Roland VP540 New Heads installed can't seem to get them aligned What is going on?

I was so happy that hybriddesign sent me a motherboard and other parts including an extra pinch roller. Appreciate him so much.
I went through the process and installed the board, used the Peck tool and eventually replaced a transistor that aparently was blowing fuse 1.

I have just replaced the Black and Yellow heads and they arent stuck "ON" all the time.
The Cyan is not great and the Magenta which was worse is almost non existant even though I kept the heads wet during all this wait time.

I was delayed with a backorder a couple weeks and I hope in the next few days the next two new heads will be here so We can replace the Magenta...... and Cyan if I have to - at this point I am just trying to make headway to get it back to where it WAS printing a while ago.

So using the Service notes I did things like linear calibration, put the 2 head ranks in.
The notes talk about Service mode printing the vertical lines and using small allen wrench to align. And I used a steel ruler to physically line up the heads horizontally.

So I know cyan and magenta head needs attention. The manual says vertical print and shows the vertical lines and how to move top lines left or right. The actual test it print looks like it actually is giving both tests at the same time but the lines are 3.5 whole lines offset, the illustration shows solid color bands and mine is printing a grid and it is off SO far that a normal test print has a huge overlap of colors.

Spent HOURS last night doing my best and not seeing any real difference in adjusting the screws except the cyan which was tilted at an angle a little, fixed by the allen wrench.

I guess I gotta rethink if it is possible the carriage board is acting up on me, if the linear tape is acting up -(It calibrates no error) I thought I was doing things in the proper order but nothing looks right and I know how the test prints looked before with color boxes of dashes and now So messed up.

Can anyone tell me if, they think I have the linear problem of an old clear tape (I had cleaned it before all of this happened. I didn't like how it looked so ordered the part, now can't find it) If I have a carrige board problem or somehow I am not doing things in order. I feel pretty beat up over this whole problem and although I am getting there, last night was a total waste and I am not even sure what I would do different.

I will try to post the photos of what panel said, followed by what it printed. I appreciate any suggestions.






And this is what I get:

 

Hi Ere, thanks for input. Always welcome and appreciated. I am having so much fun....I know 2 of the heads are going to be replaced but I am just trying to gain alignment and control after having replaced a motherboard simply because of the known problem with mainboard network failure.

On a Roland the heads are individually installed and then have micro adjustments. When I run the tests and the printout comes out not like the manual, I am not sure what is correct. I think this is showing me two tests at once.

For instance, left shorter test..... are the black bands looking like a grid instead of sollid black because of alignment? Maybe it would be solid but because the area that I think should be solid colors have those 3 vertical black stripes through them shows that the bi directional is wayyyyy off. I am thinking that the taller test to right shows the top lines being about 3.5 lines to the right. I think I have to figure out how to input the correction through software but any other test I use it is so blurry I cant see the numbers.....


1) Before the m board and head changes it was working...so untouched when changed board and heads. Linear Encoder strip old but no error code...I didn't know if I would see some little improvement so I ordered a new one. It can't hurt, I just don't know if it will have a huge impact.

2) I am leaning towards the idea that the Blurry printout is going to have to be corrected with software control than mechanical adjustment. It is 3.5 lines to the right as in ticks on a measuring stick but I think the mechanical/allen wrench adjustments when talking about being a line width to left or right is actually how many actual lines If printed side by side In terms of resolution or lines

This is a big distinction. To me, this would explain why adjusting the screws are not appearing to do much because of this difference. I think the key is adjusting the software adjustments in service menu.

I guess I am going to have to go through screen setups and see how I can input the bias numbers to some effect. This is so bad I will either see it get better or worse. If it gets better then when I print tests out I can maybe read them.... Thanks,

 

Thanks perfect pfd. I didn't end up going in today.....thinking I'd wait til I get the other two heads installed. I already ordered the encoder strip a few days ago just in case. I think that once they are installed it will be more worth my time, and they will be here in a few days...

I know the other colors are off the same amount and it doesn't hurt to focus time on black only realizing they are all askew with bi directionally. I realize the black is locked down and can't really physically be changed. (a set screw under carriage) All colors must align to black but who knows what software setting is still in place needing correction. I think calibration is severely off on both Vert and Horiz, and possible that my new carriage board is hosed as well as my old one.

So I think it's possible that the software settings from putting in a new board are way out from what this machine needs. All colors are printing offset to right and I think vertically off. which makes me think it is software or possible that there is a problem with headboard although after switching that with the new one bought this month.....they both do it.

I think regardless of how many colors work - if black is printing Far Right I have a software problem or a messed up head board and the only way to get any farther is to see if focusing on the black calibration or the headboard can get me past this.

If all colors are printing askew to right I think all I can do is check calibration while I wait for the parts. I thank you for your help and I think the main point is that I should focus on the black and at least see if I can get the major deviation in bi direction figured out then I can worry about the other 3 colors. I mean really, all four print to to right? If I go ahead and send a print job it also has border of image skew to right so sides are not square. Something is telling it to do that......and it does it consistently which makes it seem like some sort of calibration bias over applied.

Will keep you posted and I appreciate your input. This has already been so much work and I am still not there.......yet.....

 

Okay, here it is....While waiting for encoder strip I tried adjusting detailed and basic bias.
Same overlapping with thin line offset to Right ON Both Colors - Hard to see but they are the Same......

..... Removed Cyan and Majenta....I switched ribbon cables on remaining Black and Yellow. When the yellow printed as black it was easy to realize that they are printing the same type of patterns with those vertical stripes offset to right . Seemed no matter what bias adjustment -20 or 10 or whatever -couldn't see a difference.

I don't know if what I am seeing could be from a carriage board problem telling these new heads to fire and write these vertical lines or if the servo board plays some role in this.....

New heads coming in tomorow though.....I am guessing that when they are printing new, they will be printing the same pattern as the black and yellow /will be easy to see the lines on them too.

 

ok so I put the heads in and it is as I expected. Same pattern same size and alignment on all colors.
I am waiting for linear tape to arrive.

Want to mention we had blown a fuse on F1 we had. found a transistor on mainboard that wasnt reading 40k so I replaced it and no blown fuses and all heads print. Considered possibility the transistor went maybe it damaged the head board somehow. Not sure if that could produce symptom like this with all 4 heads having exact same overprint and Horiz skew ing on printouts. When I replaced Mainboard I also put in brand new printhead board before firing it up. With problem continuing I have switched boards back to the original one, the one T sent me and none of them make a difference.... but what if they got fried from the bad heads? IF I knew the ONLY thing head board does is amplify the firing voltage to heads...Other than fact all 3 print head boards =same results... worry if they all good or possibly bad.

So I wonder if I should try to get another power head board since they are cheap.
I don't just don'tknow if that board can cause these problems.

I am thinking that if it isn't the linear sensor or tape maybe I am going to have to start swapping boards. I only have the tape and not the encoder coming but it does pass linear encoder tests...

....just can't figure out what is controlling the position of all 4 colors.....the Servo board? Hybriddesign was so kind to help me out with that board too. I would hate to have that fail if for some reason I have a failed head board....

I am thinking linear tape install.... maybe that or the sensor bad......
I used the peck6 and installed the old setup and the new and even factory default and can't see why it is doing this still....

Is it reasonable to Next replace the head board in case somehow that is flakey now from bad heads or previously blown fuse. Then, if it seems like something the servo board swap might fix at least I know we have all new parts inline.....

I am trying my best, and appreciate all the comments. BTW I did some adjustments and I see it move a little through software but overlapping seems beyond software adjustment range. I really think if I didn't have these major problems with print overlap it wouldn't take me long at all to make the minute adjustments.

All 4 colors being ghosted/overlapped with in exact same way and with exact same vertical lines?offset. And when it makes a print it acts like offset like this with overlapping colors is similiarly happening both Vertically and Horizontally.

So i only have an encoder strip coming so far. I have 4 new heads installed. Is there a reasonable need to swap servo board with one H sent me and if so, is it safe to do so without worry about buying a headboard first to avoid theoretical interboard damage?
I can swap the linear tape no risk. If no worky....Should I order the linear sensor and while I am at it order sigh, another head board and when it comes swap encoder, headboard and servo board. Or swap servo board sitting here already. Rrrrrrrrr. This is still cheaper than sending a tech but undoubtedly not fun.
Next move ?
Thanks !

 

I got all 4 heads put in.... Same Pattern on all of them....
waiting for the encoder strip..... not sure if there is anything else I should / could do..... thanks

 

Okay so after 60 DAYS of waiting for Parts From Florida Digi ! I have installed the encoder card and head board. All 4 colors print with same open non sollid grid pattern with same offset strips and pattern. I have tried to keep the 4 new heads clean and flowing while I waited.....RRRRR

Trying to figure out if this could be caused by horizontal motor problem I sometimes here the motor "click" as the head moves but it does pass the tests. It has been so long I have been forgetting where I left off. I am not sure what can cause the alignment to be so far off but the motor is consistent enough to make the same incorrect pattern on all 4 colors. I do have a horiz motor I could put in......

I just wonder if a scan motor goes bad can it print exact same pattern but offset the colors same exact amount or is this a software or board problem......

 

Thanks for taking the time looking at this most frustrating problem. What is unique is that the offset colors and stray offset lines are exactly the same on all colors. To me, it would seemed more than a bad cable. So yesterday I swapped out the current board with the original board which was mainly having network connectivity issues rendering it nearly useless for print jobs because it stalls in the middle of print jobs when data gets interrupted.

Well, test pattern came out like the SolventInkjet photo shared above with minor alignment issues. This indicates motherboard problem and now I have to figure out if this kind of duplicate offset printing is the type of thing that could be sent in and fixed since it seems like most people were sending in boards for a blown transister on a single color dropping out etc....

This affects all colors and I am not sure if anyone out there might be able to tell me if this is something repairable or has had similiar experience. I have written to both places listed on ebay that sell board repair service but they never reply......

I guess I am looking for a main board again or going to try to send this one in but I am not sure if the problem is a known fixable or unrecoverable. Does this sound familiar to any of you? (Other than the frustrating part about trying to get an old printer running lol)

Thanks !
James