KeepItPrinting.com

[Ryzer]

Bear with me, I'm only trained on the 3000 and been working on them for last 7 years. A 6000 model has now become my responsibility. Main thing I am wondering is.....is there also a Type A, Type B developer unit for the 6000? And....our dealership has to jump through the Konica hoop , and the parts department with Konica has already told me there is no rebuild kit for the KIP 6000, or is just a matter of piecing together all the parts you need to refurb it? Thx for any help you guys can give

[tjohnson]

The parts manual shows a developer type B option for the 6000, I'm not sure if that is a kit to upgrade it to the B type of if the entire assembly has to be changed to a new type, I'm not sure, that is before my time with KIP, but the problem you are going to have is that machine is no longer supported by KIP, therefore you'll have a hard time finding any parts for it, and there is no software support. Its a shame that you now have one obsolete machine of that model you have to take care of.

[Ryzer]

Ya, parts have definitely been tough to find, and insanely expensive. Been spending a lot of time on Google. Curious what some of your opinions are on a dealer renewing the maintenance agreement on a 6000 with 950,000 sq ft.?

[tjohnson]

I only had one in my service territory and we did not renew the maintenance contract. We made the mistake of renewing the A version 3000 contracts even though KIP recommended not to do that, and since then we've had 3 controllers fail and you can't get them. The B version 3000 uses a different interface card so they are not compatible. Since the 6000 is even older, no way would I put one on a contract.

[Ryzer]

Ya, pretty much what I was thinking, lucky me

[Ryzer]

Wondering if the Upgrade Kit for the 6000 developing unit is a complete assy? I understand there are some voltage changes and some rewiring involved.....but the unit itself is a complete unit, rollers and all?

[tjohnson]

Hopefully someone else can chime in on this since that was way before my time working with Kips. What I do know is KIP usually comes out with a kit like that is only available for a certain amount of time, and since that machine is non supported, there is no way you'd find one of those kits, rather it included an entire developer unit or just the rollers to rebuild it.

[dlee]

The KIP6000 comes with a sponge type supply roller. I believe it was after the KIP5000 came out that this developer upgrade kit was made available for the KIP6000. The KIP5000 has the brush-type supply roller. This upgrade kit included a brand new developer assembly, startup toner, wire leads, firmware CD and installation instructions. The KIP Technical Bulletin number is TB-K96-016, if you have access to that. If you don't have access, then here it is:

KIP Technical Bulletin
Bulletin Number TB-K96-016
TO: ALL TECHNICAL PERSONNEL
MODEL: KIP 6000
RE: Developer Upgrade Program
DATE: December 1, 2006
Current field placements of the KIP Starprint 6000 may be upgrade to include a similar
development system found in the recently introduced KIP 5000. This system utilizes a
brush type supply roller in the development process along with bias modifications.
This upgrade is estimated to decrease the labor times an estimated 25% over the
current KIP 6000 developer’s preventative maintenance parts replacement times over
the life of the printer.
All current field placements of the KIP 6000 may be upgraded to this new type
development system.
Kit Part Number 9608090231 KIP 6000 Developer Upgrade Kit
Kit Contents Developer Assembly, startup toner, wire leads,
firmware CD & installation instructions
Kit List Price $2995.00
If you so choose to upgrade a KIP 6000, a one time upgrade rebate of $700.00 may
apply to the list price of the kit. To apply for the rebate, the serial number of the KIP
6000 printer to be upgraded must be supplied with the order for the Kit. There will only
be one rebate for each serial number. Please note that the Authorized KIP Dealer parts
discount is applied after the rebated price.
Example $ 2995.00 - $700.00 = $2295.00
$ 2295.00 - dealer discount = dealer price
Please note that all kits are FOB Novi. All prices are in US$.
Once a printer is upgraded, the following item becomes the PM part for the developer
unit, as in the KIP 5000.
Part Name Part Number Quantity List Price Estimated
Life Sq. Ft
DEVELOPER KIT Z090980050 1 $695.00* 200,000
Notes:
a) KIP 6000 toner should continue to be used in the KIP 6000 with the upgraded
development system.
b) KIP suggests that an upgrade per preformed only when the development
assembly (sponge type supply roller) requires maintenance.
c) A label will be placed on the brush type assembly for ease in recognition by the
technician, after installation. This will advise the version of PM Kit needed.
d) The upgrade and the rebate program for the KIP 6000 developer expires
December 31, 2007. All order must be received prior to this date, to be
eligible for this program.
e) The developer bias values for the brush type system are as follows.
The procedure to adjust the bias settings are included in the upgrade kit
Regards,
Tech Support

[dlee]

In my opinion, if your KIP6000 is running good, I would not bother with the upgrade kit (if it's even still available). I had a couple of KIP2000s and my last KIP6000 in the field up to last year and I never had a problem with getting parts from KIP, even though these printers were discontinued ages ago. Rebuilding the dev. unit in the 6000 is not much different than the 3000, or any dev. unit for that matter. What I used to do was buy a new supply roller kit from KIP for about $130 and clean the dev. roller with INX and the dev. unit printed like new.

[mark in vegas]

Ryzer, If the printer is T&M the problem will eventually take care of itself. If someone in your organization was foolish enough to put this 6k on contract then they are the one with the problem, not you. You can only do so much as a technician.
_________________
Regards,
Mark
RVN 68-69
It's so nice to be insane
No one asks you to explain

[Ryzer]

Yes, my company was foolish enough to renew the contract on this 6000, for one more year they say. It's actually at an account an hour away, where we have another technician who previously serviced it, and luckily the differences between he and the customer have been worked out and he is back as the full time tech on that machine.....thank god, and lucky me, haha. I rebuilt the fuser, re-pressurized the dev. unit, replaced the charge wire and grid and earth plate, and replaced the transfer sep unit, and drum and print quality is back to new, so I am washing my hands of this one and sticking with my 3000's

Appreciate all the feedback