Trying to reclaim a dried out Epson c86

[jandaco]

Hi,
I just picked up two printers from the recycling depot. A canon Bj 10EX and a Epson C86. The former must be fairly old and yet worked straight away, the latter - nothing printed. From its general condition it has seen little use and the carts may well be the original, they are OEM. I have been soaking the head in cleaner and running clean cycles till the black registered empty and I had to wait till I got a chip resetter.
I then forced some cleaning fluid thro the head and for the first time got some output on the black and blue and yellow. Then it stopped. So I forced some ink, black and cyan (not epson as I'm not spending more on it until its results are more promising) and got some output.
Obviously the head is well clogged but could the carts also be clogged since force priming gets output? The cleaning pad clears fluid so I reckon the purge is working ok.
As I said I don't want to spend money on it: it is more of a challenge but might it be worth filling the carts with some cleaning fluid and running that thro it to see if the output gets better?
By the way does anyone know what cells were used in the BJ10EX battery, it runs on 9.6V and was an NB150 but long since out of production (or silly price).

Cheers

 

[websnail]

Ok... the key thing with the Epson durabrite/pigment printers is that patience is king...

Forcing cleaning fluid into the printhead is a no-no.. instead get some empty carts and fill them with cleaning fluid. Pop these carts into the printer and then walk away (yes, difficult I know) for a day or so.. When you return run a single cleaning routine and then allow to sit for another 12 to 24 hours.. Then run another cleaning routine and try printing off a nozzle check or better yet a purge pattern that exercises your printhead.

Chances are you'll need to repeat for a bit but eventually the printhead will be clear of clogs and you'll be able to print.

Did this to great effect with a CX6600 and a number of C84/86 and D88's since then and it's always down to being patient and allowing the cleaning solution to work its magic without pressure, just time and gravity...

 

[jandaco]

Thanks for that, Websnail. I filled the carts with cleaning fluid and straight away got cyan and yellow near perfect. So now i'll give it time and perhaps try a compatable set of carts in a week or so. It seems the carts may be the problem.
BTW how do you get it to run a purge cycle?

 

[fotofreek]

download a purge file from MIS website. Run the file that corresponds to the number of ink carts (or colors if you have a tri-color cart).

 

[websnail]

download a purge file from MIS website. Run the file that corresponds to the number of ink carts (or colors if you have a tri-color cart).

These do help but the time, patience.. cups of tea.. chill time.. did I mention patience?.. all work much better than just jumping straight in with the purge files.. What the purge files ARE good for though is regular exercise of the printhead to stop if clogging in future


PS: No, don't give the printer cups of tea to drink..... that'd be daft.. it likes coffee..

 

[fotofreek]

Websnail - Jandaco had asked how to run a purge cycle. You are absolutely right that you shouldn't be running purge files until you clear a clog. These files are best for what you mentioned - in lieu of printing a picture when using the printer infrequently - to keep the ink flowing. In addition, purge files are great when changing to a new brand of ink and purging the printhead of the previously used ink.