The same thing that causes printers to break so often makes them worthwhile to take apart: complex mechanisms with moving parts.

I scored 3 printers at a dump recently and decided to record their yield.

Cracking them open can be dangerous given all the ink.

Engineers at HP and Brother still have not figured out a system for controlling the application of an inkjet that avoids a gantry of motors and pulleys. These are the most valuable bits, in my opinion. DC motors are always fun, and the gantry system often has a couple of nice stainless steel shafts.

THE YIELDS:

HP Officejet 6958:

• Screws (Hex): 76
• Big shafts: 4
• Small shafts: 3
• Motors: 4
• Compression Springs: 10
• Tension Springs: 9
• Torsion Springs: 6
• Sensors: 6 (+2 on motors)
• Glass Plates: 2

Brother Work Smart Series Model Mfc – J995DW

• Screws (Philips): 70
• Big shafts: 5
• Small shafts: 9
• Motors: 4
• Compression Springs: 29
• Tension Springs: 0
• Torsion Springs: 5
• Sensors: 4 (+2 micro switches)
• Glass Plates: 1

HP Photosmart C4480:

• Screws (Hex): 35
• Big shafts: 4
• Small shafts: 4
• Motors: 3
• Compression Springs: 7
• Tension Springs: 4
• Torsion Springs: 1
• Sensors: 5 (+1 on motor)
• Glass Plates: 1

IN TOTAL:

• Screws : 181
• Big shafts: 13
• Small shafts: 16
• Motors: 11
• Compression Springs: 46
• Tension Springs: 13
• Torsion Springs: 12
• Sensors: 18 (+2 micro switches)
• Glass Plates: 4

That’s just the stuff I thought was worth saving/recording.

I also saved the power supplies.

Of special note is the optical sensors that these devices use to record the positions of motors/gantries. I’ll probably do a follow-up post about how these work [out now!], but they accompany a ribbon or disc that has a series of opaque and translucent portions. I think these could also come in useful, aside from just being a cool device to explore.

Well, I had fun reducing these carefully engineered, optimized for economy rather than operation, machines down to a few useful components.

(Now I’m gonna put those components, some ink, and hunks of plastic in a box, shake it around for a while, and witness the birth of a whole new printer. Life is miraculous…)