R300 - strange nozzle pattern - Clog?

[Martin]

This is probably more for Art to try and puzzle for me but I have an
Epson R300 which at some point suffered from being left in a hot room
for a week or so..

Net result was a somewhat clogged head which was relatively easy to
clean in general but the Cyan nozzles are now apparently fouled somehow
and causing me some concern.

I originally assuming the problem was dried ink on the actual printhead
itself which was acting as a sort of part blockage which results in the
ink redirecting in an odd pattern or something in the head itself but to
date I've had no luck clearing it despite trying:

- Gentle injection of head cleaning fluid directly into the ink recepticle
- Cleaning the base of the print head using lint free cloth drawn back
and forth under the head.. Also tried this running the head over the
cloth in the pit... It shows some ink is being disolved but doesn't
clear the problem.


Net result is I get a nozzle check like this:
http://www.continuousink.info/forum/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=316


The exact same issue is plaguing an R200 which has the same problem,
again with the Cyan and has the same sort of nozzle check..

I should note that it does seem to improve somewhat when cleaning is
attempted but never gets any better than what you see in that linked
picture.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions..

Martin

 

[ato_zee]

I should note that it does seem to improve somewhat when cleaning is
attempted but never gets any better than what you see in that linked
picture.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions..

Sure it's a blocked nozzle?
The lines seem continuous, no gaps, so cleaning doesn't do anything.
AFAIK for this model all nozzles are part of the one head, the same
head assembly. The can't move about the surface of the head.
So if they don't produce continuous straight lines and have a jiggle,
then the heads travel must have a jiggle, that is the carriage drive
must be the cause, the guide itself, or the belt and it's
pullies, the mechanical bits, or the cartridge with its nozzles has
some play in its holder.
It would occur at the same place every time because it's a test pattern
that prints at the same place every time.
For actual images I'd expect a band lengthwise on the print
corresponding to where it occurs in the test.
I'd clean the guides then check that none of the ribbon cables
catches on anything as it passes. Things like that.

 

[Jan Alter]

This is probably more for Art to try and puzzle for me but I have an Epson
R300 which at some point suffered from being left in a hot room for a week
or so..

Net result was a somewhat clogged head which was relatively easy to clean
in general but the Cyan nozzles are now apparently fouled somehow and
causing me some concern.

I originally assuming the problem was dried ink on the actual printhead
itself which was acting as a sort of part blockage which results in the
ink redirecting in an odd pattern or something in the head itself but to
date I've had no luck clearing it despite trying:

- Gentle injection of head cleaning fluid directly into the ink recepticle
- Cleaning the base of the print head using lint free cloth drawn back and
forth under the head.. Also tried this running the head over the cloth in
the pit... It shows some ink is being disolved but doesn't clear the
problem.


Net result is I get a nozzle check like this:
http://www.continuousink.info/forum/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=316


The exact same issue is plaguing an R200 which has the same problem, again
with the Cyan and has the same sort of nozzle check..

I should note that it does seem to improve somewhat when cleaning is
attempted but never gets any better than what you see in that linked
picture.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions..

Martin

I would start your extended cleaning to this problem by placing some
original formula Windex or cleaning solution on the docking and cleaning
sponges and allow it to sit for a few hours turned off.
I realize you said "gentle" injection of cleaning fluid into the
printhead recepticle, but the membrane is rather delicate, and from the
looks of the nozzle check picture it appears that the cyan nozzle pattern is
mostly sending ink to paper but distorted. That might be the result of too
much pressure applied from injecting the cleaning fluid. I'm theorizing here
as I've never seen the pattern show up in this manner. And I'm also
wondering, as you are, why the pattern would take this shape.

 

[Martin]

Sure it's a blocked nozzle?
The lines seem continuous, no gaps, so cleaning doesn't do anything.
AFAIK for this model all nozzles are part of the one head, the same
head assembly. The can't move about the surface of the head.
So if they don't produce continuous straight lines and have a jiggle,
then the heads travel must have a jiggle, that is the carriage drive
must be the cause, the guide itself, or the belt and it's
pullies, the mechanical bits, or the cartridge with its nozzles has
some play in its holder.
It would occur at the same place every time because it's a test pattern
that prints at the same place every time.
For actual images I'd expect a band lengthwise on the print
corresponding to where it occurs in the test.
I'd clean the guides then check that none of the ribbon cables
catches on anything as it passes. Things like that.

Ordinarily I'd consider that but I checked the way the nozzle check
printout is completed by the printer and found that it prints all the
different colours in the exact same pass so if there was any jiggle it'd
affect all of them and in a uniform way..

I think my next port of call is going to be a cleaning cart installed in
the printer and see if that makes any difference over a 48 hour period..

Does seem rather odd though... and in truth I'm now attacking this as a
learning experience rather than worrying that I won't get my printer
back... The R series printers aren't really my main machines anymore.


Thanks for the thoughts so far though Ato and Jan.. keep 'em coming folks..

 

[Martin]

I would start your extended cleaning to this problem by placing some
original formula Windex or cleaning solution on the docking and cleaning
sponges and allow it to sit for a few hours turned off.
I realize you said "gentle" injection of cleaning fluid into the
printhead recepticle, but the membrane is rather delicate, and from the
looks of the nozzle check picture it appears that the cyan nozzle pattern is
mostly sending ink to paper but distorted. That might be the result of too
much pressure applied from injecting the cleaning fluid. I'm theorizing here
as I've never seen the pattern show up in this manner. And I'm also
wondering, as you are, why the pattern would take this shape.

Yeah.. it could well be I was a little too "enthusiastic" but part of
the problem has been that the pattern started out this way without any
direct injection.. So either I swapped out one problems for another or
we haven't found it yet...

All good fun

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Hi Martin,

Are you using OEM or 3rd party inks? The reason I ask is because some
recent 3rd party inks have had a problem with the formulation of some
cyan inks. It can be as simple as the dilution being incorrect and the
ink therefore being too thick.

I looked at the nozzle test you posted and it does appear to be very
deflected nozzles, usually this severe a condition is due to
considerable overly thick ink. You may wish to try to thin it with
ammoniated window cleaner,

Art

 

[Martin]

Hi Martin,

Are you using OEM or 3rd party inks? The reason I ask is because some
recent 3rd party inks have had a problem with the formulation of some
cyan inks. It can be as simple as the dilution being incorrect and the
ink therefore being too thick.

I looked at the nozzle test you posted and it does appear to be very
deflected nozzles, usually this severe a condition is due to
considerable overly thick ink. You may wish to try to thin it with
ammoniated window cleaner,

Art

Martin wrote:

(Snipped)

Thanks Art,

That's what I needed to know.. I have some fresh inks for that colour
and some base so I'll see if that solves the problem..

Worth a shot

Cheers

Martin

 

[Martin]

Thanks Art,

That's what I needed to know.. I have some fresh inks for that colour
and some base so I'll see if that solves the problem..

Worth a shot

Cheers

Martin

Art you are a GENIUS!!... Thanks for that tip.. I replaced my existing
Cyan reservoir ink with a new batch from an unused pint I had available.

I pulled the new ink through the CIS loop for about 40ml and then
replaced the cartridge and did a nozzle check and it worked straight off
the bat... So it seems the ink was the culprit.

I'm going to try some limited dilution with my old batch using distilled
water as I don't have any ammoniated cleaner to hand but hopefully
that'll help have the same effect... Just the R200 and a little self
created problems I need to correct now.

Thanks again.

 

[Jan Alter]

Art you are a GENIUS!!... Thanks for that tip.. I replaced my existing
Cyan reservoir ink with a new batch from an unused pint I had available.

I pulled the new ink through the CIS loop for about 40ml and then replaced
the cartridge and did a nozzle check and it worked straight off the bat...
So it seems the ink was the culprit.

I'm going to try some limited dilution with my old batch using distilled
water as I don't have any ammoniated cleaner to hand but hopefully that'll
help have the same effect... Just the R200 and a little self created
problems I need to correct now.

Thanks again.

Delightfully impressive.

 

[Martin]

Delightfully impressive.

Yep... and herein lies the rub... I got the R300 working fine because I
was nice and gentle with it when I was trying my other cleaning
theories.. However the R200 was a little less kindly dealt with and it's
showing..

I may well have damaged my printhead in my attempts to solve the Cyan
problem so a word of warning I guess to others.. Always worth taking a
step back and reconsidering what's going on..

C'est la vie..