looking at a JV3-130 sp2

[Tint Guru]

Obviously it's used, looking for input on how to evaluate the hours/print heads testing, and what you would personally pay for it.

Any and all info will be used to evalute this machine. I know you can't evalute a machine without an actual print, however I'm looking for experienced JV3 users to advise me on this.

Don't be shy, let me know what I need to look at under a microscope.

CP

 

[artbot]

does it not have ink and the owner refuses to put ink in the machine? you can always bring a set of dampers, fill with them with cleaning solution. put a tiny hole in the top of each membrane and do a head clean. then on a piece of PET print a test pattern (clear). you will be able to see the heads condition in the light.

buying a jv3 long distance without a test print. ...one can only assume that none of the heads are good. at that point, the printer is worth about $1500 or less.

 

[Tint Guru]

artbot

Glad you replied, as your a heavy hitter in the mimaki repair department.

The machine has not been de-installed/is still plugged in. truthfully it has "ink on it" which means it's been used,maybe abused. powers up with no error messages.

Further, the guy bought this thing thinking he could do his own vehicle wraps, and then found out about graphic designs software/overlaminates/pain in the ***.

It has ink in it, the guy wants out.

 

[artbot]

so you can get to the printer? or not local... if not local,

then have him go to a convenience store, get a local paper. paint a section of that paper near the date and print a test pattern. is the m

 

[MR. Graphics]

i agree with art. i bought a long distance mimaki. I knew nothing about printers and their care, and what to look for. paid 4K for a used jv3. brought it home stuck it in the garage for a week then powered it up. needless to say missed the part where the seller said (it needs to be plugged in immediately after the trip). 2- 700.00+ heads and one reclaimed for 300.00 learned alot that week.

Any information to add to help you out.

he can text a pic hopefully.

get a nozzle check at least.
look at the overall condition.
check ebay and craigs list for a price range (what they sell for) unfortunatley, lately they have been high as 7000.

plus any addons; does it have a bulk ink system, external drying fan assy. liters of ink/ cartridges, and or material.

hope this helps a bit.

 

[Tint Guru]

Thanks guys

The machine is 1.5 hours away, not really local, however I drove out there yesterday and personally looked at it. Unfortunately the guy bought this machine, realized how much the software alone cost to run it and decided he wasn't in the long run going to save a dime doing his own wraps.

So I'm left with this: He owns the machine, kept it powered up, but has no way to prove it works. I guess here is my ultimate question, Should I even bother with doing what's in the below two paragrahs, or Should I low ball him and see what happens?

I have a copy of flexi10, and may go out to print a test page for him, but I think he is asking too much for the machine: that said I am not afraid of extreme tech repairs as I have a good head on my shoulders and electrical problems are one of my specialties.

Further He has printed a test page, he claims (probably from the guy he bought it from), but until I see that machine print a test page its a NO DEAL for me.

 

[artbot]

all you really need is a test print. turn it on, let it boot, let it read a piece of media (look for it positively measuring the media, if no media, put a sheet of 8.5x11 in there), after boot, press "test and cleaning", then you'll see "test print", hit enter. thing is, just because a printer has been left on, with ink in it doesn't mean it's healthy. the pumps will clog, caps gum up, waste lines clog, wiper gum up, heads will be a mess, loss of seal, vacuum issues ensue, heads start to clog. ...unless he's been booting it, running it, and cleaning it at least once a week.

...you don't need a rip to see if it works.

 

[Tint Guru]

I already have a mimaki cg130FX

I did load a peice of vinyl/PET into it. It clearly read it right to left, top to bottom. It read it as a leaf and I'm semi-confident it works.

artbot you should be a sticky/advice guy.

great advice.

 

[SightLine]

Reading the size of a loaded sheet is the least of your worries. Did you do a test draw after it read the sheet? I hope so, you were there, had it loaded, may as will press test draw. It's only a 130 - if the heads are clogged I'd say it's worth about $500 at the most. Maybe a grand if it were a 160. The JV3 machines are excellent printers but they are nearing 10 years old. They are just older technology and a lot more work compared the the widely available single DX5 head machines which themselves are already few year old technology. It will cost a few grand just to get a JV3 going again if the heads are shot and as old as they are you run the risk of other things being near end of life like the firewire, slider, and mainboards along with some of the sensors and motors.

If the heads are good however...... worth at least a couple of grand. I sold our 160SP with 2 bad heads about a year ago for a bit under $1500 WITH Rasterlink Pro.....