my printer has jammed and I need a service manual to see where an unconnected end of a 3mm wide transparent strip needs to be connected to. It seems to go from the left to somewhere behind the print head.

or does anyone know what HP's internal reference number is for the 8710?

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 2:31:37 PM UTC-4, Amanda Riphnykhazova wrote:
> my printer has jammed and I need a service manual to see where an unconnected end of a 3mm wide transparent strip needs to be connected to. It seems to go from the left to somewhere behind the print head.

Sorry, to explain, it is called a timing strip and the right end that has come out can be sorta seen at 7.26 on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOQ1qKCyz5o

I assume installation can be seen in the service manual?

On Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:46:22 -0700 (PDT), Amanda Riphnykhazova
<licensedtoquill@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 2:31:37?PM UTC-4, Amanda Riphnykhazova wrote:
>> my printer has jammed and I need a service manual to see where an unconnected end of a 3mm wide transparent strip needs to be connected to. It seems to go from the left to somewhere behind the print head.
>
>Sorry, to explain, it is called a timing strip and the right end that has come out can be sorta seen at 7.26 on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOQ1qKCyz5o
>
>I assume installation can be seen in the service manual?

If there's no physical detail on the detached end, to register with
hook or pinch detail, it may be broken - check for missing piece
remaining in the area. Unusual for this to break. Sometimes needs
cleaning . . .

RL

You are absolutely right: The strip ends in two rounded forks. They were obviously joined at the end. Looking at the new one, there was originally a lengthened hole at the end to hook (a spring) onto. The bit of transparent end piece that went across the two forks is still in there somewhere.

Now I have to determine whether to order a new strip for ten bucks. This is a machine that was just given to me, presumably because it didn't work, what with a broken encoding strip in there! It looks easy to install but very difficult to get to.

This unit has a dreadful reputation for reliability and for giving endless stupid error messages instead of working properly. And HP's tech support (or lack thereof) shows me that the manufacturer won't stand behind his product. Does anyone think doing all this work to get this thing working is worth the bother? Am I setting myself up for a lifetime of endless stupid error messages? To add insult to injury, I was given this while throwing away a hitherto reliable Canon MX860: which that manufacturer WOULD stand behind and which always worked properly until it started to give out B200 ("This unit has died") error messages

On 10/11/2023 9:31 AM, Amanda Riphnykhazova wrote:
> You are absolutely right: The strip ends in two rounded forks. They were obviously joined at the end. Looking at the new one, there was originally a lengthened hole at the end to hook (a spring) onto. The bit of transparent end piece that went across the two forks is still in there somewhere.
>
> Now I have to determine whether to order a new strip for ten bucks. This is a machine that was just given to me, presumably because it didn't work, what with a broken encoding strip in there! It looks easy to install but very difficult to get to.
>
> This unit has a dreadful reputation for reliability and for giving endless stupid error messages instead of working properly. And HP's tech support (or lack thereof) shows me that the manufacturer won't stand behind his product. Does anyone think doing all this work to get this thing working is worth the bother? Am I setting myself up for a lifetime of endless stupid error messages? To add insult to injury, I was given this while throwing away a hitherto reliable Canon MX860: which that manufacturer WOULD stand behind and which always worked properly until it started to give out B200 ("This unit has died") error messages

There are lots of older printers offered free when people update windows
and cannot get it to work on the printer. So if you are using windows 8
or earlier, or are good at messing with OS problems, you should be able
to find a working printer. I currently have 2 HP all-in-ones, a B&W
(M1212NF) and a color one (MFP M177fw) on my network, and a Brother
all-in-one as a backup. Both work with my wife's Windows 10 computer
after some fiddling.

Freecycle has been my source for most, but Craigslist also has them in
their "Free" category often.

I haven't paid for "ink" for printing in years, but use them infrequently.

> There are lots of older printers offered free when people update windows
> and cannot get it to work on the printer. So if you are using windows 8
> or earlier, or are good at messing with OS problems, you should be able
> to find a working printer. I currently have 2 HP all-in-ones, a B&W
> (M1212NF) and a color one (MFP M177fw) on my network, and a Brother
> all-in-one as a backup. Both work with my wife's Windows 10 computer
> after some fiddling.

I agree with you. I had 2 Pixma MX922 all in ones which I had to junk when they died, an MX960 which I had to junk when it died, and a somewhat longer-lasting older MX 860 which I decided had in fact died when it started giving the non-specific B200 error message. Canon printers were amazing but they do seem to have had a sort of planned obsolescence about them.

But the question is: Is the 8710 worth saving? I agree there are lots of all-in-ones out there and at the moment I dont actually have a scanner or a copier.

But is there a problem with this unit taking pigmented ink? Why are there so few places where after-market ink can be bought at reasonable cost?

Like you, I dont print very often and I also have an HP 1525nw for when I need inexpensive printing so I'd like to know, - how reliable are all the lousy reviews and should I go to all the bother of pulling this thing apart if it promises to give endless error messages when laboriously put together again ?