Remanufacturing the HP LaserJet Pro M203 (CF232A) drum cartridge

TECHNICAL GUIDE 

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Remanufacturing the 

HP LaserJet Pro M203 (CF232A) 

drum cartridge 

By Mike Josiah and the Technical Staff at Uninet


Remanufacturing the HP LaserJet Pro M203 (CF232A) 

drum cartridge 

By Mike Josiah and the Technical Staff at Uninet 

The HP LaserJet Pro M203 series of printers are based on 

a monochrome 30ppm, 1200 dpi with HP Fast Res or Pro 

Res. The first page out is stated to be under 6.6 seconds, 

and all “W” models so far come with Wi-Fi, Apple 

AirPrint, HP ePrint, Google Cloud Print 2.0 built in. 

All machines released so far come standard with 256Mb 

(fixed) memory and have a duty cycle of 30,000 pages 

per month. 

As with the M102, this engine is a big change for HP 

Monochrome printers in that there are separate toner and 

drum cartridges. Typically HP/ Canon have used “all in 

one” type cartridges for monochrome printers. Both the 

toner and drum cartridges are small and not rated for 

many pages so even though this is sold as a low volume 

machine. The cartridges are simple and fast to 

remanufacture. 

There are two toner plus the drum cartridge available for 

this engine. The toner (CF230A and CF230X) and the 

drum cartridge (CF232A). The A toner is rated for 1,600 

pages, The X is 3,500 pages. The drum unit is rated for 

23,000 pages. The starter toner cartridge that comes with 

the printer, is rated for 1,000 pages. 

The drum units in this series do not have a conventional 

waste chamber. There is a coated felt cleaning brush 

under the PCR, but that is all there is. Under the brush 

there is a chamber but the clips for the PCR and cleaning 

brush clip run through the outside wall and are not sealed. 

This system is almost a zero waste system. 

These drum units also come with an internal erase lamp 

assembly. This lamp erases any residual charges from 

the drum. 

Printers based on this engine:* 

HP LaserJet Pro M203dw 

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdw 

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M227fdn 

HP LaserJet Ultra MFP M206 

HP LaserJet Ultra MFP M230 

Current list pricing for the cartridges: 

CF230A$63.99 (€53.85)* 

CF230X$95.99 (€80.78)* 

CF232A$84.99 (€71.51)* 

* As of 1/5/17 

Required Tools 

1. Toner approved vacuum 

2. A small common screwdriver 

3. A phillips head screwdriver 

4. Small flush cutting wire cutters 

Required Supplies 

Replacement drum for use in the HP LaserJet Pro M203 

Replacement drum cartridge chip 

Conductive Grease 

2 THE RECYCLER - TECHNICAL GUIDE ©2017 Recycler Publishing & Events Ltd

Toner cartridge instructions 


Remanufacturing the HP LaserJet Pro M203 (CF232A) drum cartridge 

STEP 1 

Place the cartridge with the handle facing away 

from you. Carefully pry out the metal drum axle 

on the right side. Be careful of the plastic 

around the pin. 

STEP 2 

Lift up and remove the drum. 

STEP 3 

Remove the PCR. Note that the two white bushings will most likely come out with it. 

©2017 Recycler Publishing & Events Ltd THE RECYCLER - TECHNICAL GUIDE 3



STEP 4 

Remove the left side PCR gear and bushing. 

STEP 5 

Clean out any toner or paper dust from the 

chamber. Blow the cleaning brush clean of 

any toner or paper dust. 

STEP 6 

With a lint free cotton swab, clean off the 

erase lamp assembly. DO not use any 

chemicals on this. 

STEP 7 

Clean and replace the conductive grease 

on the PCR holders. 




STEP 8 

Place a small amount of conductive grease on each end of the PCR. Install the left side gear and 

bushing. Install the right side bushing. Make sure the curved side of each white bushing is facing up. 

Make sure the PCR snaps in place. 




STEP 9 

Install the drum by pressing down on the PCR assembly and sliding 

the drum in place and installing the metal drum axle. 


STEP A 

Clean and replace the conductive grease on the drum 

axle/round pin and install the pin into the cartridge. 



STEP B 

Replace the chip by pressing down on the 

locking tabs and sliding the chip out. 


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Remanufacturing the HP LaserJet Pro M203 (CF232A) drum cartridge

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