Color Envy
New Member
Ugh...no go. Still zero ink being sprayed.
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sp-540 Neither head fires at all after replacing manifold on black/cyan head
- Thread starter Color Envy
- Start date
Color Envy
New Member
I got it off of ebay. It had the roland logo on the product image but the one that I got doesnt, so i guess I shouldve done more research on it. At this point im just overly frustrated and was just trying to get it ordered asap to hopefully get this thing back going again. I just looked up the servo board and its like a grand. I have no idea where folks get the money to be able to just throw that kind of money and just see if it fixes it, but i am nowhere close to being able to do that.
Jim Hancock
Old School Technician
To clarify the cable I'm suggesting, it is a 4 wire cable going from CN4 on the servo board to CN9 on the mainboard. The head power voltage goes from Q1 on the servo board through this cable to the mainboard and on to the printheads. In addition, it supplies the voltage for both fuses that supply the voltage for the output transistors. I would suggest checking to see if you have any voltage at the fuses F2 & F3. Whatever the cause is, it's something common to both heads.
MikePro
New Member
edited to add: didn't realized this thread has gone down to checking boards n' such. my first thought went to what could immediately cause one nearby head to fail while fiddling with the other.
i once almost ruined a DX4 printhead while replacing a manifold. the gremlin was in a drop of ink that had gotten onto the ribbon cable and trickled down into the connection.
i thought i was destined to have to buy a new printhead, BUT came across a thread where someone salvaged the head by using clean strips cut from notecardstock with dabs of isopropyl and insert, cut a new clean piece, dabwithisopropyl, insert, & repeat.
....but before you go down that route, could you possibly have accidentally creased the ribbon cable during fiddling?
i once almost ruined a DX4 printhead while replacing a manifold. the gremlin was in a drop of ink that had gotten onto the ribbon cable and trickled down into the connection.
i thought i was destined to have to buy a new printhead, BUT came across a thread where someone salvaged the head by using clean strips cut from notecardstock with dabs of isopropyl and insert, cut a new clean piece, dabwithisopropyl, insert, & repeat.
....but before you go down that route, could you possibly have accidentally creased the ribbon cable during fiddling?
Ah ok, if it didn't have the Roland logo on it then it's a chinese copy not an OEM board. That does make it harder as you never know if they are actually designed correctly and are going to work. If the product image showed an OEM part and they sent you a copy, I would return it as not as described and get a refund!
As an aside, when you put your old carriage board in, what is the printer doing? If it is the same then it would point towards your old carriage board being ok
You can get used servo boards on ebay which are original and guaranteed ( https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256245968636 ), there is one for sale on there at the moment. Getting a used board you know works is often a better plan than getting a dodgy copy one that has never been installed in a printer...
Check your existing servo board though first and see if the LED is lighting to show it is getting power, and also as Jim suggested, check for voltage showing at the two fuses. This can rule out a lot of problems. It could be one of the main chips on the servo board has failed, and unfortunately these can't be sourced to replace them.
I agree though it is frustrating sometimes! unless you can actually do board level testing, then often the only option is to replace boards and see if that fixes it.
I always think of it that the printer is there to make you money. The longer it is sitting not working, then it's not making you anything, so is worth spending the money to get it working and get earning again.
I always think of it that the printer is there to make you money. The longer it is sitting not working, then it's not making you anything, so is worth spending the money to get it working and get earning again.
Jim Hancock
Old School Technician
Fortunately, the Q1 transistor is available, after much searching. I have ordered a couple of them for my board repair stock and will have them in a week. If you do decide to order a used board, make sure it is returnable. The key will be if you have voltage at the fuses. Troubleshooting problems like this is a bit like being a detective. I'm fortunate in that I was US Navy trained as an electronics tech and repaired complex systems to the component level. The good thing about Roland is the service manuals contain schematics, allowing paper troubleshooting, to a point. Keep us posted.
Thank you for the reminder as well, I need to get some on order as I don't have any in stock either at the moment! I always keep the head transistors in stock but haven't had to repair a servo board for a long time, but I should get some in just in case!
Jim Hancock
Old School Technician
Damon, check your messages.
Jim Hancock
Old School Technician
Any updates?