Greetings from Cambridgeshire UK

[RobCompton]

Hi Everyone,

Just joined up, mostly for help to get my printer/cutter (Mimaki CJV30-160) operational again. I've used a P-Cut machine before, but that's now so old it's junk. I used the "new" Mimaki - well, new to me - a few times last year to produce a few signs and a few large format prints, but since then it's stopped working. I'll post a thread in the relevant forum in a while.
I looked at some of the things going on in this forum and wow! The quality of output is amazing. The main reason for getting the machine was to produce signage and labelling for my work, which sometimes requires to do stuff at the drop of a hat, and that can me "right now" rather than "I'll get xyz company to do that for me, it'll be ready in a week as they're snowed under".....
Plus there's always something that needs cutting or printing to go on one of my race cars!!
I look forward to joining in, though at first I have to get this primadonna working again.
Rob.

 

[damonCA21]

Welcome Rob. One of the problems is these printers are designed to be used all the time, they really arent suitable for occasional use as they don't like being left standing, or even worse, not plugged in so they don't run the automated cleaning cycles !

 

[RobCompton]

Welcome Rob. One of the problems is these printers are designed to be used all the time, they really arent suitable for occasional use as they don't like being left standing, or even worse, not plugged in so they don't run the automated cleaning cycles !

I was under that impression from early on, the plan is it'll get used much more often once sorted, I have a job coming up that will require four labels per vehicle, and it's for about 300 vehicles, so it'll be doing stuff on a daily basis for about a year, plus any other work I have for it to do. I'm sure I can find plenty for it to do, it's just a case of getting it back into action. New inks and a full set of flushing solution cartridges are due with me on Wednesday. And if it has to be left on, it has to be left on! My son is studying for a degree in Graphic Communication, so I'm sure he'll want to send it stuff over the network and print things for his course.
I'll be doing a fair bit of cutting with it as well, which right now will be it's primary task, and printing as a secondary. I'm sure once my friends get a drift of it being sorted, the "can you just" jobs will start appearing. Next thing is to work out the laminator that I bought with it.... that should be much easier as long as I keep my fingers out of it!

 

[damonCA21]

Before doing the flushing, change the consumable parts like cap tops, wipers etc... and also manually clean the heads to remove an build ups of dried ink. Just flushing isn't really worth doing without changing these first. It is a bit of a pain they need to be left on, but its a lot cheaper than having to replace heads due to them drying up. One thing you will see on here a lot is people asking how to get their printer running again after leaving it unplugged for a month!

I'm mainly a Roland tech as I learned on them, but can also help with mimakis if you need anything

 

[RobCompton]

Before doing the flushing, change the consumable parts like cap tops, wipers etc... and also manually clean the heads to remove an build ups of dried ink. Just flushing isn't really worth doing without changing these first. It is a bit of a pain they need to be left on, but its a lot cheaper than having to replace heads due to them drying up. One thing you will see on here a lot is people asking how to get their printer running again after leaving it unplugged for a month!

I'm mainly a Roland tech as I learned on them, but can also help with mimakis if you need anything

I plan to treat it as if it's been laid up for a very long time, so that means everything you said. I've already given the wiper a birthday - that's like new, the cap tops do need replacing, and the last time I used it - last October - the heads were all OK, and from visible inspection, look externally clean. It'd run out of flushing solution, so it's getting a full birthday once everything is in place - a full flush out, and fresh inks. Wednesday's job is to remove the head and put it in a tray of cleaning solution, then clean out the heads by pushing flushing solution through with a syringe. I haven't had to do that sort of stuff since the days of running an Epson 1290 with external ink tanks, during the war! (it was soooo long ago).

I see you're UK based. Where abouts?

 

[damonCA21]

Don't put the head in cleaning solution or use syringes on it ! that is a really good way of killing a recoverable head. Both of those are last resorts if normal cleaning can't recover it, and in most cases if a head has got to that point, it won't be fixable.

The Epson heads are very delicate internally and forcing cleaning solution through with a syringe can damage them, so its not really something you should do without experience of knowing how much pressure to apply.

Do the normal flushes and cleaning first and see how it is looking. You can do a head soak with the head in place which can help.

I'm based in South Wales, but actually grew up in Cambridgeshire not far from St Ives

 

[RobCompton]

Ahh right, understood. And in other news.... IT'S ALIVE!! The Y Axis overcurrent issue has gone away. I wondered if the Y axis end sensor was dicky, so unplugged it to see what error it threw up, and sure enough it declared it faulty. So plugged it back in, switched it on, and as if by magic everything was working, as mentioned before the flush tanks are empty, so that put paid to it going to full operation. New flush tanks arrive Wednesday so will do a full flush then leave it with that fluid in through Thursday and into Friday when I next get a chance to look into it. I shall now have some beer!
OK on near S'nives, I'm down the 1040 at Gamlingay, but know St Ives quite well, spent a lot of time with my Uncle & Aunt at The Regal cinema on The Broadway. Think it's a fitness club now. Still have a few friends in the area - up on the Somersham Road for one....
Beer o'clock time!

 

[damonCA21]

Ah I remember the cinema well! saw loads of films there in my youth. I was in Colne most of the time ( went to school in Bluntisham ) so not far from you

 

[Humble PM]

You're definitely Bed's, not Camb's!

Grew up 30 miles from you, slightly north of Cambridge.

Slightly concerned that you may confuse, or exagerate the preconceptions of the west pondians by drinking from a 568ml dimple mug.

 

[RobCompton]

Excuse me, but Gamgy is in Cambridgeshire, we border Bedfordshire, and sadly have a Bedfordshire postal address with a Hertfordshire postcode, but are most definitely of the shire of Cambridge. If I go out of my gate and cross the road, I'm in Huntingdonshire!
30 miles from me and north of Cambridge would put you in possibility of being from St.Retham, Wilburton or Haddenham.
And that's an imperial pint Ale vessel, Cheers!

 

[The Big Squeegee]

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