K5400 disconnect

[gwfm]

I have a HP K5400 Ink Jet printer that disconnects itself after a few hours of being idle. I have reloaded all the drivers. I have de-selected all USB ports and then reconnected them on restart. I have moved all the USB connections to new ports.
It's simple enough to solve - just turn the printer off and back on but that seems to just work around the problem - not solve it.
The printer is working fine otherwise.
OS is Windows XP - sp3 on an Intel processor.
Thanks for any suggestions

 

[websnail]

Hmm... bit of a mystery that...

I'm assuming you don't have it connected via a USB hub?... If you do, try removing that from the equation. I'd also look into whether removing other USB connections for other peripherals helps or not... It could be a power drain thing although I'll be damned if I know that that would be.

 

[gwfm]

Thank you - no there is not a USB Hub involved. I have tried moving the USB connected devices to other ports and everything else works from other ports. I have also swapped the actual cables where I could. I have 4 USB connections - the monitor, a webcam, another printer (HP2175), and the K5400 that is giving me the problem.
I also connect a hardrive on occasion but it's only connected for the time necessary to copy some files.
I don't have the power problem with any of the other devices.
Except for this the K5400 is working well and the print quality is very good. Even the duplexer is working without a single jam so far.

 

[websnail]

Hmmm... that is odd... The only thing I can think of to try really is find a different PC, plug it into that and see if you get the same issues there.. If it's happening there then I'd RMA the printer (pain I know)... You could be sitting on a time bomb with a dry solder or warped circuit board that will eventually fail completely.

Beyond that, I'd try a powered USB hub... it could be that your computer is somehow dropping the power enough for the K5400 to freeze up... although I doubt it...

Sorry I can't offer more than that.

 

[gwfm]

Thanks for your help - I have had the printer replaced by HP and the replacement has not dis-connected in two days so that issue seems to be resolved. I assume it was a power management issue of some sort. The new printer has a different firmware level so something got fixed or changed!!!

The new printer has an interesting issue - when it prints I get some light static out of the speakers. It's not a real problem but has anyone ever experienced anything similar???

 

[websnail]

Glad you got it resolved... I'm currently "enjoying" the firmware experience with HP officejet printers and their effects on ARC chips... Seems HP are playing games with the chips and I think deliberately f*cking with the algorithms.

Anyway, I digress... Haven't come across that but it's probably just mild interference, possibly from your USB cable being too close to the speaker cable or crossing somewhere internally.

 

[gwfm]

The nightmare continues - I have now had four of these dogs - first one would disconnect after a few hours of idle time. Second one generated noise on my speakers and failed completely after two days. Third one wouldn't initialize at all. Fourth one (current) lead to a faulty printhead, noise on the speakers and dis-connects like number one. Might just chuck this one in the rubbish and try another brand - who knows. Anyone else have these issues with this printer????

 

[websnail]

The nightmare continues - I have now had four of these dogs - first one would disconnect after a few hours of idle time. Second one generated noise on my speakers and failed completely after two days. Third one wouldn't initialize at all. Fourth one (current) lead to a faulty printhead, noise on the speakers and dis-connects like number one. Might just chuck this one in the rubbish and try another brand - who knows. Anyone else have these issues with this printer????

Bl**dy h*ll.. you are having a bad time of it...

I've got four of these in one school, one at home and various other HP L7000 models, with some K8600's thrown in... Worst problem has been poor printhead quality but none of the other stuff... I'd query the retailer selling you these because it sounds like you're just getting some very bad units.

 

[gwfm]

HP have agreed to send me a credit to replace this printer. I think it'll wind up in the dumpster once the ink has run out. HP replaced it three times and the problems couldn't be resolved. It actually printed very nicely but the other issues made it unusable!!!!

 

[websnail]

HP have agreed to send me a credit to replace this printer. I think it'll wind up in the dumpster once the ink has run out. HP replaced it three times and the problems couldn't be resolved. It actually printed very nicely but the other issues made it unusable!!!!

If you do decide to ditch this could you do me a favour and take out a few parts for me as they'd be incredibly useful.

My primary interest is in the tubing and nozzles that the printheads connect to, as well (if humanly possible) as the cartridge bay itself.

It's probably a cast iron b*stard to get out but if you could have a go with a well directed hammer to release the tension I'd be happy to pay a bit for the trouble.

The main reason I need this stuff so I can see if it's possible to re-prime some black and yellow printheads and get to the bottom of why so many of them fail so blasted quick.

Not to worry if it's too much hassle it'd be appreciated if you can though.