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New print head and Dampers = zero color vs300i

autoexebat

New Member
I replaced my print head with a new OEM DX7 print head and dampers . I followed the service manual and did everything as it said . I have zero color in my test print .

I pulled it apart and checked and dampers had NO INK at all , so I took my syringe and pulled the ink through the dampers . Installed my old print head and now I have magenta only .

Can anyone give me a clue here ? sadly this is my only source of income so I'm in bad shape now .

Roland VS-300i
 

autoexebat

New Member
Not sure what you mean ( one of the tubes at capping ) I only have 1 drain line under the capping station. Are you suggesting I remove the drain bottle and pull ink from that hose located inside the drain bottle?
 

TimToad

Active Member
Not sure what you mean ( one of the tubes at capping ) I only have 1 drain line under the capping station. Are you suggesting I remove the drain bottle and pull ink from that hose located inside the drain bottle?

You need to attach the big syringe I assume you have to the end of each color's waste line and siphon ink through until you see the damper and filled with ink. Are you doing all this without having the service manual in front of you?
 

autoexebat

New Member
I have the service manual. But I don't have 8 lines going to the drain bottle no. All dampers are full of ink at this time.
 

autoexebat

New Member
I've worked on this all day , With the new head and dampers I have nothing when I do the print test . I hooked a syringe to each tube of the dampers and pulled ink through , all looks just find with that .

I've done powerful cleaning , choke CL , removed cap top / cleaned . I've done about all I can think of . for some reason the head isn't letting the ink flow .
 

autoexebat

New Member
Can't give you an exact date on the cap top, but I did change it less than a year ago.

Powerful cleaning puts little ink in the drain bottle, few drops here and there but not enough to empty the drain bottle.
 

ProPDF

New Member
You need to call a tech out before you cause more damage and then really have to call a tech. If you don't charge the dampers properly you will get no ink flow or it will print and fade on each job. Your pump maybe bad or clogged also. It's almost a good thing in regards to electronics you are not getting much ink flow because if you get good ink flow but nothing fires then you usually have an electrical problem somewhere. These heads had pressure issues with them after some use also even if everything was fairly new.
 

autoexebat

New Member
Yeah, the printer is a few years old, but I also noticed my ink was very low. I think it may have pulled in some air. I don't have techs in my area.

can't really see the pump being bad as it was printing nice 2 days ago , put in the new head and everything fails .
 

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Yes, cap the head and then pull from the waste line with a syringe. Tim Toad is just used to a multiple head machine but yours is a single head with single waste tube. Depending on how far back in the machine the ink has receded and how big the syringe is, it could take a few pulls to get it to bring ink down. You should have someone watch the ink lines and confirm the ink is moving through them towards the head when you pull. If you just pull air and the ink doesn't move in the lines, the cap top is most likely bad. If you pull ink through the head and it still doesn't print, the head fuse is blown.
 
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autoexebat

New Member
Thanks, So I assume I pull off 1 of the 2 lines that is hooked to the cap top and pull from one of those and leave the other hooked up?

My ink level is very low as well, I'm thinking I could have some air in the line.

Blown head fuse sounds bad, I'm assuming there isn't a way to fix that, or what would even cause it!
 

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Thanks, So I assume I pull off 1 of the 2 lines that is hooked to the cap top and pull from one of those and leave the other hooked up?

My ink level is very low as well, I'm thinking I could have some air in the line.

Blown head fuse sounds bad, I'm assuming there isn't a way to fix that, or what would even cause it!

The two tubes from the cap top connect to a Y connector that then connects to the pump. I usually connect the syringe to the Y connector where the pump normally does and pull from there. That way you pull from both at the same time. If can't connect to the Y connector with your syringe, you can just bend one of the tubes and tape it shut and pull from one of them. If you pull from one while the other isn't clogged it will just pull air from the other tube.

Low ink shouldn't cause ink flow issues but if a cartridge is actually empty and not flagging the machine properly, it can cause flow issues. It would be very rare that more than 1 cartridge did that at the same time let alone all of them. Since each line is independent until it reaches the cap top, even if one or more of the colors were having flow issues, you should still be able to get something printing. That;s why the cap top is probably bad. At least something should be coming through the new head by now. That's why manually pulling can be better to see what is happening.

Blown fuses aren't so bad these days actually. You pull the old one out and pop the new one in. The hard part is figuring out why it blew in the first place so you don't blow the new one as well.
 

C5 Service&Repair

New Member
one or 2 choke cleans should prime the head just fine no matter how much air is in the lines, etc... AS LONG AS EVERYTHING IS CORRECT.
Since you've said you have done a choke clean, I'm going to say you have other issues.
What area are you in that there are no techs??
 

autoexebat

New Member
I came back to the shop today and I removed the Cap Top , removed 1 hose and hooked a syringe to it and pulled out some air and a little ink - Seriously doubt that helped me .

Then I finished the the ( Ink Fill ) I messed up and selected something in the menu and I couldn't get out of it . When that finished I did a test print and I got a 99% nozzle fire . ( OLD PRINT HEAD )

--=Here is the question now .... I want to install the new print head tomorrow , and I know darn well everything as of NOW is working fine .

What should my steps be tomorrow ? ( Head change only ) ( Already did dampers )

Fort Myers Florida
 

Joe House

New Member
If you've got new dampers in already, and since they work with the old head, put the new head back in. But if you sucked air with the syringe, you may have a bad cap top or something on the bottom of the head that is preventing a good tight seal. Make sure you get solid ink flow with no air when you syringe below the cap top or you'll likely have problems in short order with the new head.

Good Luck
 

autoexebat

New Member
The two tubes from the cap top connect to a Y connector that then connects to the pump. I usually connect the syringe to the Y connector where the pump normally does and pull from there. That way you pull from both at the same time. If can't connect to the Y connector with your syringe, you can just bend one of the tubes and tape it shut and pull from one of them. If you pull from one while the other isn't clogged it will just pull air from the other tube.

Low ink shouldn't cause ink flow issues but if a cartridge is actually empty and not flagging the machine properly, it can cause flow issues. It would be very rare that more than 1 cartridge did that at the same time let alone all of them. Since each line is independent until it reaches the cap top, even if one or more of the colors were having flow issues, you should still be able to get something printing. That;s why the cap top is probably bad. At least something should be coming through the new head by now. That's why manually pulling can be better to see what is happening.

Blown fuses aren't so bad these days actually. You pull the old one out and pop the new one in. The hard part is figuring out why it blew in the first place so you don't blow the new one as well.

You are the best , I can't thank you enough ... its crazy how EASY this stuff is .. All I had to do was hook a tube to the cap-top and draw some ink through . Printer is working as it was when it was NEW .

Still a few misses on the test print but it's not effecting the print . irwin on the other site is NOT a good person to deal with at all . that I can tell you .
 
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