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I may have to break down and find a tech...

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Banners Signs Etc.

New Member
The machine -Versa-Art 640
The problem -No Magenta

I give up, I've tried everything I know to do at least twice the magenta nozzle test print is a scattered maybe 25%
We swapped a magenta ink cartridge mid print (like usual when it beeps at us) and it went for a foot or two and turned the red banner yellow..(magenta quit)

Since then we could find no reason as to why it stopped...we have taken it apart and run cleaning cycles replaced (and overnighted) a set of dampers and it still will print a few inches before losing the magenta. We had replaced the capheads in january

Tried to suck ink from above the dampers it came through smooth and easy

Tried to -gently- suck ink from the Y-joint below the magenta caphead very little bubbly ink came out...tried sucking another color for comparison and more ink came out the there was less negative pressure in the syringe

tried switching capheads (thinking it was a bad seal) with a working color same result
it prints magenta for a half inch then turns into some light watery yellow color

tried switching cyan dampers with magenta ones it worked initially but the second time i tried it didn't

I figured well it is either a bad cartridge lot (unlikely) or a bad printhead (worse unlikely)
Got a new cartridge same problem...

The most mysterious thing is the light yellow that the printhead does output when I send a pure magenta rectangle unless somewhere there is a touch of yellow in the translation

Long story short
It is as though the magenta printhead just cant get ink into it or it is broken
The print test shows all colors firing except a scattered magenta

A big thanks to Bobby Fosson of Cibersupply for the informal tech support he offered me, but alas I am stuck.

:frustrated:
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
when all else fails, take a syringe fill it with a little cleaning solution. put a tube on the syringe and put it on the magenta nipple, lightly push the fluid thru the head (paper towel underneath) until you see a perfect pattern. then you know the head is open.

i've done this 1000's of times...
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Inconsistent pigment size clogging printhead orifices. Been there, recovered from that with an expert and expensive tech call. Managed to recover the printhead with his flushing technique.

BTW: how much is that cheap ink saving you now? (yes I had to go there)
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Shouldn't have rubbed salt in your wound. I am a little bucky this morning.

My tech came out on a Saturday to get me going. He soaked and flushed and reverse flushed while chanting and flinging goober dust. Well scratch the last part, but he did recover the head. We got lucky.

I'll stand by inconsistent pigment particles causing your grief. My tech flushed chunks out of ours. It was incredible.

One last thing. What was the time span between switching inks and having issues? Not sure if I asked before, but I am betting on 6 to 8 months. Correct?
 
Banners Signs Etc.

Banners Signs Etc.

New Member
Well we bought the printer from the ink manufacturer for a decent price and a lot of ink...demo model...we've had it and used it every day for 5 months no problems except captops and I'm not even sure if that was necessary..

So about flushing the heads get cleaning fluid and a syringe with tube attached, hook it to the top of the heads where the dampers go and have at it?

I guess I have this great fear of damaging the heads so I've tried to leave them alone in my testing and praying
 
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rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Jason actually yanked the heads and tray soaked them while we drank coffee. That was the first part. Then he gently pushed cleaning fluid through them. Fill them, shake, turn upside down and purge. Lather, rinse repeat. There was a bunch of other things he did, but I got tired of watching. Once he figured he got all the chunks out, he purged all the lines then reassembled and ran a ton of cleaning solution through. I think he banged through 4 cleaning carts that morning.
Sorry I don't remember all the details, but he took his time to make sure all of the "old" ink was completely removed. Slapped in OEM carts and haven't looked back.
Hope this helps 'cuz it's all I have to offer.

pretty cool how I figured the timeline, no?
 
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