Need Help Roland SP300 converted to a 300v

[massivewire]

I have acquired a Roland SP300 that has been upgraded to an SP300v. The machine has sat unused for about 5 years.

Originally when I got it the machine would not print at all, all the lines where clogged as were the print heads.

I have cleaned out the lines, change the dampers, cap heads, wipers and sponge, whilst doing this I caught one of the ribbon cables that go from the small board above the print head to the Yellow / Magenta head and pulled it out whilst the machine had power going to it.

When the machine prints (using versaworks) now the black/blue prints well (Still needs an alignment) but there is nothing from the other print head at all though there is ink going to it.

Is there a possibility that a fuse has popped when I caught the cable or is it a bad head? I have swapped the cables from the black/blue head to the other one and it prints nothing at all.

All advice greatly appreciated

 

[Solventinkjet]

When you did the cable swap did the black and cyan still fire? Most likely you did blow the fuse for the magenta and yellow head. If you are lucky you will have the new style board that has socketed fuses. If it is an older SP300 then it will have soldered fuses. The fuses are on the main board and labeled F2 and F3. Test them for continuity and replace the one that doesn't beep. If you don't have any experience with testing or replacing the fuse I would recommend getting a tech or bringing the board into a board repair place.

 

[massivewire]

When you did the cable swap did the black and cyan still fire? Most likely you did blow the fuse for the magenta and yellow head. If you are lucky you will have the new style board that has socketed fuses. If it is an older SP300 then it will have soldered fuses. The fuses are on the main board and labeled F2 and F3. Test them for continuity and replace the one that doesn't beep. If you don't have any experience with testing or replacing the fuse I would recommend getting a tech or bringing the board into a board repair place.

Thanks for the response.

No, with the yellow/magenta connected to the black/cyan cables neither head fired which is what confused me. If it was a fuse I would have expected something from the yellow/magenta and nothing from the black/cyan but instead got nothing at all.

The fuses you talk about are they on the mainboard at the back of the machine or on the board that the heads plug into? I will do a continuity test of the fuses in the morning and post my findings.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you swapped the cables and both stopped firing it is possible the head is fried. If the fuse was blown that's what should have happened. Unfortunately I don't know of any way to fix a head that is fired just the fuses and transistors on the main board.

 

[massivewire]

Those were my thoughts but asking to clarify in my head before spending £400 on ahead, dont mind paying if we know that will fix it. Effectively then if I flush the working head and swap the 2 heads over and it prints then that proves the head is the problem?

 

[Solventinkjet]

That would verify a bad head yes. Although I am almost certain it's the head anyway. I'm trying to figure out what goes bad on these heads because although it is rare I feel like I have some heads in my shop that are fine but just need a resistor or capacitor replaced and then they would be fine. One day maybe I'll be able to fix them.

 

[massivewire]

As am I, I may well just bite the bullet. The price of them though is very high, somehow the price is being held higher than i think they naturally would be, the technology is 15 years old, you would expect the price to have come down much further by now especially when they are used across a number of products from various manufacturers. Try as I might I can't find a 'cheap' one.