Apple Color Printer Service Source

The Apple Color Printer volume of Apple's Service Source is a 166-page service manual for Apple's bubble-jet Color Printer, a wide-format SCSI printer that takes paper up to A3 and ledger size. The PDF was produced in FrameMaker and distilled on 27 November 1995. Its Basics chapter includes a block diagram and a wiring diagram, and its Take Apart chapter goes down to individual motors and boards.

Specifications

Apple Color Printer specifications

Item	Value
Print method	serial bubble jet, ink-on-demand
Throughput	170 cps (10 cpi) standard; 300 cps (10 cpi) high speed; bit image "6.120 dots/sec." as printed
Resolution	360 dpi (best mode)
Print head	1 × 64 nozzles for each colour; life approx. 100 million characters (Mode A)
Input buffer	7 KB
Ink cartridges	black, cyan, magenta, yellow; approx. 30 g each; approx. 700 pages of text (A4/US letter)
Cut sheets	LDG, LTR, LGL, A3, B4, A4; 210-297 mm (7.9-11.7 in) wide, 210-432 mm (7.9-17.0 in) long; 16-24 lb; 100 sheets (A4, LTR) or 50 sheets (B4, A3, LGL, LDG)
Other media	No. 10 envelopes (5); coated transparencies
Power	AC 120 V 60 Hz 0.36 A (US/Canada); 48 W maximum
Environment	15-30 °C (59-86 °F); 10-80% humidity, no condensation; approx. 45 dB
Size	6.7 in (169 mm) H × 20.5 in (520 mm) W × 16.0 in (407 mm) D
Weight	approx. 22 lb (10 kg)

The electrical figure is for the US/Canada 120 V machine; the manual gives none for other mains voltages.

Contents

• Basics: Overview, Control Panel Keys, User Menus, Service Menus, Block Diagram, Wiring Diagram (PDF pp. 3-35)
• Specifications: Characteristics, Graphics, Paper Handling, Ink Cartridges, Environmental, Electrical, Physical (PDF pp. 37-43)
• Troubleshooting: General; symptom charts for Operation, Paper, Print Quality and Error Messages (PDF pp. 45-58)
• Take Apart: Covers, Control Panel, Bubble-Jet Head Units, Carriage Assembly, Carriage Board, Carriage Drive Motor, Print Timing Slit, SCSI Card Assembly, Power Supply, Fuse, Logic Board, Purge Unit, Ink Assembly, Paper Feed Motor (PDF pp. 60-126). Most of these procedures are marked "Intl. Only".
• Additional Procedures: Printer Cleaning, Ink Cartridge Replacement, Print Head Cleaning, Nozzle Check, User Test Print A, Service Test Prints (PDF pp. 128-149)
• Adjustments: Print Head Gap (Intl. Only), Color Registration (PDF pp. 151-166)

What it settles

To enter service mode, switch the printer off, hold down the Menu and < keys and switch it back on; when a row of squares appears, release them, hold down On Line and press Enter twice. The first service menu should be BLACK OFFSET; if it is CLEANING, the printer is still in user mode. The service menus set the colour and bidirectional offsets, run test prints A-D, run cleaning cycles A-D (clear nozzles, check ink passage pressure, fill and flush the ink supply) and move the carriage to the centre for head replacement.

The error-message chart covers the numbered service codes, among them 40 SERVICE (check the SCSI cable), 50 and 51 SERVICE (carriage motor), 52-5D SERVICE (bubble-jet head connection or head unit) and 5E and 5F SERVICE (the carriage lock lever under the printer cover is still engaged). In the symptom charts, replacing the power supply, carriage board, logic board, encoder, print timing slit or purge unit is for international repairers only; the alternative given is to return the printer to Apple for service.

What this manual does not contain

The block and wiring diagrams show interconnection, not circuitry. There is no schematic, no parts list and no component value, and no capacity is given for the waste-ink absorber.

Pages that cite this document

• Color StyleWriter 4100 and 4500 Service Source

Download: Apple color printer.pdf