Color LaserJet 2600

HP Color LaserJet 2600 - Firmware Update

This is just a follow on from my previous post about updating the DC Controller firmware on the Hewlett Packard Color LaserJet 2600 to fix the ghosting fault which can be found here:

HP Color LaserJet 2600 – Image Ghosting Or Repeating Down The Page

Once you’ve fixed your ghosting fault, you can update the main program firmware on the formatter board if you want to. It’s not absolutely neccessary, I’ve just included it for completeness.

The latest version is 20070716 (July 17, 2007). You can check the current firmware version of your printer by printing the configuration page, described in the previous post and in this one:

HP Color LaserJet 2605 – Colours Out Of Alignment

The firmware version is found towards the top left of the page. This is HP’s description of the fix:

Includes all fixes and enhancements from previous updates. Corrects an issue where the HP Color LaserJet 2600n Toolbox will not function if Microsoft’s .NET 3.0 Framework software is installed.

Installing the firmware update is the same as before, but here’s the instructions from the HP website:

Installation Instructions

Firmware update process:

The HP Color LaserJet 2600n Firmware Update Utility can be performed using either a Network connection or USB port.

When using the USB port or the network connection, the HP Color LaserJet 2600n software must be installed prior to using this utility.

The HP Color LaserJet 2600n printer must be in a READY state as shown by the LCD display on the control panel and remain powered on during the entire firmware update process.

This utility is for use on Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Server 2003. It can be used with Network or USB connections.

MS Windows Instructions for printer firmware update:

Depending on the speed of your PC, the firmware update process may complete on the printer, before the progress bar on the screen completes.

Once the update process has started, do not use your PC for other activity until the process is complete.

Download the file to the desktop.

Turn the printer off and then back on to clear main printer memory.

Double click on the flash update utility file. A Window “HP_Color_LaserJet_2600n_Firmware_Download” will open.

In the window adjacent to the “select printer to update” use the drop down arrow to select the “HP Color Laser Jet 2600n” driver. If you have previously assigned a different name to the HP Color Laser Jet 2600n, choose the name that represents the correct printer.

Click on the Start button in the “HP_Color_LaserJet_2600n_Firmware_Download” dialog window.

The progress bar will begin to move to the right indicating information being transferred.

Do Not power cycle the printer or the PC during this process or the printer may become unstable and or unusable without further attention from HP. The firmware update can take up to 5 minutes to complete. Please be patient.

During the printer firmware update, the liquid crystal display (LCD) on the printer control panel will display “Initializing”. After a short while, the LCD display will change to “Hewlett Packard” and then back to “Initializing” After a short while, the LCD will display “Ready”. At this point it is necessary to power off the printer and then power on again.

If it is desired to verify the update, a configuration page can be printed from the printer control panel (Press the green Select button, then press the left (<) or right (>) buttons to navigate to the Reports menu, press the green Select button – press the left (<) or right (>) buttons to navigate to Config report and press the green Select button). The configuration page will display the current firmware revision in the Product information block, Firmware Version: 20070716.

On the display of the PC, a smiling face will appear in the “HP_Color_LaserJet_2600n_Firmware_Download” dialog box at the conclusion of the successful firmware download.

System Requirements

This utility is can be used on Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP and Vista. It can be used with Network or USB connections.

HP Color LaserJet 2600n printer driver must be installed.

Must be able to print to the HP Color LaserJet 2600n.

Unlike the previous one, this firmware file is still available on the HP website.
Go to: http://www.hp.com/ , click Support & Drivers, select Download drivers and software (and firmware), enter the model number (Q6455A) in the box, and click Go. Select your operating system and then you can download the firmware file.

Or you can save yourself some time by downloading the same file here:

CLJ2600_FW_Update_20070716.exe

HP Color LaserJet 2600 - Image Ghosting Or Repeating Down The Page

Image ghosting (image repeating itself down the page) on a Hewlett Packard Color LaserJet 2600 when first switched on or after it has been idle for several hours can be cured by a simple firmware update.

Measure the distance between the original image and the repeated image. A measurement of 56.6 mm indicates the fuser needs replacing. Before you buy a new fuser, check the firmware version of the DC Controller.

You can do this by printing out a config page. A configuration page can be printed from the printer control panel (press the green Select button, then press the left (<) or right (>) buttons to navigate to the Reports menu, press the green Select button – press the left (<) or right (>) buttons to navigate to Config report and press the green Select button).

At the bottom of the printed configuration page a line beginning with CPR and then a group of numbers followed by EV= will be shown. The latest DC Controller firmware (1.47) will show as EV=2F.

If the value of EV is lower than 2F, such as 2A, you need to update the DC Controller firmware.

This is the HP description of the fix for this firmware update:

Corrects fuser offset (ghosting) that typically appears on the first print jobs after the printer has been idle for several hours. The offset or ghosting typically appears on the left or right margin but is not limited to those areas.

For some reason, HP have removed the firmware file from their website. You can still find the Mac OS X version on HP by searching for it. You can find the Windows version elsewhere by searching Google for 2600_DCC_FW_Update-14701.exe.

Or you can download the Windows version by right clicking the following link and selecting save:

2600_DCC_FW_Update-14701.exe

This is the version I use, and have used recently, so it works and shouldn’t contain any viruses.

You need to have the printer driver installed on your computer to run this update. Simply run the program and select the printer to update in the box that opens up.

DO NOT POWER CYCLE THE PRINTER during the update process or it may leave your printer in an unusable state.

During the printer firmware update, the liquid crystal display (LCD) on the printer control panel will display “Initializing” and the green and amber LEDs will begin flashing. After several minutes the green and amber LEDs will go solid and the printer will make a noise as if were warming up. The display will then change to ” Turn off then on”. At this point it is necessary to power off the printer and then power on again.

Print out the config page again to confirm that you get EV=2F and your ghosting problem should be fixed.

Update

There are detailed instructions on installing firmware updates on this printer here:

HP Color LaserJet 2600 – Firmware Update

HP Color LaserJet 2600 2605 - Faint Red Or No Red

If your Hewlett Packard Color LaserJet 2600 or 2605 prints the red (magenta) faint or not at all, the laser scanner assy needs to be stripped out of the printer and cleaned.

This fault affects the red first and is usually worse on the left hand side of the page. Before you start stripping the printer down, it’s a good idea to try another red (magenta) toner cartridge in it first.

There are two probable causes of this. Firstly, the magenta scanner sits at the bottom of the printer and will tend to collect any stray toner or dust that’s floating about inside the printer. Secondly, there is a fan situated right next to the scanner which will blow any stray dust or toner into it.

This is, briefly, how you remove the laser / scanner assembly from the printer:

Remove the right cover; remove one screw at the back and pull the right cover off
Remove the left cover; remove one screw at the bottom of the cover, press the clip in at the front, and pull the cover off
Remove the nine black screws holding the metal plate on at the back of the printer and remove the metal plate
Remove the cables connected to the two logic boards except for the flat cable connecting the two boards together and the yellow cables at the bottom of the right hand board
Remove the cables from the black plastic cable guides
Remove the L shaped cable guide at the right by pressing in two clips with a small screwdriver and pull the guide out
Remove the long horizontal guide by sliding it to the left and lifting it away
2605 – unclip the cable guide on the left
Remove the eleven screws from the metal plate with the two logic boards on it and lift the plate away complete with the boards
Remove the white plastic clip holding the two flat cables from the scanner to the printer chassis
Remove the three screws from the scanner, two at the top and one at the bottom, and lift the scanner assembly out of the printer (2605 – bottom screw has a metal spring plate covering it)

With the scanner on the bench in front of you, you can now dismantle it ready for cleaning.

Remove one screw and a spring from the front of the scanner and lift off the cover. Remove the long plastic arm which will fall out if you turn the scanner over. Remember how this arm fits.

You will see four 6 cm long red / purple coloured mirrors inside the scanner. Inspect the bottom one. Initially it will look the same as the others. Carefully wipe a small part of it with a cotton wool bud and you will see the difference it makes. It is this thin coating on the mirror that causes the fault.

Carefully blow away the dust from inside the scanner. Use the cotton wool buds to clean all the mirrors and lenses. Blow again to remove any fluff left behind by the cotton wool buds. It’s now ready for reassembling.

When you fit the scanner back into the printer, make sure it’s seated correctly. It hooks in at the top first and there are two locating lugs on the right hand side, one at the top and one at the bottom.

Be careful not to pull the two flat cables out of the scanner. When you fit the plate and logic boards back into the printer, be careful not to trap the purple wires from the top of the scanner behind the metal plate.

It’s probably best to leave the side covers and back cover off until you’re sure it’s working. Power the printer on. If you get any error messages, check all the cables are connected. Any scanner related errors are usually caused by the flat cables from the scanner coming out or the purple wires from the scanner trapped behind the metal plate.

Do a test print. It should be looking good now. If the color alignment isn’t spot on, run the calibration routine which is desribed in this post:

HP Color LaserJet 2605 – Colours Out Of Alignment

One final note. I once had one of these printers where someone had attempted to clean the outside of the lense from inside of the printer. Whatever they had used to clean it with had scratched the surface leaving it opaque instead of transparent. This required replacing the whole laser / scanner assembly to cure it.

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