Carriage disconnect "errror message"

[threeputt]

Roland users, is it your opinion that running banners on high speed with the print head in the "up" position, contributes to more spit and spatter onto the sensor strip? I'm calling it that because I don't know the proper name. But it's that long 1/2" high clear plastic strip that guides the print heads, tells them where they're at, etc. Has extremely fine hash marks on it.

Anyway, seems like just after running a bunch of banners in the manner described above that we'll get a error of "carriage disconnected" when it really hasn't disconnected. It's just that the print will be all skewed and fuzzy. We usually end up cleaning the strip and back in business.

If this is the problem, has anyone figured a way to minimize spatter onto this strip? Or am I looking in the wrong place for the cause?

Comments appreciated.

 

[jester2kx]

I have run into this problem a few times, when the head hight is on high. Its called the "encoder strip". As long as you are gental with the strip and it all comes clean, everything should be fine

 

[mark in tx]

Pretty sure you get more spatter with the head in the up position.

Why are you running the head in the Up position?
The only thing I have ever done that for was experimenting with magnetic material.
I've never had a problem with banner material and the head in the low position.
Head strikes have happened, but that has always been because of the banner material tunneling from a loose winding on the roll.

I use eyeglass cleaning fluid and a microfiber cloth to clean that encoder strip.

 

[threeputt]

I'm running the head in the "high" position because that's what the tech told me to do for banners. He said it's too risky in the down position. But I think I'm hearing from you that it's safe to do so in the down position, but guard against the tunneling that sometimes happens on banners when unwinding.

When you clean your encoder strip, do you completely take it out? or just loose from one end?

 

[mark in tx]

Threeputt, I've been averaging 40 running feet of banner material a day for the past year. Always on low height. Along with everything else that runs through, even wallpaper and canvas media.

Seriously the only reason I ever even thought to change the height was after discussing printing on magnetic with my technician.

I never remove the strip, just power down the machine, and clean. Spray the cloth, wipe about a foot, refold the cloth, wipe, repeat.
I clean the cloth with dawn dishwashing soap and let it air dry after each use.

 

[cartoad]

Threeputt,
We too run the head in the up position for banners, and on occassion get the ink splatters. We then do a good cleaning and back in business, minus a banner.
As for the encoder strip when we got the machine Dan the tech said never, ever touch it, but since we are out in the middle of nowhere, we have do a lot our own stuff. I try to clean the encoder strip every 90 days as we get a lot of dust, very carefully same basic methode as Mark in TX uses.
Hal

 

[threeputt]

Thanks for the replies. Not sure to take everything Dan says as gospel. Sam from Pacific Coast Sign Supply has really impressed me. Personable, knowlegeable, and efficient.