Epson 1270 - No Ink on the paper

[Felipe]

I have succesfully changed the head of my Epson 1270 with the head of an
Epson 870. The only problem was that I couldn't clean all the
nozzles, not even with a special cleaning-liquid from "START". So I
disconnected the head and cleaned it by force with simply water.
After that, everything works, even the headcleaning. But I can't get
the 1270 printer so far that he prints, although the head moves over the
paper and the LED don't give a warning signal. If I put the head on a
870 body, the problem remains the same.

Is there a possibility to repair this head by resetting or putting other
liquid in the head?

 

[Ed Ruf]

I have succesfully changed the head of my Epson 1270 with the head of an
Epson 870. The only problem was that I couldn't clean all the
nozzles, not even with a special cleaning-liquid from "START". So I
disconnected the head and cleaned it by force with simply water.

If you mean you forced water through the head, you most likely damaged it.
________________________________________________________
Ed Ruf Lifetime AMA# 344007 ([email protected])
http://EdwardGRuf.com

 

[Paul]

I have succesfully changed the head of my Epson 1270 with the head of an
Epson 870. The only problem was that I couldn't clean all the
nozzles, not even with a special cleaning-liquid from "START". So I
disconnected the head and cleaned it by force with simply water.
After that, everything works, even the headcleaning. But I can't get
the 1270 printer so far that he prints, although the head moves over the
paper and the LED don't give a warning signal. If I put the head on a
870 body, the problem remains the same.

Is there a possibility to repair this head by resetting or putting other
liquid in the head?

You can pick from any of the following

1. The 870 head is not compatible with the 1270
2. You did not set the correct voltage for the new head
3. you used to much pressure when forcing the cleaning fluid through and
de-laminated the head.

Paul

 

[Felipe]

Ok, I destroyed it by using water.
Can somebody explain me what happened. For example, lost of printing
function by a chemical reaction? Or for mechanical reasons?
(One thing is for sure, you can interchange the heads of both types.)

 

[Jim]

Ok, I destroyed it by using water.
Can somebody explain me what happened. For example, lost of printing
function by a chemical reaction? Or for mechanical reasons?
(One thing is for sure, you can interchange the heads of both types.)

Most likely the high pressure of the water destroyed the very fine wires
which heat (and cure) the ink.
The heads must be replaced.
Jim

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

Most likely the high pressure of the water destroyed the very fine wires
which heat (and cure) the ink.
The heads must be replaced.

None of the Epson printers use wires to heat or cure the ink - you are
confusing this with bubblejet crap from HP and others this use heat to
boil the ink and thus force droplets out of the nozzle. The 1270/870,
like all Epson inkjet heads, is piezoelectric. This is a ferroelectric
ceramic mechanism which deforms slightly when a high voltage is applied
in a particular orientation across the device. The shape of the ceramic
is such that the liquid contained in a reservoir is forced through the
nozzle due to the deformation of the head at a particular frequency.

Being very fine ceramic the print head cannot tolerate excessive
pressures, so forcing water or other liquid through it will certainly
cause mechanical damage to the ink chamber and prevent further
operation. This is permanent and irreparable damage. The head is
ruined.

The only safe way to force liquid through the print head is to apply a
vacuum to the output nozzles. This way a maximum pressure differential
of around one atmosphere occurs between the chamber and the outside of
the nozzle. Moreover, no unusual pressure differentials occur between
the various compartments within the ink chamber, which is almost
certainly where the mechanical damage has occurred by applying pressure
to ink input. The normal cleaning station of the 1270/870 printer
applies a partial vacuum to the print head as part of the cleaning cycle
to clear blockages. However, if the seal on the bottom of the print
head or around the cleaning station is damaged or encrusted with dried
ink then the partial vacuum will not build up, so cleaning efficiency
will be reduced. This is one reason why the Windex approach works - it
clears excess dry ink from around the seal on the print head, permitting
a better vacuum to be achieved and maintained during the cleaning cycle.

 

[LennyNY]

for cleaning info:

<A HREF="http://epsonhelp.web1000.com/printhead.html"></A>


for the service manual (dnld for US$10.99):

<A
HREF="http://www.2manuals.com/product_info.php?products_id=154&osCsid=41d4
fa2c9cfe44b1a6c1b2572071fff9"></A>

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Epson heads do not take kindly to having fluids forced through them
They can become delaminated, shorted, etc. Chance are likely you have
killed the head.

Often, using an ammoniated window cleaner in an old cartridge and
allowing it to sit for several days will unclog all but the most clogged
head.

I know several websites are still out there which suggest some form of
forced fluids into the head. Having helped 1000's of people to repair
Epson head clogs, I can say that the number one cause of permanent
failure of an Epson head is forcing fluids through them.

I have tried to inform people about this as often as possible.
Unfortunately, the first time people encounter the issue is after they
already damaged the head.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The way a piezo mechanism works is by flexing a small chamber which has
one wall which is flexed by an electronic impulse. To express the ink,
the wall presses inward, and then it relaxes.

The cleaning process the printer incorporates is a mild suction, which
only causes this flexible wall to contract tighter than the normal
relaxed state.

If you force a fluid through the ink nipple, and most of the nozzles are
clear, and the force is gentle, usually the fluid just passed through
the opens in the bottom of the head, allow the fluid and pressure to be
normalized. The less nozzles that are clear, the more back pressure
develops. However, any type of excess pressure on the piezo chambers
can permanently distort the piezo wall too far, can delaminate the
head, and can even lead to water in the electronics of the head, etc.

The message is don't do it another time.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Jim, Epsons do not use a system which heats or cures the ink.

The ink remains cold. The system you speak of is used by Canon, HP and
Lexmark, and is called thermal inkjet systems, as opposed to
piezo-electric, which the Epsons use.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

This is one of the website I was referring to which supplies techniques
which are known to cause head damage, and I strongly suggest people not
follow the injection fluid methods of clearing clogs on Epson printers.
Also, they sell their own cleaners, and warn you not to use ammoniated
window cleaner or alcohol. I have successfully helped thousands of
people to unclog Epson heads over the last several years using guess
what... ammoniated window cleaners and alcohol, which cost pennies, and
there have been no damaging effects that have ever been reported to me.

There is a way to more safely use a pressurized cleaning method, but it
is no tricky and so based upon experience that I never recommend it to
anyone. It is only a last ditch effort as the other methods almost
always work, with patience.

Art