sc-500 many problems

[beppe34]

Hi

Are trying to keep an Roland sc-500 alive -- but think I will give i up soon :-(.
(actually a converted cj-500)

Did a full service about a year ago
- new pump
- new capping station
- 2 new print heads
- new dampers and o-rings

Are printing small prints every other day (about 1 square foot - so no big prints ) - are maintaining the machine every week.

About a week ago problem started;
1. Yellow tube where sucking up light cyan when the head was resting in capping station.
- the cartidge leaked at the "front" where the needle are pushed through the rubber in cartridge.
- I replaced cartridge flushed the line.
- Replaced all dampers.

2. I then discovered that the pump had stopped working on the left side. One tube had a hole in it and no suction.
- Replaced tubing in pump.

3. A day later Light magenta did not print -- no color in the line to the head.
- Replaced cartridge
- sucked color through the line.
>no success - same issue.
- Replaced the print head
>no success - same issue
- Replaced the electric board above the print heads
>no success -same issue
- Put back the old print head again.
>no success - and now things stared to escalate

The left printhead had no problem earlier during this issue - but now it started to behave badly and the testprint is terrible.
Replaced the capping station and did a cleaning and flushing of both print heads and now the testprints are worse than ever!

The only color that are printing now are a little bit of black - the rest is not working.

Im now i the situation that my test print are like little black-even less magenta -even less cyan - nothing from the right head ->
and absolutely no ideas!

Does anyone have any input into this mess?
Do I miss something vital?

I do have a "spare" sc-500 where I can pick parts from but I now think I will do it in reverse - and try to do the spare-machine to the Live-machine.

best regards
/beppe

 

[wedosigns]

It looks like your pump is clogged. Take the tubes from the capping station off, fill a syringe with cleaning fluid, turn printer on do some cleans while forcing cleaning fluid in the tubes to see if they are clogged. Repeat on both lines until clear fluid is flowing.
If this does not work, take your capping station out and clean the clear lines that goes from under the caps to the little box. That line has to be clear and unobstructed.
Be prepared to get dirty!
Cheers Bruce

 

[sfr table hockey]

Yes as said, check that set of clear lines as well as that small rec. box that they go to. It almost sounds that the capping station might not be air tight and those clear lines and rec. box create air flow when the capping station moves off the captops. But while seated they create a vaccum unless it got bumped or one line came off. The box has nibs on one side and the other has a section that can also come appart.

Also make sure the drain lines are clear. Are they still going through the old Water based thin drain lines or are they now direct from the pump to the drain bottle in front?

An air leak would let the carts draw the ink back to them and thus suck the ink from the dampers and clear the lines.

If the pump is drawing now but the heads are not sealed onto the captops with no air leak, you will never get the heads charged and they will all eventually drop off to nothing. By having this much of an air leak the heads can dry out easier.

Can you get any draw with a syringe attached to one of the captops with a small length of tube, and re-set the heads on the capping station. Draw the syringe. Do you hear air or do you feel a bit of resistance? You should see a muddy mix of ink drawing into the syringe. If nothing at all you have an air leak.

Also if you did re tube your pump, make sure the ends that go to the captops, are not too long as I found that having more of an extra length of tube created less draw from the pump and not enough to draw ink propper. Keep those just long enough to reach with a little extra only. This is what I found.

 

[deegrafix]

I don't think the CJ has cap tops. I've had mine in pieces more times than I want to think about. Most of the issues were about the ink, the pump lines being blocked or air in the upper lines and sound similar to what you're going through. There's a lever on the right side of the head carriage that brought back the right head with an adjustment. Could have been coincidence but maybe not. The lever on mine is within 1/4" of the bottom. I tried so many things that it's hard to remember, but for the last year or so since I've been running the ecosol max she's doing a perfect print and recently printed 800 sq ft without issues. I may even have to rethink her nickname, DB for Drunken Bi&*%. Good luck and don't be afraid to waste ink filling the lines.

 

[Fusion Graphics]

I would start again and take your time pullt the tubes of the dampers and syringe ink from the carts make sure there is no air leak sounds. ie work from the cart grommmet the the sol tube line if thats all fine, then put some new dampers in check the o rings are fine with no cracks, before contect to head I would syring flush directly into the top of heads to soften any sludge, put a new capping station in and pump use a mimaki jv3 pump. then syring ink through connect dampers to head, performa flush position adjustment, and you should be able to get a text print, if you have a stubborn bloack I disconnect the pump and syring ink through from the capping station if you get ink and no air leak sounds thats a good sign! hope thats of help