2024-11-24 - Fixing a Samsung CLX-6260FW Printer With Error #A1-4112
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UPDATE (2025-05-16): WARNING: Always unplug the printer completely
before opening it in order to avoid injury or death from electric
shocks, or potentially eye damage from looking at the laser. Do not
open it at all if you do not know how to protect yourself against
these dangers.

I was recently tasked with repairing a Samsung CLX-6260FW color
laser printer[0] that always showed the error #A1-4112. Luckily,
the procedure was already explained in [1], but I still wanted to
write a short post on it.

The issue is actually similar to the problem the HP Color LaserJet
2820 had that I fixed a while ago[2]. In both cases, the error was
caused by solenoids malfunctioning. In the case of the HP LaserJet,
the brake solenoid released too late because some damping material
had become sticky. In the Samsung, the issue was also with a brake
solenoid, but it was permanently braking because some damping foam
had been pushed away, causing the brake to be too far away from the
magnet to be pulled back.

Opening the printer to get to the solenoid is actually remarkably
easy. The right side panel[3] has to be removed by removing four
screws, two in the back[4], and two in the front[5]. Note that the
panel on the front has a locking mechanism that has to be pushed down
so the panel can be opened to access the screws[6]. Once the screws are
removed, the panel can just be pushed towards the back and removed[7].

The solenoid can be seen in [8] and is only held on by one screw. It
is convenient to open the cable tie[9] so the solenoid can be moved
more easily when it is unscrewed. The actual problem can be seen in
[10]. A small piece of damping foam has been pushed to the side, so
the brake lever is too far away from the magnet to be pulled back. I
simply removed the foam, cleaned the old glue off the metal part,
stuck the foam on a piece of strong double-sided tape[11], and stuck
it back on[12]. I don't know how it will hold up in the long run,
but the double-sided tape I used should be pretty strong, and it
wouldn't be difficult to repeat the procedure if needed.

While I was at it, I also replaced the RTC battery because the printer
asked for the time and date to be set each time it was powered on
after having been disconnected from electricity. The battery was also
easy to replace because it was a standard CR2032 coin cell[13]. To
replace the battery, it isn't even necessary to remove the entire side,
only the small door in the bottom right corner[3] has to be opened.

I was surprised how easy the whole procedure was, it's not
something I'm used to from most consumer electronics (especially not
printers). Of course, this isn't a regular, cheap consumer printer,
but it still isn't really a proper enterprise printer which I'd expect
to be more repairable.


[0] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/printer.jpg
[1] https://youtube.com/watch?v=Eivc3FAYNMM
[2] gopher://lumidify.org/0/phlog/2024-06-28-printer.txt
[3] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/side.jpg
[4] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/screws_back.jpg
[5] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/screws_front.jpg
[6] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/front_panel.jpg
[7] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/side_open.jpg
[8] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/solenoid.jpg
[9] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/solenoid_cable.jpg
[10] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/solenoid_foam_moved.jpg
[11] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/solenoid_foam_tape.jpg
[12] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/solenoid_fixed.jpg
[13] gopher://lumidify.org/I/phlog/2024-11-24-printer/battery.jpg