canon i860 cyan problem

[popsy]

I just did a nozzle check. The cyan seems to have a problem. Last week it was fine. The print head is new, used only a few times.

 

[turbguy]

The "periodicity" of bars on the top half of "D" and "K" and perhaps "J" print head alignment bars indicate a potential electronic issue to me. It could be in the printer, and not the print head. Perhaps a ribbon connector between the print head carriage and main board has become loose or is making poor contact, but it doesn't look good to resolve this via nozzle cleaning efforts.

Pwerhaps removing and re-seating the print head would help.

A larger image would help.

Wayne

 

[The Hat]

popsy The cyan seems to have a problem. Last week it was fine. The print head is new, used only a few times.

Right on turbguy because I was thinking exactly the same thing myself.

The timing strip could have gotten some dirt on it and a quick clean should tell all,
but it that doesnt cure the poor cyan then its purely down to an electrical problem, i.e. New Print head time.

Now you say the print head is only new, thats interesting in itself could you explain what happened to the old one?
That maybe a direct link to your current problem also..

 

[popsy]

Thanks guys, I reseated the printhead and now I have no magenta and still only part of the cyan. I don't know how to clean the timing strip and would appreciate advice. Sorry about the small image. I'll try again.

 

[turbguy]

You have all your colors. D, J, and K reveal an electronic issue. I do not know it's origin except for what I said above. (Bad ribbon cable/connections). It will probably print well in unidirectional printing (such as a high quality photo mode), but not in bi-directional printing (photo on plain paper) or vice versa.

Wayne

 

[popsy]

I've lost magenta completely. I tried a standard photo paper glossy photo that had a lot of brownish-red. It printed shades of green. If the problem is connections or dirty strip, are there any measures I can take to resolve the problems?

 

[turbguy]

A sudden loss of a color can be caused by a bad purge unit. Do you know how to test that by flooding the parking pads with Windex? That's the first thing I would suspect upon loss of a color, but try another magenta cart, first.

Print nothing but nozzle checks until this is resolved, else you may damage the thermal print head heaters.

As for checking the timing strip, that's a thin piece of plastic film that runs through the print head carriage left-to-right within the printer. It is marked with a fine grid of black lines, and appears transparent grey upon observation. An optical reader in the head carriage "reads" thw lines so the head "knows" where it is left-to-right. These can be come stained, and can be cleaned (very carefully) with Windex on a swab. But I don't think that is your problem. Disconnecting a reconnecting the ribbon cables to the carriage and main board can be done, but that is not for the faint of heart.

Wayne

 

[popsy]

I checked the purge unit and it seems to be okay. I checked the magenta cart and found it seemed to be slow to release ink. I blew lightly into the air vent and that helped. I think the cart is still not a-1 as the magenta nozzle check stripe is a little paler than it should be, but at least it's present! The cyan still prints that odd half-band in the nozzle check. Should I be concerned about it or just live with it?

 

[turbguy]

If you are satisfied with printer output, live with it.

Wayne

 

[popsy]

I'm still having trouble with magenta. The problem may be in my carts. None of them seem willing to flow freely. After I mess with one a bit I can get a fair nozzle check, but it won't last and then I'm magenta-lacking again. What could be the problem with all 3 of my carts? I filled them fairly recently. I use Precision Inks.