planned obsolescence - f.e. Canon MP810

[Christopher Altmann]

Hi!

I know, this is being talked of nearly everywhere right now,
but I'm interested in technical details just now.
A couple of months ago our Canon Pixma MP810 instantly
stopped working.
After a halt to demand a new ink-cartridge and
successfully running the the priming-cycle afterwards
the printer dropped dead.
No Error, no display, no power. I've been unable to power
it up at all since then.
Many printers show errors in similar cases which can be fixed by
running "special" programs.
Can it be, that the companies improved their self-desctruct system?
A quick search showed a couple of "errors" of this kind on many
Canon inkjets. Being mostly a burnt head shorting the mainboard,
due to use of 3rd-party ink (so they say).
Our MP810 never ever saw other inks than the most expensive ones
from Canon and was not under heavy use. So it wasn't our fault.
Of course warranty has run out, so there's no econimical reason to
revive the printer.
Just personal and ecological reasons to deny the fact it's dead.
No, I won't shell out $$ to fix it, but I already took it apart
to get a closer look on the parts. Nothing burnt, no visible fuses,...
Does anyone know how to test if the head is really broken
(no, I won't put it into another printer to try ;-) )
I'm pretty sure there's som tiny electronics on the mainboard
acting as fuse. Anyone willing to share their ideas?

Thanks
Chris

 

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

Hi!

I know, this is being talked of nearly everywhere right now,
but I'm interested in technical details just now.
A couple of months ago our Canon Pixma MP810 instantly
stopped working.
After a halt to demand a new ink-cartridge and
successfully running the the priming-cycle afterwards
the printer dropped dead.
No Error, no display, no power. I've been unable to power
it up at all since then.
Many printers show errors in similar cases which can be fixed by
running "special" programs.

I had a MP810 where this happened too. Since both the head was broken
(known issue) and then the power died after cleaning the head, I sent
it to Canon for repairs (fixed cost, 10500 JPY) and therefore got a
new system back basically.

It seems the MP810 and a couple of others of similar vintage have a
bad design, allowing the logic board to trash the head and vice versa.

Can it be, that the companies improved their self-desctruct system?
A quick search showed a couple of "errors" of this kind on many
Canon inkjets. Being mostly a burnt head shorting the mainboard,
due to use of 3rd-party ink (so they say).

Nothing to do with 3rd-party inks (or the chips used in those, if one
is not refilling Canon carts) in my opinion, it is simply bad design.

Our MP810 never ever saw other inks than the most expensive ones
from Canon and was not under heavy use. So it wasn't our fault.
Of course warranty has run out, so there's no econimical reason to
revive the printer.
Just personal and ecological reasons to deny the fact it's dead.
No, I won't shell out $$ to fix it, but I already took it apart
to get a closer look on the parts. Nothing burnt, no visible fuses,...
Does anyone know how to test if the head is really broken
(no, I won't put it into another printer to try ;-) )

Yeah, don't do that...

I'm pretty sure there's som tiny electronics on the mainboard
acting as fuse. Anyone willing to share their ideas?

Check if the power supply is working or not, with a multimeter (on the
board side...).

 

[Christopher Altmann]

On 16 Nov 2012 18:10:18 +0900, Gernot Hassenpflug

[...]

Check if the power supply is working or not, with a multimeter (on the
board side...).

[...]

I've already done that, too bad the voltage readings look
fine to me. So the fault is presumably in the main board
or the power is failing when the board is connected.
Well I'll try some more indepth readings later,
I'm just glad to know right now, that I'm not alone whis
this "special behaviour" of the MP810 (aka "error by design").
Thx
Chris

 

[Christopher Altmann]

I don't know if you are competent enough to strip the power module down,
and look for blown capacitors.... OK this is a mobo but blown capacitors

[...]

Thanks for the hint, detecting blown caps is about as far as I can go,
and they seem to look fine. I had a couple of blown caps in some
other electronics but they mostly were >3 years old.
Everythings looks brand new, no smell or whatsoever.

[...]

If it was the print head I'm sure you would see some error code of
something pop up, this wouldn't cause any light not to light up too.

[...]

Users all over the I-net say it's the print head killing the MoBo
(or some other component) instantly.
Some tested the print head in a working printer,
which immediately broke down. I don't have a 2nd model
but definitely would not try having read that anyway.


[...]

my power unit it was enclosed in a plastic case once it was released and
it used 'star shaped' screws - not the Philips cross head type! Also
modern day fuses come in differing shapes, some are like resistors,
their markings would tell them apart, would be worth a check.

[...]

All the same over here, so that's what I'm up to:
Identifying the "fuse".
Seems I have to dig a little deeper into electronics 101.

[...]

I tried you have completely removed the power cable for about three
minutes or so and tried a reboot to clear the logic circuitry.

[...]

Yes, of course, and thanks for the manual, I already gathered that
in the past to dismantle the printer without breaking any plastics.

chris

 

[Christopher Altmann]

thanks for the hints and the heads up, I'll definitely report back.
I will check some auction sites for matching printers in my area
for spare parts to swap also.
This sure will take a while, but stay tuned ;-)

Chris

 

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

It's now Jan 2014 and I have been looking for answer to why my canon
mP810 all in one printer scanner etc won't work (error message about
scan lock). It cost me £200 and was highly recommended by Consumer
Assoc. I loved it until it stopped working. I am fed up and am now
going to ceremonially hit it hard with a hammer and see what error
message it can cook up after that ha ha ha.

Maybe that means you have put on the manual scan lock? You could do a
lot better than what you have posted so far, by telling us the verbatim
error message and the all-important code, and then searching the web for
the same and telling us what you found, and where, and how that helped
or did not help. I have a MP810 and love it, I had it repaied
(fixed-cost repair service by Canon in Japan) for equivalent 110 USD a
couple of years ago when the head gave out (the entire logic board was
blown) and it is a lovely machine, although the design clearly is flawed
(a short-circuited head can easily destroy the logic board).

Regards,
Gernot Hassenpflug