JV3-160. 0% print after magenta dropout woes

[MikePro]

-tail-end of a large project, and magenta starts printing 25% on 12/16 passes.
--cancel print, run test draw, nozzles @ 100%

-ink supply not refreshing. confirmed by drawing ink from below capping station, and hearing hissing noise.
--replaced damper, no more hissing, ink flowing good, should be good2go!
wrong...

-now 0% nozzles firing on test draw on all channels!


nozzle wash, fillupink, test draw...same thing, nada.
I pull my ribbon cables out and notice that, at the slider board, the top cable is slightly kinked (#1/5). closer inspection... crunchy to the touch, I don't know how or when (most likely during damper swap) I must have pinched the ribbon cable?
--unsure if it is the cause, but IF it were kinked/connection severed... is it safe to think this could be the cause of printer running as usual but simply not firing ink whatsoever? no errors, all operations per usual, just no ink firing...

debating pulling the cable and running to radioshack to see if they either have another one, or they can shorten/strip the one I have.... but want to make sure I'm not too jaded to consider other options before "major surgery".

 

[vinylbytim]

Try swapping the cables from the black to the magenta and try a test draw to confirm. I have had that happen and it ended up being the head cables being worn. But that does look like a nasty crease. I have a few parts printers if you need any parts.

 

[MikePro]

i'm assuming this is the same as the data swap to the printheads, just one series of cables-up?

top cable controls all 4 lines of cables/printheads below it?

 

[MikePro]

confirmed, not the "kinked" sliderboard ribbon cable.
disassembled the printer and luckily there was a 6th ribbon cable run through the printer that was connected at the motherboard, but not connected at the sliderboard-end. swapped #6 with the kinked cable at the slider board and motherboard-ends and still same dilemma:
-printer fires up per usual, goes through the motions of test print/chkpattern/regular print but does not fire ink as it travels...

heads look pristine, nozzle washes do nothing, best I can assume the issue is data/electrical.

my top3 next guesses, in order of likelihood... what you think?
-encoder sensor issue?
-fried all four printheads at same time?
-fried slider board?
-fried mother board?

 

[Tekkie1]

Hi
Replace the encoder sensor first even though it may look ok.
Or go into test mode and do a encoder test and see what result you get with regard to error message from the test result.
Tekkie1

 

[MikePro]

what variables am I looking for in an encoder test?
I run it, and I just get a few XYvariables and E0.0

" #Encoder m1960.2 E.0.0 " -> "Mc 0.0 Ec 0.0"

 

[MikePro]

OH MY GOD YESSSSS!
:U Rock:

ENCODER SENSOR was my issue. cleaned and printing 100%!!!
strip was pristine... couldn't wrap my mind around it.
and then I noticed how easy it is to remove the sensor, so i gave it a shot... the back lens the light shines against (the other-half of the "U" that caps the encoder strip) had a glaze/dusting of magenta ink... might be static issues I'm unaware of but , regardless, i'm up and running again!



cross your fingers for me, that this gremlin doesn't re-emerge
new printer coming in this week, but I'm not exactly ready to put this workhorse to pasture.

 

[Tekkie1]

Yep your error message say's 0.0 which is an error. It should read something close to the size of the width of the machine, in your case 1960mm
Glad you sorted it
Tekkie 1