Moving a two-drum Risograph

Moving a two-drum Risograph
Difficulty	Intermediate
Duration	20 minutes (prep)
For series	MDMEMFMHMV
Tools	Phillips #2 screwdriver Small zip ties (optional) Tape

Two-drum instructions

The steps in this section are for machines with two drums only.

A two-drum machine weighs roughly 370 lbs (168 kg)—this guide goes over some best practices and options for moving one.

Overview

The big challenges to deal with when moving a Risograph are: (1) actually moving it around at all, given how heavy it is, (2) protecting the components that are most likely to get damaged, and (3) securing moving pieces so that they don't bounce around in transit.

There are a few options:

• Standard procedure—the official method involves securing the MMUMaster Making Unit, and then using a series of carrying handles for 4 people to lift the machine. However these handles are quite rare, so most people find alternate ways to carry or move it (including lifting from the base, carts/dollies, etc.). This is the recommended method for people who don't have much technical experience disassembling their machine.
• Partial disassembly—for those with more mechanical expertise, the weight of the Riso can be decreased significantly by removing some of its more modular components. This both makes it easier to carry, but can also fully isolate some of the movable components (like the MMU). This method is much more complicated, and is only for people how are comfortable taking their machine apart and putting it back together again.

Standard procedure

Setup the Risograph

First the machine needs to be put in a state where it can be secured for transport. This is easiest to do while it is on in normal mode (the rest of this process will require keeping the Risograph turned off, so these steps should be done first).

If the machine cannot be turned on, you can manually remove the drums and manually lower the feed tray/elevator.

Lower the feed tray/elevator

Remove all the paper from the feed tray and it should lower on its own.

Move the MMU to the release position and remove the stencil roll

1. Press the green/blue button on the right side of the Risograph (next to the MMU drawer handle—this is the "Master Making Unit release button"), and wait as the MMU moves to the release position.
2. The button will light up when it's in position.
3. Remove the stencil roll as you would normally, then close the TPH assembly with no stencil roll, and push the MMU back into the Risograph. (The machine will likely give you an error message at this point.)
4. Close the MMU drawer and the light in the button should turn off again.

Remove both drums

Use the usual green/blue button between the drums (the "drum release button") to unlock and remove both drums (you should see the Riso push one of the drums out before unlocking both).

Note that if possible drums should only be transported in their cases and not in the Risograph itself—and the Riso should never be carried with drums in it (see moving and shipping drums for more information).

Turn off the Risograph

Turn off and unplug the Risograph—it won't be turned back on until it's fully moved to its new space, and we've prepared it to run again.

It's very important not to turn on the Riso until we release the components secured in the next steps, so write a note on a slip of paper as a reminder and tape it over the power plug on the Riso. At the very end of this process, the last thing we'll do is remove this note, and plug the Riso back in.

Secure the Master Making Unit

Under normal operations, the MMU moves between the two drum positions to make stencils on each drum. It is driven back and forward on a track between the drums and the scanner bed. However, it has no braking system on its own, so it can roll freely when the machine is being transported. Further, it can bounce off of its rails and crush other components in this part of the Risograph. Additionally, the MMU houses the TPHThermal Print Head and the PCBPrinted Circuit Board which manages it—both of which are sensitive to vibrations/jostling, so securing the MMU also helps stabilize those components.

1. Turn off and unplug the Risograph.
2. Remove the "upper right cover" (the one on top of the Risograph, to the right of the scanner table) by taking out 5 screws (2 along the scanner glass, 1 at the back of the Riso, and 2 along the side).
   1. If you have an there may be 1 additional screw within the back compartment in this panel.
   2. MF and MH manuals refer to this as the "scanner cover (paper ejection)."
3. Now you have access to the cavity the MMU resides in—if it is not in the open area, look deeper within the cavity for the plastic handle beneath the stencil roll and use it to pull the MMU towards the opening.
4. Detach the "control panel cover" (the long plastic piece that holds the screen and buttons) by removing 3 screws along the front edge of the scanner glass, close the lid of the scanner, and then wiggle the whole control panel cover towards the front slightly and lift it out carefully. It is still tethered by a pair of purple cables on the left side—you can either unplug these from where they connect to one of the control PCBs or leave them plugged in and balance the "control panel cover" on top of the machine. Then remove the "lower control panel cover" (the gridded plastic piece directly beneath where the "control panel cover" used to be) by taking out 3 larger screws, and then pulling the whole cover towards you to unhook it from the metal frame of the Risograph. This cover can then be set aside.
5. Back at the MMU opening, on the right side of the machine, we need to find the "MMU bracket." This is a long metal bar just to the right of the scanner box—it runs the length of the cavity, and extends about 1 cm over it, with a pair of holes at each end.
   1. If this bracket is missing (sometimes people remove it after transport), see instructions for securing the MMU without the metal bracket below.
6. Roll the MMU on its rails, until the 2 empty screw holes on the top of it, at the front and rear, line up with the screw holes in the bracket. Each hole on the MMU has a little raised bump next to it—together these match with the holes in the bracket.
7. Take 2 of the standard screws that hold the plastic covers on the Risograph that you removed previously and use them to screw the MMU into the bracket at each end (the MMU will raise up slightly as you screw it in).
8. Reassemble the Riso in the reverse order you disassembled it, putting all panels back on, including the control panel (you can plug it back in as well, though you may need to unplug it again at the end of the move). Leave out the middle of the 3 screws along the lower edge of the scanner glass, and the 1 at the top right corner of the scanner glass (these are the 2 holding the MMU to the bracket).

Securing the MMU without the metal bracket

If the MMU bracket is missing, you can zip tie the MMU in place using the same anchor holes.

1. Find the 2 screw holes on the top of the MMU at the front and rear (you may need to roll the MMU around on its rails a little bit to expose them), then look for 2 screw holes cut into the side of the metal plate on the left edge of this opening (these are the mounting holes where the bracket would have been attached).
2. Use small zip ties to link together these pairs of holes, binding the MMU in place. Try to tighten them simultaneously, so that it's not pulled more to the front or the rear.

Afterwards, continue with the steps above, as if you had screwed the MMU in to the bracket.

Secure the feed tray/elevator

The feed tray moves up and down through a rack + pinion gear set on each side of the elevator—these parts are plastic and can be easily damaged if the elevator is bumped, jostled, or too much weight is put on it. During transit, the main risk is either mistakenly carrying it from the elevator area (the Risograph should never be carried by the elevator or the bar beneath the elevator), or the elevator bouncing up and down under its own weight if it becomes detached from the magnet that holds it upright.

1. Unlock the paper feed guides and slide them to the outside, then close the feed tray as you would normally.
2. Tape the feed tray to the grey plastic covers in all 4 corners (your goal is to totally immobilize it).

Secure the remaining panels, doors, and other components

Next we need to tape in place all of the other moving parts of the Riso, namely:

• The scanner cover (you can put a sheet of bubble wrap between it and the glass if you wish, but the foam platen that contacts the glass usually provides enough of a cushion).
• The metal rails the drums sit in (you can run a line of tape across both rails).
• The front door of the Risograph.
• The two master disposal bins (run a line of tape across them to keep them locked in the Riso).
• The TPH assembly (this is the unit that is raised up and then the stencil is fed under when replacing a stencil roll—it can be taped from its handle down to the plastic surface under where the MMU stencil usually goes—try not to tape over the stickers on the TPH assembly, as they may come up with the tape).
• The MMU drawer itself (which is opened when pulling the MMU out of the Risograph).

Lastly fully remove the exit tray by raising it up to a 45° angle and then lifting it straight up (we could also tape it in place when closed, but when stuff bumps into it the tray tends to deform the little metal bar on the MMU drawer that its magnet normally attaches to).