xc-540 dx4 head streaking

[BFsigns]

Has anyone seen a test print like this? Black is firing continuous. Wondering if head is fried?

History is that black test pattern had some drop out. Tried a few cleaning methods including Roland built in routines and a gentle manual flush through the damper port and situation improved. Towards end of this maintenance this streaking issue with black started. Upon inspection found loose ribbon cable at head end of black head (figured I probably bumped it when removing and replacing dampers). Reseated cable and fuse on middle head bank went. Replaced fuse and printed fine for about a week. Then streaking issue started again. Swapped black cable set out with another color to make sure cables not an issue. Problem continued.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

[BFsigns]

update

update - swapped head 3 (black) out with head 2. Streaking (constant firing) problem moved with it. Also narrowed issue down to left side of head. If left ribbon left disconnected right side of head fires ok. Definitely thinking its a head issue at this point but confirmation from someone with similar past experience would be appreciated it. Thanks.

 

[Desert_Signs]

I had that issue. Ended up being the head board. $$$

Can't say for sure that's your issue, but it looked exactly the same.

 

[meritan]

check head flexible cable if is put correct, if tyhe problem persist is a Head board issue, change it,

 

[DRamm76]

It's def the cables. They could be loose or if touched for any reason they could be out of place. Try unseating and reseating them.

 

[BFsigns]

Problem Solved

Just an update in case someone has a similar issue one day and stumbles on to this thread. It turned out that it was the head. So if anyone experiences the same problem here is the diagnostic process I followed.

First I checked that the cables going to the problem head are seated properly. I inspected the end of the cables and made sure it was not broken, shorted, or frayed. In my case, reseating them did not correct the issue so I went to next step.

I swapped the pair of cables going to the problem head with a pair of cables going to a working head. I made sure I swapped them at both the head side and the headboard side. If the problem moved with the cable, I would know that I had a cable issue and would order new cables. In my case the problem stayed in the same spot so I knew my
cables were fine and I moved to the next step.

I swapped the problem head with a working head in a different head bank. My xc-540 has three head banks with two heads in each bank. My problem head was in the second bank so I swapped it with a head in the third bank. If the problem moved with the head, then I would know I had a bad head and it needed to be replaced. If the problem remained in the same location, then I would know that the problem was in the head board itself and I would replace that. In my case the problem moved with the head, so I replaced it and the problem was solved.

Disclaimers…… I am not a printer tech. Messing with the componentry as described above is always risky. Care should be taken to constantly ground yourself to the metal frame on the printer to avoid static discharge/damage as you handle components. While swapping suspect components with good components can be an effective diagnostic technique, it always has the risk of damaging the good component if a deeper underlying problem exists that caused the failure of the suspect component in the first place. Never touch the surface of a printer head and avoid touching the surface of printed circuit boards. If you have technicians and the budget, having a qualified tech fix your machine is always the best/recommended route and of course the required route if under warranty.