SP-300 not printing yellow only

[Jim Hill]

The printer was working fine yesterday but today it won't print yellow.

I have done a few medium cleanings along with soaking the capping station a few times and a manual cleaning but each time I do a test print there is no yellow.

The other colors show almost no drop out at all.

Since this is a two head machine and the magenta is printing fine could it be a blocked drain line?

Is there a separate fuse for the yellow?

The test print looks perfect except for the yellow color.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jim

 

[Jim Hill]

I forgot to include one other very important piece of information and that is this printer has always used Roland ink only.

Thanks Jim Hill

 

[Andrew O]

PM me your contact info and I'll have someone from tech support give you call to walk through a diagnosis.

 

[Jim Hill]

I also forgot to mention that when the printer stopped printing yellow and instead started printing magenta I cancelled the printing right away.

I then checked the yellow ink cartridge and it was very close to being empty and for some reason there was not message of a low cartridge.

What are the chances it sucked air into the lines?

Just wondering out loud. Thanks Jim

 

[CS-SignSupply]

Probably did not suck air into the line. If the cartridge is empty, or very near, it can hold a vacuum on the ink in the lines and prevent flow of think to the head.

Replace the cartridge, perform normal clean and proceed. Keep us posted.

 

[Jim Hill]

Bobby Fosson:

I replaced the yellow ink cartridge right away thinking that did not correct the problem.

I have done a few medium cleanings along with a complete manual cleaning but it still won't print yellow.

Since the SP-300 has only two heads it does not seem like a clogged drain line either.

I am still thinking there must be air trapped in a line or some how it is holding onto a vacuum.

I think I might remove the capping station and trying pulling air through the line with a syringe.

Thanks Bobby Jim

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

I think I might remove the capping station and trying pulling air through the line with a syringe.

Thanks Bobby Jim

Try pulling from the line that comes out of the capping station. That will let you know if its a bad seal or clogged or whatever... you should get ink into your syringe without much effort

 

[Jim Hill]

Dave Brown:

I used a syringe and pulled from the line going to the bottom of the capping station and the syringe filled with the Roland cleaning fluid that I had soaked the capping station with.

Question should the head be directly over the top of the capping station when doing this or in the cleaning position to the far left of the machine?

Thanks Jim

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

The head should be docked with the capping station you are trying to pull the ink from the line through the dampers through the printhead through the capping station and into your syringe

This got our RS-640 going when magenta dropped...

There are more intense ways of getting it back but this is a good easy start.

are any nozzles firing yellow?

Good luck I'm headin out for the day I will check back in tomorrow.

 

[Jim Hill]

I pulled from the line directly below the heads when they were on the capping station but I am not getting anything in the syringe.

Strange thing is the magenta and the other colors all look great on a test print just no yellow and that's with a brand new cartridge installed.

Not sure what to try next. Jim

 

[Jim Hill]

Well maybe it's time to change the capping stations and see if that makes any difference.

Jim

 

[artbot]

don't change the capping station that is throwing a part at the printing. since the head shares with magenta there's no way it can just cause an issue with the yellow. when you were pulling ink, did you make sure that your pumps were set open and also that the capping station was vertical parked?

i'd figure that your issue obviously is tracked back to the cartridge running out and you've got some vapor lock on the yellow side and or when you "quickly" replaced the yellow cart, you damaged the cartridge needle. ...cracked manifold nipple is unlikely. have you taken out the yellow cartridge to inspect if the needle is fine and or the neoprene seal look okay? also, if you ran out of ink, that line was under negative pressure. pull you yellow damper and see if it's full or is there air in the lines?

 

[Master's Touch]

Have you massaged the drain lines that go to the capping station? On the M/Y side of the sponge, drip cleaning fluid till it brims. Then use your finger and thumb to manually massage the black drain lines under the capping station until you see bubbles on the M/Y side and the fuid soaks/drains into the sponge. DO cleaning cycle. Print test. This always works for me.

 

[guato]

If you have air conditioning or any air circulate in room, yellow color print ends, at least in my case!
Turn off air conditioning and press ordinary cleaning and yellow print goes on.

I have not found why, but when I called service guy and he make a test print, surprise, the yellow color was there, perfect?!?

 

[Jim Hill]

Artbot:

This morning I am going to remove the yellow damper and take a closer look because it does not appear to be full of ink.

I agree with you that with a two headed machine if it's printing magenta perfectly I don't believe the problem is the head being clogged.

I am thinking the problem is between the yellow cartridge and the damper.

Once I remove the damper I will connect a syringe and try and pull either air or ink through the line.

You also mentioned making sure the pumps were open and the heads were vertically parked. I did have the heads parked directly over the capping station.
How would I make sure the pumps were open?

Thanks Jim

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

"This morning I am going to remove the yellow damper and take a closer look because it does not appear to be full of ink."

seems like a first step

update?

 

[Jim Hill]

Update I took off the magenta and the yellow dampers and they both have magenta in them.

I am right now trying to find new dampers within driving distance to replace them all of them.

Roland dealer say's they are $42.45 each which sounds kind of high.

I just got off the phone with another sign shop which a friend owns and he is checking to see if he has some on the shelf that I can borrow and then replace.

Jim

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

Seems odd... I'm Stumped as to how the magenta got into that damper? but there is yellow in the line going to it?

 

[CS-SignSupply]

If the yellow cart went dry, the ink from the magenta cart was sucked through the lines, through the captop and through the yellow damper to equalize the negative pressure caused by the empty yellow. Cross Contamination.

Replace the yellow cart with new, remove the yellow damper from the head and use syringe to pull out any magenta in the line/damper. CAREFULLY replace the damper and run a few cleans to purge the magenta out of the head.

 

[Banners Signs Etc.]

Don't think you need a new damper just yet. But probably good to have an extra set on the shelf