Valuejet - Long print not completing correctly / dumping ink

[Motostars]

Hello, my first ever post on this forum. Lets hope some of you experienced people can help me....

I've bought a second hand Mutoh Valujet 1204, which has been working great for a few months on small jobs. I'm now printing a large wrap for a catering trailer and the problems are starting. I'm running strips of 1180x2550mm. When the print is say 75% complete, the printer starts dumping heavy CMYK (a mixed up multi colour black mess) bands accross the entire print, and even floods either side of the media, so ink is running under the backing paper and into the trough before the spitting box.

If I stop everything and restart, it prints fine again, then will start doing the same thing at another point of progress through the print. Smaller prints print fine.

I'm running Onyx 10 on a new dual core 4.0Ghz windows 7 64 bit pc, which has 8Gb of RAM.

Any ideas? Any help GREATLY appreciated.

 

[GAC05]

Head might be going bad.
Those random blocks of ink all the way across the platen point to an electrical problem.
I had a similar problem with my 1304 recently but the head was just a few months old.
What I did was open everything up and cleaned all the pc boards - pulled and reseated all the data cables including the ones going to the carriage and the keypad.
Reseated the ram stick, did the same with the fuses just to make sure everything had clean contact.
Seems to have worked here.
Just make sure you pull the plug and press the power button a few times to discharge everything and wear a grounding strap if you have one.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Motostars]

Thanks very much. The head is pretty new on mine too. Shows 5* in the lifetime report.

This printer might have sat around for awhile prior to me getting it. I'll do everything you said and let you know. I had a feeling it was the head cable/signal issue.

Cheers.

 

[heyskull]

Make sure the head is clean and the maintenance station and wiper is clean also.
Also is the printer spitting on the spitting pad and is the pad relaitivley new?
I cannot remember if spitting can be knocked off, I know you can get it to spit onto the material or the spit pad.
If it is not spitting properly it is mot clearing the nozzles before applying ink onto the vinyl.

Also understand it is a relative easy thing to reset lifetimes, so do not accept that if it is showing 5* that items are new.

SC

 

[Motostars]

Head might be going bad.
Those random blocks of ink all the way across the platen point to an electrical problem.
I had a similar problem with my 1304 recently but the head was just a few months old.
What I did was open everything up and cleaned all the pc boards - pulled and reseated all the data cables including the ones going to the carriage and the keypad.
Reseated the ram stick, did the same with the fuses just to make sure everything had clean contact.
Seems to have worked here.
Just make sure you pull the plug and press the power button a few times to discharge everything and wear a grounding strap if you have one.

wayne k
guam usa

Hi, did all that you said, also took head out and reseated data cables on it. That gave me a chance to give everything a good clean. Took dampers out etc. Everything now seems to be working correctly, although I did reduce the print mode from Fine to Wave. I don't know if it made any difference to my signal issues, but after reseating ALL data cables everything works. Thanks for taking the time to help me.