HP 1522nf US 110V, Used in Africa, Not Fusing

[3rdhandreport]

I'm investigating a problem that a friend is having. She purchased a HP 1522nf Multifunction printer at best buy in the US, and then took it back to Tanzania. She is setting up a small printing business that her cousin is going to run while she completes her degree.

Ever since she brought the printer to Tanzania it hasn't worked. Her cousin describes the problem as the ink not drying. This must mean that the toner isn't getting fused to the paper.

She called HP support and they blamed the power conversion. The printer was a 110V/60Hz model, and they have 220V/50Hz in Tanzania. I guess this makes sense since the fuser takes the most power. Does anyone have any suggestions? Better quality power converter? She has limited funds to get this business working, so frugal solutions would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
Josh

[redcow]

This is a $400 printer and your friend wants a frugal fix.:confused:
I'm surprised that it even prints. You arn't even supposed to use a laser printer on a power strip because of the power draw. She isn't using it with a power strip and a power convertor, is she?
There isn't a frugal fix.

[3rdhandreport]

This is a $400 printer and your friend wants a frugal fix.:confused:
I'm surprised that it even prints. You aren't even supposed to use a laser printer on a power strip because of the power draw. She isn't using it with a power strip and a power converter, is she?
There isn't a frugal fix.


Thanks for the reply redcow. Her current yearly income is probably around 1k, so this was a major investment for her. But I get what you are saying, it already is a low end printer.

I was just hoping that there might be some easy answer. The only thing that I was thinking to recommend was to ship it back to the states, return it, and buy a 220V model through an African/EU supplier. But like I said, she has limited resources, so that may ground her business.

I guess I haven't heard about not using a printer with a power strip. I know that they should never be used with a UPS, but not a power strip/surge protector. HP says that the peak power usage is 420W for the 1522nf, that is 3.5A for 120V and under 2A for 220V. The el chepo APC surge protector that I have sitting here says it is rated for 15A (1800W), so why would I worry about plugging a 420W device into it? Does the power draw spike higher than what HP reports?

I don't know what kind of power converter they are using, maybe they have a really cheap one that is totally underrated for what they are using. They might have dirty power also, so maybe a power conditioner would help?

Again, thanks for responding.
Josh

[cs_steve]

Sorry for the bad news, but yes, I would guess she needs the 220V version...

[PrinterMedic]

Maybe try posting it for trade on some sites cuz yeah 220 is the way to go. I had a 220v HP 5 that I would've traded for that but actually found a buyer in the states, who knows someone might have something??

[redcow]

I didn't mean to imply that $400 is a low end printer. Now-a-days $400 dollars gets you a pretty good printer.
If she knew she was going to Tanzania why did she buy a a 110v printer to begin with?

[3rdhandreport]

I didn't mean to imply that $400 is a low end printer. Now-a-days $400 dollars gets you a pretty good printer.
If she knew she was going to Tanzania why did she buy a a 110v printer to begin with?

Redcow, were you saying that it is a more expensive printer, so will have more expensive fixes? Sorry I misunderstood you.

I believe it was actually easier for her to buy something in the US and take it back with her, than it was to try and get something in Tanzania. I think she just didn't have any experience with this sort of thing either, so it didn't occur to her that it would be a problem.

Thanks everyone for the advise, I will help her find a supplier in Tanzania/or maybe an EU supplier. I don't know what the shipping infrastructure is like over there, or what trade barriers there might be, but will look into it.

[woodss]

if a 220V printer is used with 110V of course there be a problem with fusing, if you use 110V with 220V then it smoke the printer good and proper, the printer does not adjust line voltages. its either a 110V or 220-240V

I wouldnt plug a 110V printer to a 240V power point, because it will damage the unit. fuser and power supply, Australia is 240V, if Josh didnt use a converter the printer would be nothing more than a paper weight, then the warranty would been voided.

You should have investigated the voltages before you purchased the unit, sorry to say this that I feel this a bit wacky, wasnt there any printers of this model, in your country.

i really recommend against buying a printer or importing a printer from another country because of problems explained in this thread, im surpised that the printer still works.

Always use a printer with its designed line voltage.

[mixmaster]

Surprised that the printer works at all. It shouldn't be converting 220v in that manner.

The thing about the fuser is that it runs on DC power, meaning that it doesn't convert power from the outlet to run it. The electronics and motors run on AC power, which the power supply converts for those components.

That said, the unit is (somehow) converting the available power into AC power to process the print jobs and the like, but isn't able to use the available DC power.

Interesting...totally doesn't help the situation.

My suggestion is to find a top notch international power converter and see if that helps. The ones I've used were $25-50, although that would be a temporary solution in my opinion.

[Big Al]

I lived overseas for many years and ran into problems like this. Two possibilites: either the transformer converting the 220 to 110 is too small to drive the fuser and/or the 220 voltage may be coming in too low, at say 180 volts. This is common in many places. So the printer is only getting maybe 90 volts instead of 115. If this is the case she needs a variable transformer to boost the voltage back up. She needs someone with a meter and some electrical experience. The 220 is also 50 cycles but that should not bother the printer. My two cents!

Al