HP Designjet 500 & 800 repair parts

The HP Designjet 500 and 800 series plotters share most mechanical parts and some electronic parts in common.  The plotters are relatively easy to repair compared to earlier plotters and some people are choosing self-service as an option.

These are excellent plotters for the price.  They work day after day with minimal care.  Some common problems and parts that wear are the carriage belt (24" plotter belt, 42" plotter belt), trailing cable (24" plotter cable, 42" plotter cable, causing intermittant errors when they start to break down internally), ink tube system (24" plotter, 42" plotter) and dirty drop detectors in the service station.  The print heads can be troublesome if the plotter is not used regularly.  Print heads tend to dry up and clog after a few days of inactivity.  Oddly, the more print heads are used, the more reliable they are. 

From a maintenance stand point, these are good machines to work on.  The covers come off easily and they are designed in a modular fashion so as to facilitate easy repairs.  Many owners and IT personnel are now maintaining their own Designjets with great success and savings. 

The service manual can be downloaded here. The manual has all the error codes, parts list and replacement procedures.  LPS provides the parts and free technical support if needed.