Red Dot Percentage Varying

[kdw75]

Our Versant 2100 is having service out for the third time next week for colors shifting during runs. We run lots of 158 Orange and it is shifting back and forth during runs from red to orange. It appears that the red dot is varying in intensity by about 5%. And it doesn't seem to be a gradual shift, it seems to be a sudden shift from one book to the next back-and-forth from the darker red to the lighter red. So far they have change developer housings, drums and cleaned sensors.

Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions on where to look next?

 

[kdw75]

They are reloading our Fiery from scratch. This took the better part of a day. Hopefully this will work, but if it does I will wonder what caused it to do something so strange.

 

[kdw75]

Reloading the RIP didn't fix the color shifting, so next they are replacing all the developer housing with vented ones. Then, possible replace sensors if that doesn't work.

 

[Craig]

Does the 2100 have a 2nd btb? Has it been changed to remove that possibility? I doubt it is RIP related, more like print engine. The RIP doesn't adjust color density during a run, that is the engine. Do you notice it the color change occurs after the engine paused to self adjust?

 

[kdw75]

Replacing the almost new red developer housing, and going to all vented, improved the problem quite a bit, but not 100%. We noticed the red shift on only half of a 12.5x19 inch sheet. Turns out that the color to color registration is drifting more and more as you get away from the lead edge and on some sheets random colors would be out 1/8" of an inch. They are coming tomorrow to replace a wheel that rides on the fuser belt, which is attached to a timing wheel. It was bare metal, and apparently should have had an orange non-slip covering on it. If that doesn't work they are putting in a new IBT belt motor and maybe the controller board for the motor.

The metal wheel with the missing orange covering has been bare metal for months, so I am not sure if that is going to fix things or not. Every one of our fuser belts seems to have the non-op side chewed up and the debris from it is spread all over inside. This has happened on our last 3 fusers, but it seems self limiting, and only happens on the outer 1/2" or so.