Last Updated: 3/27/06

Q:  We have an Agfa D Lab-2, we keep getting this error message: "Power drift laser green, working point being readjusted, please wait..." The photos have very pronounced "lines" all over the surface, in the direction of the paper advancement.
A:  These are the common causes:
1.  Sudden change in ambient temp near the laser (i.e.  a door to the cold near the d-lab being
     opened).
2.  Dirty air vents to the laser cover.  There isn't any air filtration for the laser input so it can
     get dirty fast.
3.  Defective coaxial cables from Printer Main PCB to the Laser recorder.
4.  Defective laser.
 

Q: My MSC 2.3 final cutter is clunking and sometimes not cutting all the way through the print.
A: There is a felt lubrication point on the blade assembly, put some Teflon lube on the felt and that will help the blades cut smoothly. If that doesn't fix it, there is a blade tension adjustment. Call us if you need to make that adjustment.



Q: I'm getting a lot of dust on my prints on my MSC 101. What should I do?
A: The main reason for dust problems is static, so try to eliminate static by using a humidifier in the lab area, or using an anti-static brush or cloth on the ingoing negatives. To eliminate dust in your lab mopping the floor nightly and cleaning the tops of the machine with a damp cloth will help. Also clean/vacuum the machine air filters outside to knock the dust out of them.

 

Q: My MSC 100 is giving me the error “Paper Dryer Heater Burnt Out” (PPHT 04) and “Paper Dryer Fan Malfunction” (PDRY 02). The Repair Manual tells me to replace the fan, temp. sensor, thermo fuse, thermostat or 50P-SSR. Where do I start?
A: All the items listed are expensive and probably not the problem. The most common cause is a bad Interlock Switch, part # CL+P4-3490. You should replace the switch but in the mean time, you can jumper the wires going to the switch. Yellow to Orange, Red to Brown. Remember to turn off all power to the machine before opening the cover.



Q: My MSC 101 has a very strange problem. I am getting four blue dots in the middle of my prints. It looks like a UFO.
A: It is not a UFO, it is a pressure mark. Replace your Vacuum Cup Sticker, part # CL+P4-F3971. The new style stickers fix that problem and they are easy to install, just make sure you get all the old sticker off and put the new sticker on straight.



Q: On my MSC 101, all my 4x6 prints are coming out the center like the Lane Distributor is not distributing. It is very slow this way!
A: It sounds like your 4x6 channel has been configured as a greeting card channel. Hit “EDIT”… “PRINTER”… “CONFIGURATION”… select your 4x6 channel… hit “CHANGE”… “FEATURES”… “GREETING”… turn the greeting to OFF. “BACK” out and it should be ok.



Q: My MSC 3.2P is having a lot of paper jams in the dryer rack. I have lubricated the bushings and changed the spring on the belt. I do hear a “clunk” every once in a while. What should I try next?
A: The “clunk” makes me think it is either the bottom chain rail or a worn out gear near that chain rail. Check the teeth on the gears, if they look very sharp, they are bad. Look at the chain rail after you remove the rack, if it is worn down, flip it around or order a new one. Call me if you need part numbers.

 

Q: The shutter on my MSC 2.3 is sticking open and fogging prints, what do I do?
A: The problem is probably the 83A-BSD PCB part # PA5-64013. The STK 080 Power Amplifiers commonly blow out. BSD1 is for the Yellow and Magenta Cut-Off Filters; BSD2 is for the Dark Shutter and Cyan Cut-Off Filter. IC111 is for the Cyan or the Yellow Cut-Off Filter, IC211 is for the Dark Shutter or the Magenta Cut-Off Filter. You can order the STK 080 chip from us, part # P4-1233.13 for $39.00.

 

Q: My Print Lamp Power Supply died on my MSC 100, part # P4-2487 model VCP-24T 12~24V made by Nemic Lambda.  Do you sell them used?
A: Yes we have them used, $944.80 with swap, 6 month warranty.  Here is the wire diagram:
          +S  sm. orange
           +   purple - purple
           -   gray - gray
          -S  sm. yellow - sm. green
          RC  sm. blue
         CNT sm. red
               BLANK
          H   black
          N   white

 

Q: My Copal ML 6550 is advancing 2-3 blank prints during a roll, then it finishes the roll like normal.
A:  The machine thinks it sees a splice mark.  There is a micro switch just below the paper magazine that is either bad or needs adjustment.  Try physically adjusting the position of the wire by loosening the screws holding the plastic part of the switch.  Make the wire trip the switch easier.  If that does not fix it, either replace the switch or jumper the wires.  If you jumper the wires, your machine will not see and advance past splice marks.

Q:  When I get errors on my MSC 2.3 paper processor, I hit <Reset>...<3>...<Enter> to get the error number.  Can you give me a list of what those numbers mean?
A: Yes, here is a list:
     C01 - Paper Jam; 5 minutes after activation of the Paper Delivery Sensor (L19), the Paper Detect Sensor (L31) has not been activated.
     C02 - Paper Jam; Loop Detect Flag Sensor (L30) activated for more than 7 seconds. 
     C03 - Paper Jam; 5 seconds after the Paper End Detect Sensor (L29) has been activated, the Final Cutter Drive Motor does not turn. 
     C04 - Paper Jam; Paper Detect Sensor (L31) does not see paper, but the Loop Detect Flag Sensor (L30) is active.
     C05 - Paper Jam; 3 seconds after the Final Cutter Motor has started, the Cutter Stop Sensor (S26) has not been activated.
     C06 - Paper Jam; 3 seconds after the Sort Motor has started, the Sorter Stop Sensor has not been activated.
     C07 - Paper Jam; 17 seconds after the activation of Paper Detect Sensor (L29), Paper Detect Sensor (L24) does not see the tip of the paper.
     C11 - Developer Effluent Tank is full.
     C12 - Bleach/Fix Effluent Tank is full.
     C13 - Stabilizer Effluent Tank is full.
     C21 - Developer Replenisher Tank is empty.
     C22 - Bleach/Fix Replenisher Tank is empty.
     C23 - Stabilizer Replenisher Tank is empty.
     C31 - Developer temperature error.
     C32 - Bleach/Fix temperature error.
     C33 - Stabilizer temperature error.
     C41 - Temperature Control Tank level too low.
     C42 - Wash Water Tank empty.
     C51 - Replenishment OFF Switch is pressed.
     C52 - Replenishment OFF Switch alarm.
     C61 - Test Strip Sensor activated.
     C71 - Impossible temperature value.
     C72 - Impossible replenisher rate value.
     C73 - Final Cutter position not possible.
     C74 - Temperature correction error.
     C75 - Dryer preheating impossible.
     C76 - Temperature Sensor defective.
     C77 - Timer Battery voltage too low on PCP PCB and CNT PCB.
     C81 - Temperature Switch OFF.
     C82 - Power Switch OFF after Timer Switch is ON.  The Timer turns the MSC on and gives you four hours to turn the actual Power Switch on before the machines turns its self back off.
     C83 - Drive Switch Auto is switched OFF.  This will make your processor drive always be ON.
     C84 - "Cutter Off" Switch is ON.  This will not allow your Final Cutter to cut.
     C91 - Temperature error upon switch on.
     C92 - Dryer preheating error.
     CCCC - Error Mask Switch is ON.

Q:  My X-Rite Omni 16 silvery recovery unit is giving me the error "FAIL 1". What does that mean?
A:  That means the sensor that detects the liquid in the working tank did not activate within 3 minutes of the Fill Pump turning on.  usually the Fill Pump is clogged or is bad.  It also could be a bad Liquid Detect Sensor in the working tank.  If you need a new Pump, part # 1A-MD-1/2, Call IPTS at 800-748-3357, we stock them new for $125.00 US.  Here is a list of errors from the Omni 16 or Omni 32 (also called Omni 616 or Omni 632).
     r SIL - Flashes when it is time to remove the silver from the drum, or whenever a five-minute-or-greater power interrupt has occurred.
     FAIL 1 - Flashes when there is a problem with the fill cycle.  This occurs when fluid is not detected in the inner reservoir after three minutes into the fill cycle.  To correct this problem, check the Fill Pump operation and make sure it is not clogged.
     FAIL 2 - Flashes when there is a problem with the drain cycle.  This occurs when there is still liquid detected in the inner reservoir after twelve minutes into the drain cycle.  To correct this problem, check the operation of the Drain Pump and make sure it is not clogged.
     PLUG - (looks like PLU9) Flashes when the level sensor is unplugged in Standby mode.  This is normal operation when you are resetting the Batch Counter.  If the plug is plugged in, it could mean a bad plug, a bad sensor or a bad PCB.
     RESET - Flashes for one second during reset of the Batch Counter indicating that the Batch Counter has been set to 00.
     notE 1 - Flashes when an EPROM failure occurs, indicating a defective PCB.
     notE 2 - Flashes when the Temperature Sensor detects the fluid temperature is too high or too low.  If the liquid is within acceptable temperature range, this error means the Temperature Sensor is defective.
     FAIL - Displays when an electrical problem occurs on the PCB.  This means the PCB is bad or there is a loose connection.  Turn off all power to the unit and reseat all the connectors on the PCB.  If the error is still there, you probably have a defective PCB.

Q: This morning my Auto MBL again went through 5 attempts without success .. so I tried a Manual MBL... but after 5 attempts, it was still not in balance ..
A:  If your MBL is off and is slow to balance: Check the lamp, if it is ok, check for garbage numbers. What are garbage numbers? Let me explain. You have 3 different balances to work with:
       MBL is your Master channel which all other channels look to.
       PBL is the correction for other papers.
       CBL is the correction for other configurations (lens, carrier, zoom mag).

  Always balance your MBL before your PBL
  Never run a CBL. Unless your technician tells you to.
  Never run a PBL on your master channel (the channel you run the MBL on)

Here is an example:

If your "Master" channel is 4x6 Glossy, Never run a PBL on 4" Glossy and Never run a CBL on 4x6. I suggest you just Never run a CBL.

To check for garbage #'s in your MSC 100 to 300.d, hit EDIT, PRINTER, PAPER BALANCE, choose your master channel (4x6 glossy for this example), and make sure that your YMCD numbers are all zero. If they are not, change them to zero and run your MBL.

It is very rare that we ever run a CBL when balancing a machine.  I prefer to balance that by eye and not trust the densitometer to do it for me.  The CBL is a very fine adjustment between the channels like if you want your 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, pano and wallet channels to match, you adjust the CBL.  To do this, scan a neg in and run all the sizes you want to match.  Fine tune the color by adjusting the YMCD under EDIT, PRINTER, CONFIGURATION CHANNEL, CHANGE, CHANGE YMCD.
The same science applies to the MSC 2 to MSC 3.2P's, just different buttons to press.