Roland SP-540V Help....test print overlapping test print rows

[Mollie Orbea]

I need help! Has anyone ever seen a test print like this? It appears that the first and third rows of the magenta and black are missing, but if you zoom in and look closely they are actually printing on top of the second and fourth rows.
I am print with a Roland Sp-540v....so two heads, to print the four colors. I thought it must be the linear encoder strip or the linear encoder sensor, but I just replaced both with new and it is not fixing the strange issue with the print.
If anyone has any thoughts on what could be causing this, I could really use a little help from my friends! I need to fix this, so I can continue to "get by"....
Thank you in advance,
Mollie

 

[guato]

Do you have any static in shop?

 

[Mollie Orbea]

Yes, it has been cold and dry here causing static in the air. I did notice static. I have tried the test print and misc. printing on multiple days now.
Thank you for commenting!

 

[guato]

A lot of weird stuff can cause static.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Did it just happen out of the blue or were you working on the machine recently for any reason?

 

[Mollie Orbea]

A lot of weird stuff can cause static.

Do you think static could make the print heads get "stuck" in the same pattern each time?

 

[Mollie Orbea]

Did it just happen out of the blue or were you working on the machine recently for any reason?

I hadn't been working on the machine, right before this happened. Prior I did need to pull ink through the heads, as it sat a little too long without being run. But I was able to get all four colors firing correctly. Then I had printed a few projects that day and shut the printer down as normal, everything was good. The next time I went to print, I started with a test print...and this was when I saw the overlapping rows.

To me it seems like it would be something electrical vs. mechanical....but what, what would cause two lines to fire in this uniform misalignment on two different heads at the same time?

 

[Solventinkjet]

I hadn't been working on the machine, right before this happened. Prior I did need to pull ink through the heads, as it sat a little too long without being run. But I was able to get all four colors firing correctly. Then I had printed a few projects that day and shut the printer down as normal, everything was good. The next time I went to print, I started with a test print...and this was when I saw the overlapping rows.

To me it seems like it would be something electrical vs. mechanical....but what, what would cause two lines to fire in this uniform misalignment on two different heads at the same time?

I've actually never seen this particular pattern but it does seem to be electrical. I'm leaning towards a damaged main board as that is where the head signal originates. For it to happen on both heads it would usually mean the heads themselves are still good. Check the head cables for damage or ink drops and replace as necessary. At the end of the day a tech is just going to replace the main board most likely unless you can find someone who can diagnose and fix the board. My hunch is that one or more of the transistors that amplify the signal is malfunctioning.

 

[Mollie Orbea]

I've actually never seen this particular pattern but it does seem to be electrical. I'm leaning towards a damaged main board as that is where the head signal originates. For it to happen on both heads it would usually mean the heads themselves are still good. Check the head cables for damage or ink drops and replace as necessary. At the end of the day a tech is just going to replace the main board most likely unless you can find someone who can diagnose and fix the board. My hunch is that one or more of the transistors that amplify the signal is malfunctioning.

 

[Mollie Orbea]

My printer is old and far out of warranty, so I have made do with fixing things. I have had Mac Media out of NY work on the mainboard to fix blown fuses in the past. I have been in contact with them in regard to this issue, so I will ultimately end up sending it there to be tested and worked on. One of the other suggestions of a possible cause was the print carriage board, but probably the main board.
I thought I would ask here first, if anyone has ever seen this happen in the hopes it was an easier, faster, cheaper fix.

 

[Mollie Orbea]

Just to see what would happen, I switched the ribbon cables on the heads by crossing them over. So the black/cyan cable was now attached to the magenta/yellow head and vise-versa. This test print is what I got......the heads firing like a mile apart from each other and still overlapping. I'm not sure if this info. helps give a clue as to what exactly is malfunction, but I figure I'll share it in the hopes someone knows.

 

[LED Signs & Designs Texas]

What did you find out? Let us know please.