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Power hungtry lazerjet

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
I have a lazerjet printer, and when I turn it on, the first kick in of the motor well actually lower the room voltage to like 100 volts. That triggers my UPS to go on and on several times while the printer is heating up, and lately I've noticed it does not go fast enough then my PC stops responding because it gets a voltage dive. Sort of the same affect as flicking the PSU switch to 240 volts, which basically cuts the DC voltage input in half as it is set to convert from 240 rather then 120.... anyway, long story short, what is a solution to avoid this? Is there any type of device I can plug the printer in so it sucks up less power? A capacitor bank maybe? I was thinking a UPS, and I can unplug it when I start up the printer, but I doubt that ups would last long... Putting the printer in a different room is not optional as it's not a network printer and even if it was, I would not want to start running cable, and I rather not have a wireless network.

Also, I have this old (well actually it's new, but it sucks) UPS that lasts for about 5 seconds no matter what the load is, so it would sort of act like a capacitor, is it safe to plug a UPS into another UPS? I can't see why not, but figured I'd check first, since I can always have two UPSes for my computer to increase the chance of one flipping in time.

Oh and another thing, is there a way to tweak a UPS to flick faster? Like is it a spring or something? I never opened one up, but I know it's mechanical to a certain extent as I hear it when it switches over to battery power.

So any solutions would be apreciated, thanks.
 
Get a new UPS with automatic voltage regulation and power your PC from it. I'd stick with APC brand, something with both a decent VA rating and a decent-sized battery for good runtimes. How about... this one?

It may also help to get a long extension cord and power your laser printer from a different circuit in your home.
 
That would be expensive though, the brand name ones are expensive here. I did get a 600W "Ultra" with VR for cheap but not sure what the quality of it is, and don't want to use it upstairs as it's for the server. I could put the printer downstairs but I don't want to jeapordize the server just in case the ups will not do VR good enough... I'm hoping for some kind of filter/device I can plug the printer itself into, to avoid having to change my power configuration too much. I have a solder and some electrical knowledge, so even if it's something I can wire myself, I'd like to know how. Cheaper(moneywise) the better. (as long as it works and is safe, of course)
 
If you need it to be inexpensive, try getting a long extension cord and power the laser printer from a different part of your house or apartment, maybe having it on a different circuit will do the trick 🙂
 
Wait. Hold up. Your crappy old LJ (I have one too so I appreciate them) is plugged into your UPS along with your computer? Connect it directly to the outlet or to a surge protector connected directly to the outlet. I possible, try an outlet on the other side of the room as they may be on different circuits (doubtful but...).

Update: Whoops... I misread. Why don't you take the shoddy old UPS and plug the LJ into it and connect it directly to the wall. If it dies, who cares?
 
The lj draws too much power to plug it into a UPS, it needs to be plugged right into a wall outlet. And theres nothing you can do that will reduce its power draw. As mech said, run a heavy duty extention cord to another part of the house and use that for the lj. Make sure its heavy duty cord, not a wimpy one. Keep the computer plugged into the ups.

Check the lj lable it should tell you what the watts or amp draw is.
 
Hi, I would suspect the outlet you are plugging the printer into rather than the printer itself. Try another outlet preferably in another room and not one connected on the same circuit as the one you are using now. Luck, Jim
 
By circuit do you mean breaker? Or actual circuit? Since most homes only have two circuits (two 120V phases) that are divided up into breakers, so I suspect it would not solve the issue, but I can try. I *could* try plugging it into that UPS, but I'd probably fry it almost instantly. I want to try and fix it some day, it's not really that old, probably needs a part.
 
Seperate "breakers"...commonly referred to as "circuits" (in the US). Typical circuits are breakered for 120 VAC, 15 or 20 amps. My UPS kicks in every time the compressor in the dehumidifier kicks in.

I had to move my printer to a different room to put it on a different circuit, since it drew enough to cause both my server & workstation to reboot when I turned it on.

Do NOT plug Laser printer into UPS. Get an extension cord.
 
Yeah I knew that, this thing is rated at like 10 amps, it probably hits over 15 when it kicks in. I'd test it by my amp meter has a 10a max so don't want to take that chance. If I put it on a different breaker but same phase, will it still be ok? A breaker is basically a switch, it does not do any kind of voltage filtering or anything so I can't see how it would work, but I'm not an electrical expert so I may be wrong. I could plug it in the hallway, there's a plug there and if I'm lucky it's on the other 120v phase, but I do know it's on a seperate breaker, if that's all it takes.
 
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