730WD Turning itself Off following print head cleaning

maxihod

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Originally I had a problem that the light magenta on my 730 looks liked it had dried out.
Took a look at this thread.. http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5771
checked that the capping station was draining liquid away and was sucking ink through for the other lines.
When I checked again looked like there were air bubbles in the line for the light magenta.
I got a partial resume of the light mag, by blocking all the vent holes on the 5 other cartidges, and running a few head cleans followed by printing.
That got rid of the air bubbles, by applying more suction to the light magenta I guess.

Really couldn't get the whole print head working. So removed print head and lowered into cleaning solution to soak for an hour or two.
When I put the head back in and started up, printer does all it's normal startup routine, and then simply turns itself off.
Any clues as to what might be going on?
 

osta2

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I'm sorry, but you killed your print head. And, probably, your dead printhead also killed your printer' motherboard due to short circuit.
 

jtoolman

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Are you talking about an EPSON Artisan 730? If so, how in the heck did you remove the head? If this some Canon Model I don't know about then I can see how the head would be easy to remove. But I agree with Osta2!

I have an Artisan 720 which NEVER clogs or has flow problems.
 

mikling

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One of the last things that should be done is to remove an Epson desktop printhead in trying to resolve a problem. If you are not experienced at doing this, the chances of replacing it properly can be low. So for those reading this thread.....only do this as a last final, pretty much RIP step...if it comes back and is resurrected, then count your lucky stars. In this user's situation, the printer is not liking what it sees. It could be the printhead connections or it might even be a sensor adjustment that has shifted during the service. This printer has a multitude of sensors and micro-motors. You will need to refer to a service manual.

The idea of sealing off the other 5 cartridges to get more throughout on the one channel is sound, but after doing so, you will likely need to perform at least one head cleaning to restore the five colors that were sealed off. The reason for this is that when the pump works and the channels are sealed off, there is some "slack" in the cartridge walls to allow ink out during the head clean but after the head clean this give, will actually pull back the ink and the ink will reverse flow a bit and empty the printhead.

Also keep in mind that normally it takes about six consecutive head cleanings to move the ink the distance between the cartridges and the printhead. So if there is an air pocket in between, that is what you have to do or expect.

The small waste ink pad in these models will only allow by my estimation around 35 to low 40s total head cleanings before the waste ink pad is deemed to be full. Fortunately a waste ink pad can be easily added to these machines without taking it apart too much. Notwithstanding that, the following tips will allow these printers to perform very well for you with a minimal of problems. I count over a year's use with NO head cleaning. Not one.

First...with proper inks meant for Epson, clogging is NEVER an issue with these printers. Do not use universal inks or inks meant for HP or Canon printers. If the ink drips out of the printhead nozzle, you will be faced with "clogging"....really empty nozzle issues...due to the ink dripping out.

Second. NEVER turn the printer off by just removing power from it either by a power bar switch or pulling the cord. Always use the ON/OFF switch and make sure the printer shuts down before removing power. The printer enters into an additional shut down mode where ink is pulled into the printhead and the capping station seals the printhead before the printer is shutdown. This prevents clogging. I just leave my Artisans in standby mode all the time. There is less carriage movement and less wear and tear resulting from each turn on and off.

Thirdly, the firmware in the printer knows how refillable cartridges work and it is designed to "catch" you for failing to keep tabs on it. Remember that it takes 6 head cleanings to restore an out of ink condition. The best thing to frustrate a user not using Epson cartridges is trick them into an out of ink condition. The printer firmware will selectively " reset" the chip to full by itself on certain channels. It accomplishes this by momentarily removing power from the chip and then restoring it as soon as the chip reaches empty...even during printing. So anytime the chip indicators start showing very low , top off the cartridge. Don't be tempted to forego topping it off and then reset it and think you'll remember to top it off later. There is a price to be paid if you forget. This aspect is intentional and is meant to mess with a non epson ink user.

Fourth item. If you are using a CISS, the quality of install will ultimately determine the reliability of the CISS...assuming the CISS is properly primed etc. Epson again has designed barriers to installing CISSes on these printers because a CISS is ideally suited for them. If you do a poor install, the CISS will initially work but over time, the weight of the scanner unit will slowly distort the tubes and a complete blockage due to pinching may develop. The key word here is "over time" because the weight of the scanner unit can eventually distort and pinch the tubes. Always check after an install if there are any rough spots or indentations on the tubes that can over time distort and pinch it shut. Check it weeks and months after an install.

Fifth item: Even with proper inks, if you use the printer and the ink has run out, this is when you will develop true clogs. You see as long as these is ink in a continuous column or bead, the ink will not form a dry clog at the end. It just gets thicker or more concentrated and this is removed when the printer starts up or a head cleaning is done. If there is no ink then the remnants of the ink in the nozzle is allowed to dry and then truly clog. So I will repeat point three as this aspect is the one that can cause real trouble.....and intentionally so by Epson.

If the above items are followed, good specimens of these AIOs are excellent for both general office and photo printing.

I have been able to clear up truly clogged heads on these machines. It requires a special technique and above all LOTS of patience. Did I say lots of patience? Weeks sometimes.
 

osta2

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While removing and replacing print head in Epson printers is not too complicated procedure (if you know how to do it), I would agree with mikling that it is the last thing an ordinary user should do.

But the issue with the printer turning itself off is, imho, usually connected to a moisture (a cleaning solution) that got into a place it doesn't belong to, short circuiting some important electrical chains.

As for ink pads .. I'm not similar with this specific model (we don't have them here), but it is always a good idea to bypass a waste pad and get the wasted ink out to a some kind of an external waste reservoir. Most Epson AIO have "doors" on the back panel for an easy access to a waste pad tube. I don't think that the waste pad holds only 40 head cleaning cycles, though. Printers always have automatic cleaning cycles when you turn them on. It would of demand a waste pad reset every two or three months if you turn the printer on and off everyday.

Waste pads of Epson P50 or Artisan 50 (which is the same) has around 250 cycles (mixed: automatic and initiated by user or cartridge replacement/reset) between waste pad counter resets and actually can survive 1 or even 2 resets without actually overflowing.
 

websnail

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osta2 said:
As for ink pads .. I'm not similar with this specific model (we don't have them here)
Given that this model has a completely different design to older units you really do need to get more up to date on this topic as you've based your assumptions on designs that are now 2-3 years old.

but it is always a good idea to bypass a waste pad and get the wasted ink out to a some kind of an external waste reservoir.
Wouldn't disagree here (I might be biased ;)) but if the printer is in warranty, possibly don't go this route immediately.

Most Epson AIO have "doors" on the back panel for an easy access to a waste pad tube.
This is not the case with printers produced from the PX700W/Artisan 700/TX700W generation onwards... These models provided the first "drop out" pad holder in the base and later models including SX, XP and Workforce models also include something similar but more compact.
ref: http://www.octoink.co.uk/kb/questions/108

I don't think that the waste pad holds only 40 head cleaning cycles, though. Printers always have automatic cleaning cycles when you turn them on. It would of demand a waste pad reset every two or three months if you turn the printer on and off everyday.
The rough estimate may be slightly out but I have customers who have pretty much used the printer for a few months and hit the "service required" error without really doing huge amounts of printing. Epson have designed their printers with a whole lot more functionality into them such as wireless, duplexers, etc... and all of that electronics takes up space. At the same time there has been a push towards more compact printers so not only is more space being used up, but less is available. The one thing that's really bulky is the waste pad section so guess what gets reduced down. Yup, quite a bit... So, Mike is perhaps off the mark but only by a few percent.

Waste pads of Epson P50 or Artisan 50 (which is the same) has around 250 cycles (mixed: automatic and initiated by user or cartridge replacement/reset) between waste pad counter resets and actually can survive 1 or even 2 resets without actually overflowing.
The Artisan/PX/TX 700 and similar models can often survive one reset in many cases but I've already had a few customers contact me about doing this and getting a flood. Because the pad can be accessed easily now, it's vital that anyone resetting check that the pads aren't saturated before resetting to avoid a costly, carpet replacement style, error.


The basic point here is that the newest printers are designed to be even more disposable than previous models. That said Epson have made it easy for service centres to resolve warranty issues without needing to send the printer away but they are not providing the parts or tools for customers to do it themselves. Whether the design change was purely for their own service centres or whether it was a shrewd move to head off any anti-trust legal action should it be prepared it's hard to say but it does cover them both ways.

Hope that clarifies a few things and helps bring knowledge on the topic more up to date.
 

mikling

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The amt of head cleanings was done by simply resetting an Aritsan 800, letting it settle down and then proceeding to perform head cleanings. Thereafter I kept readings of the % waste ink pad full reading on the printer after a series of head cleanings and taking reading on how full the pads were getting. From this I was able to extrapolate how many cleanings would push it to 100%. In actual use, other operations other than head cleanings will reduce the amt of head cleanings. Fortunately these machines are not aggressive on normal cartridge operations. However, head cleanings to clear or purge lines are appropriately of long duration.
 

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