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Roland XC540 Air Purge

XGT

New Member
So theres the 2 dampers going to the yellow print head. I almost ran out of one of the yellows I thought. But there is only air in what i believe is the cartridge that ran out. Ive pulled the damper off and tried to suck the air through but I continue to get just air. it is a 10ml syringe. will it take a lot of pulls? I tried to clamp the tubing as best as i can but.

any tips for pulling ink back into the damper and line full of air?
 

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
If you are using a tapered syringe like I use, sometimes you have to cut the tip off because it is preventing the syringe from making a good seal with the o-ring. Sometimes the o-ring is just too stretched out to seal correctly as well. Make sure neither of those things are happening.

After that, when you pull on the syringe, you should see the clear plastic part crush and sometimes you can hear it make a crinkling noise. You should also feel resistance on the syringe like if you let go it would pop back at least a little. If it doesn't do that when you pull, there is an air leak somewhere which is usually between the syringe and damper (see above) or it's between the damper and ink line. If you rule out the syringe seal being off then it's most likely a bad o-ring between the damper and ink line.

If your damper is older than 1 year old, it's most likely time to change it. If it is older than 2 years it's definitely time to change it. They are cheap enough that you might as well keep them fresh at least every 18 months and it's also what the manufacturer recommends.

These ink systems are very straight forward. The cartridge pulls back on the system slightly which is why ink goes back to the cartridge when the damper is taken off. The damper keeps the ink from flowing back to the cartridge and keeps it flowing towards the head. If there is any air getting into the system at any point, it will cause the ink to recede back to the cartridge which keeps ink from flowing to the head.

Also it does take more than one pull with a 10ml syringe usually but it should not take more then 3 - 4 in my experience.
 

XGT

New Member
Just to verify Im not screwing anything up. Im trying to pull the ink from the damper? I have been doing that and it is a good seal. The syringe "pops" if I were to let it go. Ive felt like Ive pulled the syringe a bunch and Im not getting any ink. its a brand new cartridge. anything I can do to prime the tubing above the damper?

I just got done tracing the tubing. its a lot longer than what I thought so I will probably have to do a lot of pulling on this stupid syringe.
 

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Yes pull directly from the the part of the damper that normally connects to the head. If the ink has receded far back in the machine, it can take a bunch of pulls. Sometimes it's better to hold it in the pulled position so the ink can flow. Have someone take a look at the lines while you hold the syringe and see if the ink is actually moving. Also, I can't remember if that machine has segregated lines or if they are connected by a y connector. If it is connected by a Y connector, you need to plug the other damper while pulling or pull from both dampers at the same time for it to work. It's been a while since I worked on that model.
 

crny1

New Member
Keep pulling.....
I have never drawn ink in my 540 directly at the dampner. I have always pulled it from the cap top line through the head.
 

XGT

New Member
I believe Ive fixed the problem however before that I selected "pump up" in the ink menu and now its asking for my ink type and when I select either ink type it states canceled to motor protection. now what? haha

feel like ive fixed one problem and cause another
 

crny1

New Member
If you run a cleaning is the pump operating on the yellow head? You may have a bad pump but that wouldnt explain why you cant pull ink into the dampner with a syringe.
 

crny1

New Member
do you have the service manual? If not I have a copy I can email you if you would like. Just give me your email.
 

XGT

New Member
ive got ink flowing into both dampers now. however

I selected "pump up" in the ink menu and now its asking for my ink type and when I select either ink type it states canceled to motor protection. now what? haha

feel like ive fixed one problem and cause another
 

XGT

New Member
ive got the service manual but not sure where to look or what to look for to fix this issue.
 

XGT

New Member
theres no error code. it has me select the color configuration lc lm or cymkcm and then states cancellated for motor or something. its 84 degrees in our shop.
 

crny1

New Member
Ok, take the bottom right black cover off that reveals the pumps. Restart the machine. Run a cleaning and look at the center shaft of the yellow head pump. See if its turning. If it isnt then that pump is bad. Im guessing it is ok. 84 is really hot and the machine may not like those temps.
 

XGT

New Member
I shut it off and disconnected it for five minutes and now it is "filling" is it going to waste my entire ink cartridge? I read on another thread that when someone selected pump up it wasted their entire cartridge
 

crny1

New Member
No it shouldnt waste the entire cartridge. But the machine needs to purge itself to work correctly.
 

XGT

New Member
ok.. i selected cymkcm. is that the correct selection?

hopefully after its done "filling ink" i can get back to a good test print and production.
 

crny1

New Member
Select for the ink setup that you have. If you are running CMYKLmLc then select that one. I dont remember all the choices it has. Just have to select the one for the ink setup you are running.
 

XGT

New Member
during this process its having me remove and install the cartridges. now its saying have "wrong cartridge"
 
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