Hi - I'm new here - an introduction.

[cluker]

Hi all,

I have been browsing the forums here for a couple of weeks and thought it was time to register as there are so many useful posts here.

I'm in the North West UK and have several printers I use or used - not professionally though.

My main printer is a networked mono printer, an HP Laser jet 5 with duplex unit, JetDirect card, additional high capacity sheet feeder and 18Mb memory.
It's so cheap to use, doesn't clog and duplex as well.
It always works fine but is the cause of one of my problems.

The problem is I use it all the time for mono/web prints and therefore my colour printers are a bit ( a lot ) neglected - printing wise - and suffer clogged heads.

My main reason for visiting this forum is a networked Epson 1520 I have that used to work fine but has not been used for quite a while and has suffered because of it. Blocked heads etc.

But I have 2 other Epson 850 colour printers that I used to use many years ago before they clogged - I saved them purely for spares in the knowledge they had the same heads as the 1520.
I have made some vast improvements with the 1520 recently but it's not totally up to scratch yet.

The 1520 wide body is my main focus.

I'm not bothered about getting the 850's functional. They are sacrificial for the heads if need be.

I know these are old Epson printers but I prefer the chip-less ones re cost of ink etc.
And I believe the 1520's are quite good when working OK.

Prior to me trying recently to get the 1520 up and working for wide bodied prints I used to use an Epson CX3200 I bought new a few years ago for A4 photo's.
It worked fine for quite a while.
Irregular colour prints though means that is suffering too though that can wait.

Other printers:
2 spare HP Laser jet 4's.

I hesitate to mention.
An old OKi Microline 193 dot matrix wide body printer with cut sheet feeder - in the loft for many years.
Must look more into using it for printing Braille for the blind.
Seen some suggestions.

Introduction over - I'll detail my 1520 frustrating experiences more soon though am going on holiday tomorrow to Stratford-on-Avon for 5 days so wont be back here before then.

Good forum though,

cluker

.

 

[mikling]

If you're planning to switch heads, then you'd be wise to acquire the service software for the 1520. On each printhead are printed a series of numbers that are entered into the software which then enters the data into the firmware. Thus changing heads is not just a swap arrangement. Within this software are also routines which adjust head alignment beyond what comes on the driver. So unless you've had experience with this, it can be a wild ride.

The problem with the 1520 at this time is that it really is an older printer which while serviceable is bested by the current crop in many significant ways. If you perform comparative prints you will easily see the difference.

The other problem with the 1520 is that unless you install a CISS with it, you are likely to encounter strange so called clogging situations as the ink empties from the sponges. When the ink gets low, two phenomena will occur. If you put the printer to rest after working perfectly, when it starts up next time you might incur so called clogs. What really has happened is that the nearly empty sponge within the cartridge will have wicked the ink from the printhead back up into the sponge! so now there is no ink in the nozzles and you will swear you have a clog. Yes, the sponge will literally draw the ink back in reverse from the head. There can be no check valve in the sponge.

So now you have a clog, so you perform a head cleaning. Now you'd think this was going to solve your problem right? Well if you're lucky, it will. If you're not then it will make matters worse! How? When a head cleaning is performed, the pump under the parking pad/ink cap willcreate a vacuum which will draw ink down from the sponge. Now think about sucking on a drinking straw. If the sponge is well saturated and the ink can move fast enough, the vacuum will draw nothing but ink. If however, the sponge is not saturated enough, then when you attempt to draw ink from the sponge you will end up with aerated ink or foam.

This foamy ink is the Epson's worse nightmare. Once it enters the head, it can be hell to remove because the only way to remove it is to perform more head cleanings which already was drawing foamy ink. So you'd only be drawing even more foamy ink as a second round in an attempt to get rid of the first set. You're now in a vicious circle. Now at this point you'd think, OMG I have clogged head!!!! and you do more head cleanings. Eventually the printer is on the sidewalk and you're saying bad things about the printer.

Now by now, either the printer has been thrown out or the cartridge is now considered empty after a few head cleanings. So you purchase a new cartridge. You install it and think things will be fine. Well chances are they will not necessarily be. You see I mentioned that once that foamy ink is inside it clings to the insides and is not easily cleared. So even with a new cartridge, you might have wasted 1/4 to half of it before the printer gives a good nozzle check again.

The above situation is especially problematic when inexpensive compatible cartridges are used. This is so because the sponge characteristics can vary on these. Furthermore, the fill level is not always known, and finally with sponge cartridges, the method of filling the sponge to create NO air voids is critical. Once you create bubbles in the ink and these bubbles get ingested into the printhead, you are going to have banding and so called clogs.

The next generation of printers went to spongeless designs which eliminated the sponge pullback effect. A chip was also installed to ensure that ink cartridges were never used to the point that they would become empty and ingest air. Once air gets inside the head, you'd have to waste lots of ink to remove it by sucking lots of ink hoping to pull it out. This next generation of printhead still had problem clearing bubbles when it gets in. The 1280 for some reason continued to carry a sponge.

The current generation now has much improved heads which can clear air inside the head quite efficiently as compared to the previous. This combined with spongeless has pretty much eliminated the clog issues. Two design iterations have improved lots.

So if you're having problems with banding etc, this story could be yours. If you install a CISS or even convert the OEM cartridges to become a CISS then many of the problems with the sponge could be mitigated as it will always be nicely saturated. As long as it it serving your needs, and you're happy then good. If you get frustrated with clogs then at least you know why.

and welcome!

 

[The Hat]

Phew mikling I am glad he didnt ask for a sermon..

Joking aside that was a brilliant answer I was fascinated by in-depth diagnosis because I remember the problems I had (O the pain) with my old Epson printers. I pulled apart the print head on my printer and ended up burning the shite out of it, thats what got me into refilling; the Cost...

 

[cluker]

Thanks Mikling for the extensive information.

I actually have the 1520 Service Software but AIUI it needs DOS or an old Windows ( pre NT ) to run, it doesn't want to run in XP.
I'm going to have to throw a machine together to run it. I tried running it from a DOS boot CD but the DOS image when running won't allow me to change the screen parameters as is needed with the service program.

Before I knew of the requirement to use the service program with a head change and when I first started trying to clear the original heads I removed the heads for flushing. First with meths, then with warm distilled water / IPA mix.
This cleared them a lot but there were still some stubborn jets on each head. I'd already dismantled and cleaned the ink pump and it was working OK.
At that time I was unaware of the head ID's marked on the side of the heads and the cleaning solutions did a magical job of removing the head ID's. Oh balderdash!!
When I was inspecting the inlet port for the black head after cleaning the port, I noticed it looked different to those for the colour head. The stem wasn't smooth it looked crusted, I thought it was hardened ink though neither meths nor IPA would remove it. In trying to remove the crusting with a blade I pierced the stem. That's one black head down two to go.
Knowing I would need at least the black head from one of the 850's I began cleaning the heads and ink pump of an 850 between soak resting periods of the 1520.
I got the black head firing on all jets but the colour was stubborn.
I began on the 2nd 850's heads and got the colour head firing on all but about 5 jets. They were not clearing with repeated head cleans.

I fitted the now good black and the nearly good colour heads from the 850's to the 1520.

Using old ink cartridges with some ink left in them I topped them up with 50:50 distilled water and IPA so they wouldn't run dry and did more cleans after charging the heads.
The colour wouldn't clear all jets.
I had been aware of others using ammonia during cleaning but it's not easy to find these days.
I managed to find some after about a week and added 1 drop to 40mL of distilled water, soaked the head caps and pooled the heads overnight.

The following day after 2 head cleans all jets, black and colour were firing. Viola.

Fitted new black and colour cartridges and charged the heads then cleaned them once more. (I have quite a few new and sealed cartridges - probably 10 of each).
Nozzle check was OK.
The following day a nozzle check showed a few jets missing. 2 cleaning cycles later all were firing.

The cleared jets appear to be consistent now when checked over a few days.

On a photo print though there is some banding evident - probably due to not having the head ID's entered.
On a print of lower resolution ( an A3 poster print ) it looks fine.

Your info regarding CISS is helpful - thanks.

I will use the printer for a short time just to be sure all jets remain clear but what I am thinking of doing is to enable the filling of the fitted cartridges without removing them and to make the printer think the cartridges have been changed by adding a couple of small push button switches either to the head assembly or wired to the main PCB where the head ribbon cables connect.

On the stem damaged black head I dismounted the small head PCB to inspect the cartridge present/missing switch arrangement operated by the spring contact where the cartridge mounts. When there is a cartridge in place the contacts are made. As I want to leave the cartridges in place to refill I would have to either remove the spring contact or insulate it. The small push button switches would then take the place of that contact and be normally made - button pushed to fool the printer into thinking that a cartridge had been removed thus resetting the counter and initiating a recharge of the head when the cover is closed.
I have removed the lower ( under the cartridge ) ink cartridge pullers that would lift the cartridge off the stems when the cartridge flap is raised thus preventing air induction to the cartridge ports. I have also cut off the plasic obstuctions on the cover that prevent the cartridge flaps being raised in the print carriage 'home' position.

So, as I see it, this would give me a semi - CISS that would not induce air into the heads because the ink cartridges would not need to be removed to recharge the cartridges. As long as I keep them topped up with an injection of bulk ink now and then.

Seems a lot of trouble, I know, for an old printer but I don't really have a proven need for one yet.
I wouldn't go and buy a wide bodied printer having no proven need.
And the printer came as an unexpected add on with an eBay purchase from a business some years ago when I only expected to get a 19 inch Dell monitor ( you can take that old printer too if you like, and all those ink cartridges and those rolls of Epson photo quality A2 banner paper ).

So I see it as worth the trouble. If only for printing posters.

I'll use my CX3200 to print photo's.
I've started on that too but that's another story.
The 1520 was a bit of a learning curve.


Mikling your reply was very helpful and I'm thankful.

cluker

 

[mikling]

Hi

take a look at this.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2136

It's a similar story of reviving an old clunker. To install a CISS on your printer is essentially the same way. The CISS system is intrinsically KISS or drop tube. It's just a tube that is dropped into a container of ink and leads directly to the cartridge which is completely sealed. Nothing more is required if you keep the ink levels up. On better refillable cartridges there is a check valve built into the air intake line. Otherwise on sponge systems it is that easy and you'll be happy when it all settles down.

 

[cluker]

Hi

take a look at this.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2136

It's a similar story of reviving an old clunker. To install a CISS on your printer is essentially the same way. The CISS system is intrinsically KISS or drop tube. It's just a tube that is dropped into a container of ink and leads directly to the cartridge which is completely sealed. Nothing more is required if you keep the ink levels up. On better refillable cartridges there is a check valve built into the air intake line. Otherwise on sponge systems it is that easy and you'll be happy when it all settles down.

Thanks for that - I'll keep it in mind.
The 1520 is still printing on all jets.
It prints posters OK but not photos - banding.
I'll leave it for a while now just doing test prints.


cluker