quickie canon external waste tank solution for under $5 under 15 min

[jimbo123]

i'm sure others have thought of this before, but here's a quickie canon external waste tank solution for under $5 under 15 min.

my MP830 is at 80% waste pad usage, i'm not looking forward to replacing the waste pads. have heard that depending on use, you can reset the waste counter one or more times before the pads are fully saturated and ink begins to leak out of the printer.

see below for my simplistic approach and pics

- found a clear storage container lid that fit my MP830, approx 16" x 25" x 1/2 inch lip
- cut out/tape up 4 cardboard stacks to raise above 1/2" lip
- place printer on cardboard corners to make sure paper tray slides out

when i hit 100% i can now reset my waste pad counter back to zero and just keep an eye for any ink on the clear tray.

if/when ink leaks out i can either replace the pads, blot it up somehow or if i was really lazy.... let the ink collect in the "large flat external waste tank".

see pics below, tested with backup MP830 and then final setup

not elegant, but functional

J

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Printers: Canon Pixma MP830, IP4500(spare), MP830(2 spares), MX700(2 spares)
Method: German Durchstich Method using Canon Cartridges
Ink: Hobbicolors, great guy to deal with
Misc: Squeeze bottles, needles, scabbards from Howard Electronics

 

[websnail]

LOL... Basic but very functional... My only comment is that the ink would soak into the cardboard and result in it collapsing into the ink so you might want to consider something a bit more solid...

Otherwise, I can't beat the pricing

 

[jimbo123]

yes, more of a fun, basic, "function over fashion" solution. just in case i decide to reset my waste ink counter at 100% and fly blind

good point about the cardboard. then again when it starts collapsing to one side it could be my indicator that "houston we have a problem"....

oh, this was more of a zero cost solution. when checking out with the container lid, she asked me where is the rest of the container. told her her all i needed was the lid, she said "OK, no charge".

J

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Printers: Canon Pixma MP830, IP4500(spare), MP830(2 spares), MX700(2 spares)
Method: German Durchstich Method using Canon Cartridges
Ink: Hobbicolors, great guy to deal with
Misc: Squeeze bottles, needles, scabbards from Howard Electronics

 

[pharmacist]

Hi Jimbo123,

did you drill holes underneath the printer housing, so the ink can escape at the lowest possible level ? Otherwise the ink level in the sponge should increase to an alarming hight before it will flood over. This is rather risky, because it could reach sensitive electrical parts of the printer.

 

[jimbo123]

hmmm.... good point, did not drill any holes.

was hoping ink would leak out before the ink level reached any electronics on my MP830

may have to rethink my low cost external waste solution

J

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Printers: Canon Pixma MP830, IP4500(spare), MP830(2 spares), MX700(2 spares)
Method: German Durchstich Method using Canon Cartridges
Ink: Hobbicolors, great guy to deal with
Misc: Squeeze bottles, needles, scabbards from Howard Electronics

 

[ghwellsjr]

I'm not sure it would be a good idea to drill holes in the bottom of your printer because that would allow air in there which may dry out the waste ink while it is still in the purge tubes coming out of the purge pump. You can read about my experience with an external waste tank that extended the purge tubes below the printer but since they were exposed to air, the ink inside them apparently clogged and kept the purge system from working and this was just two weeks after I extended the tubes.

If this happened two weeks after drilling holes in the bottom of your printer, I'm sure you would be quite upset because you would have to take your printer apart to get to the tubes so that you could unclog them and at that point it would be just as easy to replace the waste pads, the very thing you are trying to avoid!

 

[websnail]

I'm not sure it would be a good idea to drill holes in the bottom of your printer because that would allow air in there which may dry out the waste ink while it is still in the purge tubes coming out of the purge pump.

I think it would depend on where the holes were drilled...

I definitely wouldn't drill them anywhere near the pump but find a spot much further over/back that was safe (ie: not electronics, vital parts, etc..) and drilling there should attenuate any air reaching the pump and its tubes.

 

[The Hat]

websnail I think you should take note to the good advice from ghwellsjr (caution) after all he's done that and has the tee-shirt..

 

[websnail]

websnail I think you should take note to the good advice from ghwellsjr (caution) after all he's done that and has the tee-shirt..

... and, with the greatest respect, can I suggest you take note of what I have actually said rather than assuming that I'm disagreeing for the sake of argument. I am not, as might appear a complete naif when it comes to Canons waste ink systems and have taken apart more than one Canon inkjet so hopefully my experience and suggestions are not totally invalid.

To clarify... The problem that ghwellsjr noted with the tubes getting clogged and drying up was caused by holes drilled and an area cut open directly under the waste tubes which left it thoroughly exposed to air movement and drying action.

My suggestion was to drill holes at a distance away from the pump and tubing at a point where there is a buffer of considerable waste padding between the holes drilled and the pumps. Thus the pads stop any free air movement and avoid the same clogging issue. You have to remember that the pads already provide the same role between the air in the printer itself and the pump as the ink soaks into the pads via the foam and pad underneath the printer path.