Jimbo method recap w more data/details - named by "the Hat" and "Stratman"...

[jimbo123]

see below for recap of what "The Hat" and "Stratman" are calling the "Jimbo Method" of refilling. turns out that "Stratman" has had similar good results using it as well - http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/has-this-happened-to-you.8600/page-3#post-68238

"Jimbo Method": (or lazy method)
1. i do not keep a spare set of refilled carts. i have just one set of drilled carts that remain in my printer.
2. when one cart's reservoir side gets close to empty, i take them all out of the printer, reset them and then refill/top off each of them.
3. i use the german method, squeeze bottles, re-setter, good quality ink and print every day.
4. have never purged a single ink cart in 6+ years.

total of 71,000 pages printed over the past 6+ years using 2 MP830s with the carts below:

• PGI5: 216 refills, on 4th ink cart, current PGI5 has 119 refills on it
• CLI8-B: 51 refills, original ink cart
• CLI8-Y: 74 refills, original ink cart
• CLI8-M: 83 refills, original ink cart
• CLI8-C: 78 refills, on second ink cart, first cart started streaking at 76 refills, too lazy to purge

currently i'm at 502 refills for my MP830s, some original CLI8 ink carts over 6 years old with 51-83 refills, current PGI5 has 119 refills. "Stratman" also has some original CLI8's over 6 years old as well.

my daughter has an MP830 and an MX870, each probably 4-5 years old, both printers still using the original carts, using Jimbo method. she prints heavily each Fall, 18 hours a day for a week or more on the MP830, she calls it the "beast".

more data/details, "PeterBJ" reported ink flow issues with refilled carts, especially post PGI5/CLI8 carts. here is where it gets interesting:

• i also have an MP980 that i've been using for 6 months using Jimbo Method, still using original carts(PGI220/CLI221s)

• i also gave an MP980 2 years ago to a nurse who comes every week, set her up with 2 sets of drilled carts w orange caps so she can bring one set in to refill and have a second set to use. normally i just refill them and give them to her the following week. since i had them here i decided to put them in my MP980 and run a nozzle test. sure enough CYAN, CLI-BLACK and GRAY had ink flow issues. i tried cleaning, deep cleaning, but did not work. i ended up replacing the three ink carts with new ones. nozzle check came up fine with the new carts. so there might be something to only using one set of ink carts method.

this site had been a tremendous help to me over the years, just trying to give back by passing on some information that may help others.

comments ?

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Printers: Canon MP830, IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870, MP980
• Method: German Durchstich Method, Jimbo Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes

 

[Lucas28]

119 refills on a single pgi-5 cart? Fantastic!

 

[PeterBJ]

I don't know the MP980, but I checked it and it uses the PGI-x20/CLI-x21 cartridges. These cartridges have also caused ink flow problems for me. I first refilled these cartridges using the German method but since switched to top filling them. Top filling seems to cause fewer problems with these cartridges, but they still need occasional purges to maintain good ink flow.

I have lent a niece an MP540, that also uses this cartridge set, and I have given her a spare set of refilled cartridges, which I replace when needed. Apart from an inkflow problem possibly caused by a "Refiller's operator error" this has caused no problems, even if if it may take months before a new refilled cartridge set is needed.

The cartridges are stored with the original orange clips attached with rubber bands, and the vent is not sealed. The empty cartridges are also stored with the orange clip attached using rubber bands.

I don't know if these cartridges are more fragile than the older transparent cartridges, but I suspect they are. Maybe what matters is not refill methods but storage time and conditions? I don't know, but it has previously been considered a good idea to have a refilled cartridge set at hand, so you could change an empty cartridge and continue printing and refill when convenient. Maybe this needs investigation and rethinking?

 

[stratman]

"Jimbo Method": (or lazy method) -- AKA the Printer Fountain of Youth method.

Not to confuse the issue, but, my MP830 resides in a side office that has no air conditioning and can get fairly steamy hot in the summer even with a floor fan blowing, and, I only turn on baseboard heating in the cold months when I am in the room and turn it off when not. The printer experiences temp and humidity ranges well within operating parameters from Canon but those ranges may be greater than most on the forum.

The MP830 is one tough printer.

 

[jimbo123]

@PeterBJ, the MP980 uses six of the PGI220/CLI221's partially transparent ink carts, they are smaller than then PGI5/CLI8s. i can tell the build quality on the MP980 is not as good as the MP830, might hold true for the carts as well. the MP980 is still fairly robust, more of a photo printer. a few years ago, i picked up 5 MP980s(canon refurbished) for $36 each, shipped. had planned on parting them out(carts, print head, chassis) and selling but the "Lazy factor" seemed to creep in and that never happened.... so far have given away 2 and using 1, so it worked out for the best.

@stratman, agreed that the MP830 is one tough printer. my daughter is pretty rough on her MP830 too. every Fall she prints for a week straight, 18 hours a day. she has taken the "Jimbo Method" or more appropriately the "Lazy Method" to a new level. she rarely looks at the ink levels, she prints until the MP830 senses an empty ink cart and stops printing. she then refills/tops them all off and continues printing.

i have close to 50,000 pages printed on my MP830. 6 months ago caught the 100% waste pads full error. i took my MP830 apart and changed the ink absorber pads. it was able to handle my first time disassemble/reassemble process. hit a few snags along the way, but got it done and working fine now.

see MP830 waste pad replacement thread/pics at:
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/sharing-my-mp830-waste-pad-replacement-at-37-000-pages-w-pics.7646/

again have had great success refilling, just trying to pass on info to help others

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Printers: Canon MP830, IP4500, MX700, MX860, MX870, MP980
• Method: German Durchstich Method, Jimbo Method
• Ink: Hobbicolors and OCP
• Misc: Squeeze bottles - so much easier than syringes