Repairing  HP DesignJet , Z3100, Z3200ps, Z Series Printers

HP Z3200 Printer How To's by Mark Lindquist

Repairing Z3200 Printers - Notes on Tools, Materials, and Procedures
How to do basic things with Z3200ps printers 
Mark Lindquist 12/10/2014 - updated --3/06/2018

Z3200 HOW TO'S  DIRECTORY

HOW TO REPAIR HPZ3100 - HPZ3200 Printers Introduction by Mark Lindquist

REPLACING THE CARRIAGE BELT on Z3100 - Z3200 Printers Part 1

REPLACING THE CARRIAGE BELT on Z3100 - Z3200 Printers Part 2

MANUAL PRINTHEAD (PRINT HEAD) CLEANING

HOW TO REPLACE THE POWER SUPPLY UNIT (PSU) FAN IN THE HPZ3200 PRINTER

HOW TO REPLACE THE REAR CARRIAGE BUSHING IN Z-SERIES PRINTERS

HP Z3200 SPECTROPHOTOMETER REPLACEMENT

HOW TO OPEN THE FRONT COVER FOR MAINTENANCE

ADDITIONAL  Z3200 REPAIR NOTES

HP PRINTER ERROR CODES

FORMATTER BOARD AND BATTERY REPLACEMENT

USING THE Z3200 PRINTER

Creating a 1728 Patch Target - Reading and Installing it in Paper Preset Management. (For Mac and Windows)
    
ICC GEN Freeware Software by Ben Lindquist

HOW TO WORK WITH OTHER COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PAPERS - HP Z3200ps Printers

HOW TO ACCESS ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HP Z3200ps PRINTER

Z3100 - Z3200 TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS (HARD TO FIND)

HP Z SERIES SERVICE/REPAIR MANUAL
 
* Warning - very large file - takes a long time to download
 

FORMATTER BOARD AND FORMATTER BOARD BATTERY

IMPORTANT!!! - IF The Z3200 printer is acting funny - won't complete initialization, or does many FSCK's
(File System Checks) on startup, pull the formatter board and change the battery. 
The formatter board has the printer's hard drive and IC board.  It is where the power cord plugs in (as well as LAN cable and USB cable.) It's held in place with two screws - just loosen and pull the board straight up out of its socket.

Best to blow board off with canned air or bulb.  The side opposite the hard drive has the battery which is a Lithium CR2032 available locally at most drugstores.  (Known as a watch or camera battery).

ALWAYS check the battery - best to replace it, if weird things are happening with the printer.

Very often this is a MIRACLE FIX for the Z3200 Series Printer !!!




NOTES on CHANGING FORMATTER AND HARD DRIVE:

DO NOT replace faulty Formatter/Hard Drive Combinations with USED formatters and Hard Disk Drives. Once the formatter is installed, the software residing on the hard drive looks for and incorporates the serial number, model number (ID) and password from the printer and cannot be transferred to another Designjet Z3200 printer. Don't buy USED formatters and hard drives from eBay.  Buy only OEM models and they must correspond to your printer: either Rev .A or Rev B.  Look on the sticker on the back of your printer to find your model number.  It should read Q6791A - meaning Rev A model, or Q6971B-  meaning Rev. B model.



Formatter Board and Hard Drive Replacement Instructions. 

*Note at step 7, the printer throws an error (79:04).  This is standard. Simply turn off the printer from the front panel
(step 8) and turn it back on (step 10).  Printer should then initialize. I leave the firmware that is loaded on the hard drive first and try it.  If it works well, I leave it.  I can always upgrade the firmware, but can't go back without having an archived copy of the firmware to go back to.