i950 strange test print pattern. ever see it?

[Tyro]

I am having some trouble with my Magenta Ink. It's like only 1/4 of the heads are working for the Magenta Ink. I have tried all methods of cleaning. Strange thing is I had a replaced head last year with the same printer for a similar problem. I have tried all methods of unclogging. Any other ideas ?

You will probably have to expand the image in Internet Explorer to see the full resolution to see what I'm talking about.

 

[Lilla]

I am having some trouble with my Magenta Ink. It's like only 1/4 of the heads are working for the Magenta Ink. I have tried all methods of cleaning. Strange thing is I had a replaced head last year with the same printer for a similar problem. I have tried all methods of unclogging. Any other ideas ?

Thread Print head clogged or electrical problem? seems to deal with the same problem.

Post #1 says

I have a Canon i950 that suddenly lost exactly 1/4 of the lines in the nozzle check pattern for Black only (all other 5 colors are fine)...

Post #4 shows a nozzle check problem with M that looks similar to the problem you are having. Note, I had to save the image to my hard drive to view the full width of the image.

Post #6 reports a similar? problem and he tells us how he fixed it...

...I noticed gaps in the Nozzle check particularly blue which had large chunks missing....After much effort I found out that the encoder strip is a thin mylar film strip that runs the length of the case and is read by the Print Head as it transverses the Printer. I opened case and when Print Head had stopped pulled power cord out so it was unlocked and could be easily moved from side to side. Then very carefully cleaned the Encoder Strip with a soft wet cloth. The cloth came away stained with cyan so clearly the Encoder Strip had been splattered. Plugged Printer in, turned on - not expecting anything - it worked perfectly. Nozzle printout perfect, Alignment perfect. Miracle Cure. My Printer basically went from edge of Rubbish Bin to new again with a few wipes of a damp cloth...

You could try cleaning the mylar timing strip and see if it helps. Be careful not to bend or stretch it.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Lilla

 

[Tyro]

Thanks for the tip. I will that a try tonight and you know how it turns out.

 

[Lilla]

Tyro, I came across these posts and it reminded me of your Magenta problem which has a regular pattern vs. a random pattern. These posts provide additional check points that might resolve your problem.

Grandad35 in Post #2 this link says...

Regular patterns of missing ink usually indicate poor electrical contact between the back of the print head and the carriage, a problem with the cable carrying the signals to the moving carriage that holds the print head, or a problem with the main circuit board.

Use a SOFT pencil eraser and gently clean the contacts on the back of the print head and make sure that you did not get any water behind the circuit board on the print head. If it might be wet, use a hair dryer set on low heat (under 120 degrees F) to dry it out.

Grandad35 in Post #10 this link tells us

This sounds like an electrical problem, not a clog.

Pull the print head. There are a number of spring loaded pins that push into contact with the gold contacts on the back of the print head. GENTLY, push on each pin - does each pin spring back out to the same position as the other pins? If one or more pins stick in, this is probably your problem.

If the pins all operate properly, gently clean the gold contacts on the back of the print head with a soft pencil eraser and reinstall the print head. If the problem still persists, the problem could be in the print head, the flexible cable that carries the signals to the print head or the printer's mother board.

Lilla (me) in Post #5 this link lists a number of items you can clean inside the printer. For example, you can clean the cable mentioned above, and this might help. If your problem persists, you can clean all the items on this list and see if it helps.

Lilla

 

[Tyro]

Thanks for all the info. I tried cleaning the control strip, but it didn't work. I will try and clean the rest of the items on the list.

I checked the fax that I sent to Canon last year. The same exact thing was happening last year and I just thought it was a clogged head. Canon replaced the head since it was still under warranty. This is strange that it's happening again.

Thanks

Tim.