magenta & yellow not printing

[Predator Graphics]

Hi all,
I have a Roland SP300. My prints were blurry & not tracking right so I cleaned the encoder strip like I have in the past to fix it, but it didn't work. I removed the strip & flipped it which worked great, prints are crisp & clear again, the only problem is now the magenta & yellow are no longer spraying. I performed a head clean, & even manully pulled ink thru the head. when in head cleaning mode it pumps magenta ink into drain bottle, but will not print. test print shows only black & blue. Please HELP! Driving me crazy!

 

[Alpha Star]

Are you familiar with where the head cables are? My first course of action would be to unplug the machine and swap cables. Meaning, plug the YM ones in where the CK ones go and vice versa. Then restart and see if the problem moves over.

 

[Predator Graphics]

I am not sure where they are. Just kinda learning as I go. lol!

 

[Alpha Star]

It's not difficult... you'll need to unlock the carriage... so remove the side cover and the top panel to get access to the head carriage. Then unplug the machine and move the carriage slightly to the right to unlock it and then you can move it left. There are a few screws to take out to remove the carriage cover and you'll see that the heads have two dampers attached to each, and two cables as well. Swapping those cables around will tell you if the problem is with the head or the main board.

 

[Predator Graphics]

I will give it a shot in the morning when I get to the shop.
Thanks!!!!

 

[Predator Graphics]

Well I switched the wires around & it printed the magenta & yellow in test print but not the black & cyan this time. So I am guessing it must be the print carriage board. Anyone know what that thing costs?
Thanks

 

[MrSalumi]

its not cheap. not sure on the vp300 but for most soljets they are $1000. You can also have them repaired as well. Most of the time the transistors go bad. Although I am not sure if that is the same on your machine. Good luck though.

 

[Predator Graphics]

Well, I talked to my local Roland Dist. & he agreed it is most likely the print carriage board, but could also be a fuse on the mother board. I overnighted both hoping to cover the issue either way. Thanks for the help & I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Predator Graphics]

Ordered a new print carriage board & fuses for the main board. Replaced the board & didn't fix the problem. Ended up being a fuse on the main board. Thanks for all the help.

 

[DizzyMarkus]

Thank you for posting the outcome ---

Markus

 

[Alpha Star]

Glad it's resolved. Out of curiosity.. anyone ever had to replace a carriage board? Never happened to me. Head boards, main boards, but never the carriage board. Just wondering if I should keep a spare in the shop. They're not expensive compared to a head board, and I keep a spare of that.