Apple LaserWriter Pro 810 General Maintenance

The LaserWriter Pro 810 (Cfazzio, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Routine care for the Apple LaserWriter Pro 810, from Apple's LaserWriter Pro 810 Service Technical Documentation. Apple's preventive maintenance for this printer is a short cleaning and checking routine done on every service call, which the manual says takes 10 minutes or less. Fault-finding, the diagnostic modes and the error messages are on Apple LaserWriter Pro 810 Troubleshooting Guide.

Safety

• Switch off and unplug the printer before taking anything apart. Apple's only tools for every take-apart procedure are Phillips screwdrivers of several sizes.
• The fuser is very hot when the printer has just been switched off. Wait for it to cool before working on it. Apple gives no time for this printer.
• The laser is invisible. The printer is a Class 1 laser product in normal use, but Apple's label warns of exposure with the cover open and the interlocks defeated.
• Opening the top cover cuts the mains feed to the fuser bulb and the 24 V and 15 V supplies, and stops the printer.
• The optional fax cartridge has a lithium coin cell. Replace it only with the same type, and do not put a dead cell in household waste.

Apple's preventive maintenance

1. Read the total page count: switch on while holding the DOWN arrow key, then press DOWN again to show the six-digit counter. Apple uses the count to estimate the life left in the consumables.
2. Switch off, then switch on while holding ENTER to enter the test print mode. Make several prints (from the multi-media power feeder too, if fitted), listen for abnormal noises and check the print quality.
3. Take out the transfer charger and clean it with a brush or a dry cloth, taking care not to break the charger and guide wires. Clean the transport rollers. If the charger is badly soiled, wipe it with a cloth slightly dampened with water and then a dry cloth.
4. Do not leave the drum exposed to light for more than five minutes while the charger is out.
5. Take the cleaner out of the fuser and brush the paper dust and toner off its felt; a firm-bristled brush helps.
6. Clean the registration roller and transport chute with a brush and a dry cloth, or a slightly damp cloth if badly soiled. Apple notes that dirty rollers cause print-quality and paper-handling faults.
7. If the top cover is off, brush dirt, toner and paper dust from the fan exhaust.
8. Make more test prints and check the quality, the feed and the noise again.
9. Switch off and on to return to normal mode, and print a job from the owner's computer.
10. Tell the owner about any problem found.

EP cartridge and paper

The EP cartridge holds the drum, the main charger, the developer and the toner. Apple warns that the drum deteriorates very quickly in direct sunlight and should not be left in indoor light for more than 5 minutes.

Store EP cartridges somewhere cool, dry and dark, between 0 and 35 °C and 10-80% relative humidity, never on their sides or on end, and avoid anything that could make condensation form on the drum. Keep paper cool and dry, out of sunlight. If the printer will stand unused for a long time, take the paper out of the cassettes and wrap it in its original packaging.

Apple sold a standard toner cartridge and an extended-capacity EP cartridge kit for the Pro 810, and 250-sheet universal and executive cassettes.

Where to put it

Apple's specification is 10-35 °C and 15-85% relative humidity, non-condensing. Its print-quality section adds a stable power supply, no heat, humidity or dirt, no ammonia gas, no direct sunlight, good ventilation and a level surface.

Fuser drive gear

Apple's 1997 Service Flash describes failures of the "Q" gear, the gear on the motor drive assembly that drives the fuser. A broken Q gear stops the fuser rollers and causes jams at the fuser. The replacement gear is made of a dark, heat-resistant material, part 922-1276. To reduce repeat failures Apple says to inspect the fuser roller cleaning wand (922-0929) and replace it if it is heavily contaminated with toner. Apple's abnormal-noise table also lists drive gears that need lubrication.

Service parts

Selected service parts (Service Source, Appendix B)

Part	Apple part number
Fuser, 110 V	661-0857
Fuser, 220 V	661-0858
Fuser roller	922-0634
Fuser bulb, 115 V	922-0636
Fuser bulb, 220 V	922-0637
Exit sensor	922-0635
Paper feed roller assembly	922-0918
Transfer charger/detack assembly	922-0927
Registration clutch	922-0604
Transport chute assembly	922-0603
Drive motor assembly	922-0630
Laser scanner unit	661-0865
Low-voltage power supply, 115 V	661-0836
Low-voltage power supply, 220 V	661-0837
High-voltage power supply	661-0860
DC controller	661-0833
Fuser fan	922-0592
Erase assembly	922-0606
Toner low sensor	922-0594
EP cartridge sensor	922-0595

The fuser and the low-voltage power supply are different parts for 115 V and 220 V printers.

Fax cartridge battery

The fax cartridge's clock runs from a CR2032 lithium cell, which Apple's manual says to change every two to three years. The procedure is on the main page.

Capacitors

Apple's service manual for the Pro 810 has no schematics and no component-level parts list, so there is no capacitor list and no recapping guide for this printer. The low-voltage supply, high-voltage supply and DC controller are listed only as whole service modules.

Related pages

• Apple LaserWriter Pro 810 Troubleshooting Guide
• Apple LaserWriter Pro 810
• LaserWriter Pro 810 Service Source