empty for real.
Ordered a new original HP one and put it in optimistically.
The printer won't recongnize it. It says it's empty, which it is obviously not true, because it came fresh out of the box. The error now occurs right after booting the device. All the other toners are recognized.

I cleaned the contacts with alcohol and tried different toners.

Obviously first I thought thats because of our amateur repair job that we botched. But i don't understand how that should be possible, because in order to replace the belt you don't touch anything related to the toners. Where could we look at to troubleshoot any hardware problem?

I read somewhere that it could be a problem with the firmware of the printer, because it sat for so long.
I was unable to update it. The printer was not recognized by my windows 10 computer any longer, with the error clogging up the signal to the computer (at least thats my theory). Workaround? If there would just be a way to brute force the software. Even to ignore the toner error. Then we would just print without that faulty one.

Frustrated after the long repair job it now sat for another while.
Now when started, it just says that the printer needs to be restarted. Otherwise contact HP support. Yeah right. Try that.
I know, with all the fixing that's just not surprising. I would be bothered to take the thing apart again, maybe set the belt to a fresh start if we could sense any hope from you guys.
I know it seems like a lot and it's probably a hopeless case.
But it just seems like a shame if we just would throw that thing away, without trying out every last possibility

This is my last resort. Any tips, even just for one of the problems would be much appreciated.

If anyone from HP is reading this, please keep in mind that we are all possible future customers of a lucrative product of yours. The customer experience was not what we would wish for with a high end product like this designjet t610, even if we cancel out the bad situation we started out at.

Sry for any mistakes in my writing. English is not my first language.
First, to avoid confusion, the HP Designjet series printers are inkjet printers, so they do not use toner, they use ink cartridges. Toner is a colored wax powder that is used in laser printers.

Having that out of the way, there are indeed several points inside your printer that can be easily disturbed when changing the belt in these machines. There is a flat trailing cable that attaches to the printhead carriage that can be pulled partially out of the connecter, either at the carriage itself or at the control board at the other end of it. Also, you had to remove both endcaps in order to change that belt, so many electronic and mechanical bits were exposed.

Under the right hand endcap, there are several control boards with several connectors. If any one of these is disconnected, or not seated fully, this can also cause the issues you are experiencing. Also, I hope you took care not to scratch the long transparent encoder strip, or to not get dirt or grease on it. Even a dirty encoder strip can cause the printer not to boot. If that is the case, use a microfiber cloth and distilled water only, wiping both sides gently for the full length of the encoder strip. Another possibility is the head parking (service) station, located low under the right endcap, is plugged from dried ink. If so, it can be cleaned with water and a little dish soap to free up the wipers. This printhead service station has its own motor for power, and if the motor is jammed due to dried ink on the wipers, the printer will not be able to boot properly.

As far as the machine not recognizing a cartridge, there is also a connector to the ink station that might not be seated properly. Also as The Hat mentioned, you should try a new OEM cartridge, but you will have to change them all to OEM for the chips to be recognized properly. You can't mix 3rd party and OEM chips. I noticed that the OEM HP 72 cartridges are pretty cheap on eBay. Actually, I have about 6 sets of those that I intend to sell.

I hope this helps. These old Designjets are robust workhorses, and rarely are they beyond repair (unless they fell off of a truck or something equally catastrophic). I have a Designjet 500 and a 510. I've been cranking out prints on the 500 since 2002. The only thing that ever broke was the belt. I've cleaned the service (parking) stations for both of them a couple of times, other than that, they keep on printing. I've actually recently turned the 510 into a great photo printer by converting it to archival pigment inks, and developing my own ICC profiles for all the different art and photo papers I use.

Oh, and one more thing--if you are using Windows 10 x64 for which there is no driver, use the latest Windows 7 driver, but you will have to install the driver in "compatibility mode" for Windows 7.

Please update us here if you have any success.

-Dixon
 
Last edited:
Top