The thermal 3 planned maintenance procedure should be performed every six months.

Go to the Thermal 3: Planned Maintenance Procedure page.

The VRG has been revised.

Go to Installation Guide: Thermal 3 Head on a Magnus VLF, also available from the Procedures page or the Installation page.

There are new cables and power supply for the TH3 head on a Magnus VLF device.

Go to the Parts/tools page.

The TH3 is now being shipped in a gold color. The black color is no longer being used.

A previously released document provides values for cooling temperatures and pressure settings for the M33 and M75 chillers.

Download the procedure here: Neslab M33/M75 Cooling Temperature and Pressure Settings or go to the Procedures page.

A previously released document describes how to configure the Diagnostic Stream Receiver, as well as how to use the Stream File Viewer.

Download the procedure here: Configuring the Diagnostic Stream Receiver or go to the Procedures page.

The head adjustment to correct tilt has been revised.

Go to Adjusting Tilt on a Thermal Head, also available from the Procedures page.

All output devices that use PDB 10-4112 are at risk, especially Magnus VLF with TH3 and APL. The safety relays can malfunction and weld together. If this occurs, then the head is still energized, and if the safety interlocked access panels are open, and you use the direct diagnostic prompt from Service Shell, you can create a potentially hazardous situation.

Go to Safety Relays on PDB Fail to Open, or the Reference page.

If you attempt to upgrade to Magnus VLF controlled release version 4.1, you may experience a TH3 firmware image error.

Go to Magnus VLF CR4.1 error: Download of TH3 Firmware Image has Failed, also available on the Troubleshooting page under Magnus VLF.

This product bulletin describes the power specification for imaging with a TH3 head. Operating the thermal 3 head at 45 Watts does not compromise its reliability.

Go to TH3 Power Setting for Imaging Plates, available on the Reference page.

This error may occur on the first plot after the device has been sitting idle.

Go to [01403] Failure verifying the BSDL data / JTAG error(s).

TH3 head firmware version 1.04.06 has been posted. It should always be installed as a component of a controlled release installation to ensure that it is used only with devices that support it.
This release fixes the beam pointing error (error 4413) that can cause invalid laser failures (error 5208).

Go to the Firmware releases page. See the related troubleshooting item Laser diode failure [error 05208] or invalid beam-pointing signal level [error 04413].

The laser safety course Laser Safety: Mastering Light is now available for all Kodak employees.

Go to the Laser Safety page.

These errors may occur when you are unable to turn the laser on or when you see a poor result from the script I_vs_P.spt.

Go to Laser diode failure [error 05208] or invalid beam-pointing signal level [error 04413], also available from the Troubleshooting page.

This document provides a summary of the release notes from all known good TH3 firmware releases. If you are using a firmware build that is not listed in this document, upgrade to the latest controlled release.

Go to the TH3 Firmware Release Overview, or the Firmware Release page.

The lenticular printing specification of 1.5 microns has been added to this procedure.

Go to Adjusting Tilt on a Thermal Head, also available from the Procedures page.

For the fix, go to Magnus VLF CR4.01 patch 5.

The chiller flow switch is reporting that the coolant flow is too low. The head power is automatically switched off to prevent overheating.

Go to the Troubleshooting page for details.

Starting with TH3 head number EH0101, mechanical pixel chopping is no longer available. Software-based pixel chopping is possible, but can only be done on the edge of the swath. The procedure has been updated to reflect this change.

Go to the Chopping Pixels on a TH3 Head, available from the Procedures page.

TH3 head firmware version 1.04.05 has been posted. It should always be installed as a component of a controlled release installation, to ensure that is is used only with devices that support it.

New functionality:

• New command TH3> med config displays all configured media in the head.
• TH3> set med displays only the configured media slots, not all the available slots.
• A plot counter has been added for each individual media slot.
• When a TH3 head resets due to a shutdown or fatal fault, the head reports information to indicate the source of the fault.
• Automatic beam blockers were removed.

Go to the Firmware releases page.

This new troubleshooting item applies to all CTP output devices.

Go to Irregular artifact lines in the mainscan direction, also available from the Artifact gallery.

A new document describes how to configure the Diagnostic Stream Receiver, as well as how to use the Stream File Viewer.

Download the procedure here: Configuring the Diagnostic Stream Receiver or go to the Procedures page.

A new document is available that describes the functionality of all available scripts for Thermal 1 (TH1), Thermal 2 (TH2), and Thermal 3 (TH3).

Download the index here: Script Index: TH1, TH2, and TH3. It is also available from the Reference page of this site.

Download the full details here: Why is the setpoint power lower than the laser power? or from the Troubleshooting page.

X-speed Thermal 3 heads with 448 pixels generate over two times the normal debris levels seen with Thermal 1.X and Thermal 2 heads. An easy way to maximize image latitude and quality, laser lifetime, and customer satisfaction is to clean the lens.

To determine debris levels, use a power series to monitor clearing points or density changes. The lens should be cleaned at least every 6 months or as needed for troubleshooting.

For more details, see:

• See Cleaning the Thermal 3 Final Lens and Debris Removal Nozzle and TH3 Lens cleaning demonstration.
• Importance of lens cleaning and debris removal contains links to some examples showing the importance of lens cleaning and debris removal.

Swath-bound clouds or blotches and/or tick marks appear on the plate. It can be described at first glance as banding or blotchy solids. It is most visible in solids on devices running at high speeds and with high powers.

For full details on how to troubleshoot this artifact, see Cloud or blotch-shaped artifacts appear in solids.

When to use this procedure:

• When storing the head after it has been used in an output device
• Any time the head needs to be shipped

Download the document here: TH3 Head Draining Procedure, or from the Procedures page of the TH3 site.