Need Help Xc540 horrible test prints

[bvaleri]

After 6 months of trying to get the display back on this used machine I finally got it. Set everything up and go to test print expecting it to be horrid and need a head soak. First pictures are before head soak.

I did a 48 hour soak and replaced all the cap tops since I was only able to pull ink through 4 of the 6. I can now pull ink through all heads but test print still looks terrible, the second picture.

Wipers are new but when it runs a clean i notice they look dirty. Is there potentially something not cleaning the wipers properly and it's smearing ink across my heads? Is this just 6 bad heads and the printer is junk? I'm not sure where to go from here figured the tops and head soak would get me looking decent at least. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[cornholio]

There is a part called wiper scraper, that may be missing.
But, that's not your biggest problem.
The black head seems to have a electrical defect. Yellow is missing completely and LC/LM as well.
Check the 3 fuses on the head board. Look at the flat cables going to the heads. Cross switch cables on heads to see, if it's the head or the board.

 

[bvaleri]

There is a part called wiper scraper, that may be missing.
But, that's not your biggest problem.
The black head seems to have a electrical defect. Yellow is missing completely and LC/LM as well.
Check the 3 fuses on the head board. Look at the flat cables going to the heads. Cross switch cables on heads to see, if it's the head or the board.

Wiper scraper is there and new, wasn't sure if something else further in line.

Since you are saying electrical let me run through what I have done so far. New display panel, main board repair (didn't actually need repaired so was just cleaned), replaced the fuses on f1 2 and 3 on the head board. Removed all boards and fully cleaned both power supplies.

None of that fixed my problem of no display. I was about to remove and replace the cables from the head board to the carriage board when I saw a burnt connector and ribbon cable. Replaced the carriage board and had screen again. The cable looked fine at the print head along with the connector so I only replaced the one damaged cable. That burnt cable did come from the black head.

I have more cables but only 9 more so I could replace others but not te other 11 head cables. I have not checked the fuses again to see if any blew since turning it back on, I will check that first after work. All the other cables are a bit dirty on the casing but the pins all look good and fit in snuggly.

As of right now all the cleanings and what not have ran me out of light magenta, while I was trying to switch ink type, so now I'm stuck on the ink fill screen until I get the new cartridge in unless there is some way around that. So until that can happen swapping cables at the heads and testing is on hold.

Last thing I'll mention is I tried a bidirectional test print as well and it just poured out black and blue all over the area until I canceled.

 

[bvaleri]

Curious if it may be possible the manifold gaskets are bad, have plenty of new manifolds and seals already had to change a couple with broken nozzles. Replacing printheads is going to be very costly unless I'm missing somewhere that sells them for under 600 each.

 

[bvaleri]

Head board fuses are all good, just checked them, so looking like at best ribbon cables or print heads are shot.

 

[V. V.]

Ribbons (FFCs) between 100% headboard and carriage board.

 

[bvaleri]

Ribbons (FFCs) between 100% headboard and carriage board.

Just to clarify you believe I need to replace all 6 of these...CABLE-CARD 36P1 2940L BB?

 

[V. V.]

Just to clarify you believe I need to replace all 6 of these...CABLE-CARD 36P1 2940L BB?

Not all the 6 but at least one related to encoder, 5V power supply and probably HV.
Althou I'd actually replace em all as they tend to wear out about once in 5 years.

For the diagnostic purposes go to the service menu and perform Linear. check

 

[bvaleri]

Not all the 6 but at least one related to encoder, 5V power supply and probably HV.
Althou I'd actually replace em all as they tend to wear out about once in 5 years.

For the diagnostic purposes go to the service menu and perform Linear. check

If I'm going to be pulling it that far apart I may as well do all 6 at once. So you would try this before going and dropping a ton on print heads and it may clear my issue or I may still need print heads but this is the cheaper first option?

I can't get out of the ink fill stage until my new LMG cartridge arrives to do the linear check unless maybe I can get into it in service mode still?

 

[V. V.]

I can get into it in service mode still

sure thing you can.

You can even kinda complete Ink fill manually.
Go to service menu and manually choose relevant ink set in Change ink type menu.

 

[bvaleri]

sure thing you can.

You can even kinda complete Ink fill manually.
Go to service menu and manually choose relevant ink set in Change ink type menu.

I went into service and tried to manually set ink type but when I tried to cut the sheet it put me right back into the ink fill so I had to start it back in service mode and just pull the sheet out uncut.

I went to linear encoder and ran that as well as linear calibration but not sure if that's what you are meaning since it didn't tell me anything just said complete.

 

[V. V.]

I went into service and tried to manually set ink type but when I tried to cut the sheet it put me right back into the ink fill so I had to start it back in service mode and just pull the sheet out uncut.

I went to linear encoder and ran that as well as linear calibration but not sure if that's what you are meaning since it didn't tell me anything just said complete.

Service menu - print menu - linear encoder

 

[bvaleri]

Yes that is what I did, just did it again. Carriage moves the position is displayed as moving and then just tells me complete when the carriage has locked back into place.

 

[V. V.]

Yes that is what I did, just did it again. Carriage moves the position is displayed as moving and then just tells me complete when the carriage has locked back into place.

try it several times and compare the results

 

[bvaleri]

I am not sure what results, the end position when the carriage gets to the left side?

 

[bvaleri]

Ran it a bunch of times it was the same each time Start, end, where it slowed down etc

 

[cornholio]

The heads, that print over the whole width have highly likely gone south...
That is at least my experience with DX4 heads. (I replaced hundreds of them, on Rolands, Epsons and Mimakis)
I'd check/replace the flat cables from the carriage board to the heads.
Test the heads with the magenta channel/cables, since it seems the only head and channel that works.

 

[bvaleri]

I ordered some more cables for the head to carriage, I'll make sure all of them are new. Also ordered the other cables the other person mentioned. Worth a shot to see if changing all that gets it working before buying new heads but I'm not too optimistic that will do much.guy I bought it from claimed he got a good test print prior to the display going out but I don't see any reason to believe that was truthful.

 

[garyroy]

You spent 6 months trying to get this machine running?
Do yourself a favor, sell it for parts, buy a brand new Roland for $400 a month payments and start printing $500 to a $1000/day
In real jobs. You'll have it paid off in no time and be done with all this trouble shooting nonsense.
Are you in the printing business or the printer repair business? Stop wasting your time fixing other people's garbage that they got rid
of for a reason.

 

[bvaleri]

You spent 6 months trying to get this machine running?
Do yourself a favor, sell it for parts, buy a brand new Roland for $400 a month payments and start printing $500 to a $1000/day
In real jobs. You'll have it paid off in no time and be done with all this trouble shooting nonsense.
Are you in the printing business or the printer repair business? Stop wasting your time fixing other people's garbage that they got rid
of for a reason.

6 months mainly waiting on parts but ya its been a while. Its a side thing 500-1k a day is never going to be a possibility in my market, so buying a new machine and trying to switch over to full time printing is not an option.