HP 5100 Service Manual - Page 89

Developing the image The developing process develops the latent electrostatic image into a visible image on the drum. The developing unit consists of a metallic cylinder that rotates around a fixed magnetic core inside the toner cavity. Toner is a powdery substance made of black plastic resin bound to iron particles, which is uniformly attracted to the magnetic core of the cylinder. The toner particles obtain a negative surface charge by rubbing against the developing cylinder which is connected to a negative dc supply. The negatively charged toner is attached to the discharged (exposed, grounded) areas. An ac potential is applied to the developing cylinder to decrease the attraction between the toner and the magnetic core of the cylinder, and to increase the repelling action of the toner against the areas of the drum not exposed to laser light. This ac potential improves density and contrast. Figure 20. Developing the image The print density control in the control panel menu adjusts the dc bias of the developing cylinder by changing the force of attraction between the toner and drum. A change in the dc bias causes either more or less toner to be attracted to the drum, which in turn either increases or decreases the print density. Both the primary and developer dc bias voltages are changed in response to the density setting. Q1860-90918 Chapter 5 Functional information 87