Printer crashes G5

[tommaso]

My Lexmark E320 printer works well enough with 10.3.7, but, unlike with the G4 I just upgraded from, whenever I start it up or it wakes up to do a print job, my G5 just shuts down. Is this a problem with the driver? This happens even when the printer is plugged into a distant outlet (same circuit, probably). Needless to say, it's VERY annoying (and destructive). :confused:
Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?
thanks,
tommaso

Beige G3 266Mhz 10.3.3
iBook G4 966MHz 10.3.7
Power Mac G5 DP 1.8GHz 10.3.7

[Las_Vegas]

There is no reason at all that your G5 should shutdown when a print job is started. This very much looks like it could be a product defect (faulty power supply). Please try creating another account and try from there. If it continues, contact Applecare for service.

[tommaso]

Yes, same behavior with a new user, Las_Vegas.
Thanks for the input.
tommaso

[voldenuit]

I would try three things:

1
connect the printer to the same power outlet as the G5 to exclude ground differential problems. Your electrical installation is known good ?

2
connect the printer via a USB hub.

3
connect the printer to another computer.

That should provide you with sufficient information to figure out what is going wrong here.

[tommaso]

Hello, Voldenuit, and thanks for the response.
I have tried 1), with no change in behavior. I presume my electrical installation is good, but am not qualified to make that determination.
2) I do not have a hub, and for reasons I shall make clear do not plan to get one.
3) I have used the printer on my PC with no problems.
The reason I am not going to get a hub is that I ordered a new printer last night. I don't want to chance destroying my new G5. I have been using this (old) printer for a couple of years, sharing it between the PC and my old G4. Occasionally, it would cause a "flicker" in the power to my G4, but never actually shut it down. I surmise that the electrical circuitry of Macs is more susceptible than that of PCs to fluctuations in power demands. My main question right now: My G5 is plugged into a UPS, but not a separate surge protector; should this be enough protection? Incidentally, the printer was plugged into a surge protector, but I wouldn't think that that would have anything to do with protecting the computer upon printer startup.
tommaso

[cwtnospam]

Do you have a UPS? You may want to have your electrical service checked. Macs in general aren't more susceptible to power fluctuations, but the G5 uses more power, so that would would explain it being affected.

[tommaso]

Hi, cwtnospam,
Yes, see the previous message; a UPS, but no surge protector. Should that make a difference?
tommaso

[cwtnospam]

Yes, it should help! On the other hand, my G5 was shutting down randomly even though I had a UPS. It was a small one I had used on my old Cube. I bought a new, more powerful model and haven't had the problem since.

[tommaso]

And this begs another question: if I do use a surge protector, should it go before the UPS or after?
Thanks again,
tommaso

[Las_Vegas]

It should go before the UPS to protect both. There are various types of UPS's. Some supply power continuously through the internal inverter and others switch (in microseconds) when power is lost. The first type would never pass a surge to the computer and both would be susceptible to damage by surges.

While the vast majority of UPS's have built-in surge suppression, the MOV's (Metal Oxide Varistors) used for surge protection only have a life span of about 5 years or less (depending on environmental conditions). Always replace surge suppressors at least every 5 years. For the most safety, I recommend replacing the battery in a UPS every 5 years as well.

[tommaso]

A surge protector in front of the UPS did the trick.
Thanks, everybody!

[tommaso]

Post script:
The surge protector must be old or bad, because my latest attempt to start up the printer once again crashed the G5. I think it's because my prior attempts which did NOT crash it were when the printer was off but not cold...
BTTDB

[cwtnospam]

Is the UPS powerful enough and is the printer plugged into it as well?
APC recommends at least their APC Back-UPS ES USB 650VA w/TEL & COAX 120V for a dual G5 with a 16-21" LCD and nothing else plugged into the UPS.

[tommaso]

My APC 400 powers both my dual G5 and my NEC monitor (MultiSync P1150).
From the model number, sounds like it could be rated just 400VA?

[cwtnospam]

My APC 400 powers both my dual G5 and my NEC monitor (MultiSync P1150).
From the model number, sounds like it could be rated just 400VA?
Check their web site ( http://www.apc.com ), but since they're recommending a 650 for a dual G5 and an LCD, I'd guess you'd need at least the 650, maybe more.

[voldenuit]

I think it was a good idea to throw out that wonky printer.
Causing "flicker" is not exactly what you want and you can't possibly blame the G5s hardware design being slightly less tolerant to out-of-spec devices.

Surge protectors worth their money have a visual indication whether they're blown or not. That doesn't necessarily make them a lot more expensive and without you might just as well not have one as you will be unable to determine its state.

[tommaso]

This one does have a "good - nogood" indicator, but I think it's pretty old...
probably just as well to get a new one. Sounds like I'll need to look for a new UPS, too.
thanks,
tommaso

[Las_Vegas]

"Blown" indicators give you no warning to the condition of the VAR. Small spikes and age will weaken the VAR and reduce its reliability or even open the circuit completely without showing a burn mark (The indicator).

[tommaso]

Actually, all this one has is a red LED. At any rate, I'm planning on replacing it today.