Really in need of suggestions I have run out of ideas.

[PeterBJ]

There are two main causes of ink flow problems. Either there is a problem with the cartridge or there is a clog in the fine ink passages in the upper part of the print head.

I admit it is a bit expensive, but the best test tool to determine if the problem is a cartridge problem is a new Canon OEM cartridge. If the new cartridge solves the problem you know that the refilled cartridge was the cause, and a flushing of the cartridge might solve the problem. If the new OEM cartridge makes no difference you know that there is a print head problem.

Here is a post with a couple of tests to determine the condition of the refilled cartridge. And here is a thread about a problem that was most likely caused by an airlock in a refilled cartridge.

The purge unit might also be a cause of problems, see this thread. And here is a purge unit test by turbguy.

 

[palombian]

From the Bartfly topic you mention I retain The Hat's suggestion of air bubbles.

Maybe you could try multiple deep cleanings.
If you don't want to wast ink (and fill the pads) do it with pharmacist solution.
Empty the cartridges if you want.
Change then quickly to a good set with the (3th party) ink you normally to use, and do a last deep cleaning (and a nozzle check).

Leave the printer alone, forget it didn't work and try a few pages one or two days later (it worked for me).

Stop changing everything all the time.

Good luck.

 

[pearlhouse]

From the Bartfly topic you mention I retain The Hat's suggestion of air bubbles.

Maybe you could try multiple deep cleanings.
If you don't want to wast ink (and fill the pads) do it with pharmacist solution.
Empty the cartridges if you want.
Change then quickly to a good set with the (3th party) ink you normally to use, and do a last deep cleaning (and a nozzle check).

Leave the printer alone, forget it didn't work and try a few pages one or two days later (it worked for me).

Stop changing everything all the time.

Good luck.

To be clear here I only change one thing at a time so I can easily keep track of what Im doing.

R U saying to make up a set of carts with just pharmacist solution in them and then just keep doing deep cleaning until the carts are empty and then put in a full set of refilled carts and start printing????
Also can I print with these pharmacist carts or could that burn up the print head????

 

[mikling]

Hmmmmm...power left on. All the time between all tests and occurrences.

I will post something that will have some scratching their heads but I am now coming to some conclusions about these strange occurrences.

It will be very different I will read through this thead completely to see if it "fits".

 

[mikling]

PeterBJ will figure out this one for us. I will issue some clues.

What is one of the failure modes of a transistor? ...does a transistor always fail catastrophically in an off state?

There are lots of those things used inside the printhead and controller/logic board.

 

[PeterBJ]

I think the problems are ink flow problems, and not caused by an electronic print head failure.

I'm not an electronics pro but an experienced amateur.

I think the most common failure mode of a transistor, both bipolar, JFET and MOSFET is that the transistor develops a short circuit. Both too much voltage and too much current and too much heat can cause failure of a transistor.

The life span of a transistor decreases exponentially with temperature, so keeping operating temperature low is important.

The print head is a very specialized integrated circuit, meaning it contains a large number of transistors. If one or more transistors fail, I think it means print head kaput.

Some print head failures will trigger an error message and prevent printing. Some failures will prevent turning on the printer. Some failures will cause missing of the whole or parts of the pigment pattern or dye stripes in the nozzle check print, without causing an error message. Some failures will ruin the logic board, and a ruined logic board can ruin a new print head.

 

[pearlhouse]

PeterBJ I am hesitant on buying another new oem magenta cart for this thing. As I explained I have a full set of new oem carts that most are now about half full. They are about 5 months old but have been covered with clips and then sealed up in a ziplock bag. I have been keeping this set to use when I am having problems just so I can eliminate the cartridge variable. I will admit the magenta is now a little less than half full since I have using them for this problem. Up to now this set has always worked perfectly for me.
Yesterday I flushed two more 226 magenta (new style opaque) carts finished them off with Pharmacists solution and then used my centrifugal sock method to dry them out. Top filled them and then sealed them with low style silicone plugs. Top filling an opaque cart is not my idea of fun. Ended up being pretty messy. Real pain in the AXX. Now I know why I prefer the German fill method. I installed one and immediately printed a nozzle check. Came out perfect and also noticed that the magenta was back to being brighter and not faded as I previously described. I did a second nozzle check and it was perfect. So then I printed my test page with 1/2inch tall full page width bars of all colors with a magenta bar at the top and one at the bottom. This came out much better than previous attempts but still showed some banding. Printed a second test page and it showed a little more banding than the previous test page. Did a nozzle clean and then printed a nozzle check again and all was perfect. I have uploaded both nozzle checks and also both of "my" test prints. I also just did a purge pump test flooding the pads with pharmacists solution letting it set for about 10min the puddle stayed so I just shut the lid and when it did its thing I opened it up and the pads were clear just like they should be.
So the mystery goes on.....
I hope you guys arnt going to me my logic board is bad. The warranty on this printer expired about a month ago.....

 

[mikling]

Transistors can also fail by being leaky in that they do not switch off completely sometimes. They continually leak a bit of current..and in some cases (A) they don't switch off at all ..shorted, or don't switch on (B)
(A) can cause a printhead nozzle to burn out by itself..i.e switched on full all the time. (B) can cause the nozzle not to print and disguise itself as a clog.

What will happen if the transistor is in fact "leaky" and the printer is left on all the time? There in lies the answer.

 

[turbguy]

I think the problems are ink flow problems, and not caused by an electronic print head failure.

I'm not an electronics pro but an experienced amateur.

I think the most common failure mode of a transistor, both bipolar, JFET and MOSFET is that the transistor develops a short circuit. Both too much voltage and too much current and too much heat can cause failure of a transistor.

The life span of a transistor decreases exponentially with temperature, so keeping operating temperature low is important.

The print head is a very specialized integrated circuit, meaning it contains a large number of transistors. If one or more transistors fail, I think it means print head kaput.

Some print head failures will trigger an error message and prevent printing. Some failures will prevent turning on the printer. Some failures will cause missing of the whole or parts of the pigment pattern or dye stripes in the nozzle check print, without causing an error message. Some failures will ruin the logic board, and a ruined logic board can ruin a new print head.

The heating issue is why I always set the printing speed intentionally low on my "thermal" printers (quite mode or night mode) if available...

 

[The Hat]

I have viewed your four JPEG’s and can see exactly what the problem is and what is going wrong for you, there is clearly an issue with your Magenta not delivering enough ink to the print head. (Poorly refilled cartridge)

Firstly you should get a set of 220/221 cartridges and transfer the chip from your 225/226 cartridges, then you’ll have a better chance to refill your cartridges visually and not be doing it blind.

Now I know what you’re going to say is that your current set of cartridges are working fine but clearly there not and you need to switch to using a semi opaque cartridge instead of the 100% opaque ones.

The top fill method should be used to refill these cartridges and not the German method because it’s not reliable enough and can lead to ink starvation problems very quickly.

Here is a test print you should use to test your cartridges out when you have gotten a good nozzle print first it will show up any colour that is not delivering enough ink to the print head and it’s not as stressful as the one you use.

Now you can holler and shout as much as you like at me for suggesting that you’re not refilling your cartridges correctly but the facts speak for themselves and I am only trying to resolve your current problem before you damage your print head or kick the printer into the trash bin.

Take a moment to reflect on all that’s happen to you so far and you’ll see that there is a need for some changes to be made to your refilling procedure to get you back printing normally again..