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VJ1204 No ink output

M

madwraps

New Member
Anyone know how to get into maint mode on a vj1204. I just had a tech out who replaced mainboard, head, maint station etc (ouch$$$). Worked fine when he left. Set about 3 days unplugged and powered down (storms in the area). Now I can't get any ink at all. Tried multiple head cleanings. I noticed when he had my machine in maint mode there was an option to "charge" the ink but I can't figure out how to get back there.

Anyone have a repair manual they are willing to share or sell?
 
T

timson_ads

ADDTOP
is there any ink coming out from the head when u try to head cleaning?, maybe your f2 fuse had blown up, message me ill teach you how to check and replace that fuse
 
Solventinkjet

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
You want to figure out if ink is flowing through first, then you can have a better understanding of what is going on. First check the ink line and dampers. The ink lines should have no air bubbles in them and the dampers should be about half full give or take. If everything looks good, you need to check if there is any ink coming out of the waste tubes during a cleaning cycle. 1204s are a little harder to do this. One easier way too check is to take the waste tank out, fold up some paper towel (at least 4 or 5 times to soak up ink and not make a mess) and put it where the waste tubes drain out. Push the waste tank sensor button on the right side with a long screwdriver and then run a cleaning cycle. You should see a fair amount of ink coming out onto the paper towel. If not, your maintenance station is not working properly. If you get a good amount of ink on the paper towel, you could have an electrical issue.
 
M

madwraps

New Member
cleaning

Not a drop of ink comes out on the paper towels when I run the cleaning with the waste tank removed. Goes through the whole thing like normal counting up to 100% with no error messages but nothing.

Lines are all full of ink. I don't see any air bubbles.
I assume I need to pull the dampers out to verify they are half full?

I have checked the cable connections ( after powering down the machine, unplugging, and hitting the power button a few additional
times....( I blew my first head by not knowing this extra step)).

The maint station is brand new

Where would the f2 fuse be located on the main board I assume? I did replace a fuse on that board once. mine are the remove able kind.
 
J Hill Designs

J Hill Designs

New Member
if no ink comes out when cleaning, theres a good chance its not electrical - I'd say the tech miffed up the maint. station install
 
T

timson_ads

ADDTOP
yes definitely not the f2 fuse, if you say that there is no ink coming out on the drain tube, you must first locate the 3 black tubes at the bottom of the captop, maybe the breather hose is the culprit, if its not attached the cleaning suction cycle has vacuum leak.
 
Solventinkjet

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
It could be as simple as the cap trying out when it was off for 3 days. Wet the cap top with some cleaning solution to help it seal better and try another cleaning. When no ink comes through the maintenance station there is either a clog or the cap top is not sealing with the head properly.
 
M

madwraps

New Member
cap

forgive my ignorance but what does the cap look like / location. Are we talking the part directly above the print head with all the dampers?
 
M

madwraps

New Member
cap

no all were attached. The cap is completely dry....no fresh ink on it when I do a cleaning. I wet down the cap with cleaning solution but still nothing.
Could the tech have not aligned the new maint station properly? So perhaps when the head parks it doesn't seal with cap?

The clear hoses under the cap are perfectly clean so it looks like there has never been waste ink pushed through.
 
R

RG

New Member
Move the carriage to the left and look to see if the printhead is totally parallel to the platen. I use an automotive feeler gauge to check mine, but a visual inspection should be good enough. If one side of the head is higher than the other, then it can not set correctly on the cap. And the pump can not pull ink through the head. If the head is parallel to the platen, then you might need to remove the cap and the fixture that holds it in place. You would have to take the right-side cover off and move the carriage to the left. There are 2 screws on the right side of the fixture that holds the cap in place. You do not have to remove the complete maintenance station--just the fixture that holds the cap. Make sure that the 2 short tubes under the cap are not plugged. Make sure that the one longer (breather) tube is not plugged. With this fixture off, you have easy access to the 2 tubes on the top of the pump that pull ink into the pump. Use a syringe to push some cleaning fluid into both top-tubes on the pump. Fluid should flow through the pump. If it doesn't, then one or both tubes are plugged.
There is not much free-play (or adjustment) in the maintenance station. I have heard of some people shimming one side, but I think that is rare. When I put a new one on my 1204, before I tighten the 4 screws that hold it in place, I push it as far as it will go to the left. Then, I tighten the 4 screws. Stay with the beast--this stuff is not rocket surgery or brain science.
 
M

madwraps

New Member
head

RG said:
Move the carriage to the left and look to see if the printhead is totally parallel to the platen. I use an automotive feeler gauge to check mine, but a visual inspection should be good enough. If one side of the head is higher than the other, then it can not set correctly on the cap. And the pump can not pull ink through the head. If the head is parallel to the platen, then you might need to remove the cap and the fixture that holds it in place. You would have to take the right-side cover off and move the carriage to the left. There are 2 screws on the right side of the fixture that holds the cap in place. You do not have to remove the complete maintenance station--just the fixture that holds the cap. Make sure that the 2 short tubes under the cap are not plugged. Make sure that the one longer (breather) tube is not plugged. With this fixture off, you have easy access to the 2 tubes on the top of the pump that pull ink into the pump. Use a syringe to push some cleaning fluid into both top-tubes on the pump. Fluid should flow through the pump. If it doesn't, then one or both tubes are plugged.
There is not much free-play (or adjustment) in the maintenance station. I have heard of some people shimming one side, but I think that is rare. When I put a new one on my 1204, before I tighten the 4 screws that hold it in place, I push it as far as it will go to the left. Then, I tighten the 4 screws. Stay with the beast--this stuff is not rocket surgery or brain science.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I have feeler gauges what thickness do you use? How do you do it without the gauges scratching the head surface?
 
T

timson_ads

ADDTOP
is the maintenance station new? sometimes a small cut or crack on rubber the lip of the captop is not visible you have to look for it in closer view, it cause a vacuum leak
 
R

RG

New Member
The thickness doesn't matter. You are just checking to see if both sides are the same distance from the platen. Don't put anything where the jets are on the bottom of the head. If you use anything to measure, do the measuring on the far left side and the far right side of the head. Like I said, a visual inspection should be sufficient.
 
M

madwraps

New Member
maint station

Maint station is new but that doesn't mean much to me. These guys brought out 3 "new" main boards that were all bad and ended up putting my original mainboard back (that wasn't the issue anyway). They were just swapping parts in my opinion looking for the issues.

I've convinced the repair people to come back as a "recall" and not a new ticket. Basically I told them if they can prove to me it's something new and not an improper installation or the real problem never fixed I would pay. If not it's on them.

I'll let ya'll know the outcome. I have my old maint station which worked fine. But if I swap them out I void the parts warranty through these guys on the new one I paid for.

You can bet I'll be on top of this guy the whole time he's here!
 
M

madwraps

New Member
Fixed!

Ok. Here's what happened and I had to point it out to the tech. The head was not completely parallel to the surface of the paper and maint station. So it didn't create a good seal when capped. So therefore no vacuum, no ink draw during cleaning etc. ended up drying up in the head. I performed a head soak before the tech arrived. Once he realigned the head cleaning cycles worked and it printed perfectly.

This should have been a no charge in my opinion but they are trying to charge me $649. I'm fighting that hopefully they will do it as a no charge. I'll keep you posted. Company is GEI Wide Format
 
Solventinkjet

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Crooked head after installation is a rookie mistake. I wouldn't charge my customers for a mistake like that.
 
M

madwraps

New Member
thanks

Thanks everyone for your input. It really helped. If I can every return the favor I'm a network engineer so computer questions, firewalls etc...are my thing.

Thanks,
Mark Dobbs
 
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