 vue666Small block Chevys never diePremium
join:2007-12-07
Halifax, NS
kudos:1 | Printer upgrade Presently I'm using a Brother HL 2030 that I share on my small home network of two Linux computers (configured as Samba file and print servers) and two Windows 7 computers used by family.
The Bother HL 2030 is connected to one of the Linux servers via usb and shared on the network. The problem I have is whenever the printer is in sleep mode and someone sends a print job to it, the printer will cause the ups to beep for several seconds and my Windows computers will loose communication with their upses.
I have the APC UPS Backup 500 and 750 series of home UPSes for each of my computers. The printer is not connected to an UPS but directly to a wall plug....
Googling I found this to be a common problem with home & office laser printers and UPSes. Apparently laser printers draw a lot of power when turning on or coming out of sleep mode...
Can anyone recommend a printer that does not have a big power draw when it comes out of sleep mode or when it is first turned on?
Thanks kindly... |
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Reviews:
 ·Choice Cable TV
 ·Coqui/PRTC
| Consider putting the printer on a different circuit if possible. A laser printer does draw some power when coming back from sleep but should not be that much as to cause a UPS to kick in unless there is some issue with your electrical system. Do you see lights flicker when the printer comes back? |
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vue666Small block Chevys never diePremium
join:2007-12-07
Halifax, NS
kudos:1 | No the lights do not flicker.... |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| reply to vue666
Laser printers draw a large amount of current when first turned on, to quickly heat the fusing roller. It has to get VERY hot within a few seconds, as it is what melts the toner into the paper. My LaserJet 4 would trigger the UPS. My Brother HL-2270DW triggers the UPS. It would be nice if they used a soft-start that ramped up the power, but they don't. 
Your systems should not lose communication with the UPS when this happens. Something isn't right. My desktop pops up a message from PowerChute when my laser printer comes online, telling me that A/C Power Has Been Restored. The UPS switches into backup mode and then back to line power so quickly that I don't even see the message about going to battery. 
My home office has a very long run back to the power panel so I just figure that the extra resistance of the long wire is enough to let the voltage drop just below the threshold. With APC's PowerChute software you can adjust the sensitivity of the UPS before it switches. Making it less sensitive should stop the triggering, but then the power supply has to be able to deal with lower voltage without crashing the PC. |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| reply to vue666
said by vue666:Can anyone recommend a printer that does not have a big power draw when it comes out of sleep mode or when it is first turned on? To specifically answer this question: Inkjet.  |
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vue666Small block Chevys never diePremium
join:2007-12-07
Halifax, NS
kudos:1 | Already own a Canon ip6700D and the ink cartridges are too expensive... |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| I hear ya! That's why I have the 2270DW. I have thought about running a dedicated circuit for the laser printer, but that's about as far as that idea has gone.
Have you considered a continuous ink system for the Canon?
»www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=ip···_sacat=0 |
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| reply to HarryH3
said by HarryH3:With APC's PowerChute software you can adjust the sensitivity of the UPS before it switches. Making it less sensitive should stop the triggering, but then the power supply has to be able to deal with lower voltage without crashing the PC.
Good suggestion, definitely one I would recommend trying out.
I tested my LaserJet 4+ a while ago with my Kill-A-Watt meter. I remember it using 780w when printing, and possibly spiking up towards 900 when first turned on (can't remember for sure). The OP's printer is rated for half of that max.
My light dims a little bit when it turns on and when it pulses the fuser to keep it warm. It's connected to a 20-amp circuit, as is my spare PC and APC RS 1500+main PC. So far it hasn't tripped the UPS, even with the two computers folding and using a few hundred watts between them.
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KI6RIT |
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vue666Small block Chevys never diePremium
join:2007-12-07
Halifax, NS
kudos:1 | reply to vue666
Wow 780 to 900 watts... That's alot!!!!! |
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| Indeed, but it's also from the mid 90s . I got it for free though, so I don't mind the power draw.
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KI6RIT |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| reply to vue666
said by vue666:Wow 780 to 900 watts... That's alot!!!!!
Yep, those LJ4's have a foot-long halogen lamp inside the fusing roller, that acts as the heater. You can tell when the printer is on by the lights in the room dimming every 30 seconds or so. It's caused by the heater lamp turning off and on to maintain the proper fusing roller temp. |
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| Yep, it's definitely a reminder for me to shut it off if I haven't yet. I turn it on, print what I need, then shut it off a few minutes later. I use it a few times a year at the most.
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KI6RIT |
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Fraoch
join:2003-08-01
Cambridge, ON
kudos:2
1 edit | reply to vue666
[deleted, I misread!] |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| said by Fraoch:A lot of UPS manuals specifically state not to put a laser printer on a battery-backed UPS outlet. We're not talking about having the laser printer plugged into the UPS. Just the laser printer and the UPS being powered by the same circuit breaker in the house. The surge drops the voltage on the line (and at the input of the UPS) and triggers the UPS to momentarily go into backup mode. |
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Fraoch
join:2003-08-01
Cambridge, ON
kudos:2 Reviews:
·TekSavvy Cable
| said by HarryH3:said by Fraoch:A lot of UPS manuals specifically state not to put a laser printer on a battery-backed UPS outlet. We're not talking about having the laser printer plugged into the UPS. Just the laser printer and the UPS being powered by the same circuit breaker in the house. The surge drops the voltage on the line (and at the input of the UPS) and triggers the UPS to momentarily go into backup mode. Ohhh...I feel stupid now.  |
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Reviews:
·Suddenlink
| said by Fraoch:Ohhh...I feel stupid now. That happens to me several times a day.
Back in the 90's I was in the office of a friend that was rather hard of hearing. Every once in a while I would hear a short beep. When I asked him about it he said "What beep"? He couldn't hear it. Upon investigating, I found the beep was coming from his UPS and was beeping each time the fusing unit heater would light up in his LaserJet 4. Yeah, he had it plugged into the UPS itself. The UPS even had a label right on it that said NOT to plug laser printers into it. |
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