New DX5 printheads cause a line at 60cm

[sipora]

Hi,

I've just purchased a few of new DX5 printheads to replace. It turns out that on the print, there would be an annoying line at 60cm. I heard from people that Epson are trying to do something to eliminate of other manufactures making use of their DX5 printheads? I'm in desperate need of DX5 printheads to replace, please let me know if you know of a way to get around with this issue.

Thank you very much!

 

[Masseria]

Hi,

I've just purchased a few of new DX5 printheads to replace. It turns out that on the print, there would be an annoying line at 60cm. I heard from people that Epson are trying to do something to eliminate of other manufactures making use of their DX5 printheads? I'm in desperate need of DX5 printheads to replace, please let me know if you know of a way to get around with this issue.

Thank you very much!

The problem here, is that Epson sells their "bad"or not-perfect- printhead to other manufactures. and they repair them and also make few changes, is like refurbished but new, and sell it with half the price, so you may notice a huge difference between, Epson Original printheads and other Manufacturers printhead, but they cant build the printhead, the machine that epson have is unique, and is almost impossible for other companies to build it, so thats why most of the machines use this printhead and thats why there are many different prices in printhead and styles.

About your problem, i've tried like 10 printheads from everywhere original and non-original, and i never have such line... perhaps you should check other stuff such as information line, encoder strip, and use other rips(some rips in trial version might do this to prevent you from using it).

Hope it helps.

 

[veloxgraphics]

+1 for the encoder strip. If the nozzles on the print head fire ok everywhere but in that one spot, then it's not the print head.

 

[sipora]

Thanks, guys! I notice Epson has tweaked the new DX5 a little bit so that it would cause the odd line. It happens to ALL the printheads (3 of them) which I've just recently bought. When I used another DX5 printhead that I bought a long time ago, it works just fine. I'm still learning, please let me know if you have any idea how to fix this.

 

[4R Graphics]

Never had that kind of problem.

From a person who has many years of electronics repair I dont believe unless Epson has added a microchip to the head it wont do this.

The printhead from an electronics stand point is dumb it only does what it is told by the printer and the rip throught the ribbon cables.

Is the line running vertical or horizontal on the print if it is running vertical (the same direction as the feeding of the vinyl) then it is probably an encoder strip error or perhaps something is glitching the data cable at that point.

If it is running horizontal ( the direction the head travels) then again a rip or printer data error I really really really dont think it is the head its self.

Just my 2cents.

 

[sipora]

I think it is the head though. Because the supply of the DX5 is super super low right now, each head costs over $1,200 due to that issue Epson imposing on the new batch of printheads. Eventually the old batch of DX5 printheads will run out so I need to figure out how to surpass this problem. I was thinking of using DX7, I heard of a way to reprogram, has any of you heard abou tthis?

 

[SightLine]

Unless you want to engineer an entire machine including writing firmware and designing the circuitry for the boards the only way you would get a newer DX7 head to work is to get a machine already made that uses one. The head is physically a different size, will use different voltages, different connectors, different dampers, etc.

As far as a DX5 head goes, if Epson has added something to the heads to cause the lines I have no idea what it could be. I've actually taken both an IH47V and IH33V versions of a DX5 and carefully removed all of the white silicone potting goop just so I could see exactly what the difference between them might be. The circuit board on the DX5 heads only has some assorted resistors on it in a few places. There are no logic (or chips period) that could cause that unless they added some additional logic chip to the board on the heads.

I never did take the time to figure out the different resistor values between the OEM Mimaki DX5 and a generic Epson DX5. We moved and I just never got the time to get to them again. I still have them somewhere and I'll probably get back to that one day.

 

[artbot]

i think we all should thank epson for causing the tens of thousands of dx5 printers to become obsolete over time even though they are still printing perfectly.

 

[Robert M]

Epson

I don't see how or for that matter why Epson could make a change to their DX5 heads so that they would no longer work in some printers and not others. The DX5 has been around for years and used in a wide range of Epson products. There must be 100s of thousands of printers using that print head.

 

[nhuminh]

Hi,

I've just purchased a few of new DX5 printheads to replace. It turns out that on the print, there would be an annoying line at 60cm. I heard from people that Epson are trying to do something to eliminate of other manufactures making use of their DX5 printheads? I'm in desperate need of DX5 printheads to replace, please let me know if you know of a way to get around with this issue.

Thank you very much!

You are from Vietnam?
I think you buy DX5 p/h replace for China printer
New kind Unoriginal Epson DX5 print head bought form CHina in only print at 60cm wide

 

[sipora]

You are from Vietnam?
I think you buy DX5 p/h replace for China printer
New kind Unoriginal Epson DX5 print head bought form CHina in only print at 60cm wide

Yes I am. Can't find DX5 anywhere man. Would you recommend a source? Please PM me! Thanks!

 

[chrisphilipps]

Don't know if Epson did change the head or not but I just ran into this yesterday. Customer brought a ValueJet 1204 in and the unit was missing lines of print after about 24" of printing. The pattern would repeat about every 24". If you look closely at the picture you will see a break in the bottom row of magenta nozzles and the second row a break in the yellow. It isn't the head is missing nozzles because the magenta printed perfect just off to the left of the top row of yellow and all the yellow nozzles were printing perfectly next to the missing magenta nozzles.

I wound up putting a used OEM Mutoh head into the customers printer and the problem went away. I then put the customers original head back in and it did the same pattern. The head that was in the printer originally wasn't an OEM head and the customer told me that he purchased this head from another merchant member on signs101 that sells third party parts so maybe Epson did make a change.

 

[sipora]

Don't know if Epson did change the head or not but I just ran into this yesterday. Customer brought a ValueJet 1204 in and the unit was missing lines of print after about 24" of printing. The pattern would repeat about every 24". If you look closely at the picture you will see a break in the bottom row of magenta nozzles and the second row a break in the yellow. It isn't the head is missing nozzles because the magenta printed perfect just off to the left of the top row of yellow and all the yellow nozzles were printing perfectly next to the missing magenta nozzles.

I wound up putting a used OEM Mutoh head into the customers printer and the problem went away. I then put the customers original head back in and it did the same pattern. The head that was in the printer originally wasn't an OEM head and the customer told me that he purchased this head from another merchant member on signs101 that sells third party parts so maybe Epson did make a change.

View attachment 86287

Yes, 24" is about 60cm, the same problem that I run into. I've been looking into fixing the issue by reprograming the firmware but there's no hope so far. My tech guy got it to work without the line but the print quality is much worse.

 

[artbot]

concerning this little dx5 debacle, just like mimaki and the like put chips on the carts and we ended up with a permanent chip solution, there will be some company that will unlock this mystery and offer a non-OEM dx5 plug for your print head. where there's a dollar to be made, capitalism will provide the solution.

i'd like to see if a new desktop dx5 will work in an old epson desktop...(?) if not, there's probably something in the new desktops that shakes hands with the print head.

whatever the hack, i figure it will be some kind of a fitting that plugs into the top of the head right before the data ribbon enters that will unscramble tell the print head that it indeed is plugged into a desktop epson printer or interrupts something and allows it to continue to print normally.

 

[inkmed]

new verion Epson DX5 head was changed by Epson, then can only use on Epson printers, when fit it on Mimaki or Chinese printers, it can only print the width of original Epson printers.

It is why old version DX5 head price is so high now.

Adam Yang from Inkmed

 

[nhuminh]

Yes, 24" is about 60cm, the same problem that I run into. I've been looking into fixing the issue by reprograming the firmware but there's no hope so far. My tech guy got it to work without the line but the print quality is much worse.

You can not do anything to use new kind Epson DX5 printhead, just only use old kind, and now it is very expensive about $1000
and the difference is at the PCB board below the cable socket
This image is old kind Epson DX5 print head 1 mark at the left, one at center.
If 1 mark on left and 1 at right (yellow) is new kind and can not use for larger fotmat printer

Vietnamese:
Có phải cài đầu in mà bạn mua cái vết bẻ cửa cái boad mạch là 1 cái bên trái 1 cái bên phải chổ mũi tên màu vàng không vậy? nếu vậy thì không có xài được đầu, phải mua cái đầu in khác loại củ thôi.

 

[GrushinAnton]

Hi! We have a problem like this on our Witcolor 9100 printer. We killed previous printhead and bought a new one in digiprint supplies. We wanted to economy our money and bought water dx5, so we changed adapter for old one and it work perfectly but with blanks on picture width >85 cm. Its very interesting, because your printhead give blanks on 60 cm at first, and at second our printhead DIDN'T have blanks on nozzle check! So, now we thinking about this problem. We will try to write a small program to pause a printing process on 83-84 cm and clear head "cache" then continue printing for another 80 cm. May be it will solve this problem? If anybody know another decision please write!

 

[4R Graphics]

If anyone has one of the new DX5 heads that does not work and you can send it to me I will see if there is a way to get them to work in the mimaki's.

I have been able to get an epson printhead from a very old unit (The first DX5 head) to work this print head would not work in the 1800 or the mimaki but after a few mod's it ran in the 1800 and the mimaki.

There are a few resistors that are diffierent some that need to be removed some that need to be changed and some other stuff.

I am certified for micro level soldering.

So if anyone is willing to give up there head for research I will see what I can do but no promisses.

 

[SightLine]

4R - did you figure out what resistors flag the heads as "non-original" on Mimaki printers? I had a previous thread and had looked into this myself trying to determine the actual differences between a 33 and a 47 DX5. I have both and both are fully de-gooped. I came to the same conclusion. The only real difference between the 2 are a few resistors so I concluded that Mimaki added something to firmware 3.0 and higher that checks for a specific resistance on some line. I still have the heads just have never had a chance to get back to them and start measuring the smd resistors on them to figure out the specific differences.

Sounds like with the new heads they may possibly have added some sort of logic chip. Seems unlikely though as that would take a lot of extra effort and cost on Epson's part to re-engineer the board on the heads just to be a pain in the butt to people wanting to use their generic heads in other machines.

 

[4R Graphics]

I dont have a printhead to test out

My offer still stands if anyone has a head they would like to send me I will see what I can do

I will not promise to fix it and I can not guarantee that the head wont get damaged as there may be soldering involved and you never know but if your willing I will do my best.

I have many years as an electronic mechanic and was certified and have experience at soldering on micro level electronics (thats what these heads are micro level components resistors not much bigger than the tip of an inkpen)


If someonoe colud remove the top and take lots of pictures very close up and clear pics of the head from every side and especially under the top I may be able to gget a better idea if it can be moded to work.