I tried to fix a Brother laser printer recently. It would turn on, begin the starting motions, but then not get past a “ready” button. I searched videos, guides and all sorts of information online. After doing several hours of testing, I found that the problem was related to the communication of the device with the computer. It started just fine, went through the loading mechanisms, but when you sent data to the printer, it faltered.

Typically, there are problems you can fix-a broken gear, a broken wire, etc. And then there’s some you can’t- a fried chip, resistor, transistor on a board, (easily or WORTH the effort) etc, requiring a whole part replacement. In this case, after figuring out that it’s the communication method, something probably went wrong with a bus chip or the main board. In normal electronics, you’d just order the part and replace it. But since this is only about $100 bucks, sometimes you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. In lean times, it might be worth it. If it has sentimental value or it’s expensive, then it’s worth it. Otherwise you might as well buy a whole new printer with updated technology. It’s the way of the world.

SIGHHHHHHHHH…….