Error B200, then dead logic board. Attention electronicians!

[Ink stained Fingers]

wow - what a problem - don't make your life too miserable - get an HP Officejet 7110 - A3 - printer only. HP printers use a thermal printhead similar to Canon but they don't fail with an B200 error and kill the motherboard.
Or find a used Epson R1900/2000/P400 - they use 1.5pl droplets if that's so important for you.

 

[ludens]

The HP 7110 doesn't have a CISS, and uses tiny ink cartridges. The "extra large" color ones hold 8.5ml, which is pretty much the same as the tank size of my harakiri-ed Canon, but those HP carts cost twice as much as the Canon ones! A set of 4 tanks costs US$120 here.

I had a quick look in this site and elsewhere, and there doesn't seem to be information about the refillability of these carts, nor are refillable ones available, as far as I can see. Non-OEM single-use carts are available, though, but not here.

And if the Canon served me one purpose, that is to learn that 8ml ink tanks in an A3+ photo-capable printer are NOT acceptable! Not even if they are easily refilled. They are simply too small, requiring too frequent refilling or replacing. My low usage of the printer doesn't help at all, because in my use the printer self-cleans essentially for every sheet of paper, and a set of carts lasts for about 8 cleaning cycles. Thus it lasts for 8 pages of text, in my use. Practical experience suggests that the true situation is even worse, about 5 pages per set of carts, if each page is printed in a separate week!

My old HP 520 has a 40ml cartridge, in an A4 text printer that doesn't have an ink-sucking pump and waste pad. That's entirely decent, and lasts a long time. But 8ml for an A3+ photo-capable printer with pump and waste pad is not.

It looks like the only printers technically suitable would be the two Epsons with their built-in CISS. But their prices are outrageous, totally unsuitable for home users, and the warranty period is far too short for such a price.

So, whatever printer I look at, the performance/price ratio isn't right. And the only tool market economy gives the consumer for such situations is refusing to buy. It seems that that's what I will do.

Manfred

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

oh well, o.k., another option - the Epson WF-7110DTW prints A3, you install a CISS and eliminate all interruptions coming from the chips of the cartridges with a firmware hack
https://www.2manuals.com/forum/index.php?/topic/80374-epson-printer-chipless-no-chips-firmware/
The 7110 is apparently ready for it - so no unneccessary cleanings - uninterrupted printing etc, that's the last option I could imagine suitable for you

 

[ludens]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I couldn't find any place that sells the Epson WF-7110DTW here. It doesn't even appear on Epson's Chilean website.

Also I understand that WF stands for "Workforce", and that this is Epson's line for more intensive use. So if it were available, it would probably be expensive.

I'm not so sure whether I could add a CISS to it. A few years ago I bought an aftermarket CISS for my Canon, but despite all efforts I could never get it to work reliably. The acceleration of the tubes when the head moves caused excessive ink pressure fluctuations, resulting in uneven print density. It was also extremely sensitive to the height at which the tanks were placed: A tad too high and the ink would drip from the head, and a tad too low and the head would be starved of ink while accelerating in the direction that reduces ink pressure. Clearly the dampers in that CISS were not good enough. I even cut up the printer's case to make space for better routing of the tubes, without achieving acceptable results. Also when not printing for a few days, air bubbles would form inside the tubes, and then I would get no ink flow. Either the plastic or the ink was outgassing. So I ended up removing the CISS and reverted to refillable tanks with autoreset chips, which also proved to be a poor solution. At least it printed correctly, but was very labor-intensive and wasted lots of ink. And every time I had to print I ended up looking just like your nickname.

I think that the most practical printer design would be one that has large-enough, easily refillable tanks permanently mounted on the head, along with sensors that actually measure the ink level in each tank - at least a warning level and then a "nearly empty" level. A simple optical sensor would probably do. Or a window that lets the user see the ink in the tanks from the outside, just as with a conventional CISS.That would be practical, and should be less problem-prone than tanks mounted away from the head and connected by moving tubes. The moving mass would be larger, of course. If that means slightly slower printing, that's OK with me.

I will keep eyes open. Maybe at some time in the future some company (most likely some Chinese startup) comes out with a practical printer that is inexpensive both to buy and to run.

Manfred

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The WF-7110 is on phase out and runs currently in Germany at €160, it is an entry level model in Epson's A3 business model range. The WF-7210DTW is the successor and uses the same cartridges , and the same type of CISS would be usable - the chipless firmware hack is not available (yet) for the 7210 but only for the 7110. I never had problems on Epson printers with CISS units as you describe, the speed of the head is no different to A4 printers, it just travels a longer distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxmCzXz_QwY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxmCzXz_QwY
You want A3, you want a CISS , you want large cartridges - which are not relevant if you go chipless with the firmware hack, the L1300/1800 are too expensive and have moving tubes as well (all large format printers have moving tubes) - am I missing something ? I don't think a startup would change that situation - designing a printer some other way is not a problem but getting it into a market which is established and controlled by the Epson, Canon, HP, Brother companies. I pretty much think that all options are discussed at this time, I'm not familiar with other business peculiarities in your country - limited product range etc . Let us know when you find something meeting your requirements.

Edit:

 

[ludens]

The market peculiarities in Chile are basically these: The companies offer a limited range of models, which are often unique to Latin America, so different models may be available here than in Europe, US, or elsewhere. This is brand-dependent. The stores that actually sell these things will typically choose a few models from the limited range the brand offers - normally they won't deal the whole line. Normally they will always carry the cheapest entry-level models of each type of machine (such as only printer, all-in-one, ink, laser, etc), and a few selected higher-level models.

Another particularity is that they work with defined, small batches. A store might purchase 10 printers of a certain model, and once it has sold them, they are gone, and are not restocked. So the range of models available at any given time changes very fast. Rarely a store will offer a specific model for the whole time the company makes it.

So, basically when one wants a printer (or a TV, or anything else) one has to look what the stores have available at this very time, make a decision, and buy right away. The next week the situation will already have changed.

For the same reason, it's very common that a store offers something on its website, but it's not actually available anymore. When one walks into the store and asks for it, the reply is "sorry, but...", and when one orders it online, one gets a phone call several days later with that "sorry, but..." excuse. Back-ordering is not normally offered.

There are some exceptions. For example, a store chain that calls itself "PC Factory" has a website with actual, up-to-date stock information. Which is one of the main reasons why I often buy there.

And the second-hand market has to be treated with lots of precaution, because people usually sell things when they have gone bad, not while they are still good. And not telling the buyer that the good being sold is faulty isn't considered cheating. It's being clever! I hate that attitude, but can't change how things are. So I duly avoid buying anything second-hand, unless I get the opportunity to thoroughly test it first.


I think that it's best if I put my mind on something else. I'm just too upset right now by what my Canon did, and I'm seeing everything very negatively. Not being able to repair something feels to me like irony, and almost a personal offense... I will let the issue rest, and maybe, in some months or a few years, after cooling down, start thinking again about purchasing some new printer. The only thing I can guarantee is that it will NOT be a Canon. Until then I will just print black on A4, with my 20 year old HP museum piece that still works well.

Manfred

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

o.k. - that's pretty difficult living conditions for somebody who likes to print...

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

- one last info - The Epson ET-14000 is the successor for the L1300, as well A3 with ink tanks