Saving a 3880 (Epson Stylus Pro 3880)

[J.Emmett Turner]

TL;DR? Questions are in BOLD. Thanks!

Hi, guys. Despite being a techie I've been a bit of a printer-phobe most of my life due to some bad experiences in the '90s. I've always been a color laser guy. Anyway, I've got some projects coming up that are going to require a large-format professional photo printer. I've been researching and was considering the Canon Pro-100 since I saw it for $50 after rebate last year (several times) and $60 after rebate this year (a few times)... with $40 worth of paper every time! I still wasn't ready to pull the trigger without doing my due diligence. In my research, one other printer was frequently mentioned in the same breath as the Pro-100: The Epson Stylus Pro 3880. You can imagine my surprise when I saw one at Goodwill with four boxes of unopened ink. Only two boxes are even expired and one is only expired by a year. The installed carts ranged from 30-97% full except for Yellow (7%). The right peg on one of the output trays was broken so that the output tray cover would fall off when opened but that looks like an easy fix for my 3D printer (Creality CR-10; expect to see me in the 3D printing forum next!).

Of course, I expected the heads to be hopelessly clogged but a quick nozzle check showed all nozzles firing... or so I thought. It turns out that Photo Black was not printing at all. It is supposed to be the first color printed in the nozzle check so it just looked like a margin on the left. Not realizing this, I decided that things were looking good enough to buy. That's when I noticed that it didn't even have a price yet. The employee marked it $9.99, which was a GREAT deal, even just for the inks. I had moved it to a table for testing and had to walk away in order to grab a power cord. Of course, a vulture moved in the moment I stepped away and tried to nab it! I apologized and told him that they had only just priced it for me, which prompted me to step away for the power cord and a cart. Thankfully, he was a good sport and only said that it was a great deal. Whew! Seems I wasn't the only one who recognized this printer.

I was pleasantly surprised that it can print larger images than the Canon Pro-100 since I worried that the Pro-100 may not print large enough for all of my intended projects. "Bonus!" I was also pleasantly surprised that it had a flat path for thicker media, which was another thing I intended to print on and was worried that the Pro-100 couldn't handle. "Double bonus!" Of course, my enthusiasm was significantly reduced when I realized that I was not getting any Photo Black and the straight/flat-feed tray would not retract after deploying it.

The latching mechanism eventually freed after working it almost a hundred times so the flat/straight-feed tray works properly now. Regarding the missing black, I switched to Matte Black and I'm not getting that either. Per Jose Rodriguez's video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Yw1f7o0YI ), I cleaned the purge pad and wiper blade then told it to switch back to Photo Black only to get the message that the Maintenance cartridge is now full. Drat! Now I'm going to have to spend money to find out if the cleaning even worked. I can't even look at the menu or open the cartridge door now. I guess I need to order Yellow along with that because it dropped to 3% after the head cleaning. It was already too low to reset and the others were still comfortably over the 20% threshold so I already expected to have to buy another Yellow.

Here's the thing though: I had every intention of getting a chip resetter and modifying my carts to be refillable for economical prints. I also intended to use a new Maint cart for getting it to forget my DIY refurbished and reset Maint cart. If I buy just the new Maint cart and use it during my testing then I can't resell it as open-box but unused. If I go ahead and get the chip resetter then I can potentially sell both if this doesn't work out. as for the Yellow cart, I'm wondering if I should order a cheap refillable cart instead.

I've now seen a lot of talk about failure of the switching valve but people seem to still be able to print one color or the other. I can't. Does that mean my problem is likely something else? Is there a fix for the issue? I actually stumbled on this forum through a thread that claims to have fixed the issue in another Epson printer that suffers from the same issue ( https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/finally-fixed-the-r3880.10332/ ). Unfortunately, he links to his personal website and the link no longer links to the content of the post. It does now...


There are 9 tubes going into the printhead and the top-most tube appears to be empty (perhaps the top two). I thought the valve is closer to the ink source based on how it was described to me and so it would only have 8 ink tubes. Is that incorrect or is one is supposed to be for pressurization? Is it possible that the carts are empty even though the printer is reporting 55-64%? Jose mentions that it's possible to have 50% "set up" carts read as full in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu0XM-PzflA

These carts are unmodified OEM and the print count is ~1,000 so I highly doubt these are setup carts with incorrectly reported ink levels. One does feel significantly heavier than the other despite being within 8% of each other's reported capacities.

The most important question: What would you do next? Also, are my black nozzles likely to be clogged beyond repair? I'm prepared to spend a bit of money to get this thing going but if my chances aren't great it may make sense just to cut my losses. At this point, actually, there won't be any losses since I still have unused Photo Black, Matte Black, and two Light Light Black carts to sell.


Edit:

 

[bobjoek]

You did get an unbelievable deal on the Epson 3880 printer. It is worth some effort and modest expense to get the black inks flowing. My advice is to get a replacement maintenance cartridge and a new yellow cartridge, if needed. I would not buy 3rd party cartridges yet, instead purchase a genuine Epson cartridge. From your description that both PK and MK are missing, I do not think that you have the dreaded PK/MK valve problem. Most likely you may have dried ink on the bottom of your print head. Inkjetmall has an excellent video that explains how to clean a 3880 printer. Link is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=ocoX1WJbJPM

At 5:20 in the video is the procedure to clean the bottom of the print head. Make sure that you use a lint free paper towel. In the US the best paper towels for this are the Bounty towels. The video also recommends using Piezoflush fluid, but ordinary window cleaner with ammonia will work. You may have to perform this cleaning several times to remove all of the ink gunk from the bottom of the printer head.

Best of luck and let us know your progress.

Bob

 

[berttheghost]

First, I don't own a 3880 but I investigated it thoroughly thinking that I might buy one if my activities justify it.

The evidence points to a stuck ink switch.

The ink switch is part of the damper assy which is located on the print head. The field replaceable part is the ink system assy, which includes everything from the cartridge holders to the ink dampers (including their filters.) At least one of the Epson parts distributors has this for under $150USD, including instructions, Don't buy refurbished or counterfeit. (All of the parts to repair this assy are available. The skills and tools to reassemble it and test the assy are another matter.)

Follow inkjetmall.com's cleaning instructions. Be sure to clean the purge unit/ capping station first, since it plays a key role in cleaning the print head. Good luck.

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

Thanks, guys. Adorama had a good price for the Maintenance cart so I went ahead and ordered one right before discovering that Fry's free shipping made it pennies cheaper ($20.09). Not fretting over that. Before the Maint cart locked me out I had already swabbed the wiper, blotted the purge pad, and swabbed the purge pad's perimeter seal, but I went ahead and flushed the purge pad with window cleaner on your advice. I also cleaned the print head with a Bounty paper towel and more window cleaner.

I ordered a genuine Epson T5804 Yellow cart when I realized that no one had it locally. Fry's Electronics still has a floor model 3880 on display and yet they no longer have the inks in store. Even the demonstration unit was missing the ink carts with half the lines dry (makes me wonder why it's left plugged in). I chuckled at their ridiculous open-box "clearance" price since $770 will almost certainly get you a hopelessly clogged printhead with no ink and a used Maint cart! I really wish they'd let me borrow that Maint cart for just a bit.

I'm used to component-level electronics rework so I'm not daunted at the prospect of installing the parts myself. I'm just worried that I'll do all that and find that the black nozzles are hopelessly clogged. The condition of the other colors tells me that the previous owner likely used it regularly and took care of it (with OEM inks to boot), so I'm crossing my fingers here. I'd really like to see if the valve can be refurbished/reworked so I plan to experiment a bit if I get that far.

Thanks!

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

I got the new Maintenance and T5804 Y cartridges today. Installing the Maint tank finally allowed me to open the door and check the rest. I weighed PK and MK and found that T5081 PK was completely empty (60 grams) despite reading nearly 70%. After replacing it, and switching back to PK, I soon found out why: It's dribbling everywhere during my nozzle checks! This actually helped prime MK and PK, since it seems that BOTH were able to fill the tubes from the standard pressurization forcing ink through the leaky lines (both lines "leaked" air in the PK setting until ink started leaking instead). Switching back to MK stopped the leak. Thankfully, I was able to verify all the nozzles are firing!

My brand new Maint tank is half used now and my LLK is at 15% so I better take it easy on the troubleshooting until my chip resetter gets here. Actually, I do have another new LLK but I hesitate to open it until I test more in case I end up selling it to recoup my costs.

So far:
$9.99 for the printer
$21 for the replacement Maintenance cartridge
$39.99 for the replacement T5804 Y cart
$??.?? opportunity cost for the new T5801 PK cart that I should have just sold seald since I can't print from it anyway
$24 for the chip resetter
$9 for a pocket scale that can read grams
$5 for glass cleaner (large non-spray bottle)
$7 for foam swabs

I still plan to try and clear the switching valve once I buy a second set of carts and can spare the wasted ink. Time to order a complete set with syringes and inks! Even if I have to buy a whole new ink delivery system to get PK going again, I'm excited! I may not be a photography enthusiast but I have a lot of projects in mind for this.

Edit: Just a quick vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInPCHhxSVY

 

[bobjoek]

The dripping of PK definitely points to a PK/MK valve problem. Most likely exercising of the valve will not solve the problem. I had the same issue with my 3880 and replaced the entire ink system (ink bay, ink lines, PK/MK valve & dampers). Now my printer is functioning as new.

The ink system is available from Compass Micro for around $180. You will also need a service manual (for disassembly instructions) and adjustment program (to perform an initial ink fill). Both are available from 2manuals.com. The replacement of the ink system assembly is not very difficult if you are mechanically inclined. Bear in mind that all of the ink cartridges will need to be at 50% or higher, or the printer will refuse to perform the initial fill, therefore you will probably need to buy more ink.

My advice is to wait on replacing the ink system assembly and just give the printer a good workout with matte printing, just to make sure there are no other problems.

Bob

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

Thanks! Yeah, I wasn't planning to simply exercise it: planned to treat it like a gummed up carburetor by putting it into an ultrasonic parts cleaner with appropriate cleaning fluid (dilute Pharmacist's Solution?). I've needed to buy an ultrasonic cleaning machine for my electronics work anyway and this is the perfect excuse. Figured I'm going to waste a lot of ink recharging the lines either way, so getting another set of carts to refill will be my next step.

I spent the weekend pouring over the service manual so I'm prepared to do the whole ink supply system if I have to. $176.20 is totally worth it but I still want to experiment with my bad valve first. I know that the parts won't be available forever and a fix may soon be the only way. The price was so low that I really don't mind experimenting on mine for the sake of everyone else who might get a bad valve.

 

[berttheghost]

Please don't try an ultrasonic cleaner, especially on a print head. Those who have tried it generally reported that it destroyed the print head. I've ruined print heads with overexuberant use of the push-pull and other pressure cleaning techniques. Gentle does it. And patience.

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

Please don't try an ultrasonic cleaner, especially on a print head. Those who have tried it generally reported that it destroyed the print head. I've ruined print heads with overexuberant use of the push-pull and other pressure cleaning techniques. Gentle does it. And patience.

Right: definitely NOT the print head! The print head is fine (every nozzle firing). The problem is in the "Ink Delivery System," which is the part that costs $176.20. More specifically, I'll be dunking the ink switching mechanism ("Ink Change System").

https://i.imgur.com/78lBxV6.png

Unless everyone replacing them has thrown the old parts out, there could even be some faulty Ink Delivery Systems around to experiment on but, hey, I've got a faulty one right here. I'm willing to spend $180 on a replacement if I have to so why not experiment with this one? If a cheaper fix can be found then it could save a lot of money/printers!

 

[J.Emmett Turner]

Well, guys, I seem to have cleared the clog/jam just by working it with hot water. Hadn’t even broken out the ammonia yet.


https://youtu.be/97XomNjdLHA


I’ve since flushed with ammonia and 99.9% electronics cleaning grade isopropyl alcohol.


Kinda regret buying the replacement now but at least it means I’ll have a spare when it inevitably happens again. If someone needs it I may offer it for a fraction of the price as long as you send me your old one for me to clear/unclog.


What I did:

I removed the damper, switch, and actuator assembly from the new ink supply system and separated it from the hoses (remove the plastic clip on the side, then two screws holding the connector down). I disconnected the three electrical connectors from the old damper, switch, and actuator mechanism and swapped in the new ones (connections are for the switch motor, limit switch, ground, etc). This meant that my dampers were empty along with the distribution plate that channels ink from the hoses to the dampers. My PK line was entirely empty due to the old cart dribbling out until it was completely empty (still reported that it was nearly full).


To “charge” the distribution plate, dampers, and PK line without an adjustment program and the associated waste of ink, I ran an automatic nozzle check, but first I switched between MK/PK a few times and “printed” 4 full page black sheets. Switching MK/PK purges the remnants of the shared MK/PK damper, drawing more through the lines without specifically wasting the other colors. There is a little waste of other colors and a lot of waste of the other black, but this was far preferable than buying a full set of carts and then wasting 50% of all of them. I probably could have accomplished this by printing 30-40 sheets of all black on some junk paper since one person reported it taking that many prints for Piezoflush to come through from a freshly installed cart. I did notice that it was using a little LK and LLK when attempting to print of full black without charged PK (full pages of gray were coming out).


The automatic nozzle check was instrumental. Air in the lines will appear like a clogged nozzle to the automatic nozzle check, triggering the printer to discharge a little ink (mostly air in our case) in an attempt to clear it. It will keep attempting to print a longer and longer test pattern until it errors out (can’t fit more test patterns on the page) or flows normally from the printhead (air purged). I believe I had to run it twice (errored out once).


I would have tried printing 30-40 times to plain paper as photo paper but one of those black ink switches was accidental, forcing me to switch/purge the shared MK/PK damper two more times than I desired. Watch out for the driver reverting paper selections! To print PK to junk paper I lied to it and selected Photo Gloss paper. It would’ve been a soggy mess but I was prepared to feed 15 sheets of junk paper through to print both sides. Would’ve been interesting to see how much LK and LLK this uses but I don’t think I even lost a percentage with four prints.


Returning to the bad parts, I had to take them apart further to access the faulty switch valve. The assembly holding the motor, gears, actuator, limit switch, etc need to go. Even after removing the three screws I found it difficult to remove the assembly without manipulating the motor shaft so that the actuator was in an in-between position on the valve switch. The shaft was extended far out the opposite side which makes this easy to manipulate. Another screw holds the switch valve in place but you will need to remove the dampers attached to it which also means removing the distribution plate (clips onto the dampers at 10 inlets). You might be able to leave some dampers charged/attached but it probably won’t save you much ink if the automatic nozzle check cleans all nozzles until the air is out. Do all this over a sink! Each damper part actually holds two colors except for one of the Magentas which passes through the black ink switch valve piece (half of the damper is unused).


You’ll notice throughout the process that Epson uses clear and foil films to seal ink pathways, so do not attempt to peel any of them. Puncturing or peeling any of them means replacing the part, so be especially careful of the films on the ink switch valve!


How to access the innards (not my video):

https://youtu.be/sSQbhQbEvd8

You might break a few clips getting inside. The guy in that video certainly did! Also, be careful when taking the top off like that since it’s still connected by wires on the left side. I don’t think you have to remove the control panel like he and I did so try doing it without removing the screw that’s by the ribbon cable on the right (do disconnect the ribbon cable though).