Mimaki JV3-130spII - Media sensor not working properly

[ATTTR]

I have a 54" roll of media on my printer. Usually the media sensor will give me between 52.75" and 53" of "printable area". I never layout anything to print that is more than 52" wide because of this.

I put a new 54" roll on and now the printer won't "sense" more than 47 to 49" of area.
I'm about ready to grab a sledge hammer...

I've cleaned and blown out the sensor and platen, I've repositioned the media, I've locked and unlocked the clamp so it would "sense the media" and turned the printer on and off all at least 2 dozen times and never get more than 49". I can't lay this design out again to compensate for this baloney, it would take too much time.

Any ideas?

 

[Solventinkjet]

It could be an encoder strip or sensor issue. Are you experiencing any stepping in your prints? Take a look at the encoder strip for any areas that may have ink splatter on it. If the sensor can't read one part of the strip it will measure incorrectly.

 

[ATTTR]

It could be an encoder strip or sensor issue. Are you experiencing any stepping in your prints? Take a look at the encoder strip for any areas that may have ink splatter on it. If the sensor can't read one part of the strip it will measure incorrectly.

Where would I find the encoder strip? I know where the sensor is in the back... but no idea about the strip. And the manual is missing pages, so if it has a breakdown of where things are, that's gone forever.

 

[gabagoo]

I get this issue too time to time. I think the material is to blame...get it on clear material. I found this little flashlight that shines a blue led and I shine it at the top edge while the head is looking for the edge and it works every time.

 

[jfiscus]

Are you using Onyx?
If so, I think you can just lie in the rip and tell it that the media is 54" and left-justify it?

Also, it might not hurt to try putting on some other roll of a different width and checking the results.
And lastly, turn the machine all the way off and unplug it and plug it back in, some REALLY weird issues I've had that nothing else will fix have been fixed that way.

 

[AnimalG82]

I was having the same problem with my JV33 and after messing with a lot things, it turns out the encoder strip was dirty. Along where the carriage runs is a clear strip, that is the encoder strip, and be cleaned by diluting alcohol into some water. Gently wipe both sides of the stripe using a lint-free microfiber cloth dipped in the alcohol/water mix, then using another cloth to wipe it dry.

 

[ATTTR]

Solution!!! It was due to the reflective material. I taped an 8" piece of regular vinyl lead and it went off without a problem.

 

[MikePro]

slightly off-topic, but you can print the full 54" of material....yes, edge-to-edge, by using post-it notes or slips of paper to fake the machine into thinking the media is wider than it actually is upon loading/scanning (assuming you get your media sensor working via this thread).

I used to do it all the time on my Jv3. As long as you know the margin that it won't print on the sides of the material, just add "extensions" to either-end for it to scan and assume is media.
once loaded/scanned, it doesn't scan again, just prints where it thinks there is media.

granted, if your media drifts during print then you'll print a bit of ink on the platen but it cleans up easily with your cleaning solutions after you've unloaded your print.

 

[MikePro]

also, just remembered I had a similiar issue a few years back....
check to make sure the media sensor is mounted square and in-position. on my jv3160 it was on the left-side of the printhead carriage, i'd image it is the same as yours?
anyways, the fact that you are getting random scans leads me to believe that it might be sitting loose in its slot and this time it may have turned itself on an angle and unable to read the media properly. either that, or you could try disconnecting/reconnecting the sensor itself from the slider board....also checking the wire and connection for any defects.