No ink is getting to the new printhead on my BN20

[adamfromayr]

Hi can anyone offer advice

I have a used Roland BN20

And i assumed it needed a new pint head as no ink was coming out the printhead


I have just installed another newish printhead and still no ink is reaching the head

All inks are new and full

It looks like its stuck between the cartridge and before it gets to the head as ive tried many cleans and nozzle checks etc

After installing the printhead DOOOOh And still not printing a waste of money there


Does anyone know why all 5 x Inks are not even getting to the top tubes of the BN-20 Print head?


Adam

 

[damonCA21]

Had it been left not turned on for a while before you bought it? if it was then the ink could have dried in the lines.
The first thing to do ( making sure the printer is off ! ) is to disconnect the dampers and use a syringe to see if you can gently draw ink into the damper. There should be some resistance but not too much and they should fill up.

If none is coming through then you will need to remove and clean, or replace the lines. Also check the needles that go into the cartridges to make sure they aren't blocked. Did you fit new dampers when you changed the head? they could also be blocked and its good practice to replace them anyway.

 

[adamfromayr]

Hi Damon thanks for replying


Yes i think it was left for a while, i bet maybe the head was alright but i totally dissembled it to experiment on it as i already had another refurbished BN20 Head here to install

It looks like the lines must all be blocked i look at the rear of the ink cartridges and all the ink going in on all 5 x tubes looks fresh so i assume there is dried ink in the tubes somewhere between the ink cartridges and head

My idea is to remove all the tubes tomorrow and soak them in very hot water i also have an air compressor so i will try hot water and air on all five x lines of course will be disconnected on both ends! failing that have to buy new tubes!

The ink near the heads isnt moving in any tubes so im thinking its the INK Pump? or blocked tubes i thinking more the latter!

Will do this tomorrow and do an update!

 

[netsol]

if it was left for a while i am awfully sure the printhead is NOT ALRIGHT

by the time you have a line clog, the printhead is just a fond memory

you need to VERY CAREFULLY remove each line from dampers and pull through with a syringe. (solvent inket sells tapered syringes that are PERFECT FOR THIS

if that doesn';t work

Amazon.com : handheld vacuum pump

best $25 you will ever spend

AGAIN,
be very gentle or we will have a thread about how to change the cracked manifold on a printhead & you would rather avoid this

saturate that felt in the captop with cleaner or at least isopropyl and try a test print

 

[cornholio]

If you "totally disassembled it", chances are very high, that the head isn't sitting correctly on the captop. (In early service guides, the captop mechanism was not meant to be removed. In later guides, a jig is mentioned for correct installation)
Good luck with hot water... are you using FPG ink? Otherwise I'd use SL-CL or some other compatible solvent.

 

[damonCA21]

Hot water probably won't work. When the ink dries out it either goes completely solid, or takes on a consistency like thick oil paint. The best thing I have found to flush lines is acetone, but you will need a good few litres of it. It also needs quite a bit of pressure to push the acetone through. Often it is just as easy to replace the lines.

The pump may also be blocked. These can be flushed out with acetone in the same way, but again it may be better to replace it.

Where did you get the refurbished head from? Don't be surprised if it doesn't work properly as there isn't really any way to refurbish the nozzles on epson heads, all that can be done is to flush the ink from them

 

[adamfromayr]

Hi People thanks for all your very helpful replies

I will today take out all the pipes and also look at the pump motor and im not sure if ive acetone will have a look as various chemicals here

The old head i also think will be 99% ruined thats why i experimented with it

II got the refurbished head from China for $1200 aka £1000 i said we had a deal if he inc the new 5 x caps that go onto of the head the small chambers so they are all new!

Sure its the pipes that are blocked if the newer head isnt 100% i will send back on eBay! to China

I was super careful not t touch the head etc

Imagined dropping that on my tiled floor bet thats happened to someone before even a new one!

Will do an update laters

thanks again everyone

 

[adamfromayr]

 

[adamfromayr]

forgot to ask i wonder if doing a Head Wash ? with my SOL cleaning cartridges i have here would help?

Will try them anyway

 

[damonCA21]

Ah ok, well those 'refurbished' heads from china aren't refurbished really. Hopefully it will work, but don't be surprised if it doesnt

 

[netsol]

Hot water probably won't work. When the ink dries out it either goes completely solid, or takes on a consistency like thick oil paint. The best thing I have found to flush lines is acetone, but you will need a good few litres of it. It also needs quite a bit of pressure to push the acetone through. Often it is just as easy to replace the lines.

The pump may also be blocked. These can be flushed out with acetone in the same way, but again it may be better to replace it.

Where did you get the refurbished head from? Don't be surprised if it doesn't work properly as there isn't really any way to refurbish the nozzles on epson heads, all that can be done is to flush the ink from them

certainly acetone will dissolve it, but you need some sort of buffer. oterwise itvwill just harden again, as
the acetone evaporates. but some "cleaning solution, or go to sherwin williams and get some butyl carbytol and mix 70/30. this will keep the dissolved ink in suspension

there are some old posts about making home made cleaner with aceton, butyl carbitol and butyl cellosolve
& mixing approx 33/33/33

 

[damonCA21]

certainly acetone will dissolve it, but you need some sort of buffer. oterwise itvwill just harden again, as
the acetone evaporates. but some "cleaning solution, or go to sherwin williams and get some butyl carbytol and mix 70/30. this will keep the dissolved ink in suspension

there are some old posts about making home made cleaner with aceton, butyl carbitol and butyl cellosolve
& mixing approx 33/33/33

I find as long as you flush it with the acetone so it is totally cleared and no pigment left in there then it works fine

 

[netsol]

nevermind, just use the liquid from your cleaning cartridge.IF THE CAPTOP IS PROPERLY ALIGNED so it seals
with the head in place, use a spring clip or hemostats & clamp off drain lines.
take a syringe and FILL the captop until the felt is covered then get the headl back in resting position

now go buy a bottle of gin, some tonic water and a lime...
let the head soak overnight while you work on the gin & tonic

as a side (related) note, lets preserve the head that is not in the printer.
get a pyrex container with rubber lid, probably 2 liter. get 4 stainless steel hex nuts, 3/8" from home depot or lowes. put ENOUGH of your cleaning solution in the pyrex container to cover the 4 nuts and about 1/4 inch more
position the nuts so you can sit the printhead in the solution ON TOP OF THE NUTS so the head is covered with cleaner, but the electronics do not contact the cleaner
put on the tight fitting rubber lid, solvent does not evaporate, stainless steel nuts do not react wih the solution

this has always been about the best way i have found to store a potentially good printhead.
if you store a used head DRY you are doomed to have at least a couple nozzles go bad, NO MATTER HOW THOROUGHLY YOU HAVE FLUSHED

 

[netsol]

I find as long as you flush it with the acetone so it is totally cleared and no pigment left in there then it works fine

i have never been that lucky
i normally like to at 15% acetone to manufacturer's cleaning solution
great for in place head soak without the risk of solvent welding your pump if you use a little too much acetone

 

[netsol]

if his assumption that the original head was good, it would be a crime to let it sit & "go bad"
i would feel better preserving the head, so he can sell, give away, trade for something he needs or wants
hopefully we salvage this situation

 

[adamfromayr]

SADLY Ive spent a another full day oin this cleaned all the pipes 100% cleaned and guess what still no inks are coming out the ink cartridges to the tubes


im actually very surprised as Ive tested each end on all 5 x tubes and water and air comes through all them so i know these are not Blocked

It seems to be an issue from the rear end of all 5 x ink cartridges and the ink not coming out the cartridges into the tubes!

I even changed the small top board and still no ink is filling up the tubes any other ideas please? Now i know why my hair is going grey LOL

Carriage is all moving okay and all else seems okay just no ink is filling the tubes

 

[damonCA21]

It will most likely be the needles are still blocked. When left these are very prone to blocking as they are so narrow, you need to take these out and clean them as well and make sure they are flowing ok

 

[damonCA21]

You will also still need to pull ink through the tubes, they don't automatically fill when a cartridge is connected

 

[damonCA21]

Oh and the top board doesn't have anything to do with the ink filling, it sends signals from the sensors in the cartridge dock to tell the printer a cartridge is inserted and if it is empty or not

 

[adamfromayr]

Thanks for all your replies guys but i think its not the head just now the ink isnt getting into my tubes? and the tubes are all clean with water and air passing through all of them tested today

Its the ink cartridges not pumping ink into all 5 x tubes and ive tried 2 x sets of inks