Maxify MB5440 ink absorber

[PeterBJ]

A weakness of Canon printheads is that they can fail suddenly without any warning like degraded print quality. They can print perfectly one day and have failed when the printer is turned on next day. I think this is what might have happened with the Maxify.

 

[2226]

But wouldn't the printer still power up and give an error code?
In this case it just lights up the orange warning light and remains with blank LCD.

Fired up the smaller 2140 after sitting just as long. This was also throwing some error code when turned off, but that's gone and it's working.

Think I'll pull the print head tonight and give it a clean again.

 

[PeterBJ]

If the printhead has failed cleaning is useless. if the printhead is dirty it will not prevent turning on the printer. You cannot clean an electronic error away. But you could try to turn on the printer with the printhead removed. If it can now turn on but with an error message about the printhead missing, the printhead is defective. If the orange warning light is still on, I think the logic board has failed.

When a canon printhead fails it can but does not always damage the logic board. A logic board damaged in this way can damage a new printhead, so replacing a Canon printhead without replacing the logic board is a gamble. See this thread.

When a Canon printhead fails you normally get a B200 or other error message, but I have also had a printer with a defective printhead that would not turn on. I have also had a printer that just showed a yellow warning light and was totally unresponsive, but that might have been the result of failed experiments with service mode and a wrong service tool.

Sadly I think the printer cannot be repaired.

 

[2226]

Will pull the head and see what it does then.
Not to concerned about junking it. It's done good service over 5-6 years.

 

[OPTIMISTIC TOMATO]

Greetings,
Currently having a similar issue with my Canon Maxify MB2140.
The ink absorber is full, and error code 5B00 appears when the printer is turned on.
How can I resolve this?
I entered the printer into service mode and tried to find v4905 for free on Google, but was unsuccessful.
If you haven't picked it up yet, I'm an absolute beginner with fixing printers, and my budget is tight, so any help will be much appreciated.
I have the cable (USB Type B to Type A)
I downloaded WICReset Connect, and it asks me to buy a key to proceed with the reset. Is this a safe and reputable option for me to purchase and proceed with?

 

[2226]

I bought the tool on ebay.
They send download and key. It's locked to a single PC.
Gave up early looking for a free one.

Tool worked to fix the clock issue, but MB5440 died any.

Not familiar with the WICReset Connect tool, but it looks legit enough to me.
I think best is to pay the 7 Euro if you can and get the key.

Would love to know how they do it though. Maybe time to some software reverse engineering. :-D

 

[OPTIMISTIC TOMATO]

I bought the tool on ebay.
They send download and key. It's locked to a single PC.
Gave up early looking for a free one.

Tool worked to fix the clock issue, but MB5440 died any.

Not familiar with the WICReset Connect tool, but it looks legit enough to me.
I think best is to pay the 7 Euro if you can and get the key.

Would love to know how they do it though. Maybe time to some software reverse engineering. :-D

Thanks, I will most probably buy the WICReset Connect tool. Just wanted some clarity.
I think Canon should make the tool available directly from them.
Yeah, I wonder how they do it too, wish we were all born with these skills by default

 

[PeterBJ]

It is free to download the WICReset tool and use it to get some info. To do a reset you need to buy a key. But not all Canon printers are supported. So you could download it and check if your printer is supported before buying a reset key.