Sources for SP-300V ribbon cable for the two printheads.

[Jim Hill]

I purchased four New ribbon cables for my SP-300V but the new ones are 13 1/2" long and the original cables are 7 1/8" long
Using the New longer cables makes it very hard to get the plaster cover over them.

I have checked a few suppliers but they all seem to have the newer longer ribbon cables.

I do not like to by parts from China but I find sometimes they are the only source that seems to have parts for older Roland Printers.

If you know of a supplier who might stock the shorter ribbon cables please let me know.

Thanks Jim

 

[Joe House]

Have you tried a Roland dealer in your area?

 

[Sign Works]

I order my Genuine Roland replacement parts from Midwest Sign Supplies.

Except for printhead, that came from solventinkjet.com

 

[Jim Hill]

Joe House:

The Roland Dealer seems to charge $100.00 bucks and up for everything they sell.

A trip charge from the Roland Dealer to me is $300.00 dollars and I think I am between 6 and 7 miles away. That's just crazy I refuse to pay it and that's why I learned to take care of my printer and change heads myself.

They wanted almost $1,200 dollars for a DX-4 solvent head and $150.00 @ hour to install on top of the trip charge. You can buy DX-4 heads all day long for between $500 and $540.00 and putting them in is just not that hard to do.

I just do not like doing business with people like that so I always look for another source of parts

Jim

 

[Joe House]

The Roland Dealer seems to charge $100.00 bucks and up for everything they sell.

A trip charge from the Roland Dealer to me is $300.00 dollars and I think I am between 6 and 7 miles away. That's just crazy I refuse to pay it and that's why I learned to take care of my printer and change heads myself.

They wanted almost $1,200 dollars for a DX-4 solvent head and $150.00 @ hour to install on top of the trip charge. You can buy DX-4 heads all day long for between $500 and $540.00 and putting them in is just not that hard to do.

I just do not like doing business with people like that so I always look for another source of parts

Not that hard to do, but you've managed to muck it up. You've been peppering the forums with questions about how to do it and how to fix the mistakes. Now you're looking for an alternate source for a couple of $10 cables just so you don't have to deal with them.
They're charging a fair price for their service (I'm not sure about the details of the travel charge - there's got to be more to that story) and parts (selling Genuine Roland parts) and you're very free to look elsewhere for those same services and parts (or figure it out for yourself.) I'm sure that they keep busy enough. And perhaps they save their better rates for their good customers. Good luck finding the cables.

This is kind of like the guy that goes to the big box hardware store and buys a coro blank and a black marker to make the sign they need. If it fits the budget and their needs, more power to them. OR... They could pay a professional to do the job with similar, yet different results.

 

[strypguy]

I bought my cables from solventinkjetonline. They were the correct length. John

 

[Jim Hill]

strypguy:

Thanks for the tip Jim

 

[Jim Hill]

Not that hard to do, but you've managed to muck it up. You've been peppering the forums with questions about how to do it and how to fix the mistakes. Now you're looking for an alternate source for a couple of $10 cables just so you don't have to deal with them.
They're charging a fair price for their service (I'm not sure about the details of the travel charge - there's got to be more to that story) and parts (selling Genuine Roland parts) and you're very free to look elsewhere for those same services and parts (or figure it out for yourself.) I'm sure that they keep busy enough. And perhaps they save their better rates for their good customers. Good luck finding the cables.

This is kind of like the guy that goes to the big box hardware store and buys a coro blank and a black marker to make the sign they need. If it fits the budget and their needs, more power to them. OR... They could pay a professional to do the job with similar, yet different results.

Joe House:

I think we can agree that we disagree on certain things.
I understand you believe they are charging a fair price for their products and service I on the other hand do not see that way!

Thanks for your opinions Jim

 

[Solventinkjet]

In defense of Roland dealers, which I normally don't do, they are forced to sell their heads at that price and have no other options if they want to keep their dealership. So they aren't necessarily gouging you. They are just following their dealer contract. $300 to show up is overboard though if you really are 6-7 miles away. We don't charge a travel fee if you are in the greater Denver area and only charge $1 per mile outside of that area. But $150 per hour is pretty standard for a tech fee. A good tech can change an SP300 head in an hour or less including the alignments. It looks like you have been working on this for a few days and blew a fuse. How much business have you lost due to being down? More than $150 worth?

 

[Jim Hill]

VanderJ:

I know that you are right and they have to sell the heads for the Roland prices.
July is my slowest month of the year that is why I decided to change heads, cap tops, dampers, wiper, ribbon cables and a few other parts.

I was not aware that Roland techs will not work on a Roland printer that has heads that did not come from them.
They explained to me that the Epson DX-4 solvent heads are different from DX-4 Roland Heads uses. Any comments on that statement?

Jim

 

[Solventinkjet]

VanderJ:

I know that you are right and they have to sell the heads for the Roland prices.
July is my slowest month of the year that is why I decided to change heads, cap tops, dampers, wiper, ribbon cables and a few other parts.

I was not aware that Roland techs will not work on a Roland printer that has heads that did not come from them.
They explained to me that the Epson DX-4 solvent heads are different from DX-4 Roland Heads uses. Any comments on that statement?

Jim

A DX4 head is a DX4 head and they are all technically Epson heads. You can take a DX4 head out of a Mimaki, Mutoh or Epson and put it in a Roland and it will work just the same. They do make two different kinds however. One has a solvent resistant manifold and one doesn't but the electronics, ink pathway and function is exactly the same.

 

[Jim Hill]

VanderJ

I agree with everything you said!!!!!

Because I purchased the head from another suppler that was the reason given to me for why they would not work on the Roland printer.



Jim