Printer Grounding, Esd - Kodak NovaJet 850 Training Manual

Printer Grounding, ESD Control and Output Symptoms
The NovaJet 800 series printers consume up to 1200 watts of power during typical
operation and must be properly grounded in accordance with regional and general
equipment/electrical grounding guidelines. Output quality problems including random
banding, ink overspray, abnormal printer calibrations, media transport problems (tiling
accuracy), premature and intermittent cartridge jet failure, data shift, and personnel
hazards may result if inadequate grounding is provided.
CAUTION: There is a serious safety issue when there is no earth ground connected to
the printer. The printer will basically function but can cause a safety hazard if a person
touches the printer chassis and another electrical device such as a computer. The
voltage on the chassis can be raised to a level of approximately half the input AC
voltage. The installer should always validate the power and grounding scheme at the
installation facility. A second issue would be the lack of electrostatic discharge (ESD)
protection. Without proper grounding the ESD brushes are rendered useless. A higher
incidence of cartridge failures will occur if adequate grounding not properly supplied as
well as possible malfunctions of printer's electronic circuitry. Review sections A – E:
Poor grounding and low humidity combined typically cause higher levels of media ESD discharge.
Technical Bulletin 5
NovaJet 800 Series Training Guide
A. Symptoms of
ESD/Electrical
Interference
1. Inconsistently Spaced
Horizontal Banding
Instances of random banding
(horizontally printed defect areas)
are observed in printed output (i.e.
problem appears in the horizontal
direction, projecting from either the
left and/or right sides of printed
image). The static discharges may
also cause data shifting to extend
off the left or right edges of the
print edge/border.
NOTE: Electrostatic discharge (ESD)
is a special type of transient impulse.
ESD refers to the abrupt release of
charge that has accumulated on a
person or object. This charge can
result in voltages above 15,000 volts.
A direct ESD spark can cause
component failures or malfunction.
43