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Hi Guys, I'm new on this forum but I want to share my thoughts about bypassing the ink monitor system of the newer chipped Canon printer models.
An alternative method could be developed to monitor the ink level: why not make a special adapter which actually sits underneath just above the optical sensors (thin enough not to intervene with the printer's sensor, but thick enough to actually sense light breaking changes (i.d.: sensing the ink is running low).
This sensor can then be linked with a very thin and flexible cable (which eventually can be attached to the internal white printhead cable and then outside the printer coupled to a USB-connector. Or perhaps coupled with the USB-printer cable as an intermediate plug. Since the cable can be made very thin and small -unlike the thick valves from a CISS-system- problems with printercaps not able to close should be minimized.
Software can be written that actually intersects the information from the sensor to give you warning that one or more inktanks are running low or even trick the ink monitor for Canon itself: this should be possible by reverse engineering the pulses/information sent to the computer by the printer, or if not: simply making a pop-up utility independently from Canon's own ink level monitoring utility.
If the sensor can not be made too thin, without hindering refilled cartridges, then eventually special (refillable) cartridges can be made with an indented bottom which can fit perfectly over this sensor. Since the ink level monitor is already disabled to enable further printing with refilled cartridges I don't think it actually matters if the sensor should be transparant or not to let the printer see any optical changes from the prisms above, but this can be implemented to be sure of. This should be easily made, since only a change in refraction in the prism above the sensor should be detected.
Eventually wireless versions can be made with a battery inside the sensor which sends it's signal to a USB-adapter which must be plugged in between the printer and the outcoming USB-printercable (this should be longlasting since only a signal should be sent before a printing command and then maybe every 5 minutes during printing). RFID technology may be applied to enable this feature, making it even a more elegant solution.
Has nobody thought about this solution? Since this does not infringe Canon's patents concerning their chips, you are able to choose any refill ink you wish to use, for those wishing to have an effective ink monitor level not chained to Canon's expensive cartridges or changing chains to the Armor/GEHA proprietary Tuning Kit (which give you an alternative for ink monitoring, but is only slightly cheaper than the original ones from Canon itself, since the chips on the Armor/GEHA cartridges are themselves encrypted as well !!!).
This in fact is a total new concept to give you an alternative for an efficient ink monitor system, that -when the software is written carefully- even can prevent printing when the sensor detects an "out of ink" level in one or more of the cartridges sitting above it, making it even more effective than Canon's chip method, since a lot of people are complaining about half full cartridges even when the chip says "empty"!!!
Of course you still need the original chips for this system to work, but that is same case for the Armor/GEHA tuning system: they actually are collecting empty Canon cartridges for the chips to be built into their tuning adapters. If you buy their Tuning Kit, you will get a 1:1 exchange for one old empty cartridge (with chip) for one new full GEHA/Armor corresponding cartridge with their own proprietary chip attached on it.
Of course: there are already very expensive resetting machines available on the market which seem to do the trick, but how much would be the price of this theoretical sensor if available?
What are you guys thinking about this concept, is it workable and realistic ?
An alternative method could be developed to monitor the ink level: why not make a special adapter which actually sits underneath just above the optical sensors (thin enough not to intervene with the printer's sensor, but thick enough to actually sense light breaking changes (i.d.: sensing the ink is running low).
This sensor can then be linked with a very thin and flexible cable (which eventually can be attached to the internal white printhead cable and then outside the printer coupled to a USB-connector. Or perhaps coupled with the USB-printer cable as an intermediate plug. Since the cable can be made very thin and small -unlike the thick valves from a CISS-system- problems with printercaps not able to close should be minimized.
Software can be written that actually intersects the information from the sensor to give you warning that one or more inktanks are running low or even trick the ink monitor for Canon itself: this should be possible by reverse engineering the pulses/information sent to the computer by the printer, or if not: simply making a pop-up utility independently from Canon's own ink level monitoring utility.
If the sensor can not be made too thin, without hindering refilled cartridges, then eventually special (refillable) cartridges can be made with an indented bottom which can fit perfectly over this sensor. Since the ink level monitor is already disabled to enable further printing with refilled cartridges I don't think it actually matters if the sensor should be transparant or not to let the printer see any optical changes from the prisms above, but this can be implemented to be sure of. This should be easily made, since only a change in refraction in the prism above the sensor should be detected.
Eventually wireless versions can be made with a battery inside the sensor which sends it's signal to a USB-adapter which must be plugged in between the printer and the outcoming USB-printercable (this should be longlasting since only a signal should be sent before a printing command and then maybe every 5 minutes during printing). RFID technology may be applied to enable this feature, making it even a more elegant solution.
Has nobody thought about this solution? Since this does not infringe Canon's patents concerning their chips, you are able to choose any refill ink you wish to use, for those wishing to have an effective ink monitor level not chained to Canon's expensive cartridges or changing chains to the Armor/GEHA proprietary Tuning Kit (which give you an alternative for ink monitoring, but is only slightly cheaper than the original ones from Canon itself, since the chips on the Armor/GEHA cartridges are themselves encrypted as well !!!).
This in fact is a total new concept to give you an alternative for an efficient ink monitor system, that -when the software is written carefully- even can prevent printing when the sensor detects an "out of ink" level in one or more of the cartridges sitting above it, making it even more effective than Canon's chip method, since a lot of people are complaining about half full cartridges even when the chip says "empty"!!!
Of course you still need the original chips for this system to work, but that is same case for the Armor/GEHA tuning system: they actually are collecting empty Canon cartridges for the chips to be built into their tuning adapters. If you buy their Tuning Kit, you will get a 1:1 exchange for one old empty cartridge (with chip) for one new full GEHA/Armor corresponding cartridge with their own proprietary chip attached on it.
Of course: there are already very expensive resetting machines available on the market which seem to do the trick, but how much would be the price of this theoretical sensor if available?
What are you guys thinking about this concept, is it workable and realistic ?
