JV33 woes

[jamesprint]

Hi everyone, I have owned a JV33 for 5 years now with very little trouble,
1 capping station change and that's it, until now.
My workshop was cold earlier this week and I had a nozzle touch onto some cockeled vinyl whilst printing,
Usually I would just steep the head over night but I had a moment of stupidity today and removed the head
and tried to gently inject cleaner into the blocked nozzles. (Yellow/Black).

On refitting the head I have very little marks on the test draw despite running a head fill cycle numerous times.
I've also tried a cleaning cycle and a short head steep but to no avail.

does anyone have any further tips??
Alternatively when I have priced a replacement print head they are an absolute fortune hear in the UK,
but am I right in thinking that Epson make the DX5 head?
can I just buy the solvent version of this? or is there any alternative that I can use.

Big thank you in advance

James

 

[heyskull]

Double check the head is sealing on the capping station as I have found that badly mounted heads can be an issue.
Digiprint is your best bet for cheapest price for the DX5 head.
I would bite the bullet as 5 years is the maximum life span for one of these heads.
As for installing different heads, yes it can be done but if you are in a work enviroment time offline is time you are not printing and making money.

SC

 

[jamesprint]

Double check the head is sealing on the capping station as I have found that badly mounted heads can be an issue.
Digiprint is your best bet for cheapest price for the DX5 head.
I would bite the bullet as 5 years is the maximum life span for one of these heads.
As for installing different heads, yes it can be done but if you are in a work enviroment time offline is time you are not printing and making money.

SC

BIG thank you, is there any physical way that i can test the capping station is making full contact??

James

 

[Vinylman]

I Agree with heyskull

It is high time you spend the money, and replace the printhead. I understand that it "seems" expensive, but if you average the cost over the 5 years you say you have used this machine, It is costing you less than $1.00 U.S. for every day you have used this machine. I am sure you have created more than $1.00 per day in net profit to re-invest in your continued operation.

That being said, there are a TON of well documented threads on this site as well as others that can assist you to find alternatives to buying a brand new Epson print head.

Do your own home work, and "search".

Being as this is only your 4th post since joining, please DON'T be offended by my remarks. We ALL have been where you find yourself, from time to time. Just keep working at your problem and keep us informed of any progress or road blocks. There are answers, but you must be doing the research also.

We are here to "help", NOT do all the heavy lifting for you. You earned a great deal of money over the years with this equipment, now it is time to invest in maintaining it without complaining as to "how much it costs" to keep making money with it.

We ALL understand your situation because we all have to pay for our own equipment repairs or up grades, and it NEVER seems to happen when we are flush with money. However it is a part of being in business.

 

[jamesprint]

Well, its all gone ti*s up now,
the power has gone !
the main power is switching on (Green Light) but that's it no boot just dead!

As for the coms vinylman,
every forum has its own site map and I appreciate what you are saying but as heyskull stated whilst i'm messing about with trial and error scenarios wasting time and money a nod in the right direction would be appreciated,

thanks for the lift! ;-)

 

[SightLine]

It sounds as though one of a couple of possible things happened with your removing the head. The nozzles being out is the least of your problems now since the machine will now not boot up. Did ANY ink leak or spill onto the head or the 2 flat ribbon cabled when removing the dampers to pull the head or when reinstalling the head? If so and that was not removed and dried off its possible you have fried the head, slider board, or main board. Another possibility is you did not get the two flat head cables properly reconnected (they can be a bit fiddly to get back in just right). Those 2 same flat cables are also VERY susceptible to damage where they make the tight turn to connect to the head and where they make a tight turn up above onto the slider board, if they were creased hard at that point or tugged too hard to cause a sharp bend up above it is possible you have broken on of the head cables. Too much of a fold one time might not kill it but as soon as it gets bent back the other way it can cause the thin copper wire inside to break.

Also important. If you are ever going to disconnect a head cable or any other critical connector in your Mimaki you MUST completely shut the machine off (literally unplugged) and let it sit for about 15 minutes to give all the capacitors in the power supply and on the boards time to discharge any stored current. Not doing so runs a VERY high chance of residual current shorting something out and damaging a sensitive electronic component when you disconnect the cable. As Vinylman mentioned, do some digging on here and a lot of reading. Dig through the Mimaki bible thread and find a current link in there that has the service docs and get them. Very often someone's first post here is in a panic because something is gone wrong on them. We can and will be helpful but not if one does not first give some effort try to help themselves with the vast amount of information already posted here many many times over.

 

[Ponto]

It sounds as though one of a couple of possible things happened with your removing the head. The nozzles being out is the least of your problems now since the machine will now not boot up. Did ANY ink leak or spill onto the head or the 2 flat ribbon cabled when removing the dampers to pull the head or when reinstalling the head? If so and that was not removed and dried off its possible you have fried the head, slider board, or main board. Another possibility is you did not get the two flat head cables properly reconnected (they can be a bit fiddly to get back in just right). Those 2 same flat cables are also VERY susceptible to damage where they make the tight turn to connect to the head and where they make a tight turn up above onto the slider board, if they were creased hard at that point or tugged too hard to cause a sharp bend up above it is possible you have broken on of the head cables. Too much of a fold one time might not kill it but as soon as it gets bent back the other way it can cause the thin copper wire inside to break.

Also important. If you are ever going to disconnect a head cable or any other critical connector in your Mimaki you MUST completely shut the machine off (literally unplugged) and let it sit for about 15 minutes to give all the capacitors in the power supply and on the boards time to discharge any stored current. Not doing so runs a VERY high chance of residual current shorting something out and damaging a sensitive electronic component when you disconnect the cable. As Vinylman mentioned, do some digging on here and a lot of reading. Dig through the Mimaki bible thread and find a current link in there that has the service docs and get them. Very often someone's first post here is in a panic because something is gone wrong on them. We can and will be helpful but not if one does not first give some effort try to help themselves with the vast amount of information already posted here many many times over.

... sounds like hands on training is almost a must before any "homemade adjustments" are attempted on these machines.....yikes! J

 

[heyskull]

Well, its all gone ti*s up now,
the power has gone !
the main power is switching on (Green Light) but that's it no boot just dead!

As for the coms vinylman,
every forum has its own site map and I appreciate what you are saying but as heyskull stated whilst i'm messing about with trial and error scenarios wasting time and money a nod in the right direction would be appreciated,

thanks for the lift! ;-)

A nod in the right direction is to get a tec into fit a new head and maintenance station... At least!
Unless you know what your doing, your average sign dude/mechanic cannot repair these machines unless you have had a lot of experience.

SC

 

[jamesprint]

Thanks everyone for all the help and advice.

Second user jv33 160 ordered and paid for!
Came to the conclusion that the cost to put the printer right, the cost to get a techy to do the work and whatever else needs changing on top of the date and condition of the machine, it would be simpler just to swap the machine out.

I have struck an excellent deal with a company to supply an alternative printer with warranty, ink and delivery included and old machine part exchanged.

Not ideal financially at this time of year but needs must.