JV3-160SP - Stops mid-print!

[MikeyG]

Hi to you all!
I've got a JV3-160SP, which is being run via a dedicated PC and Shiraz RIP 8.
I'm trying to print several panels of colour 3m long x 1.3m wide.
Sometimes (but not all the time), when the print reaches 36% (although it has happened at 78% too), the printer head returns to the capping station, the printer chugs a bit, then nothing else happens! The screen continues to flash with the distance printed (1.09m) and the dpi it's printing at, but absolutely no printing continues!
I thought it might be a data speed error - maybe the computer (which is an up-to-date PC with i7 core, running Windows 7) isn't able to deliver the information fast enough) - so I've set it never to sleep and made sure I don't do anything else on it whilst printing.
But it still stops at 36% - sometimes!
I've also tried RIPing first, then printing.
Same problem.
I just can't guarantee that the printer is going to print the full length of anything! And I'm wasting so much material!

Anyone got any ideas as to what could be happening?

The computer is connected by Firewire to the printer, with the cable being joined by a Firewire repeater socket.

I often have communication problems prior to printing (the RIP can't see the printer, so I have to turn off the printer, turn it back on and then reset the RIP). Think that might have something to do with the print stopping mid-distance?

Any help or suggestions welcome, as I've run out of ideas myself!!
Thanks!

 

[Solventinkjet]

The first item you want to troubleshoot is the firewire cable. If you have another one, try that out to see if it works better. The second item would be the firewire card in your computer could be failing. Was it new with the computer or did you transfer it from an old computer? In the end it could be the communication board on the printer itself or even bad memory on the main board. I believe there is a memory check in the service menu.

 

[MikeyG]

The first item you want to troubleshoot is the firewire cable. If you have another one, try that out to see if it works better. The second item would be the firewire card in your computer could be failing. Was it new with the computer or did you transfer it from an old computer? In the end it could be the communication board on the printer itself or even bad memory on the main board. I believe there is a memory check in the service menu.

Yep, I'm going to have to have a look at he Firewire tomorrow.
I've just moved into this job, so don't know if Firewire was fitted 'after sale' as it were, but I'll dig around in the morning. If I could, I'd move the printer closer, to cut out the Repeater, but no-can-do. I've got another repeater here, so I'll try that one.

Trouble is, it's an intermittent problem. A bit like trying to tie down a squeak in a car dashboard! Since I never know when it's going to happen, I can't say I've fixed it until it happens again and I find I haven't!

Printers! Grrrr!

 

[Nuagedesigns]

Has this computer been with this machine before? After speaking with a few Mimaki Techs from my understanding the actual firewire board in the computer can cause this problem. I changed computers in the past and ran into this same problem. I guess Texas Instruments is the board that is prefered for use with Mimaki. I don't know the difference or reason behind it as I'm not computer hardware savy. I swapped the board from my old pc and everything worked fine. Something to look into. Good luck.

 

[MikeyG]

Well, I've had a fiddle around at the back of the computer.
I think the Firewire was fitted 'after sales'. I wiggled the cable about a bit, I swapped the cable to the other port.
I then tried printing the same 3m section of colour.
When it was printing, I tried wiggling the Firewire repeater, I moved cables around, I even pushed the computer about.
The print continued, uninterrupted!
So, conclusion thus far...
It was a dodgy Firewire port.
I'll post again if any further prints stop mid-way through!

Thanks for the support!

 

[MikePro]

stepped on my cable a few too many times and bent my connection at the printer-end, as well.
thank god for that secondary port!

 

[MikeyG]

Gaaaaarrgh!

Well, the printer is still stopping mid-print.
Seems that swapping the cable ports on computer and printer did nothing.

I am now working on the theory that the computer (for whatever reason) interrupts sending the data to the printer, which then just hangs.
I have tried changing the file's priority to "High" and even "Immediate".
I have not had any print stop mid-way using the "High" setting (although I haven't had cause to print a great deal on this printer over the past week)

This is a new, fast, dedicated PC! Why on earth should it stop sending data to the printer? It's not doing anything else! No internet, no Word documents. Nothing but running the RIP!

Anyone got any idea?

 

[MikeD]

I've had the same problem. Sometimes noise can interfere with communication. In my case, an electrical cord crossed the USB connected to a JV33. After trying everything else, I moved the electrical cord away from the USB. Haven't had the problem since then.
Good Luck!

 

[SightLine]

The older JV3 machines are pretty well known to be very very sensitive to the firewire communications. Specifically they work best with a Texas Instruments based firewire controller on the computer end. I at one point when we still had the old JV3 did have it working with a repeater but I remember I actually went through about 4 different ones before I found one that actually worked reliably and consistently. The others gave the exact same problems you are having. Unfortunately I have no idea what the one I finally ended up using was though. We got rid of the JV3 about 3 years ago and it was already 8 years old back then.