New Member of Pixma Pro-1 B200 Club

[esmith132]

Within the last 2 months my 6-year-old Canon Pixma Pro-1 has exhibited the dreaded B200 error. Initially it was only intermittently but now it is nearly every time I attempt to power it on. The usual troubleshooting, power off, unplug, re-plug, and power on does not remedy error. It seems that some other random factor (i.e., ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, or perhaps the moon's phase) might have a role in making the error go away (it's baffling).

When the printer was operational in between error codes I managed to make a nozzle check print. The print looked suspicious and that led me to perform a Cleaning cycle and a Deep Cleaning cycle on the third ink group. The last nozzle check print (see attach) resembles the initial print in that there is two tones in three inks in the third group. I'm using Canon OEM cartridges and inks. I use the printer very lightly by doing a batch of prints every 1 to 2 months (not enough I know).

With the B200 error active I'm not able to perform any additional maintenance. What should the next step be?

I have an OEM spare printhead ready if replacing the head might solve the problem.

 

[The Hat]

Hi @esmith132, it was fortuitous of you to have a spare print head on standby, because that’s exactly what you going to need to get your beast back printing normally again..

The B200 error is certainly a bitch to diagnosis, but it’s usually put out in response to a current or pending problem, and by continuing to use the printer between error messages has probably led to the unrepairable damage that has occur.

All times when you have a print problem or error message you need to reframe from printing until you can resolve the issue, and nozzle checks are the only exception, and seeking help promptly is the best course of action when it’s beyond your capability.

The most obvious actions to take are head cleans and a nozzle checks if they fail to rectify the problem, then 1 deep head clean, and another nozzle check and if necessary an over night pause to let the print head rest.

Print issues are never welcome and if not dealt with promptly and successfully, they will lead to inevitable nozzle failure due to poor or inadequate ink flow issues, if you need assistance or advice with the procedure of head removal then PM me for instructions..

Sorry for the bad News..

 

[esmith132]

The beast is back and printing again!

The Hat + spare printhead + $ink = success. Thank you for the expert guidance. With stubborn persistence and perhaps gentle coaxing (not sure which) I managed to finally power the printer on without getting a B200 error. At this point, it was straightforward to release the printhead and replace it without difficulty. Attached test print appears to be flawless.