Refilling a No Fill Hole, Lockout Chip Controlled Toner Cartridge

Of all the laser printer toner cartridges available in the market, the HP Q2612A is probably one of the most cumbersome to refill. For one, the cartridge does not come with a built in fill-hole; which was obviously intended to discourage refills. Moreover, the cartridge operates with a lockout chip that limits printouts to the yield rated for the cartridge. Third party manufacturers however have developed a refill tool which makes access to the toner hopper and waste chamber possible. From the aftermarket, a reset chip was engineered purposely to override the lockout chip and allow printing with the refilled cartridge. Many call the invention of third party consumables such as the HP 1010 / 1012 / 1020 toner refill kit ingenious; but it makes much sense in the intent of helping laser printer users cope up with rapidly bloating business printing expenditures.

Access to the concealed toner hopper becomes feasible with the refill tool – an improved version of the soldering iron where the conical tip is replaced with a copper tube measuring 18mm to 20mm in diameter. When plugged to an electrical outlet, the copper cylinder tip gets sufficiently heated (in a span of 5 to 10 minutes) to be able melt a hole into the plastic carcass of the toner cartridge. Note that a regular drilling tool should not be used to perform this procedure. Plastic shavings that would likely collect inside the hopper cannot be retrieved entirely and can damage sensitive imaging components. This would then reduce the effective life cycle of the cartridge.

In the process of refilling the Q2612A toner cartridge, the user will be required to create two holes – one each for the toner hopper (where toner supply is contained) and toner waste chamber. It is necessary to empty toner residues lingering inside the toner hopper and waste chamber as failure to do just that will ultimately result in print defects. If possible, use the device called the toner vacuum to completely rid the chambers of toner residues. Likewise note that mixing fresh toner with waste toner will have an unfavorable impact on print quality and yield. Learn more about the refill tool from our previous post.

Of course, the refill process will not be complete without the replacement of the lockout chip with the reset chip. The reset chip will refresh the cartridge's counter and override the Toner Out prompt so that printing can commence with the cartridge refilled with a compatible toner refill kit. Learn more about the reset chip from another previous post.

What you need to know about Toner Refill Kits and Remanufactured Cartridges?

Are you a first time toner refill kit user? If yes, then most likely you’ve come across terms that may have piqued your interest for the time being. And so to help expedite your understanding of the nitty-gritty of cartridge remanufacturing and toner replenishment, find below a discussion of a few terminologies that is relevant to the business and use of refill toners and toner cartridge remanufacturing.


Melt and Pour versus Unplug and Pour.
In the world of cartridge remanufacturing, cartridge units are categorized into 2 types: the Drill and Fill type (Now regarded as the Melt and Pour method) while the other one is called the Unplug and Pour type.

The melt and pour system is an earlier refill method that requires users to melt a hole into the cartridge’s casing to create a fill hole. This created fill hole becomes the transfer point for toner powder to the cartridge’s toner chamber and is sealed with electrical tape. HP Canon and Lexmark brand toner cartridges are refilled in this manner. Meanwhile, the Unplug and Pour method of refill is applicable to particular OEM cartridge models such as Brother and Samsung, where users are required to remove screws attached to the casing so that the plug concealing the toner bin is revealed.

Prior to the purchase of a toner refill kit, determine what type of refill method is appropriate for the cartridge you intend to reuse for another cycle of printing. HP 2600 toner cartridges do not come with a plug hole. Thus, you will need an electronic toner refill tool to replenish its toner supply.


Matte Finish versus Glossy Finish.
Are you printing photographs or office documents? Depending on the print job required, toner refill kits are also engineered to meet pertinent output specifications. In the print out of images and graphics, a touch of gloss would definitely produce vibrant images with a shiny finish. Thus, getting a glossy finish toner refill kit for your cartridge will serve that purpose. In case print jobs are limited to the print out of text documents, a matte finish refill kit will suffice. Photographic images would appear grainy and lackluster when a matte-finish refill kit is used. So prior to purchase, check out the nature of the print job.


Standard Yield versus High Yield.
The gram weight of the toner supplied would determine the yield (in number of pages) for a particular bottle of toner. Nonetheless, any user should know that cartridges coming from the same model and of the same laser printer brand use the same plastic casing. Thus, a standard yield cartridge can be converted into a high yield cartridge by simply purchasing a high yield toner refill kit.

How to refill HP 2600 color cartridges?

The color cartridges of the HP Laserjet 2600 series of laser printers are refilled through the melt and pour method just like most OEM toner cartridges. But what’s unique about HP cartridges is that it does not come with a fill hole/fill plug component that allows the easy transfer of fresh toner powder into the toner supply chamber. Moreover, a waste chamber – where used toner is collected, forms part of its design; to thus add a step or two into the refill process.

Well, that shouldn’t discourage you from reloading an empty HP cartridge. Just prepare the necessary materials and tools; follow instructions to the tee and you can never go wrong!

Materials and Tools:

• Empty HP Q6000A, Q6001A, Q6002A or Q6003A
• HP 2600 Toner Refill Kit 4 Pack (Includes 4 color bottles of fresh toner powder, 4 funnel caps, 4 pairs of latex gloves, toner wipes and instructional manual)

• Replacement / Reset Chip (Should be supplied with the kit)
• Refill Tool
• Electrical Tape
• X-Acto knife
• Toner Vacuum (optional)
• Trash Bin

Procedure:

Cleaning the Waste Chamber

1. Pull out the refill tool and plug into an outlet. Allow it to heat up for 1 to 3 minutes.
2. Once heated up, gently push the refill tool’s tip over a specific section of the cartridge (see manual) to create an opening for the waste chamber. Be sure to remove the circular plastic piece carved out by the tool if it should fall into the bin.
3. Turn the cartridge upside down over a trash can to empty toner residues filling the waste bin. Apply suction using a toner vacuum (optional).
   
4. Seal the hole with electrical tape thereafter.

Cleaning the Toner Supply Chamber

1. Melt a second hole on another section of the cartridge (see manual) using the refill tool to create an opening for the toner supply chamber.
2. Perform the same set of cleaning instructions intended for the waste chamber but do not seal the fill hole just yet.

Replenishing Toner Supply

1. Pull out from the kit the bottle of replacement toner that corresponds to the color cartridge being refilled.
2. Shake the bottle gently to loosen toner powder
3. Attach the funnel cap to the mouth of the bottle and position the cap’s end into the fill hole.
4. Carefully pour toner from the bottle to the fill hole to replenish the cartridge’s toner supply.
5. Seal the hole with an electrical tape thereafter. Do not attempt to cover the hole with a fill plug as the plug will block a rotating blade from the inside of the cartridge.

Replacing the Reset Chip

The cartridge’s reset chip needs to be replaced to reset the print counter and get rid of the low toner message. Being a lockout chip, the printer will keep reading the refilled cartridge as empty and you won’t be able to proceed with print jobs.

1. Locate the reset chip. This is found on the rear of the supply chamber.
2. Carefully cut the plastic tabs holding the chip with the use of an X-Acto knife.
3. Insert the knife blade beneath the chip’s base and slide it upward away from its housing.
4. Pull out the replacement chip from the kit and insert it into the housing with the (gold plated) contact side of the chip facing out.
5. Gently shake the cartridge from side to side to distribute the toner evenly and load the cartridge back into the printer to conduct test prints.
   

HP Toner Cartridges: Difficult to Remanufacture but Easy to Refill

HP toner cartridges can be thought of as remanufacturing – averse. Now what makes me say this stems from the intricate design of its cartridge units! For one, the absence of a fill hole in its design prevents the conduct of convenient toner refills – unlike Brother and Samsung toner cartridges. On the other hand, a waste chamber is incorporated into the HP cartridge unit. While hard to tinker given its small size, the waste chamber is tightly glued with other cartridge parts such as the drum, blades and wipers. This way, the user needs to break apart the cartridge to remanufacture it. Moreover, the waste chamber requires cleaning prior to toner supply replenishment which adds a step or two into the refill process.

Difficult to Remanufacture
Given the design of HP cartridges such as the Q6000A, Q6001A, Q6002A and Q6003A of the HP Laserjet 2600 series; remanufacturing it can be quite of a challenge as remanufacturers need to handle pertinent parts carefully when cleaning or replacing the OPC drum and blade, as well as in its reassembly to the waste chamber in order to prevent print quality defects and waste toner overflow. Good thing an entire replacement waste chamber set is now available. But then again, the remanufacture of HP cartridges is best left in the hands of cartridge remanufacturers.

Easy to Refill
Performing cartridge refills however is something any regular laser printer user can undertake to save on laser printing costs. The color cartridges of the HP 2600 laser printer can easily be loaded with fresh toner supply by melting holes on pertinent cartridge sections to expose the toner supply chamber and waste chamber and after conducting a few maintenance procedures. The user only needs to secure an HP 2600 toner refill kit, a refill tool and electrical tape to perform do-it-yourself refills.

The refill process includes the (1) clean up of the waste and toner supply chambers (2) refill of the supply chamber and (3) Replacement of Reset Chip. All these will be explained in detail in a succeeding post.

What's Inside a Toner Refill Kit?

Manufacturers of toner refill kits put a premium on convenience and that is the reason why the refill procedure is so easy to follow through. Just like the order of champagne in hotels, the bottle comes packed in ice and glasses for expediency. This is the concept behind the design of toner refill kits - to provide users a hassle-free conduct of the refill process. As such, the user not only gets supplied with a bottle of replacement toner powder, but also all the other tools necessary for a successful refill.

Let us look into the materials and tools that are typically bundled with the toner refill kit:

Compatible Toner. The bottle of compatible toner is the most important part of the kit since the supplied fresh powder will replace the depleted toner supply of the cartridge. Compatible toner is made of high-grade carbon and polymer components that is 100% compatible with the cartridge subject for refill.

Funnel Cap. The kit also comes with a funnel cap. Said device is attached to the toner bottle rim to assist the user in the transfer of toner powder to the hopper and avoid toner spills in the course of the refill.

Latex Gloves. Since contact with the toner powder could not be avoided, a pair of latex gloves is an integral part of the kit. The wear of said gloves during refill helps prevent the onset of stains and blemishes over the hands.

Lint-free Toner Wipes. The item is used to clear toner residues lingering over cartridge surfaces which is typical during the course of the refill.

Instructional Manual. Of course, the user can't proceed with the refill without an instructional material that would outline the step by step refill process. The procedures come illustrated with photos which only simplifies comprehension of the set procedures.


Other tools, though not bundled with the toner refill kit, may be required such as:

Reset Chip. Toner cartridges such as the HP Q6000A are outfitted with a lockout chip that prevents the cartridge from performing print jobs after the printout of a particular number of pages. As such, the lockout chip needs to be replaced with a third party reset chip which is either supplied with the kit or sold separately.

Refill Tool. While other cartridges are designed with fill plugs to conceal the toner hopper's fill hole, toner cartridges such as those of HP do not have fill holes to begin with. Thus, the need to create a hole on the casing, leading to the toner hopper becomes necessary. The refill tool comes in handy to this end and allows the user to melt holes over the toner hopper and the waste chamber as well.

Get your toner refill kits and refill accessories from legitimate vendors such as Laser Tek Services, Inc. Expect our toner products to be 100% compatible with the cartridge you intend to refill.

Why replace the reset chip of a toner cartridge?

How laser printers monitor toner supply?
Ever wondered how a laser printer unit is able to detect the toner supply levels of a toner cartridge? There is a small electronic device on the cartridge that is attached at the rear end of the toner hopper called the reset chip. The chip resets the cartridge’s page counter that reckons the number of printouts for a particular cartridge.

Say for the Q6000A toner cartridge of the HP 2600 laser printer series – rated 2500 pages at 5% page coverage, the reset chip functions like a memory device that records the number of printouts churned out by the printer (using the same cartridge). This way, the laser printer is able to monitor toner supply levels and consequently prompt the user once supply has reached low levels. And since the reset chip is identified as a lockout chip, the printer will refuse to conduct more printing –following the printout of the 2500th page as the cartridge is now recognized to be empty.

How to override the Lockout Chip?
Reset chips however pose some limitations to users intending to refill empty toner cartridges or optimize the gram weight of toner supplied with the OEM cartridge. Around 1/4 of toner supplied with the retail cartridge is retained in the hopper after the Toner Out message has been prompted. At that rate, the cartridge can still produce a few hundred pages – if only the reset chip can be manipulated!

The reset chip is installed at the rear side of the toner hopper of the HP Q6000A cartridge

Well, that is possible! The user will only have to tinker with the cartridge a bit and replace the old chip with a new reset chip that is compatible with the Q6000A toner cartridge.

Third party manufacturers have developed reset chips intended for different cartridges and these can be ordered through online vendors of compatible toner products.

How to Install the Reset Chip?
For those intending to use toner refill kits, getting a new reset chip is also necessary. It’s either the laser printer won’t print at all following the refill or the user ends up continually bugged by error messages in the course of printing.

Replacing the HP 2600 reset chip is not difficult at all. It only takes locating the reset chip, on the cartridge; carefully plucking it out of its slot and installing the replacement chip thereafter. Refer to this site for a step by step procedure.

Laser Tek Services conveniently bundles the reset chip with its individual HP 2600 refill kits and the HP 2600 toner refill kit 4 pack. So for only $73.95 you get 4 bottles of fresh C, M, Y, K toner powder, refill tools and 4 reset chips. Add a refill tool to that purchase and now you’re all set to replenish the toner supply of the 4 cartridges loaded with the HP 2600 laser printer.