Need Help VP540i Printing Massive Errors Please Help!

[player]

My VP540i has very very very low hours on it. Last fall it did a weird thing and started printing a black bar the length of the printer when I did a test print. It stopped when I left it for a few days.

Now I am in the middle of a billboard with a deadline and guess what came back?

I was printing some coloured squares about 4" x 7" to match a colour. One square at the end of the print in the middle bottom printed some black line bars about 3/4" wide and 2" long. Then the next few squares are OK, then I print 3 squares and they appear to be completely coated out with a thick black ink patch over top. I am not sure if it did print the squares but the black is really thick and glossy. Then I do a test print and it does the thing it did last year,which is a test print and then a black bar through it and right to the edge of the vinyl. I mean the very edge by the docking station. It did not print ink on the platten though. It is not doing the black bar but it is doing a double black test bar or 2 over the blue. Probably just cooled off. I am screwed.

 

[player]

Update: Now instead of a black bar it is printing a yellow bar and the black portion of the test print has a small black bar before the print.

 

[Pitzu]

Check the encoder strip and make sure it's clean.
This also might happen when you have some ink on the printhead's electrical circuit or connectors.
Improper contacts in connectors (head cables connectors, encoder sensor connector).
Damaged carriage cable that connects the main board with the head board (intermitent contacts when the carriage moves). This could only happen after many working hours.

 

[player]

Bump for tech help!

 

[Pitzu]

Still having problems?

 

[Solventinkjet]

You have an electrical short somewhere. I would turn off the printer, unplug it, hit the power button a couple times and wait 15 minutes. Then take all of the head cables out, air dust the terminals, clean the terminals with 90% alcohol, let dry and then air dust again. Then re-install the cables and check each one for damage on either end or even ink splatter on the leads. Once everything is back in the proper place, try it out again. If the error persists, it's either another bad cable deeper in the machine or possible a blown board or head.

 

[player]

You have an electrical short somewhere. I would turn off the printer, unplug it, hit the power button a couple times and wait 15 minutes. Then take all of the head cables out, air dust the terminals, clean the terminals with 90% alcohol, let dry and then air dust again. Then re-install the cables and check each one for damage on either end or even ink splatter on the leads. Once everything is back in the proper place, try it out again. If the error persists, it's either another bad cable deeper in the machine or possible a blown board or head.

When you say clean the terminals you mean the ones on the cables? Do I clean the white cable receptacles on the boards as well?

 

[player]

You have an electrical short somewhere. I would turn off the printer, unplug it, hit the power button a couple times and wait 15 minutes. Then take all of the head cables out, air dust the terminals, clean the terminals with 90% alcohol, let dry and then air dust again. Then re-install the cables and check each one for damage on either end or even ink splatter on the leads. Once everything is back in the proper place, try it out again. If the error persists, it's either another bad cable deeper in the machine or possible a blown board or head.

OK so I took out all the cables, cleaned them, put them back in. I took off the covers and cleaned the encoder strip.

When I power up now it almost immediately goes to " heater too high 46` " . That's as far as I can get. WTF did I do now? I was very careful...

 

[Pitzu]

This looks like a thermistor error.
Make sure you've connected all the cables

 

[player]

This looks like a thermistor error.
Make sure you've connected all the cables

I have checked but I don't know where the thermistor cables are.

 

[Pitzu]

Make sure that all the cables you took out to clean are connected back in. Probably you forgot to connect one of the cables.
The thermistor is below the heater plate but the cables are connected to the servo board.

 

[player]

Make sure that all the cables you took out to clean are connected back in. Probably you forgot to connect one of the cables.
The thermistor is below the heater plate but the cables are connected to the servo board.

I'll check again, but I did the cables one at a time. Pulled one out, put in back in etc.

Which board is the servo board?

 

[Pitzu]

Check cables at connectors CN400, CN207 on servo board

 

[player]

Check cables at connectors CN400, CN207 on servo board

Thanks I will check.

Your help is much appreciated.

 

[player]

Check cables at connectors CN400, CN207 on servo board

I never touched those 2. I only removed ribbon cables, not any of the white plugs with wires.

Could it have been something I screwed up taking the main covers off to clean the encoder strip?

The other thing is in the service manual they show heat sensors right where the ribbon cables plug into the heads. This too warm warning hopefully is not about the head heat sensors and I screwed one of them up....?

Should I be trying all the white plugs with wires as well as the ribbon cables? (I sure would like to solve this because my tech is 5 hours one way away. That makes for a very expensive trip...

 

[Pitzu]

It must be related to the areas where you did the cleaning. Check the ribbon cables so they don't have a bent contact.
When taking the main covers off did you encounter any cables?
Just try to remember all the steps you've made and try to eliminate the problem one by one.

 

[player]

It must be related to the areas where you did the cleaning. Check the ribbon cables so they don't have a bent contact.
When taking the main covers off did you encounter any cables?
Just try to remember all the steps you've made and try to eliminate the problem one by one.

I will check again, but I don't know. I used a magnifying jeweler's lens when I worked on it so everything was very clear. I don't think there are any cables up top. I may be f*cked here.

 

[Pitzu]

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. There's a long way till there.
Also, it doesn't necessarily has to be a cable related problem. There could be cold solder joints around connectors terminals (the ones you've cleaned).

 

[player]

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. There's a long way till there.
Also, it doesn't necessarily has to be a cable related problem. There could be cold solder joints around connectors terminals (the ones you've cleaned).

The technician will come up and start replacing boards or parts. It will cost me almost big $$$ just to get him here... This machine had problems when I got it, but I was told they do that just restart it.

 

[Pitzu]

As you have seen, it's not an easy job. A good technician could save you a lot of money...and time.
Unfortunately some things cannot be repaired remotely.