Defeating Change Drum On Panasonic

By emptying the toner reservoir, you can continue to use the drum. The process is messy, but simple.

I like my Panasonic 5400. It's compact, quiet, and the toner available cheap at Office Depot.

After a couple years of solid use, my printer started flashing "change drum" over and over. Hoping to defeat the message (and fool the printer) I'd pull the drum out and pop it back in. This subterfuge worked, but only temporarily. Eventually, the printer refused to be fooled any longer.

I didn't want to buy a new drum. (I'm a cheapskate.) Printouts looked fine, so, logically, no new drum was required. After some experimentation, I found a way to get rid of the message, WITHOUT BUYING A NEW DRUM. I jumped for joy.

Here's how to do it.

You'll need a Philips head (cross top) and flat head screwdrivers, a trash can with plastic liner, and a room you can get dirty.

First, pull the drum from the printer. Consult the instructions on the printer's door if you get confused. Be careful, and don't touch the drum's green surface! The oils on your fingers can dirty it. Also, don't expose it to too much light. (This will damage the drum's surface, according to the warnings.)

Second, find the toner reservoir. It's the small, black, five sided plastic box at one the end of the green drum. If you look at the box, holding the drum pointed away from you like a rifle, you'll see three Philips head screws set into the box. Remove these and set them aside.

For the next step, you're going to need a flat head screwdriver. You'll also want to be in the bathroom or garage, because it's the messy step.

Third, put a plastic liner in your trash can (or use a big grocery bag), and hold your drum over it, toner reservoir down, green drum pointing up like a tree. (You might want to raise the trash can up to eye level and save your back.) Pull the toner reservoir apart (pull down), like a clamshell, just a crack. The sides of the reservoir are attached each other internally, and I don't think you can separate them without destroying the whole thing. So, be gentle.

Take your screwdriver head and slip it between the two halves, then twist to pry them apart, and leave it in there.

Now, the messy part. Gently tap the toner out. Angle it different ways, turn it sideways, do whatever it takes to get all the toner out. When you're done, wipe everything clean, close the reservoir so the two sides mate perfectly, put the screws back in, and tighten.

If you accidentally touched the green part of the drum, take a piece of clean bathroom tissue or paper towel and wipe it off. Don't worry about damaging the surface, because it's made of Teflon.

You're done. Reinstall your "new" drum, and print!

Notes

You can clean up your toner mess with window cleaner.

Dispose of the toner in a sealed bag, because the dust is probably harmful and definitely messy.