Group 26 - Compaq Printer

Executive Summary

Our group project was the Compaq IJ600 color printer. We were assigned to disassemble, analyze, and reassemble the printer and all its respective components. Using the information we obtained from this entire process, our task was to implement some design enhancements and possible improvements to the printer. We meticulously recorded every piece that was removed and documented the few tools that were used. The product was an inkjet printer that was relatively easy to disassemble, though we ran into some problems.

Introduction

The product our group was tasked with disassembling was a simple desktop printer. The Compaq IJ 600 is single function inkjet printer. The intended use was for common household medium to low volume printing. The IJ 600 can print in both color and black ink due to separate cartridges. The Compaq IJ 600 has a 100-sheet paper tray for storing paper for print jobs. It can be connected to the computer via a Parallel port or a USB B-type connection.

Work for the project was divided evenly among group members.

Group Leader- Sameer Parikh

Disassembly/Assembly Team- Kevin King, Casey Jacobs

Presentation/Wiki Team- Chris Martensen, Sameer Parikh, Johnnie Pacifico, Casey Jacobs

Presenters- Kevin King, Johnnie Pacifico

CAD Drawing- Kevin King

Group Members

Sameer Parikh

Kevin King

Casey Jacobs

Chris Martensen

Johnnie Pacifico

Before Disassembly

The Compaq Model IJ600 printer was in fairly good condition when we received it. The top casing had a broken knob on one end, but didn’t have a substantial effect on the printer’s appearance or the operation of the casing. It was a little dirty, but that was expected considering how long ago the printer was made. When we opened it up, it looked as if the dissection would be difficult. However upon further examination, the weird shapes of the parts created the illusion that there were more components than there actually were. There ended up being more screws than anything else. All in all, the printer consisted of about 25 to 30 screws and about 20 actual parts. It seems there are only three or four different types of materials used. The metal brace located inside towards the back was aluminum. The paper rollers and some screws seemed to be manufactured out of steel. Other screws, which varied in color, could have been made out of bronze. A belt that was part of the ink cartridge moving system was made out of rubber. The rest of the components, including the casing, trays, ink cartridges, ink cartridge holder, gears, and other little minor components were made out of plastic.

Although the printer did not function when we received it due to the missing power cord, it was easy to see how the printer would work when we removed the top casing. First, the printer’s circuit boards receive information from the computer about the image or text to be printer. The circuit boards then distribute information to the appropriate motors, gears, and the ink cartridges. The first action is the translation from electrical energy to mechanical energy by the first of two paper rollers. When it is time to print, the first roller catches the paper from the top loading section and pushes it through to the second roller. The second roller then grabs the paper and pushes it through underneath the ink cartridges in spurts. Simultaneously, the ink cartridges and the motors moving them process the information about the image to be printed. The motors move the ink cartridges back and forth as they expend little droplets of ink on the page in order to create the desired image. When a line of certain width has the correct ink pattern and density, the motor connected to the roller moves the paper just enough so that the ink cartridges can start printing the next line. This process continues until the entire image is correctly mirrored on the paper. Finally, the roller pushes the finished document out to the tray in the front of the printer.

Disassembly

Disassembly Process Table

Step	Process	Tool Used	Difficulty
1	Remove 7 Phillips-head screws	Phillips-head Screwdriver	Easy, 1 Screw Quite Difficult
2	Removed Rip Fence Bolt to Saw Blade Locking Lever	By Hand	Easy
3	Removed Removed Dust Blower Angle off of Dust Blower	By Hand	Easy
4	Removed Dust Blower and Rip Fence off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
5	Removed Rip Fence off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
6	Removed Plastic Blade Guard off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
7	Removed Casing off of Casing	Philips-head Screwdriver	Moderately Easy
8	Removed Gel Max Comfort Grip off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
9	Removed Shoe Plate Locking Gear off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
10	Removed Shoe Plate Locking Knob off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
11	Removed Trigger Switch off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
12	Removed Lock on Button off of Trigger Switch	By Hand	Easy
13	Removed Lock Spring off of Lock on Button	Flat-head Screwdriver	Easy
14	Removed Plastic Lock Washers off of Lock on Button	Flat Head Screwdriver	Moderately Difficult
15	Removed Switch Breaker off of Trigger Switch	By Hand	Easy
16	Removed 2 Cord Clamp Screws off of Cord Clamp off of Casing	Phillips-head Screwdriver	Easy
17	Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire off of Spring Loaded Graphite	By Hand	Easy
18	Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Spring Loaded Graphite	By Hand	Easy
19	Disassembled Spring Loaded Graphite Internals	By Hand	Easy
20	Removed Motor Screw From Casing	Philips-head Screwdriver	Easy
21	Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire From Armature	By Hand	Easy
22	Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Armature	By Hand	Easy
23	Removed Metal Gear From 1/4in. Plate	By Hand	Easy
24	Removed 1/4in. Metal Plate from Armature Shaft With Rotar	By Hand	Easy
25	Removed Small Metal Plate off of Armature Shaft With Rotar	By Hand	Easy
26	Removed Linear Oscillator from Metal Gear	By Hand	Easy
27	Removed Washer off of Gear from Metal Gear	By Hand	Easy
28	Removed Cylindrical Slider from Linear Oscillator	By Hand	Easy

After Disassembly

Part Table

Part #	Part Name	Quantity	Material and Reason for Choice of Material	Function	Manufacturing Process	Image
1	Cover Screws	4	Steel	Holds the cover in place so that the parts inside can work in order	Machined
2	Clips	4	Plastic	Lets the paper flow easier from the start to the end.	Machined
3	Ink Cartridge Holder	1	Plastic	To hold the cartridge in place.	Molded then Machined, and placed by hand
4	Top Roller	1	Plastic and metal for springs	Moves the paper from tray towards the ink cartridge	Injection Molded
5	Bottom Roller	1	Metal and rubber	Rolls with the help of the motor and brings the paper out with ease.	Injection Molded
6	Motherboard	1	Computer material	Takes information from the printer and prints off onto a paper.	Injection Molded, Machined
7	Gear Head	1	Metal and plastic	Turns all the rollers via a motor	Machined and Hand Processed
8	Motor	2	Metal	Runs off power cord to run the rollers and gear head	Injection Molded
9	Cartridge Holder	1	Plastic	Holds the cartridges in place, internally	Hand Processed
10	Cartridge Belt	1	Rubber	Helps move the ink cartridge back and forth.	Hand Processed
11	Back Case	1	Metal	Holds the motherboard rollers and other components in place.	Injection Molded
12	Shoe Plate Locking Knob	1	Plastic because it is cheap and easy to make and the part does not take much punishment	The person turns the knob with their fingers to lock the rip fence in place	It is a gear and knob with teeth to turn another gear to lock the rip fence in place	Injection Molded
13	Trigger Switch Component	1	Plastic, Copper, Steel, Aluminum because all these are need to get current to flow through it into the motor	To control rate of flow of current to the motor	It is made so there is a constant flow and path of a certain amount of current to the motor	Manufactured
14	Lock on Button	1	Plastic because it is cheap and easy to make and the part does not take much punishment	It locks the trigger so that it cannot turn the engine on	It has two sides so it can be pressed and a small dash in the middle so it can block the trigger	Injection Molded
15	Lock Spring	1	Steel to make a durable and strong spring	It helps make moving the locking trigger easier	It is made in the spring shape to force an object in one direction	Manufactured
16	Plastic Lock Washers	2	Plastic because they do not get much force on them and it is cheap to make	It is to be put on either side of the spring and holding it there	It is made to hold the spring so it will not slip and be wide enough so all the force will be transfered	Injection Molded
17	Switch Breaker	1	Aluminum because it is conductive to metal and will melt breaking the circuit if to much current flows through	A circuit breaker that causes the jigsaw to stop working of too much current starts to flow through it	It is cheap and melts at relatively low temperatures and can handle current going through it	Machined
18	Cord Clamp Screws	2	Steel because they need to be durable and withstand the torque and shear force	To push down on the cord clamp to hold the cord in the casing	It was made to pull the cord clamp against the cord	Machined
19	Cord Clamp	1	Steel because it needs to be strong and is pushed against things	The screws push on it and then it in turn pushes on the cord to keep it in the casing	it was made that way to push evenly on the cord and near flat to save on manufacturing costs	Injection Molded, Machined
20	Red Motor-connecting Wire	1	Rubber and Copper which are great insulating and conducting properties	It conducts electricity from the trigger to the motor	It is made to conduct electricity as efficiently as possible and the rubber to insulate it	Manufactured
21	Black Motor-connecting Wire	1	Rubber and Copper which are great insulating and conducting properties	It conducts electricity from the trigger to the motor	It is made to conduct electricity as efficiently as possible and the rubber to insulate it	Manufactured
22	Spring Loaded Brushes	2	Plastic, Copper, Graphite because they are what is used for a AC to DC motor	It changes electricity from AC to DC	It is made because those materials are needed for the translation of AC to DC	Manufactured
23	Motor Screw	1	Steel because of high stress and torque put on it	It helps hold the motor to the casing	It pulls the motor onto the casing and holds it there	Machined
24	Armature	1	Steel, Copper, ABS Plastic to be durable and cheap	This part is the inside of the motor and a fan to keep the sawdust away	They are all made to do each job as efficiently as possible	Machined
25	Metal Gear	1	Steel for it's durability	It is turned by the motor and spins	It is a gear and helps turn other parts of the jigsaw	Machined
26	1/4 Inch Metal Plate	1	Steel for it's durability	Helps keep everything in place	It was made thick and strong due the vibrations and forces that act upon it	Machined
27	Small Metal Plate	1	Steel for durability	To help hold everything in place	Made thin because it vibrates and is used to protect the large plate from abrasion with a large amount of grease between each of them	Machined
28	Armature Shaft with Rotor	1	Steel, Copper, ABS Plastic, Tape	Part of the motor that alternates to turn the inside causing the rotation	Made to turn electrical energy into mechanical energy	Machined
29	Linear Oscillator	1	Steel for durability	Oscilates up and down moving the blade	In this form it is highly durable and can move easily	Machined
30	Washer off of Gear	1	Steel for durability	Moves inside the hole on the linear oscillator and pushes on it in a vertical direction	It is formed this way to fit in the linear oscillators hole and have the least amount of friction possible	Machined
31	Cylindrical Slider	2	Steel for durability	This is to align the linear oscillator to keep it in line and moving up and down	It is made to be simple and cheap but still strong enough to deal with the friction	Machined
32	Blade Changing Piece	1	Plastic for durability and to keep cost down	It pulls up the springs and the blade holder to allow the old blade to fall out and put the new blade in	It just needs to endure a momentary pull of the finger so it is not thick or strong	Injection Molded
33	Blade Changing Component	1	Steel for durability	It holds the springs and blade changing piece and pushes down on the blade to keep it in place with help of the springs	It is built for the least use of materials and just enough to do what it needs to do.	Cast
34	Blade Changing Spring	2	Steel for durability	It pulls the blade changing component onto the blade holding it in place	It is built to have a large amount of force behind it to endure the fast rate at which the blade is moved	Manufactured
35	Alan Wrench Screw	2	Steel for durability	It holds all of the blade changing components in place	It is built to pull to objects together	Machined
36	Felt Piece	1	Felt for shock absorption	This to absorb any impact the motor may hit linear oscillator wiht	It is minimally built to cover the area's that may be hit	Manufactured

Reassembly

Reassembly Process Table

Step	Process	Tool Used	Difficulty
1	Remove 7 Phillips-head screws	Phillips-head Screwdriver	Easy, 1 Screw Quite Difficult
2	Removed Rip Fence Bolt to Saw Blade Locking Lever	By Hand	Easy
3	Removed Removed Dust Blower Angle off of Dust Blower	By Hand	Easy
4	Removed Dust Blower and Rip Fence off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
5	Removed Rip Fence off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
6	Removed Plastic Blade Guard off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
7	Removed Casing off of Casing	Philips-head Screwdriver	Moderately Easy
8	Removed Gel Max Comfort Grip off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
9	Removed Shoe Plate Locking Gear off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
10	Removed Shoe Plate Locking Knob off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
11	Removed Trigger Switch off of Casing	By Hand	Easy
12	Removed Lock on Button off of Trigger Switch	By Hand	Easy
13	Removed Lock Spring off of Lock on Button	Flat-head Screwdriver	Easy
14	Removed Plastic Lock Washers off of Lock on Button	Flat Head Screwdriver	Moderately Difficult
15	Removed Switch Breaker off of Trigger Switch	By Hand	Easy
16	Removed 2 Cord Clamp Screws off of Cord Clamp off of Casing	Phillips-head Screwdriver	Easy
17	Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire off of Spring Loaded Graphite	By Hand	Easy
18	Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Spring Loaded Graphite	By Hand	Easy
19	Disassembled Spring Loaded Graphite Internals	By Hand	Easy
20	Removed Motor Screw From Casing	Philips-head Screwdriver	Easy
21	Removed Red Motor Connecting Wire From Armature	By Hand	Easy
22	Removed Black Motor Connecting Wire from Armature	By Hand	Easy
23	Removed Metal Gear From 1/4in. Plate	By Hand	Easy
24	Removed 1/4in. Metal Plate from Armature Shaft With Rotar	By Hand	Easy
25	Removed Small Metal Plate off of Armature Shaft With Rotar	By Hand	Easy
26	Removed Linear Oscillator from Metal Gear	By Hand	Easy
27	Removed Washer off of Gear from Metal Gear	By Hand	Easy
28	Removed Cylindrical Slider from Linear Oscillator	By Hand	Easy

After Reassembly

Since we were not given a power cord, we could not test whether the printer worked initially or after reassembly. The product was designed very well for its purpose. However, we still came up with a few improvements that could be made to the printer. For starters, there were many different types of screws. If they were all the same type of screw, assembly and disassembly would be easier and would only require one tool instead of several screw drivers. Second, it seemed like there was a lot of unnecessary space that wasn’t utilized by parts or components. Minimizing space would make for less material needed, and the product would also be smaller in size and not as bulky. A third improvement would be to implement automatic reverse side printing to be able to print double sided pages and save paper. Our last improvement we considered was to change from ink jet printing to laser jet printing. Ink jet is cheaper initially, but laser jet printing is faster, cheaper in the long run, and prints better quality. Overall, the task of creating a simple, cheap, household printer was accomplished by Compaq.