Canon MP780 Scanner light stays on always

[dwhollrah]

I picked up a very clean low mile non-op. MP780 off Ebay that throws a "check printer" message on start up and the scanner light is always on. Any ideas? I'll kinda take it in the teeth on this one if I can't get it going, but thats the chance you take. I will say this printer is LOTS easier to get into than my mp720. I did find a service manual at Rapid share for this printer so if you need the link let me know...give me a shout if you've got any ideas....later
Dave

 

[ghwellsjr]

I have lots of experience with MP780's and the couple that have had scanner problems were not fixed by swapping the scanner units. Almost always when something like that fails, the problem is in the main circuit board and cannot be fixed except by spending $250 on a new board. If the seller did not disclose the problem and/or is unwilling to refund money, you might be able to make a claim with eBay. They refunded me the full price of a defective MP780 that I purchased on eBay.

I no longer buy printers on eBay unless I can pick them up locally with the promise that the seller will make a refund or cancel the order if it is not as described. Instead, I have been buying printers on Craigslist which is much better because there is no commitment to buy until you can verify the condition of the printer.

 

[dwhollrah]

Thanks for the info...I really have no recourse, I knew that it wasn't working so have $55 bucks in a dead printer. Question for you ghwellsjr if you happen to check back...will any mp780 mainboard fit, I may just wait for one to show up. The printer is VERY clean. or better question, is this printer even worth the effort knowing that you have lots of experience w/ this particular model.

Otherwise I spose I could part the thing out and get my investment back...I checked the page count and it said something like 250 copies......Long Live DIYers!

Later
Dave

 

[ghwellsjr]

I consider a fair price for a working MP780 with a perfect extended nozzle check to be $75. That is an average price for the ones that I have purchased recently. I suppose the $55 you paid included shipping so the seller probably only got $15 or $20. Last week I picked up a non-functioning (it flashes Please Wait or something like that forever) MP780 for free. I plan to use it for plastic parts. I do not recommend that you buy any printer that isn't working perfectly unless the only problem is the print head in which case the price should not be over $20. I would recommend that you just keep your MP780 and look for another one on Craigslist or other local sources like yard/garage sales of thrift stores. For some reason, people who have owned these printers decide to get rid of them because they want a wireless printer so they are becoming easy to find. Do you live in a highly populated area?

 

[dwhollrah]

Unfortunately I live in UPS and USPS country, Ebay is my best option as Craigslist doesn't get much coverage in my rural area. I am a bit of a bulldog with something like this and will wait for one of these to show up junked to see if I can get this one working (and redeem myself on a stupid purchase.) Any chance the SPCNT in your new salvage 780 is good?

 

[ghwellsjr]

If by SPCNT you mean the motherboard, then no, at least I seriously doubt it.

The price of a new print head is $55 so if it turns out that yours is working, you could buy an MP780 on eBay that either doesn't have a print head or has one that is non functional. If you get the seller to remove all the cartridges and the print head, there is little risk of damage during shipping. Every so often one like this appears on eBay.

There is also a risk that your print head may be defective and can damage any printer you put it in causing the "check printer" message. I really don't know specifically what that means. Maybe you should call Canon and see what they say.