UJF-6042 MKII Error 533

[OneTrickPony]

Hello, I bought a used UJF-6042 MKII and I'm trying to get it up and running and I'm having difficulty getting past this boot up level. The machine starts, homes the Y and Z, and looks like it's homing the X as well, but after a minute or two, I get the error code 533 X origin error.

I have the service manual for it and there is no 533 listed in the manual and a search doesn't seem to bring anything up for that code. Everything look good, clean, and correct. On the X, there's the little rocker plastic switch that it triggers as well as the metal blade on the head assembly that goes through the proximity sensor. All of that looks perfectly normal. I can't seem to get past this error. I have video of the machine working fine a week before I bought it and the error log doesn't show any issues with this, so it looks like it's a new issue and I'm not sure how to resolve it.

Of course the dealers I use for ink don't want to help much because I didn't buy it from them so I'm on my own trying to resolve it.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If the X origin sensor is being physically triggered and you still get this error, the sensor is either unplugged or damaged. Replace the sensor and if that doesn't fix it, unfortunately it could be a main board issue. My bet is on the sensor though. Also, try cleaning it with alcohol. It might just have ink splatter on it.

 

[OneTrickPony]

That's the same sensor that is on the Y, so I should be able to swap them and see if the error goes to the Y, correct? It is the blade going into the proximity sensor that we're talking about, correct?

 

[Solventinkjet]

That's the same sensor that is on the Y, so I should be able to swap them and see if the error goes to the Y, correct? It is the blade going into the proximity sensor that we're talking about, correct?

In theory, yes. I've never tried it to be able to tell you for sure but it's worth a shot. The only issue might be is it will just error out on Y before ever getting to the X test. And yes, that's the same sensor we're talking about. We call it an interrupt sensor but same concept.

 

[OneTrickPony]

I switched the y and x axis photo interrupters and nothing changed. It had the power off of it for a bit, is it possible that it's just lost it's origin and that needs to be reset?

 

[Solventinkjet]

I switched the y and x axis photo interrupters and nothing changed. It had the power off of it for a bit, is it possible that it's just lost it's origin and that needs to be reset?

You can adjust the origin position but it requires the sensor to be able to detect. So even if the adjustment is off, it wouldn't give this error. I have an updated manual, which I can't give out unfortunately, and it basically just says, if the sensor doesn't trigger, replace the sensor and if that doesn't work, replace the main board. Since the sensor worked in the Y position, it's most likely a bad main board unfortunately.

If you want to be double sure the sensor works, go into service mode, hold func1 and func3 buttons while powering on, and then go into the #test menu. In there you can find the sensor test menu and test the sensors by physically triggering them and it will tell you if it's registering with the system. My bet is the X sensor test will not trigger.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Let me make sure I'm not doing something stupid, I do not have this hooked to a computer yet, it's just powering up on it's own. That should work, correct? I have a 6042HG and you can certainly boot that up without a connection so I assume it's the same but maybe it's not.

The function button trick didn't work, but I opened the door at the head and got it to let me into the test mode. It alarms out says COM TEST ERR/999 00 and SYSTEM HALT (2) 804)C)DATA ABRT.

And, thank you very much for the help and quick replies. I really appreciate it.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Let me make sure I'm not doing something stupid, I do not have this hooked to a computer yet, it's just powering up on it's own. That should work, correct? I have a 6042HG and you can certainly boot that up without a connection so I assume it's the same but maybe it's not.

The function button trick didn't work, but I opened the door at the head and got it to let me into the test mode. It alarms out says COM TEST ERR/999 00 and SYSTEM HALT (2) 804)C)DATA ABRT.

And, thank you very much for the help and quick replies. I really appreciate it.

No problem, it's what we do!

Yeah you can boot without a connection for sure.

Unfortunately that error confirms it's a bad main board. It means the CPU is malfunctioning.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Sent you a PM about the board.

 

[Dasdesignguy]

I concur with the board issue, thing about the 6042's is that it's a big deal that the printer needs to perfectly leveled, and then that the bed is perfectly leveled after you move it in any way shape or form. Then the head gap and so on.... On top of that a majority of the parts are super sensitive so I don't know how it was shipped or delivered to you but if it wasn't shut down and packed up properly, the board may just be the tip of the iceberg of issues you might encounter.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Thanks, I believe a Mimaki service company helped shut it down and prepare it properly. I expect some issues. Sadly, I have tried multiple dealers that I have contacted and tried to pay them to come get it set up and running and the common theme seems to be "you didn't buy it from us so we're not interested in helping", despite the fact they would be paid to do it, which means I'm having to figure this all out on my own. I have a 6042 already so I'm reasonably familiar with the machine and I've changed out printheads and other items myself, so hopefully I can bring this one back to life. I'm sure it's going to painful since the process will be fit one thing to get one step further, only to realize something else is wrong. Every time you find something, it's just adding more days to the calendar for getting it running. Would much prefer to pay someone with the knowledge to come and get it all running and walk out the door but you can't make people help you that don't want to help you.

Appreciate the support from people on here. It looks like that's the only way I'm going to resolve it all.

 

[netsol]

you would think one of our members, local to you, could recommend an independent tech with mimaki experience.
MANY MEMBERS only check the site from work so you often get only a certain group responding on the weekends.
late in the day monday or tuesday morning you might want to do an edit or add something to the thread so it comes to the top of "what's new" and see if anyone from virginia can refer you to anyone

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

As someone who is actively getting certified across Mimaki stuff, there seems to be a general shortage of techs in my area at least. Dallas seems to be pretty well covered at least, and I imagine other big cities as well. Based on the thread here, I would try an EPL and printer firmware refresh. Unfortunately, Mimaki doesn't seem to make the tools to do these operations public. As for the dealer response of "We didn't sell it, so we won't fix it.", that seems to be a far too common response that just seems silly, regardless of printer brand. The unnamed dealer I work under has no such policy and I also do what I can to help people work on their stuff when I have access to the info. Unfortunately, I do not service the Virginia area, being based in OK.

As for troubleshooting, I would go through cables first and foremost. Check to make sure things are snug and free of ink contamination. Next, see if the printer is at least able to boot into a basic mode that doesn't go all the way into the printer firmware. See if you can get into parameter mode by holding up and down arrow while booting to see if it at least gets that far. If you have a service manual, check section 2.3.1 for fuse locations and test those as well. Some fuses will prompt a fuse-specific code, others will cause general faults. When removing fuses (most, if not all can be checked in-circuit), be careful not to tear the socket off the board and only replace them with the exact same amperage if bad.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Thanks for all the input. I'm sure I'll get it running. I'm pretty stubborn Just takes time. When we got our first 6042, I would call Mimaki directly and talk to a tech named Charlie, if I remember correctly. He was always very helpful. Sadly, they have removed all ability for end users to get to the factory now. They refer you to your distributors. What they don't realize (or care about) is there are some pretty large gaps in their distributors services. About a year or so ago, we called a fairly large company in the business. They told me they had a tech that lived 1 hour away. We scheduled a time for him to come by, he never showed up. Never called, never showed up. Never heard from them again. Voicemails were left, but that's as far as we got.

At the same time I was having that issue, there was a trade show going on. I had a friend at the show, he got Mimaki's ear, told them I needed help and couldn't get it. The guy was in charge of all tech support. He gave them his email told me to email him. I did. 10 days later, he replied. He said my machine was old and it wasn't worth fixing. I explained to him that there's a big difference in a 8 year old car that has 10,000 miles on it and an 8 year old car that has 300,000 miles on it, and this machine was very lightly used and I just had a simple 5 minute question I needed to ask and get an answer on. He said he'd get back to me. Never heard another word from him.

Seems to be a pattern. As much as I love their machines, I dislike their approach to service.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

There seems to be a weird focus on printers having a 7-8 year lifespan, but it really depends on maintenance and operating conditions. New models come with their share of ups and downs, but sometimes folks just want to keep running the machines they're familiar with. When I do independent tech work, I try to do right by the customer first. In some cases, it's recommending a new machine, but usually, it's fixing what they have.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Replaced the board and the problem didn't go away. Any other suggestions, since Mimaki is closed today? To recap, the photo interrupter on the X-Axis has been changed, the main board has been replaced, and I'm still getting the X Origin error of 533. If I push the carriage over to the left by hand, with the machine off (very slowly), and then turn the machine on, it moves very smoothly back to the origin point. I don't think it's a motor issue. What else would cause the 533 error? I feel like it's just lost it's origin, therefore, it can't find it, and that needs to be set somewhere, but maybe I'm wrong. Mechanically, I'm not following what else it could be. Having replaced the board and it not fixed it, the tab is running, so I'd hate to put a motor in and have that not work either, then I'd be over $2k in parts and nothing will have changed.

Solventinkjet has been very helpful and I'm grateful for the help, but with Mimaki being closed, it's just adding one more day to the troubleshooting, and I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone had any other ideas. I'd feel better about if it the error code being thrown was actually listed in the service manual I have, but it's not.

I keep coming back to it's something very simple. There's a little rocker switch at the end, when it's homing. That seems to be getting contact. I'm not exactly sure what the process is for homing. Is it all mechanical? The photo interrupter, the little rocker switch, the encoder? Is it reading the encoder to home itself or just the switches?

 

[Solventinkjet]

I've got an email into Mimaki once they are back in. Hopefully someone on signs101 can give some insight as well!

 

[OneTrickPony]

Got this error resolved by replacing the little switch with the lines on it where it homes. White ink had gotten on the little array of lines it reads and it wasn't able to read the lines.

Now that we're past that, I have a setup question I need some help with.

The previous owner was running CM YK LCLM WW on the heads. My plan was to run CM YK Primer/Clear WW. I notice that on the 6042 HG we have, 2 heads are offset. On the 6042 MKII, only 1 head is offset. I assume I can run the setup I mentioned, with the Primer/Clear and the White/White setup? If so, do I just make the 3rd head in that row the Primer/Clear and then the offset head is white/white? I don't see much in anywhere I'm looking. On the original brochure it says you can do that but I'm not seeing anything that mentions what configurations are possible and what the orientation should be.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

The 6042MKII is typically Primer/Clear, CMYK and then White/White on the one offset head. Channels 1/2 can also be LC/LM. Primer screws head 1, so I usually convert it to clear. Or if in bad shape, I will leave a bottle of flush in it and check to see if it recovers over time. If it was using light colors, likely head 1 is still good. As for configurations, the 2 middle heads are always MCYK, white tends to be the 2 offsets and head 1 is LC/LM or Pr/Clr.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Thanks for that, that is most helpful. Another quick question in my quest to get this thing running, if you have time for it. There's no ink bottles in it. I have all the ink bottles, new. I also have 2 liters of flushing fluid. I'd like to flush the first head since I'm planning on making it primer and clear. How does that process work? I don't see it listed clear enough for me to understand. With no ink bottles in it, can I go into some sub menu and just put the 2 liters of flushing fluid into the #1 and #2 spots and then enter some flushing sequence? Or is that better done manually with a syringe or something?

Thanks for the help. I'm getting closer every day now!