Fried Epson DX5 Printhead URGENT!

[vance]

I had problems printing black with the dx5 printhead these last two days, all other colors were perfect, black was showing major deviations and overspray. Earlier I turned on the machine and suddenly something fried and smoke was coming from the printhead board area! I switched off the machine and switched on again, everything was looking fine. But no black printing when making a test print ..

I switched the printhead board with a sublimation printer that I have of the same brand, but the same problem. I checked that the head is not blocked with syringe and cleaning liquid.

My urgent questions is. Can I use the dx5 waterbased printhead to check that its really a printhead problem? I guess the plastic manifold would need to also be changed to a solvent compatible one?

Please help tomorrow I need to print 50m2 for a very important client.

Thanks

 

[heyskull]

Maybe, is the answer to your question!

I re-read your post but no where does it state exactly what make and model your machine is.
So what make and model of machine do you have?

I believe that earlier DX5 print heads are interchangeable with other machines but the later ones are coded and either need another piece of hardware so that they work properly.

Worse case scenario is you will end up with two none functioning machines!

This sounds like the head has had a catastrophic failure and at very least this will need to be replaced.
The head cables will have to be replaced and with a failure as dramatic as yours I believe that the chances of the slider board and also the main/mother board being damaged is highly likely.
Their are protection fuses on most machines but these would normally blow well before any visual signs of a problem.

I am going to be brutally honest here, unless you have a seller very nearby that you can buy at least a new print head and head cables from today their will be no way you are going to get the machine back working in time.
I would be looking to out source the print job to someone else and explain this to the client what has happened.
Believe me I have had similar problems on our Mutoh Valuejet in the UK and this type of machine will always go down when most needed and their is no quick fix.
In most cases the machine will be offline for 3-5 days minimum to allow the sourcing of parts.

Sorry but I am just being honest in my answer, rather than for you to waste vital time trying to find a quick fix and loosing a very important client by letting them down.
I have found that if you are honest with the client they are normally OK and will wait till the issue is resolved.

SC

 

[Samurai_Screwdriver]

Ibiza huh? You pay my plane ticket and I'll throw a head, my dancing shoes and swimsuit in my tool box and be right there!

In all serious though, what are the models of the sublimation and solvent printers? Can better advise you if I know that.

 

[heyskull]

OMG I didn't realise where this person was!!!
I can be over there by tea time today, with a head and a cable but to be honest I think it has blown a lot more!
I guess Samurai_Screwdriver is running around like a headless chicken!
I just hope he has took my advise and farmed the job out.

SC

 

[brightbanner]

It is not only problem of print head, but also the main board.
Your printer head is sure burned, and head burned always cause the main board blow.


Brent

 

[heyskull]

I guess either vance got this fixed or he is running around like a headless chicken.
How did you get on?

SC

 

[vance]

thanks for all the messages and help!

yesterday after hours I decided to take a chance and changed the solvent print head and installed it in the sublimation printer. I had the same problem... no black print on print test. Clearly the printhead faulty!

Installed the waterbased printhead changing the manifold (cleaning head first with cleaning liquid) in the solvent printer. turned on machine and all GOOD!!!!! got a perfect test print.

Do test that it wasnt pure luck, i printed a 220x400cm print, all looking good. This morning a printed the full job. and others that were in the queue.

The two printers are of a chinese brand called Galaxy of the phaeton company. Not the best for sure, had major problems.... took a long time to tune and get to know it.. but I have to say its so simple that it has only three major parts that can go wrong and are not expensive... printhead, head board and main board, that it.

I have a printhead ordered that will receive tomorrow....3 day delivery at digiprint supplies from brussels to spain.

greetings from Ibiza !!

 

[vance]

I have another issue... maybe somebody can help.

When printing , especially on large prints its more obvious...I always get a few cm too small. i have tested with two different RIP programs.. but only happens with the length , not the width... the width size is fine.

Say a print of 300 cm width x430cm height in jpg format, when printed it measures 300x426cm

could it be a printer problem?? thanks

 

[J Hill Designs]

most likely your feed calibration is a touch tight

 

[vance]

feed calibration? would this be a software or hardware calibration?

 

[vance]

received the new printhead, all working fine.

Does anybody know why / how the printhead fried? what are the reasons? maybe I have an electrical problem and the printer isnt grounded... how could I solve a potential issue?

Its started with a overspray on black then total loss of black print. This happend while printing for 4 hours non stop and set the printer to the fastest print mode.

The printhead was only 1.5 year old.

 

[heyskull]

My question would be, was the head cable changed when the print head was fitted?
Also a slight drop of ink into the head cable plug would cause a short.
And maybe lastly you were just unlucky.

I have found that the Mutoh Valuejets like all solvent printers thrive on being used a lot.
If this is only being used occasionally problems will start to occur.

SC

 

[vance]

another problem now with new printhead!!!! must be electrical or static!!!!

yes, have changed the cables with another printer..

* to note we have changed to a new location 3-4 months ago, previously everything has been fine.

yesterday black started failing.. printed a test and this is what I go. I have connected a dx5 decoder card for encrypted dx5 heads.

this is the decoder card

I changed the decoder card with another card I have, and prints fine again. so it seems the card fried. printed a few jobs and all good.

today I started to get again a overspray , see images attached.

I switched off machine to not further damage something.

What can be the problem???? How can I test if there is a electrical problem?

 

[premiercolour]

You are just plain lucky that you did not destroy the 2nd printhead. Usually if there are two machines, one machine is down, you don't take the other machine to try to make the 2nd machine run because now you will have both machines down. Down time = no food on the table.

There is a reason that the printhead went out. You want to pinpoint the problem, get it fixed before putting new/used printhead/parts or the same problem will most likely happen again. And sublimation printhead could go to solvent printer after good cleans because it is water based ink. Solvent printhead cannot go to sublimation printer because it is solvent based ink. It will create chaos due to its almost impossible to clean out solvent ink residual in the printhead which will later cause problem or react to sublimation ink. Sublimation ink does not like solvent based ink.

Pay really good attention to the sublimation printer which received the solvent printhead.

Just our 2 cents. Make changes at your own risk.


www.premiercolour.com

 

[anfil]

dx5

How its finished, Vance?
I have similar problem, one year a go we changed our DX5 printhead ( even now I mean old was good, only cap station not clean good black nozzles) but we destroy them. Now, one week a go, we have again clogged black nozzles, and few days we clean them, and tks good we success. but after 2-3 days work good, we lose full right half of nozzles. I mean its cable or headboard defective. I have both reserve and tomorrow will check

 

[Antony]

I had problems printing black with the dx5 printhead these last two days, all other colors were perfect, black was showing major deviations and overspray. Earlier I turned on the machine and suddenly something fried and smoke was coming from the printhead board area! I switched off the machine and switched on again, everything was looking fine. But no black printing when making a test print ..

I switched the printhead board with a sublimation printer that I have of the same brand, but the same problem. I checked that the head is not blocked with syringe and cleaning liquid.

My urgent questions is. Can I use the dx5 waterbased printhead to check that its really a printhead problem? I guess the plastic manifold would need to also be changed to a solvent compatible one?

Please help tomorrow I need to print 50m2 for a very important client.

Thanks

Hi
yes your problem is a fuse or a short circuit in the head, if you see smoke, it is more likely that the head is damaged. Check these fuses. what printer do you have??

 

[Uvprint]

I have a similar problem with DX5 printheads. The printer have two printheads. None of them print any color. Nozzle test is blank, but flushing is great, so they are not clogged.
I have also 3 big parts that can be broken : printheads, printhead board or mainboard.

How can I check the electronic part of printheads?

It is UV Printer from Audley.