1324x issues strike yet again

[letterman7]

Someone tell me who has one of these POS's that they have issues with them as well? I don't know who recalls from last year the fight I had with Mutoh to replace a brand new 1324 as it seemed to be a lemon from the get-go. It just would not read the chip cards at all (more specifically, it would, then it would cascade chip failures at random times, leaving the machine useless). After fighting for over a year to have it fixed (almost every component replaced) they finally agreed to replace it with a new 1324 and a year warranty - my insistence. So, new machine arrives in June, techs install it per factory spec (loading/carrying flat (horizontal) etc etc). It operates perfectly until a few weeks ago. A couple minor hiccups - it would randomly error a chip card, but it kept running. Until yesterday. After running for 4 hours straight, it errors all the cards and the machine stops dead. Ok... I have new carts here, so I'll put those in and get replacement cards for the burned cards as there is still significant ink left in the carts. Ran it another 3 hours yesterday with no issues. Ran it 5 hours today, no issues. Turned it off to go do something else, came back to run a quick fix and.. all the carts are errored out. Absolutely nothing changed in that time other than turning the machine off (personal preference - I'm in a small space and I don't want to hear the fans right behind my head all day).

One of the conditions from Mutoh to receive this new machine is to remove all the negative comments I made about them on the old machine on social media. I did, but I'm getting ready to ramp back up. This is bullshit. I can't be that unlucky to get two lemon machines back to back. And Mutoh tells me that they've never seen these errors before.

Rant over, for now..

 

[Solventinkjet]

Mutoh's smart card system definitely fails more often than other brands I work on. The main problem I see is that 1 bad/misaligned card can cause the entire system to error out. They did do a firmware update that made it so you could have 2 cards fail and it would allow you to continue anyway. The latest firmware for the 1324 is version 3.09 and the ink system firmware is version 1.24. If you have the 1324X the ink system firmware is the same but the system firmware is 3.08. If your machine has a version lower than that, I'd ask them to update it for you and see if that fixes some of the issues.

Also, try turning the machine off, take out all cartridges, power back on, and once it's powered on, insert each cartridge one at a time and wait for it to register before inserting the next one. Sometimes that will allow the system to read the cards better for some reason.

Just some tips in case you are desperate to get going right now. I know you're more frustrated with the situation though.

 

[letterman7]

Mutoh's smart card system definitely fails more often than other brands I work on. The main problem I see is that 1 bad/misaligned card can cause the entire system to error out. They did do a firmware update that made it so you could have 2 cards fail and it would allow you to continue anyway. The latest firmware for the 1324 is version 3.09 and the ink system firmware is version 1.24. If you have the 1324X the ink system firmware is the same but the system firmware is 3.08. If your machine has a version lower than that, I'd ask them to update it for you and see if that fixes some of the issues.

Also, try turning the machine off, take out all cartridges, power back on, and once it's powered on, insert each cartridge one at a time and wait for it to register before inserting the next one. Sometimes that will allow the system to read the cards better for some reason.

Just some tips in case you are desperate to get going right now. I know you're more frustrated with the situation though.

Yep, tried all of that. It has the newest firmware since it was just installed. Just so frustrated with the entire process. Mutoh has been less than helpful in the past and god forbid anything is said against the company. No wonder they're losing money every year.

 

[unmateria]

Both 1324 and 1204 smartcards fails a lot. In 1204 there is no problem since you can bridge them soldering them and they dont discount ink since only check them at startup. But in 1324 is checking from time to time and even stop printing. People from easy-inks in germany sold me 1L generic cards for 1324 and i have been using them without any problems. 0 problems. So i bet is something related to their original cards. I have tried many cards until I got that ones, and worked perfctly even in the 1204. Trick... When 1324 doesnt read a card anymore, put another one that works while turned off, then turn on... And turn off again. Put the card that wasnt working and now will work. Mine did that from time to time

 

[letterman7]

Both 1324 and 1204 smartcards fails a lot. In 1204 there is no problem since you can bridge them soldering them and they dont discount ink since only check them at startup. But in 1324 is checking from time to time and even stop printing. People from easy-inks in germany sold me 1L generic cards for 1324 and i have been using them without any problems. 0 problems. So i bet is something related to their original cards. I have tried many cards until I got that ones, and worked perfctly even in the 1204. Trick... When 1324 doesnt read a card anymore, put another one that works while turned off, then turn on... And turn off again. Put the card that wasnt working and now will work. Mine did that from time to time

I never had a card fail in my 1204 when I had that printer. I may have to look into the generic cards, I'm still waiting for Mutoh to make up their minds on whether just to turn the card readers off permanently or not. And right now, I don't care. I just need to get work done. They're convinced it's a problem with the incoming power to the machine. They "require" a dedicated 20A circuit to the machine, which I have, as well as a line condiitoner, which I also have. Funny thing is that the first machine had it's first failure at 5 months. This machine... same time frame. So I don't think it's a power issue.

 

[unmateria]

No, is a well known common issue like solventinkjet said. 1324 has a very good power filter and a very good power source. So im pretty sure is not that while machine is grounded properly

 

[unmateria]

For the cards, yeah, there specific firmware cards and generic cards. Those generic are those which never failed me.

 

[letterman7]

Following up if anyone is interested; errors still persist on this new 1324. It all centers around the chip reader(s), or at least the software that reads them. Mutoh America sent out a Fluke line monitor right before Thanksgiving to see exactly what's happening in the power to the machine. After reviewing - nothing significant showed. A few low voltage spikes on one day that we had a power outage, so that would be expected. But they can't explain why the machine keeps coughing up the errors. Now, Mutoh won't even take my calls or respond to emails. God bless my service tech Chris from GRS being as patient as he can with both me and Mutoh, but Mutoh has basically washed their hands of this machine. There is one error that shows in the service logs that only the techs can access - if we knew what that error was (Mutoh won't say as it's "proprietary") we could make a plan of action to actually fix this thing. Mutoh had me remove all my negative comments from social media in order for me to receive the machine as a replacement and to garner another year warranty.. guess what.. all bets are off with no communication. The absolute worst customer care for a small business and it shows in their Google reviews.

 

[Solventinkjet]

I think I may have an idea of what's going on with this new information. Your firmware version shows 3.09. The latest version for the 1324X is 3.08. I believe you have 1324 non-X firmware installed as the latest firmware for the non-X version is 3.09. That would certainly cause issues. Have your tech try installing the 3.08 firmware. I can't guarantee it works but, it's worth a shot.

 

[letterman7]

Interesting.. I'll pass that along!

 

[Ssignature]

Not accurate.3.09 has been out since 2/18/2021

 

[letterman7]

Not accurate.3.09 has been out since 2/18/2021

Ok.. so if it has the current firmware, that may rule out that issue. From your other posts, you're obviously have experience and contacts with other Mutoh techs. So why does Mutoh corporate want to keep their techs in the dark? Seems counterproductive to me that there are "proprietary" error codes.

 

[Ssignature]

Ok.. so if it has the current firmware, that may rule out that issue. From your other posts, you're obviously have experience and contacts with other Mutoh techs. So why does Mutoh corporate want to keep their techs in the dark? Seems counterproductive to me that there are "proprietary" error codes.

I shouldn’t have an issue getting the explanation. If the error appears in MSA, they’ll discuss it. Having said that, everything in MSA is proprietary and confidential. I can discuss the entire rdi file with them.
The only restriction is that the printer is assigned to another dealer. If you are a Fellers customer and wish to have your printer assigned to us, we can get involved, otherwise I can only talk to Mutoh informally.

 

[letterman7]

IF you could get answers, that would be awesome. Feel free to PM me if necessary. As I mentioned, Mutoh America has washed it's hands of this machine and my tech service - they are providing zero support.

 

[Ssignature]

Is it still in warranty?

 

[letterman7]

If they honor it, it should be covered until 7/24

 

[Ssignature]

To help you officially, you’d have to ask Mutoh to change your dealer. As long as you buy supplies from us, we can assist.

 

[letterman7]

I can't do that. I've stood by my techs for many years, I can't change dealers now. That said, they've stopped carrying Mutoh equipment, so if they stop selling the inks, I'll have to switch somewhere.

 

[Ssignature]

I’ll still run your rdi file past Mutoh on Monday and PM you with what they say. I’m just saying that to officially help you with warranty issues, you’d need to switch.

 

[letterman7]

I appreciate the rdi being looked at. My current tech/seller is still supporting with the warranty. Once that ends in the summer, don't know what the next step will be.