It’s fairly simple in design (see diagram at the end of this post). A motor turns some gears that in turn rotate the shaft the rollers are attached to. In theory the design’s use of force makes the media in the tray inconsequential. No matter what media is being used, from tissue paper to card stock labels, the Autocompensator will deliver it to the imaging part of the printer one page at a time. Also, in theory, the Autocompensator cannot fail. In theory.
From the Lexmark Optra S to the Lexmark T630s the Autocompensator had a spring operated clutch on the roller shaft that only allowed the shaft to turn in one direction. That made it real easy to troubleshoot. The spring clutch, gears, motor, etc. rarely fail. However, the rollers get slick and then can’t move the media from the tray to imaging. Thus, you’d get a paper jam error but no jammed paper could be found. Simple fix: replace the rollers and all is well with the world.
One common problem to avoid is installing the rollers on the wrong side. They’re directional. Look at the sides of the rollers to observe the direction of the arrows. Always make sure they are pointing toward the front of the printer. Continue Reading
