Need Help Mutoh VJ1204 'E068' error - I've replaced everything

[Carolina Girl]

I received a Mutoh VJ1204 large format printer for free, knowing that it was 'broken'. Previous owners didn't want to pay to have it fixed so I figured since I had some technical knowledge, I'd be able to work on it in my spare time.

The error I get is "E068: CR Encoder" Knowing that this had something to do with the carriage return's position, I booted the printer into diagnostics mode and checked the CR sensor, and sure enough it was reading 0000 even when I moved the carriage.
So the first thing I did, was I replaced the CR encoder itself. Didn't work. So I replaced the CR board. Nothing. Then I replaced the motherboard- nothing, control board, CR cables, CR motor, Relay board, T fence, CR encoder again, and here I am, stuck with the same error.

What in the world could it be? What have I not replaced or messed up in my diagnostics? Is there something I'm missing? Something I should try? Thank you for your time.

 

[Ere]

What about the encoder sensor? Does it have a calibration for the encoder? Try calibrating other things too. I don’t know this brand but I know on others sometime the errors are misleading.

 

[Browndog10]

I had the same issue with mine that was flushed but sat for a few years. I cleaned everything in the mechanism very well and that seemed to work for me. It took me a few hrs to get the gunk to soften and removed. Might be worth a shot, if you haven’t already done so.

 

[henryp]

It seems you have replaced just about everything to fix this error as per attached troubleshooting guide

 

[Binker]

You've probably done this, but check the belt tension, I had one which would throw that code....tightened the belt - fixed!

 

[GTSTech_1]

Check the plunger....aka locking pin. Ink builds up and restricts the plunger from going down or unlocking the carriage and will give the 068 error message.Remove it and give it a good cleaning (It's a single screw that hold the bracket) Also over time the plunger will be slightly bent, straighten it up and see if that helps get past the error.

Just my .02