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Hi … from South Australia
Hi Guys,
Fantastic site, and I’m really sorry I hadn’t come across it earlier. Could have saved me heaps of time.
My background is in TV and video repairs, for over 30 years. 20 + of them on my own, working from home. Big problem is that new stuff is so cheap, people mostly buy new and don’t repair much anymore.
I live in Murray Bridge, 80 kms from Adelaide in South Australia … yep, another aussie infiltrator … It’s a rural city of about 16000 people, with about the same number of people again, in nearby towns and farming community.
Two years ago, over a period of 2 weeks, I got so frustrated with doing so many quotes and not getting the repairs, I just spat my dummy and shut the doors. Decided to take a well deserved (and self funded) long service leave.
During my time off, while searching through some online and webcast auctions, I spotted this “thing” that I didn’t recognise. On checking the catalogue, then “googling” it, I discovered it was a HP DesignJet 3500CP wide format printer. Never knew such a thing existed!
I immediately figured it was worth thousands, and dismissed it from mind.
Of course you know what happened next … the auction gets to this device, no bids are made … I jump in and bid … and suddenly I am the proud owner of a DJ 3500CP 54 inch printer … for $77.
Figured I’d get $77 worth of fun out of it, even if it was stuffed.
After a quick trip to Adelaide, I brought it home to find that it had a slash through the trailing cable. An online search soon had me a new one for $117 and a couple weeks later when it arrived, I fitted it.
Of course, then I found it wouldn’t start up again (even though it had run quite a few times already … up to showing the error code)
A three hour stint on the work bench found a crook start-up resistor in the power supply, which had gone high (a 5 cent part!). From then on I was cooking with gas.
In hindsight, I’m assuming the machine had become unreliable at starting up, so the owners had sent it to auction, and to prevent anyone from getting too good a bargain, someone had sabotaged it by slashing through the cable.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it when/if I got it going, but once I did, I figured I could either sell it and make a little profit … or try and find some work for it and make it earn it’s keep.
That’s what led me to this site, after much searching and reading and experimenting etc.
I’ve already learned more from this site in 7 or 8 hours of pouring through the threads, than I had learned in the last 6 months. So a huge thank you to all of you who share your expertise and experiences so freely. I really appreciate it, thank you again.
I’m probably going to be a bit of a nuisance by asking lots of questions, but hopefully I’m a quick learner and will not be too annoying. Maybe eventually I can be of assistance to someone else.
Regards, Roger.
Ps. Since having success fixing this first printer, I’ve bought and repaired a couple of older 36 inch HP DJ 650C’s. At this stage I intend to keep one and sell the other. They are so much cheaper to run, as after market inks are available at really good rates, but obviously dont have the features of the 3500, with it’s size and UV capabilities.
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15 Replies
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welcome to the boards roger 😀
nik
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:welcome: Roger
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welcome Roger 😀 😀
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hello Roger welcome 😀
Lynn
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welcome to the boards mate… 😀
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Welcome Roger.
I cut my printing teeth on the HP 3500cp. Great Machine, and you definitely got a bargain. My background is a computer technician, and I got into this game by taking over a sign business (with my parents and sister) that was going bankrupt. (They couldn’t pay my repair accounts at the time.. or anyone else including their staff for that matter)
I’ve always had a love of graphics.
I’d say you were spot on with the sabotage theory, although I’d hazard a guess it was a liquidation sale, sign shop gone broke sort of thing, and the owner was having a last ‘dig’ at the finance company. Happened a lot in the computer game here in the ’80’s. Got many a bargain at the auctions as a result :lol1:
Welcome again mate. They are a great bunch herem with a few 3500 and ex 3500 users here too.
Cheers
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hello and welcome Roger 😀
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Welcome to the forum Roger 😀 You will have lots of fun with the HP
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Well thanks for the warm welcome Nik, Warren, Harry, Lynn, Rob, Shane, Marcella and Mark.
Thanks Mark, I mostly do enjoy the HP, although it occasionally throws something at me that is totally unexpected, and then I need to lift the hood and do some tinkering, or get on Google and look for answers.
Do you have a HP as well, or have you ever owned one?
Thanks for your input too Shane, I was hoping to communicate with you at some stage as I’ve read quite a few of your posts and realised that you had owned a 3500 as well, along with Bill and a few others … and 7800+ posts … whats with that … do you live on the net? 😀 (and Marcella too, 6275 … that’s alotta posts) 😀
In fact it was a search on the 3500cp + fading prints, that got me to a thread on this forum with some comments from Bill McMurtry and yourself (Shane), and got me dead keen to participate. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I’ve had several nights to bed at around 3am, just from following up various threads here. (puppy-eyes)
I hadn’t thought about the possibility of the printer being a repossession … makes sense.
Thanks again guys (and gals), and I must work out which list to go to and start asking questions.
Regards, Roger
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quote Roger Weichert:Thanks for your input too Shane, I was hoping to communicate with you at some stage as I’ve read quite a few of your posts and realised that you had owned a 3500 as well, along with Bill and a few others … and 7800+ posts … whats with that … do you live on the net? 😀 (and Marcella too, 6275 … that’s alotta posts) 😀
In fact it was a search on the 3500cp + fading prints, that got me to a thread on this forum with some comments from Bill McMurtry and yourself (Shane), and got me dead keen to participate. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I’ve had several nights to bed at around 3am, just from following up various threads here. (puppy-eyes)
I hadn’t thought about the possibility of the printer being a repossession … makes sense.
Regards, Roger
😳 now you are starting to sound like my wife. :lol1: I’m really a shy guy… really…. opinionated maybe… but shy…. honest.
A 3am finish… done that a few times…. especially if you get into a thread that is a hot topic…. thats the problem with our time zones I guess.
The are a great bunch tho mate. Marcella, on a friday night, I suspect after a few drinks, can get upto a bit of mischief too, thats usually the 3am mornings for me :lol1: :lol1:
Bill is more familiar with the 3500 I suspect, its been over 4 years since I’ve sold my printer, but if I can help, I’m more than happy to contribute.
If you can find the dollars to buy gold+ membership, it will give you access to the video demos which will answer a lot of your questions in application techniques and stuff.
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quote :now you are starting to sound like my wife. I’m really a shy guy… really…. opinionated maybe… but shy…. honest.
Whoops … sorry 😳 I’ve had one of them .. and the last thing I want to do is sound like a nag. 😀
quote :Bill is more familiar with the 3500 I suspect, its been over 4 years since I’ve sold my printer, but if I can help, I’m more than happy to contribute.Thanks for the offer. There will be plenty of questions coming, and actually I asked one already over in the General Sign forum.
quote :If you can find the dollars to buy gold+ membership, it will give you access to the video demos which will answer a lot of your questions in application techniques and stuff.Yeah, thanks. I fully intend to sign up and do just that. Still so much to go through in these threads, that I could be searching for months. 😀
Regards, Roger
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quote :Still so much to go through in these threads, that I could be searching for months. 😀
well i dont think it will take you much longer roger….your a dab hand at the multi-quoting in your posts…….. 😀
nik
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welcome roger ….crack open a few stubbies …relax and enjoy the boards 😀
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Hi Brian
Thanks for the welcome. It’s late again … I’ll have a coffee instead thanks. It’s gunna be hard enough to get up in the morning as it is. Maybe beer tomorrow night. . 😀
Hi Nik,
I wasn’t sure how to respond to your comment. I spent a while trying to work out if there is some sort of etiquette thing that I’m not aware of. I know … thick …. Just give me something to fix … then I’ll know what to do. . 😀
Regards, Roger
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Hi Roger, welcome to the boards.
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