Epson SC-P600 Error 0x44 after printhead removal and cleaning

[photix]

Hi,
a few days ago I tried to get rid of a few nasty clogged nozzles in the printhead of one of my two Epson P600 printers.
I removed the printhead and cleaned it using waterfall technique - push cleaning solution (20% isopropyl alcohol, 3% propyl glicol, 77% distilled water) through the ink inlet pins using a syringe. I basically used this technique:

This technique worked well for a few times before. However, this time, after assembling all parts and turning on the printer, the printer ran some initial cleaning by outputting some ink on the waste pad. At that moment everything stopped. The printer just turned off. I moved the printhead a bit and saw that it ejected a bit of yellow ink just before stopping. When I turned the printer on again, I got Error 0x44.

First I thought there must be something wrong with ribbon cable connections. I dismantled the printer again and then assembled it back to reconnect all ribbon cables. Unfortunately, that didn't make any difference. As soon as I turn the printer back on, I get 0x44 error.

Has anyone experienced 0x44 Error?

Have I killed the printhead, have I shorted the motherboard or might there be some other cause of this 0x44 Error?

Any hints welcome.

 

[Murat Ati]

Hi Photix,

I've done the same cleaning on my Epson P600 few times.

But yesterday i installed the printhead and turned it on. During startup, after 20 - 25 seconds i saw that the printer shut down like power was cut off. And then I still keep getting the 0x44 error.

How about you, could you find a solution?

Thanks,

 

[photix]

Hi Murat,
I haven't yet found the cause of this error. Cannot get clear information about what does error 0x44 actually mean.
I just found one reference for P400 model:
"

Epson SC-P400 error code 0x44

0x44

PRINTER B Communication error between printer head and main board. Main board failure.

"

So, I first need to make sure that the printhead is still OK (not shorted) by checking voltage levels between certain ribbon cable pin connectors. If the printhead is OK, then its the main board failure. Maybe it's just a fuse burned and I could fix this by ordering a replacement fuse (ie. from BCH) and do the soldering.

I'll report my results...

 

[Murat Ati]

Hi Photix,

Thank you very much for reply.

I hope that is simple problem which we can solve by replacing a fuse otherwise if the printhead is gone that will be big headache.

It's also strange that nobody has come across a similar problem.

Looking forward your results.

 

[alexeit]

Curious if there is an update? My P400 is doing the same thing as well, after cleaning I started getting this error.

 

[Toly]

Hi guys. After cleaning the head, it shows the same problem as yours. I think the problem is the harness connection to the head. Since I noticed that on the harness the ends of the connection that go into the head are covered with aluminum foil. And here's some cat
The contacts on the harness seem to be erased and therefore the head does not receive information from the printer.

 

[JustCharlie]

I ran into this on another printer. Those ribbon cables don't hold up to being removed and re-installed all that well. And given the tight quarters they're used in, we often have no room to see if we're plugging them in correctly or not. They're taking some abuse and they're not meant to.

My worry was more than just the missing connection where the foil peeled back. I had to use a magnifying glass and headlamp to see it, but that foil was also pushed to the side where it could also contact other traces. Sort of like having a free floating loose wire, able to go wherever fate took it.
So I cut the foil back.

I replaced the cable, but that took a few days for shipping and I needed to get the printer running sooner than that. I used a CircuitScribe pen to re-draw the lines where the foil was now missing. (The light and magnifier came in really handy.. those lines are tiny) Anyway, that completed the connection. I carefully plugged it back in (no idea if it would have survived another unplugging or not) and the printer worked just fine. Replaced the cable once that arrived.

No affiliation, but those pens are handy to keep around. Works wonders on old remote control
keys that don't function anymore.