These instructions cover the recycling of the C7115A toner cartridge used in the HP 1200 series of laser printers. The base HP 1200 has a street price of approximately $399. It is a 15 ppm, 1200 dpi engine that comes standard with eight megabytes of memory. The "instant-on" fuser and the new processor allows the first page out in 10 seconds. When you consider that the HP-1100 is an eight ppm printer, this is a huge advance for a replacement printer.

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 1200
OEM Stated Yield: 2500
Introduction Date: March 2001

As with the 1100, the higher priced models have the ability to scan, copy and fax. A new feature on some of the scanner machines is the scan-to-e-mail function. With this feature, the HP 1200 will automatically scan your document, store it in a pdf format and open your e-mail program. All you have to do is address the message and send, which is a savings of quite a few steps compared to older systems.

Anacom Smartboxes will not work with the current versions. The printer has a "hot" interface that watches both the USB port and the Parallel port. This allows you to have two computers hooked up to it at the same time — one of them can even be a Mac!

Unfortunately, it also seems to need specialized information from the new driver before it will accept the print job. I have been assured that new chips are in development for the Anacom boxes that will work for both the 1200 series and the 4100 series printers, which have the same type of interface.

All in all, the HP 1200 is a very nice machine, if there is a fault, I would have to say that the outer part of the paper tray is built very cheaply. If you haven't seen it yet, the paper tray not only has a top and bottom, it also has two halves — front and back. All the paper adjustments are built into the front of the machine. The removable part of the tray is just that — a paper tray. It's a shame that HP didn't make it more durable. In my opinion, it makes the printer seem less than it is.

The C7115A cartridge looks like a small version of the 96A cartridge. Once you get it apart, it is very simple to recycle. I say once you get it apart because, like the 96A and 27x cartridges, there are pins holding the two halves together. Unlike those cartridges, the inside of the pinhole on the C7115A is sealed, making it difficult to remove the pins. While this cartridge does not have a chip to make our lives tougher, this pin system certainly will.

1. We have found two ways to remove the pins in these cartridges. Both involve some destruction of the cartridge shell. We will keep you posted on any new developments on the pin removal procedure.

    

   • Method 1: Carefully knock the pins in. This will cause at least some damage, which will be very difficult to control until you get a feel for it. Try to push the pins in just far enough so that the two halves come apart. If you push them in too far, the outside of the shell will break and the PCR holder also may be damaged. See Figures 1 and 2.

     
     Figure 1

     
     Figure 2

   • Method 2: Drill a shallow hole on each side of the cartridge, as indicated by Figures 3 and 4. Push the pins out with an Allen wrench. Although this method also causes damage, you control how much there will be. This method is also safer for the PCR holder.

     
     Figure 3

     
     Figure 4

   Regardless of which method you choose, the holes should be sealed with black silicon.

2. Remove the drum end cap and screw. See Figure 5.

   
   Figure 5

3. Remove the drum. See Figure 6. Note the curved plastic piece around the drum. Because of this piece, the drum cannot be removed before the two halves are separated.

   
   Figure 6

4. Remove the PCR and clean with your standard PCR cleaner. See Figure 7.

   
   Figure 7

5. Remove the wiper blade. The blade is the same as used in the AX cartridge. See Figure 8.

   
   Figure 8

6. Clean out the waste toner. See Figure 9.

   
   Figure 9

7. Reinstall the wiper blade, PCR, drum and end cap. In our testing, the above items will last another cycle, however, due to the speed that these cartridges run at, we recommend that at bare minimum, the wiper blade be replaced.
8. Remove the end cap on the right side of the toner hopper. See Figure 10.

   
   Figure 10

9. Remove the white gears as shown in Figure 11. These gears are loose and will fall off if not removed.

   
   Figure 11

10. Remove the end cap on the left side of the hopper. This is the side that houses the magnetic roller contacts. Clean both contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol. See Figures 12 and 13.

    
    Figure 12

    
    Figure 13

11. Remove the magnetic roller. See Figure 14.

    
    Figure 14

12. Remove the doctor blade. See Figure 15. The 1200 doctor blade is almost identical to the AX except it is approximately 1/16 inch longer. A new replacement blade is in development.

    
    Figure 15

13. Once a seal becomes available, it should be placed on top of the silver areas shown in Figure 16. The seal tab fits through the right side of the cartridge (fill plug side). Figure 17 shows both the seal exit slot and the fill plug. Figure 18 is a close up of the seal exit slot. Note that it has a rubber gasket that seals off the opening. This is a unique feature of this cartridge. Be careful not to tear the gasket when installing a seal!

    
    Figure 16

    
    Figure 17

    
    Figure 18

14. Fill through the mag roller opening with 190 grams of 1200 toner. You can fill through the fill hole, but until there is a seal available, you must hold the mag roller assembly in place — a tricky thing to do. See Figure 19.

    
    Figure 19

15. Reassemble the toner hopper section. Install the left side first. Align the keyed magnet into the keyed slot.
16. Fill or patch any holes in the waste chamber with black silicon. If black is not available in your area, clear is fine; just make sure it is the flexible type.

The technical staff of Faroudja Toner can be reached at 650-593-3862, or by visiting www.faroudjatoner.com.  You can also contact them by email by clicking here.