Konica Minolta C226i continuously prompts "Toner Exhausted, Please Replace Black Toner Cartridge" even though there is toner in the cartridge.
Analysis of possible causes:
- The toner cartridge lower toner port cannot be opened normally or the toner cartridge drive motor is faulty;
- The toner supply motor is faulty or does not work, and the toner in the auxiliary toner bin cannot be replenished into the developing unit normally;
- The auxiliary toner bin toner shortage sensor is dirty or faulty;
- The developing unit TCR sensor is faulty.
Inspection process:
- Check the machine status, TCR value is within the normal range;
- Check that the lower toner port of the toner cartridge is normal, the toner port can be installed and opened normally, check that the auxiliary toner bin is full of toner, remove the upper cover of the toner bottle and print to observe that the toner bottle does not rotate to replenish toner, block the lower toner port of the developer and print to test that the toner of the auxiliary toner bin has been discharged into the developer bin, and judge that the toner supply motor of the auxiliary toner bin is faulty or the toner shortage sensor is dirty or faulty;
- Remove the auxiliary toner bin to empty the toner inside, clean the toner shortage sensor, reinstall and test and find that the black toner bottle does not rotate to replenish toner after the machine is turned on and preheated. Check that there is no toner in the auxiliary toner bin, and the toner cannot be replenished into the auxiliary toner bin. The manual toner supply test in the maintenance mode also has no action, and it is judged that the toner supply motor and the toner bottle drive motor are not moving.
- After disassembling the back, check the drive control substrate and try to re-plug the drive circuit test. The fault still exists;
- After careful inspection, it was found that there were two interfaces on the substrate that were the same in length, and one was empty and not connected. Finally, it was found that a bunch of wires had been removed by the engineer when the CPU board needed to be replaced before the repair. When the engineer returned, he connected the wrong interface, and the wire was not carefully checked and found to be quite long. After re-plugging the interface, the fault was solved. The left picture shows the wrong plugging, and the right picture shows the correct plugging.
Conclusion
To resolve the "Toner Exhausted, Please Replace Black Toner Cartridge" error on the Konica Minolta C226i, check the toner cartridge, toner supply motor, sensors, and cable connections. Ensuring all components are properly connected and functioning can fix the issue.
Regular maintenance, including cleaning sensors and using high-quality Evate toner cartridges, helps prevent similar problems. Using Evate toner cartridges ensures optimal print quality and reduces toner-related errors, contributing to a smoother and more efficient printing experience.