Zebra 3742, 2722, 2742 Service Manual

980357-001 Rev. A

©2001 Zebra Technologies Corporation

2722
2742
3742

Desktop
Thermal Printers
Service Manual

FOREWARD

This manual provides installation and operation information for the LP 2722, TLP 2722, LP 2742,
TLP 2742 and TLP 3742 series printers, manufactured by Zebra Technologies Corporation,
Camarillo, California.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If for any reason you require product technical support, please contact the Distributor where you first
purchased your equipment. If they cannot help you or at their direction, contact Zebra Repair
Administration.

RETURN MATERIALS AUTHORIZATION

Before returning any equipment to Zebra for in warranty or out of warranty repair, contact Repair
Administration for a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number. Repack the equipment in the
original packing material and mark the RMA number clearly on the outside. Ship the equipment,
freight prepaid, to the address listed below:

Zebra RMA, USA

1001 Flynn Road

Camarillo, CA. 93012

Phone: [phone]

[e-mail]

Label Printers: Card Printers:

Zebra International, Europe Zebra International, Europe

Zebra House, The Valley Centre Zone Indutrielle, Rue d'Amsterdam

Gordon Road, High Wycombe 44370 Varades, France

Buckinghamshire HP13 6EQ, United Kingdom Phone: [phone]

Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

FAX: [phone]

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This document contains information proprietary to Zebra Technologies Corporation. This document
and the information contained within is copyrighted by Zebra Technologies Corporation and may
not be duplicated in full or in part by any person without written approval from Zebra. While every
effort has been made to keep the information contained within current and accurate as of the date of
publication, no guarantee is given or implied that the document is error-free or that it is accurate
with regard to any specification. Zebra reserves the right to make changes, for the purpose of
product improvement, at any time.

980357-001 Rev. A iii

TRADEMARKS

LP 2722, TLP 2722, LP 2742, TLP 2742 and TLP 3742 are of Zebra Technologies Corporation.
Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All other marks are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

OPERATOR CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS

These pages describe general safety and maintenance procedures that an operator must follow.
They are referenced throughout the service manual. The manual may include other warnings and
cautions not displayed here.

Warning - Shock Hazard

The printer should never be operated in a location where it can get wet.
Personal injury could result.

Warning - Static Discharge

The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of
the human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the print head or
electronic components used in this device. TAKE ANTI-STATIC
PRECAUTIONS before handling the print head or the electronic
components of the printer.

Caution - Printer Setup & Handling

1)When installing or modifying the printer setup or configuration,
ALWAYS TURN POWER OFF Before

:
A) Connecting any cables.
B) Performing any cleaning or maintenance operations.
C) Moving the printer.

2) Damage to the printer interface connector, accessories or enclosure
may result from placing the printer on it’s front bezel or backside during
unpacking or handling.

iv 980357-001 Rev. A

Media Cautions & Tips

1) Always use high quality, approved labels and tags. Approved supplies
can be ordered from your dealer. Forthe name of a dealer in your area, call
Customer Service.

2) If poor quality, adhesive backed labels are used,that DO NOT lay flat on
the backing liner, the exposed edges may stick to the label guides and
rollers inside the printer, causing the label to peel off from the liner and
jam the printer.

3) DO NOT use non-approved transfer ribbon. Permanent damage to the
print head may result if a non-approved ribbon is used. Non-approved
ribbons maybe wound incorrectly for the printer or contain chemicals that
may damage the print head.

4) IMPORTANT - If a transfer ribbon is installed incorrectly by the
operator, damage to the print head may result.

5) DO NOT use a ribbon when printing with direct thermal media.

Media Reload Tip

If you should run out of labels or ribbon while printing, DO NOT turn the
power switch OFF (0) while reloading or data loss may occur. The printer
will automatically resume printing when a new label or ribbon roll is
loaded.

Print Mode Control

The printer is reconfigured for direct thermal (or thermal transfer) printing
with the “O” command for the TLP thermal transfer printer. See the EPL2
programmer's manual for details.

Print Quality Tip

Print density (darkness) is affected by the heat energy (density setting)
applied and by the print speed. Changing both Print Speed and Density
may be required to achieve the desired results.

980357-001 Rev. A v

vi 980357-001 Rev. A

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Preparing a Static-Safe Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Environmental and Shock Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE 5

General Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Cleaning the Media Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Before Loading Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 9

Print Head Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

REQUIRED TOOLS 13

REPLACING PARTS 15

Packing Materials Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Rubber Foot Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Enclosure Latch Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Ribbon Roll Hub Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Ribbon Take-Up Clutch Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Ribbon Supply Clutch Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Front Bezel, Cutter Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Media Frame Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Label Taken Sensor Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Feed Button/LED Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Ribbon Out Sensor Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Battery Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Print Mechanism Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Transmissive Gap Sensor Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Black Line Sensor Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Upgrades to Memory and Real Time Clock Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Main Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Platen Motor Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Latch, Left Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Latch, Right Replacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Platen Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Print Head Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

980357-001 Rev. A vii

viii 980357-001 Rev. A

INTRODUCTION

If you are a field engineer or technician, this manual helps you with routine maintenance,
troubleshooting and procedures for replacing parts for repair.

Follow the parts replacement procedures as closely as possible. If you are unsure of any procedure,
please contact your service representative or call the Zebra Technologies technical support group at
[phone]

Zebra Technologies stocks all replacement parts for the printer. Be sure your facility stocks sufficient
parts for the printer so that scheduled maintenance can take place in a timely manner.

980357-001 Rev. A 1

Models

There are several models of the printer, each of which look similar but have different ribbon and
media handling features.

LP models print using direct thermal media
only. They have a flat print head carriage.

TLP models print using either direct thermal
or thermal transfer media. They have a
carriage with ribbon spool hubs.

There are models that can handle up to
four-inch (10.2 cm) wide media and those
that can handle up to two-inch (5.1 cm) wide
media.

These printers also have option media
handling functions such as the dispensers to
present a single label already peeled from the
backing or cutters to present a single label
snipped from the roll.

The power supply and firmware also are
characteristics of the printer model and allow
the printer to be used in various countries.

2 980357-001 Rev. A

Conventions

This manual uses the following notations to call attention to important information.

ICON / SYMBOL MEANING

WARNING - critical safety information.

CAUTION - problem avoidance messages.

STATIC SENSITIVE - follow procedures that protect against the discharge
of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the human body
or other objects as this discharge can damage or destroy the print head
and other electronic components.

HEAT - The print head becomes hot while printing. Protect against
personal injury. DO NOT touch the print head. Use only the cleaning
pen to perform maintenance.

NOTE - important instructions and reminders.

HINT - helpful information.

MOVIE -In the Acrobat file, you can open an audio/visual clip to see a
procedure.

Unpacking the Printer

Printers are carton shipped and wrapped inside a protective electrostatic discharge (ESD) bag. Keep
all packing materials in case you need to reship the printer later or store the printer for any length of
time.

Preparing a Static-Safe Work Area

Prepare a static-safe work area before opening the printer for repair. The area must include
a properly grounded conductive cushioned mat to hold the printer and a conductive wrist
strap for the technician. ESD protective devices are available from most electronic supply
stores or by contacting 3M Corporation.

980357-001 Rev. A 3

MOVIE

MOVIE

Environmental and Shock Protection

Extreme temperature and humidity fluctuations or mishandling can damage the printer and power
supply.

Allow 30 minutes or more before opening the printer's plastic bag. This time allows the printer to
stabilize temperature especially after storage in a cool, dry location and then placement in a warmer,
more humid location. Warm, humid air condenses on the cool components of the printer and this
condensation may damage the components.

Move the printer carefully. Mechanical damage can certainly result from falls or rough handling.

4 980357-001 Rev. A

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

The printers are manufactured and tested under a strict quality management program. Zebra
Technologies uses only high quality components and materials in its printers. Although only
minimal routine maintenance is required, following these simple maintenance guidelines will ensure
longer life with quality printing performance.

General Cleaning

Keep the outside your printer clean by periodically wiping it with a soft cloth dampened
water. Do not use abrasive cleaners as they will damage the surfaces.

Shock Hazard - See page vi. Always turn off the printer before cleaning.

980357-001 Rev. A 5

MOVIE

Cleaning the Media Path

Keep the inside of your printer clean as needed, by using a brush, vacuum or air blower along the
media path (except the print head).

If a label jams inside the printer, remove the label and any adhesive residue immediately. Adhesive
may spread throughout the printer's media path if not completely removed. Many adhesive are
permanent and have short "set" times.

If the platen, dispenser bar, or serrated tear bear require cleaning, use 70% isopropyl alcohol
absorbed into a clean, lint-free cloth to wipe these surfaces. To turn the platen, use your finger to
advance the platen gear.

If the cutter requires cleaning, turn the printer off. Use tweezers to remove the media. Never use
solutions or solvents to clean the blade. If necessary, turn the printer on and use the C programming
command to cycle the cutter several times to perform a self cleaning operation. See the EPL2
programmer's manual.

Before Loading Media

You must remove the outside length of media (that is, one, full revolution of labels and any liner).
When you remove this part of the media, you remove the oils, dust, and adhesivers that
contaminate it. Tape or adhesive holds the loose end and the outside length of media becomes
contaminated when handled or stored.

You must avoid dragging adhesive or dirty media between the print head and
platen. such an occurance damages theprint headand is not covered under the
warranty. Using clean media prevents damage and reduces wear on the print
head and platen.

6 980357-001 Rev. A

MOVIE

Cleaning the Print Head

Over time, the print head becomes contaminate resulting in poor print quality. After using
five rolls of media or ribbon, rub the cleaning pen across the dark area of the print head.
Allow the print head to dry for one minute before loading labels.

Never touch the print head. Always clean the print headwith a cleaning penor a
cotton swab moistened with 70% isopropyl alcohol to gently remove dirt and
dust.

Lubrication

None of the serviceable parts require additional lubrication.

980357-001 Rev. A 7

8 980357-001 Rev. A

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS

Status indicator does
not light when power
switch is on (I)

1. Check power connections from the printer to the outlet.

2. Remove power supply and check fuse. If blown, remove the power
supply and return it to the manufacturer. Install a new power supply.

Printer is in dump
mode but nothing
prints after sending
file.

1. File does not contain a form feed code that will advance sheet. Press
the Feed button to print data in the printer’s buffer.

ASCII characters print
in place of expected
label art and bar
codes.

1. Printer may be in dump mode. Press the Feed button to reset to
normal operation.

2. Check serial port configuration using the Y command. See the EPL2
programmer’s manual.

Printing is uniformly
faded or poor quality.

1. Wipe the print head with the cleaning pen.

2. Adjust print speed/darkness in software or with programming.

3. Check the roll and verify that the media print surface is facing up.

4. Verify that the correct combination thermal transfer ribbon and
media are in use.

980357-001 Rev. A 9

PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS

Printer appears to be
working with the
indicator light
GREEN, but nothing
is printed.

1. Check the connections between the printer and the cable as well as
the cable and the computer.

2. Verify that the labels are the correct type.

3. Check the roll and verify that the print surface faces up for direct
thermal printing.

4. Check that the transfer ribbon is correctly routed and has the ink side
down.

5. Check print head wire bundle connections in carriage at main PCBA.

Printing stops and
status indicator lights
red

1. Perform the AutoSense adjustment.

2. Check that gap between labels is at least 1/16 inch (1.6mm)

3. Check for media jam.

4. Check that media is correctly routed.

5. Check printer memory configuration and correct data syntax.

6. Transmissive (gap) is dirty. Clean media path.

Status indicator
remains red.

1. Check for out-of-media condition or missing labels in the middle of a
roll.

2. Check for out-of-ribbon condition or damage or previous use of
ribbon in middle of roll.

3. Check that the ribbon and label stock or correctly routed

4. If using direct thermal printing, check that programmed mode or
printer driver is set for direct thermal printing. See the programmer’s
book for details.

5. Transmissive (gap) sensor may be dirty. Clean media path.

6. Check that the printer carriage is closed and latched.

Rubbing noise when
pressing Feed button.

1. Media is not loaded and the platen is rubbing against the print head.
Insert media (and load ribbon if necessary) between carriage and
platen.

Cutter makes
incomplete cuts or
cuts in the wrong spot.

1. Form length is set wrong. Change length through printer driver or
programming language. See the EPL2 programming manual.

Short length,
perforated media are
difficult to load when
preparing for
dispenser/peel mode.

1. Media length must be a minimum of 0.5 inch (12.7mm).

10 980357-001 Rev. A