Group 20 - HP Inkjet Printer

Revision as of 20:50, 14 December 2009

Introduction

Hp Deskjet 960c

As part of MAE 277's Reverse Engineering Group Product, Group 20 will dissect and reverse engineer a Hewlett Packard (HP) Deskjet 960c. Five "gates" must be completed over the duration of this project: the Request for Proposal, Preliminary Project Review, Coordination Review, Critical Project Review, and the final step, delivery of the final project.

Executive Summary

The Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 960c is a single function inkjet printer capable of printing both black and white and color documents. As an affordable printer intended for use in the home, the HP Deskjet 960c was designed very well for its purpose. By disassembling the printer and looking at its components, it is clear as to why this printer was a nice model for the average consumer during the time it was manufactured. Although the printer has many, many components, all of which are documented and discussed below, each component serves a purpose in the printer. However, while the printer is very well put together, it is not without potential design revisions. The revisions that the group came up with are detailed below and were originally suggested with the functionality, reliability, weight, and the required maintenance of the printer in mind. Everything relating to the five gates of the project is deatiled below, with pictures included to visually represent each step in the diassembly and reassembly processes, as well as every component in the printer.

Group Members

Andrew Katz- Research Manager, Dissection/Reassembly Team

Andrew Katz is a sophomore at the University at Buffalo majoring in aerospace engineering. He plans to take internships at any available firms in his field, and eventually wants to take a full time job working in the aerospace industry, hopefully for NASA or Lockheed Martin.

Kayla Kisenwether- Communications Liason, Presentation Manager, Dissection/Reassembly Team

Kayla Kisenwether is a sophomore student of Mechanical Engineering at the University at Buffalo. Kayla has worked for Material Innovations, based in Sugarloaf PA, in the capacity of head web designer and has also worked on the construction of their patented Big Bale Mulcher. After graduation, Kayla plans to pursue a career in designing consumer products.

Jonathan Murphy- Dissection Manager, Dissection/Reassembly Team

Jonathan Murphy is going to University at Buffalo to earn his Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. At the current point in time, he does not have any true relevant work experience, other than dissecting or fixing mechanical products in his spare time. In the future he hopes to obtain an engineering job once he gets his degree and help create an innovative product.

Matt Gregoire- 3-D Model Developer, Dissection/Reassembly Team

Matthew Gregoire is currently in his second year at the University at Buffalo where he is pursuing a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. Even though the engineering program involves a rigorous amount of school work, he feels that engineering is the right fit. At the moment Matthew does not have any relevant work experience but is hopeful he will be able to find an internship for the summer of 2010. Once he graduates he hopes to find a job that is very hands on and he is able to be a part of a design team for some type of large machinery. Matthew one day would like to invent a cutting edge product that will have a positive impact on society.

Tim Habben- Group Leader, Webpage Developer, Dissection/Reassembly Team

Tim Habben is a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student scheduled to graduate in May 2012 with a B.S. He is also interested in obtaining a M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo as well. In the summer of 2009, Tim worked at the Eastman Kodak Company as part of the "Testing Technology" group, which provides service and support to many machines and software around the company. During his time at Kodak, Tim helped create a program to track film processing tests from building to building through scans and tracking screens. After graduation, he hopes to obtain a job designing and implementing new systems at companies, that help not only with the efficiency of the company, but the quality of the company’s products as well.

Request For Proposal

The purpose of the Request For Proposal is to provide the group with a plan for the project as well as provide the group with initial information about the printer. The Work Proposal provides an overview of how the group plans to disassemble and reassemble the printer, while the Management Proposal provides a timeline for the group to follow to complete the project on time. The Management Proposal also details what each group member is responsible for during the project. Also, the Initial Product Assessment helps the group to familiarize itself with the printer by discussion certain aspects about the printer.

To view the Request For Proposal, click the link below

Group 20 Request For Proposal

Preliminary Project Review

The purpose of the Preliminary Project Review is to take a look back at our work and management proposals and see if they are working well, as well as provide a step by step guide for taking apart the HP Printer. The Disassembly Procedure details how the printer was taken apart, the Disassembly Reflection discusses what was found during the dissection, and the Causes For Corrective Action looks back at the initial plan proposed by the group and makes changes to that plan if necessary.

To view the Preliminary Project Review, click the link below

Group 20 Preliminary Project Review

Coordination Review

The main purpose of the Coordination Review is to have the group analyze the components of the printer in order to see what works well, what could be improved, and what further forms of analysis can be completed in order to get a better understanding of the product. The Component Summary lists all of the components of the printer, including what they are made of as well as their manufacturing process, while the Component Summary Reflection further discusses what was found inside the printer. Using these components, Solid Models can be made to show how part of the printer is assembled in sequence, while Design Revisions can be made by the group based on total analysis of the product. Finally, Engineering Analysis can be used in order to show how further testing and analysis can be done on the HP Deskjet 960c Printer.

To view the Coordination Review, click the link below

Group 20 Coordination Review

Critical Project Review

The purpose of the Critical Project Review is to provide a final review of the printer and its components before submission of the project, as well as provide a step by step guide for reassembling the HP Printer. The Product Reassembly Plan details how the printer was put back together, while the Reassembly Reflection discusses the differences between the disassembly and reassembly, how well the product works after reassembly, as well as any additional suggestions that the group may have regarding the printer.

To view the Critical Project Review, click the link below

Group 20 Critical Project Review

Product Reassembly Plan

The reassembly of our printer took approximately two and a half hours over two separate days. Day one occurred on November 9, 2009, and encompassed steps one through fourteen. Day two occurred on November 16, 2009, and encompassed the remaining steps fifteen through thirty eight. Total time spent on each day was one hour on day one and one and a half hours on day two. Each step required to reassemble the printer is detailed below in Table 7: Reassembly Procedure. The difficulty of each step was measured using the following table, Table 6: Reassembly Difficulty Levels.

Table 7: Reassembly Procedure

Step #	Process	Tools Used	Difficulty	Picture
1	*Put small silver clip back in on the bottom of the frame.	None	1
2	*Insert paper lifter into clips and through the left side of the frame.	None	1
3	*The Black Plastic Cover must be popped back in by sticking it in the two slots in bottom of printer, and popping in the back clips.	None	1
4	*Put matching blue and white gears back in on the left side of the printer.	None	1
5	*Slide the Rollers (2) into slots on both sides of the frame.	None	2
6	*The rollers must mesh with the gears that have already been inserted, and the medium spring must be placed over the white peg before it is snapped into its slot.	None	3
7	*Black clip must be fitted into the rollers while the white external clip with the spring must be connected to the blue gear.	None	3
8	*Snap the gray wing holders back into place on each side.	None	1
9	*Put the Wings and their small springs back into place on each side.	None	2
10	*Place the Small Metal Blocks back into the slots on either side	None	1
11	*The Rollers (1) must now be inserted into a slot on one side and popped into the slot on the other in the back of the printer.	None	2
12	*Put Roller Cover (2) back onto the printer.	None	1
13	*Put Roller Cover (1) back onto the printer	None	1
14	*Put large Spring back into printer. (See picture for connections)	None	2
15	Reassemble Spittoon *Place long gear back into Spittoon, followed by the Print Head Cleaner. *Replace two small gears on outside of Spittoon, followed by Spittoon motor, which is attached using a pink Torx 10 Screw. *Snap Spittoon Cover back into place.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	2
16	*Pop Spittoon back into place and secure with two pink Torx 10 Screws.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	3
17	Reassemble Print Head Assembly *Replace print head assembly circuit board, and secure it with the three casing pieces using 6 pink Torx 10 Screws. *Slide the Ink Carriage back onto the large silver bar, and reconnect this back onto the print head assembly frame. *Reconnect the transparent band. *Reinsert the ink cartridges.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	3
18	*Reconnect the Print Head Assembly to the printer using the two long screws.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	1
19	*Slide in main circuit board behind the print head assembly frame, and use two flat 3/16" Torx 10 Screws to secure the board.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	1
20	*Reconnect the Ribbon Cable to both the circuit board and the print head assembly.	None	2
21	*Reattach the black plastic clip to the small circuit board using 1 Torx 8 Screw and carefully insert it into the front left of the printer. *The metal plate also needs to be reinserted into the left side of the printer.	Torx 8 Screwdriver	2
22	*Reattach the small motor to the plate using two Torx 8 Screws.	Torx 8 Screwdriver	2
23	*Reconnect the green and yellow wires to the small circuit board, and reconnect the blue and white wires to the small motor.	None	1
24	*Insert the large motor into the print head assembly frame, and attach it using two flat topped Torx 10 screws.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	1
25	*Stretch the print head belt over the large motor.	None	4
26	*Thread the remaining wires through the hole in the frame, then reattach the breadboard to the main circuit board.	None	2
27	*Put the power box back into the printer and attach it using two 1/2" Torx 10 Screws. *The power box must be lifted over the pegs prior to being screwed into place. *Reattach the red and green wires to the circuit board in the power box.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	2
28	*Reconnect the green wires to the small green circuit board and screw it in near the power box using a flat topped Torx 10 screw.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	2
29	*Press wires into clip that holds them in place near power box.	None	1
30	*Push blue and black wires back through hole in front right of printer, then pop in small cover.	None	2
31	*Reattach gray wires to Spittoon motor.	None	1
32	*Slide in the paper tray and the paper guide.	None	1
33	*Replace silver bar on top of the print head assembly frame using two 1/8" Torx 10 Screws.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	1
34	*Snap white wires into LEDs, and insert the LED panel into the printer housing.	None	1
35	*Press housing down onto the printer until all four clips snap into place.	None	2
36	*Use two 1/2" long Torx 10 Screws to attach the housing to the printer.	Torx 10 Screwdriver	1
37	*Reinsert back panel into the printer and turn the knob, locking it in place.	None	1
38	*The HP Deskjet 960c is now reassembled.	None	1

Reassembly Reflection

Differences Between Disassembly and Reassembly Processes

The majority of the printer was reassembled using the reverse steps from the disassembly procedure. The only differences occurred when parts on opposite sides of the printer from each other were reassembled in a different order than what had occurred during disassembly. However, this did not affect the overall reassembly of the printer, because as long as an entire layer of components were replaced before the next layer of components, the printer would still be rather straightforward to reassemble. Additionally, the entire Spittoon was put back together before being reinserted into the printer, where as during disassembly, the cover, print head cleaner, and internal gear were taken out before the Spittoon itself was removed from the printer. Besides these minor differences, the disassembly and reassembly processes of the printer occurred in the reverse order of each other.

Just as the reassembly and disassembly processes were similar, so were the tools necessary for both procedures. During disassembly, Torx 8 and Torx 10 Screwdrivers, a Flat Head Screwdriver (used as a pry tool), and hands were the only tools needed to complete the procedure. The same was true for the reassembly, as the exact same tools were necessary, and no additional tools were required.

By using detailed notes and pictures as a guide, the entire printer was able to be reassembled in the same way that the printer was prior to disassembly.

Product Functionality After Reassembly

Before disassembly, the printer was tested to see how well it functioned. After the initial assessment, the printer was able to power on, with multiple functions occurring. First, the LEDs on the button panel lit up, signifying that the printer was indeed on. Second, the motors could be heard rotating inside the printer every time the printer was turned on. Third, when the cover was opened on the printer, the Print Head Assembly started to function, bringing the Ink Carriage into view for the user. Closing the cover returned the carriage back to its initial position. After reassembly, the printer was tested and was found to work in the same way that it did prior to disassembly. Unfortunately, without a USB cable to hook the printer up to a computer, it is unknown whether or not the printer could actually print a document if prompted to.

Final Thoughts About Printer

After completing the reassembly of the printer and testing its functionality, no additional revisions are believed to be necessary to the printer. Overall, the HP Deskjet 960c Printer is very well put together and performs its tasks extremely well. Naturally, new technology eventually led to better printers being produced, with increased capabilities and increased functionality. However, prior to its discontinuation, the HP Deskjet 960c Printer was a very respectable model in the home printing market, as its functions, seen with each print out, met the demands of consumers of the time.

References

^[1] Epinions.com