Screen 8600 Blower Error

[pabney]

I have just started getting the following error on my Screen 8600 platesetter and it seems to be getting worse. I did check the cable and it is tight. Anyone have any ideas?

E418C
Mechanical error
Error has occurred on the blower. Please turn off the blower, and turn on after waiting 10 seconds. Also, confirm whether or not the connector doesn't come off.

Thanks
Paul

 

[johnph46]

The same thing happened to our PT R-8600 a few months ago. I switched the ends of the cable connecting the blower to the imager and installed a strain relief on the cable to keep the connector from flexing. I did this thinking that because our blower unit gets moved around a bit, the wires in the cable were not making good contact. We have not had the error since. Hope this helps.

 

[pabney]

Thanks for the info. I will give this a try, but our blower does not get moved at all, so I have little hope.
I think I will try and take the top off and clean the blower.

 

[pabney]

For those of you interested, there is no need to take the top of the blower off. You can not get to anything to clean.
I looks to be a closed system anyway. I did rotate the cable. No joy, still go the error.

I did recalibrate the air sensor and for the last hour or so we have been plating with no error. Hopefully that will be the end of this particular saga.
Now I just need to get a laser diode ordered so I can change the one going bad.

Thanks for the help

 

[johnph46]

The vacuum hoses go into a filer canister. If by adjusting the air sensor got rid of the problem, could it be you have a dirty filter in the canister which is impeding the flow?

 

[pabney]

Could be the filter, and I will check that as soon as I can figure out how to get to it.
That being said, I still think the sensor needed to be reset. With the blower off the sensor was showing 1.2 instead of zero.
The issue seems to be mostly fixed at this time. We did get the error at start up this morning, but not since then. As soon as it slows down enough I will try and look at the filter.

 

[pabney]

Well, the error continues. Found and replaced the filter. Although, I don't think it really needed it. Looked pretty clean to me.
Like all intermittent errors this is being a bear to track down.
I don't suppose anyone out there has a breakdown of this blower unit?

 

[johnph46]

Power to the blower comes from the imager. Upon initialization a signal is sent to the blower to power it up. If the imager does not receive a signal saying that the blower is powered up, you get the E418C error.

Power down the 8600 and remove the cover of the blower unit. Power on the 8600 and check to see if you have 200 to 240 volts AC going to the terminal block of the blower where the power cord is attached.

If you do not, then you have a power problem. If you do have power at the terminal block of the blower unit, then you probably have a communication problem from the XBU10 cable.

Whether or not the vacuum pressure is checked at any point here I do not know but I suspect not.

 

[pabney]

Don't think it is a cable problem. Communication is happening and the cable does not ever move.
I have been watching the vacuum switch and the blower for a couple of days and it seems I have a sketchy relay and or vacuum switch. Ordered both and will know more next week.

 

[bean66]

No Title

Try replacing the relay in the blower. Its fairly inexpensive.

 

[Aboassem]

Hi everyone
I have 8600 screen and its working well, but before one year its started make meny problems.
The last one was " E41al: Number of balancers is not sufficient (Home side) ".
Ther is someone can help me with this is problem.
please if there is somebody can help me its too necessary.
Thanks

 

[pabney]

OK, I am still fighting this issue and now we are getting a new error of the drum vacuum is insufficient. Which makes me think the bower itself is the issue. I have replaced the following with no real results.
Communication cable
Blower relay
Vacuum sensor (I did follow the procedure to set this as per the manual)

What I can not seem to find out though is what vacuum the blower should be pulling during the setup.
If I do the following from the manual:

Do service maintenance /ActuatorTest/Blower (Drum), and record the indication value of the sensor. Record it.1/2 of this value is inputted as Thresholod value.

I get a reading of -4.4 which would put my Threshold value to -2.2 which I have done. But is -4.4 what a good blower should be pulling?
Anyone willing to give me their numbers of the above test.

 

[Raymond Ramirez]

What fid you do to resolve?

 

[pabney]

Ray,
Oddly enough, replacing the tail clamps seems to have fixed it. I can't say I quite understand why tail clamps would cause this error, but when we replaced them the error went away.