20 Most Recent Dell A940 All-In-One InkJet Printer - Page 4 Questions & Answers

i would check ebay for the power cord. just go and type in a940 power cord

Often, older printers do not have drivers for Windows 7. Mostly because the manufacturer decided that this printer is too old to develop new drivers. The only possible solution would be to use Windows Vista drivers. Vista drivers are similar to Windows 7 and have worked for me in the past.

Is it a wired printer or wireless?

here is a link to the dell support site where you can download the drivers, there is also a link to the for manual too,

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&ServiceTag=&SystemID=PRN_ALL_A940&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

Hi

There is ink cartridge head had clog ink and needs to clean up. Just removed the ink cartridge and dip the ink head cartridge to luke warm water for 1-2 minutes. Then wipe it with clean dry cloth and return it to the printer. Then print the nozzle clean to clean the print head. If it prints through nozzle clean. Then it solves you problem.

Check also the ink level if not ink in the cartridge.

Regards

1. Remove the power cord from the unit.
   
2. Lift the lid of the unit, just below the scanner portion of the All-In-One, to expose the inside of the unit where the printer cartridges are located.
   
3. Gently slide the ink cartridge carrier to the middle of the printer.
   

Figure 1: Out-of-position encoder strip

1. Gently move the top part of the printer belt to the right.
   
2. Using your index finger, gently push encoder strip down and then back up to get it back into the slot located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.
   

Note: There is a small slot that the encoder strip fits into, which is located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.

While working with the encoder strip, check it for dust or any unclean spots. If any detected, try to clean the strip by wiping it gently with clean cloth.

1. Gently press the strip first to the rear and then forward to ensure that it is seated correctly.
   
2. Manually move the ink cartridge carrier to the left, then to the right to check the positioning of the encoder strip.
   

Figure 2: Correctly seated encoder strip

Note: If the encoder strip moves at all, it has NOT been repositioned correctly.

1. Once the encoder strip has been re-seated, close the lid to the unit.
   
2. Re-connect the power supply to the All-In-One.
   
3. Press the Power button. If the encoder strip was re-seated correctly, the Hardware Error: 502 code will not appear.
   

Hey Ken, try this link to Dell's site for your correct drivers. Have a good day!

After using your printer for quite some time it might get the habit of stopping in the middle of a page and showing "Hardware Error 0502" on the LCD display. If you leave the printer alone for a while, it might start printing again. Then again, it might not. Pretty annoying.

The Lexmark support site will let you power off, remove the power cord for 30 seconds, take out the cartridges and fiddle with some encoder strip. This whole procedure might take you up to 30 minutes and it will not help (been there, done that).

On the multi function machine seems to be a coating on the metal rod that the cartridges travel on. Just wipe this rod with a kleenex and the problem seems to go away. Somehow it presents a drag on the cartridges and causes an error.

Clean that with a paper towel. The towel will be black from ink residue, but you will be able to print again.

Hi there

Try this software PRINT DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY (just click on blue text). I will helps you fix the errors automatically. Download, unzip and install it to your computer. http://www.out-of-warranty.com/print-diagnostic-utility-for-hp-lexmark-canon-dell-xerox-and-everything-else/

Regards

Get your driver at www.dell.com/support ... select the A940 and get the driver for your OS

After months of use, your printer might get the habit of stopping in the middle of a page and showing "Hardware Error 0502" on the LCD display. If you leave the printer alone for a while, it might start printing again. Then again, it might not. Very annoying.

The Lexmark support site will tell you to power off, remove the power cord for 30 seconds, take out the cartridges and fiddle with some encoder strip. This whole procedure might take you up to 30 minutes and it will not help (been there, done that).

On the multi function machine seems to be a coating on the metal rod that the cartridges travel on. Just wipe this rod with a Kleenex and the problem seems to go away. Somehow it presents a drag on the cartridges and causes an error.

Clean that with a paper towel. The towel will be black from ink residue, but you will be able to print again.

You can get the manual on the link below. If this is not your printer please provide the corect make and model #

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/a940/a940en1.pdf

Re-position the Encoder Strip on your all in one Printer

To re-position the encoder strip, perform the following steps:

1. Remove the power cord from the unit.

2. Lift the lid of the unit, just below the scanner portion of the All-In-One, to expose the inside of the unit where the printer cartridges are located.

3. Gently slide the ink cartridge carrier to the middle of the printer.

4. Gently move the top part of the printer belt to the right.

5. Using an index finger, gently push encoder strip down and then back up to get it back into the slot located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.

NOTE: There is a small slot that the encoder strip fits into, which is going to be located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.

6. Gently press the strip first to the rear and then forward to ensure that it is seated correctly.

7. Manually move the ink cartridge carrier to the left, then to the right to check the positioning of the encoder strip.

8. Once the encoder strip has been re-seated, close the lid to the unit.

9. Re-connect the power supply to the All-In-One.

10. Press the Power button. If the encoder strip was re-seated correctly, the Hardware Error: 502 code will not appear.

See attached pictures, one for an out or place encoder strip, the other for a well placed strip.


Other faults that can bring up this error is a carriage rail that needs cleaning and oiling (so you might want to do that while your inside the thing), and also obstructions to the paper ways. Try removing paper jams, and put the printer upside down to shake loose anything that might jam the mechanism.

Hello, The item causing your printer to display the Hardware error #0502 is called an encoder strip which is a small long plastic strip with black hash marks on it going along the length of the printer just above the print heads. This strip is used by the machine to count from beginning to the end (home) and know where the print heads are located at all times. With out this strip it only knows where the beginning is. You will need to locate this strip is and re-attach it via a clip or hook on both ends. If you take it out it would be a wise move to wash the strip gently with just warm water to clean off any ink that may be on it. Just reattach it making sure the strip goes through the print head properly.
Good Luck! Rich L.

Re-position the Encoder Strip on your all in one Printer

To re-position the encoder strip, perform the following steps:

1. Remove the power cord from the unit.

2. Lift the lid of the unit, just below the scanner portion of the All-In-One, to expose the inside of the unit where the printer cartridges are located.

3. Gently slide the ink cartridge carrier to the middle of the printer.

4. Gently move the top part of the printer belt to the right.

5. Using an index finger, gently push encoder strip down and then back up to get it back into the slot located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.

NOTE: There is a small slot that the encoder strip fits into, which is going to be located on the back of the ink cartridge carrier.

6. Gently press the strip first to the rear and then forward to ensure that it is seated correctly.

7. Manually move the ink cartridge carrier to the left, then to the right to check the positioning of the encoder strip.

8. Once the encoder strip has been re-seated, close the lid to the unit.

9. Re-connect the power supply to the All-In-One.

10. Press the Power button. If the encoder strip was re-seated correctly, the Hardware Error: 502 code will not appear.

See attached pictures, one for an out or place encoder strip, the other for a well placed strip.

Other faults that can bring up this error is a carriage rail that needs cleaning and oiling (so you might want to do that while your inside the thing), and also obstructions to the paper ways. Try removing paper jams, and put the printer upside down to shake loose anything that might jam the mechanism.

After months of use, your printer might get the habit of stopping in the middle of a page and showing "Hardware Error 0502" on the LCD display. If you leave the printer alone for a while, it might start printing again. Then again, it might not. Pretty annoying.

The Lexmark support site will let you power off, remove the power cord for 30 seconds, take out the cartridges and fiddle with some encoder strip. This whole procedure might take you up to 30 minutes and it will not help (been there, done that).

On the multi function machine seems to be a coating on the metal rod that the cartridges travel on. Just wipe this rod with a kleenex and the problem seems to go away. Somehow it presents a drag on the cartridges and causes an error.

Clean that with a paper towel. The towel will be black from ink residue, but you will be able to print again.

most likely the black cartridge is either empty or dried up and its printing from the color cartridge within the printer, by the sounds of it the color one is also on its way out.

i would use any options the printer provides to clean the cartridges to see if this fixes it, if its been sitting for a long time not used i would also consider replacing the cartridges as there probably no good any more.

Please use this link to fix -

DELL fix for 0502 error code

as DELL have provided detailed instructions on how to fix this one.

Try this site for a driver for your printer:- support.dell.com/support/topics/global.../document?... - United States

Error message 50C in the Dell A940 All-in-one means that the ink cartridge(s) are seated improperly.
Here are basic steps to try that should resolve the issue:
1. Reseat the Ink Cartridges.
2. Unplug the printer from the back, clean the contacts and the put back the connection.
3. Verify whether the Ink Cartridges are DELL Branded.
4. Try Cartridges Individually.