- Joined
- Apr 1, 2025
- Messages
- 1
We have had our HL-5250DN for a long time. Currently it has in it (since November 2022):
The primary image defect is a slight grey background. The unit was opened and thoroughly vacuumed and wiped free of dust. The drum and fuser roller were cleaned with 91% IPA on a microfiber cloth and it reduced it maybe a hair. The discharge wire was cleaned with its built in wiper, which did nothing, then with a Q-tip soaked in IPA, which also did nothing. Finally the laser window was cleaned with (dry) Q-tips. The first couple of swabs came back with toner on them and new swabs were used until I couldn't see any more toner. That eliminated about 80-90% of the grey background and it also resolved a density gradient in printed characters on the right side. We live in Southern California, and the air has junk in it that tends to coat glass surfaces with a hazy film. I cannot see into that window to determine if that is present, but suspect it might be and that that would account for the remaining grey. Is it OK to clean that window with an IPA soaked Q-tip, or does the window have an antireflection or similar coating which would be removed by that treatment? I recall having to once open up and clean the spinning mirror in a similar device, but I believe that this laser unit is pretty solidly sealed, so air contaminants shouldn't be getting inside it. Or do they?
The current toner cartridge is nowhere near done, and it doesn't seem to be leaking toner anywhere. There was a tiny amount on the wiper blade, but removing it didn't affect the grey background. We still have the never used 2nd toner cartridge and could swap that in if it would make sense to try that.
Thanks.
| v4ink Brother DR520 Compatible Drum Unit, High Yield, 1 Pack | DR520/DR620 | |||
| v4ink Brother TN580 Compatible High Yield Black Toner Cartridge - 2 Packs | TN580/TN650 |
The primary image defect is a slight grey background. The unit was opened and thoroughly vacuumed and wiped free of dust. The drum and fuser roller were cleaned with 91% IPA on a microfiber cloth and it reduced it maybe a hair. The discharge wire was cleaned with its built in wiper, which did nothing, then with a Q-tip soaked in IPA, which also did nothing. Finally the laser window was cleaned with (dry) Q-tips. The first couple of swabs came back with toner on them and new swabs were used until I couldn't see any more toner. That eliminated about 80-90% of the grey background and it also resolved a density gradient in printed characters on the right side. We live in Southern California, and the air has junk in it that tends to coat glass surfaces with a hazy film. I cannot see into that window to determine if that is present, but suspect it might be and that that would account for the remaining grey. Is it OK to clean that window with an IPA soaked Q-tip, or does the window have an antireflection or similar coating which would be removed by that treatment? I recall having to once open up and clean the spinning mirror in a similar device, but I believe that this laser unit is pretty solidly sealed, so air contaminants shouldn't be getting inside it. Or do they?
The current toner cartridge is nowhere near done, and it doesn't seem to be leaking toner anywhere. There was a tiny amount on the wiper blade, but removing it didn't affect the grey background. We still have the never used 2nd toner cartridge and could swap that in if it would make sense to try that.
Thanks.