Ricoh VT3500, Service Manual

Page: 85 / 330

[Release Mechanism]
The release mechanism does two things: it raises and lowers the upper
second feed roller, and it activates the lower one. It also synchronizes these
two steps.
The mechanism is made up of several parts. First, a cam which transmits
motion to a sector gear [F]; then another cam [E] that is part of the sector
gear. A lever [D] is rotated by this cam through the lever’s bearing. There are
two rollers called the second feed rollers: the upper one [B] and the lower one
[G]. The lever turns a shaft [C] and this shaft moves the upper roller.
At the beginning of each cycle the two rollers are apart, they will come
together halfway through the cycle and at the end of the cycle they will again
be apart.
At first, the rollers are apart, and the sector gear is ready to start moving
clockwise. The lever’s bearing is in contact with the sector gear’s cam. As the
gear turns clockwise, it causes the cam to turn the lever in the same direction
(clockwise).
The lever then lowers the upper roller [B]. It does this by turning the roller’s
eccentric shaft [C]. Eccentric means that the shaft does not go through the
center of the roller, but actually is a little off center. So when the shaft turns
the roller, the roller moves up or down.
[B]
[G]
[F]
[A]
[D]
[A]
[E]
[C]
1 December 1993
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