Mutoh falcon outdoor - E070err Yencoder

[Rob_maxgrafix]

I recently was "given" a Mutoh Falcon Outdoor 48 printer. It came from a personal friends business, has no use for it anymore. He told me "It has been sitting for 6 months, and it was printing fine then. it will absolutely need new lines, and maybe a few other parts, I don't have the time to tinker with it, if you can fix it, you can have it." Im not just taking his word for it, I've seen it running before.

Ok, sounds like a good deal to me, It will be a step up from my colorcamm, lol. Ive ordered and received the overhaul kit. New heads, dampers, capping station, pump, etc . . .

Now here's the issue. when I turn it on, I'm receiving the Y encoder error message. I've searched the forums and tried the suggestions (belt tension, clean encoder strip, move the head to another location so see if it returns) but my situation is different than the others with the same problem because the carriage DOES move, about 8 inches or so to the right, then the error message.

I spoke directly with a customer service rep at mutoh and he said that in all likelihood the actual sensor is bad, considering that the y motor turns and moves the carriage, and the encoder strip is clean. BUT they dont have any that I could buy.

I found one website that sells that particular sensor individually:
http://www.digiprint-supplies.com/encoder-reader-incl-cable-my-41465.html

Do you guys think I'm heading in the right direction? I would really be ecstatic if I could get this thing working and be able to have it for only the price of the refurbishment.

 

[artbot]

the encoder is probably dirty. my entire printer was freaking out because of a single cat hair inside the gap on the encoder. first take it off and clean it. supposedly you are not supposed to use compressed air. that is the way i did it. also, since it is quiting at the exact same spot that is more pointing toward something at that position on the encoder strip. get a magnifying glass, piece of white paper and flashlight. put the paper behind the strip and inspect that area. there may just be a dot of ink on it. if it's a scratch you're screwed. some strips can be flipped with a little bit of modifying (new holes, etc.))

 

[Rob_maxgrafix]

thanks for the speedy response!

Just to clarify, its not quitting in the same spot, it just travels the same distance no matter where i move the head to. I pulled the strip and went over it with some denatured alcohol and a cleaning swab (dont know if solvent cleaner will be too harsh) it seems clean to the naked eye. i also did the same with the sensor. Ill definitely try the magnifying glass thing and make sure the timing strip isn't the case.

UPDATE: sensor is clean, timing strip looks to be in great shape, I guess the sensor is just malfunctioning. I don't know of any way to check it electrically

 

[Rob_maxgrafix]

Update

So I just got the new sensor (60 bucks for this little thing) pull the old one out, put the new one in, and ...................... beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep E070err Yencod


I feel like Clark Griswold in christmas vacation when he plugs the lights in and nothing happens. uggggghhhhh

so does anybody have any suggestions on where to look next? my thought is new timing fence or head board, but im so aggrivated right now I cant think straight.

 

[jhanson]

Mutoh printers can sometimes throw the "wrong" error for the right reasons. It just depends what part of its internal programming the printer is running when the error condition occurs.

Y encoder errors can be directly related to Y overcurrent (servo motor overload) errors. Sometimes either error can be caused by dirty tracks, bad carriage bearings, a damaged steel belt, bad pulley, worn out servo motor, or any of the above. Timing fence issues usually present themselves in the same spot.

If the carriage travels the same distance before the error, no matter where it starts, I would suspect that something is producing too much friction. Check the shiny bearing tracks, move the carriage by hand while the machine is unplugged, and feel how it moves. If it's jerky or rough, you have an issue.

 

[Rob_maxgrafix]

The carriage seems to move just fine. no binding or slips, even tension all the way across. couple things in more of my searches came up.

y motor over current - how can you check to see if theres too much power going to the motor? or is there a way to check if the motor is shot? i was able to get an operational manual but no maintenance manual. does anyone have one they might share perhaps?

 

[jhanson]

Rob,

About the only way to tell if the motor is shot is to swap another motor in. Mutoh Japan never published any of the electrical specs for these machines, so it's more or less pointless to take a meter to it unless you're just checking to see if voltage is present (since the carriage moves, that answer is yes).

As far as the overcurrent message, what it means is that the motor is pulling too much current (load). As these DC motors wear, they accumulate filings inside from the brushes and bearings, which eventually causes them to have too much internal friction. Basically, if the mainboard detects that the motor is not turning enough for a given voltage, it will throw the overcurrent message -- which is why it could be the motor, or any of the other reasons I listed previously.

How's the steel belt look? Are there any kinks or bends in it?

 

[CRD]

If you place the head near the capping station and power up does the head travel upon the capping station and then shows the error?
I had this yesterday after replacing the maintenance unit.
I found out the large screw on the right handside preventing the whole unit to go to the right was to far to the left.
I unscrewed it 4 turns and error gone.
Looks like the push over in the capping home position was at a dead point where it pulled to much current. Now it can pass 1 mm over the dead spot of full friction.

Paco