The Best CIS ?

[habs01]

Hey Pool, I was just pulling your leg a little. But seriously, can you beleive these pictures? I wouldn't want to be this guys neighbor.

[dmagic1]

Too bad to, it looks like it was a nice house.

[Like]

Poolenglish, I don't care if you are a contractor,How did you get in my house

[macrovision]

Your not being fair to Poolenglish.....He printed his way into your house...you know that Epson makes thieving printers

[Like]

Good one Mac

[macrovision]

Yours was the best Like, Anyone having CIS problems? Or relentless auto-clean cycle problems?

[Like]

Not me, I've got the 'Macrovision Cure'

[thespook]

Hi
I have just done the Mac cure and all went well, but I do have one concern. Now that I have disconnected the small vacume pipe will the ink still get drawn through to the cartridges from the cis. I thought to myself if the ink is being sucked through the cartridge to clean the print heads it would also suck the fresh ink along the tubes from the cis to keep the cartridges full, or am I looking at it the wrong way.

[bidefordboy]

Don't worry. The cart's are filled by gravity. The suction is used for cleaning & recharging. I'm sure Mac will be along later to give more details. (He's probably busy answering all his fan mail)

[macrovision]

Bidefordboy, Your right.....There was alot of fan mail! Now that I've given my fans the slip I can answer the question.... Bidefordboy is right....the carts are filled by gravity. If your not sure keep this in mind....you'll only hear the pump working( That loud clanking) during power-up( a brief hiss) and during cleaning cycles( The churning that makes you open the top and look in the print-well). During printing you'll only hear the printhead moving back and forth and the rollers moving the DVD/CD tray or Paper. Not to mention that the print-head is only over the waste-pad when it parks or auto-cleans( Not during the actual print job....also keep this in mind: During a print-job the print-head will goto the waste-pad position for a quick pass over the wiper-blade...I'm sure you guy's have enough imagination if not knowledge why it moves past the wiper-blade...so remember after every print-job the press the cart exchange button...move the print-head over a little by hand...and use a LINT-FREE cloth to clean the excess ink off the wiper-blade( you can use a little windex to help clean it) and remember to clean the very top of the wiper blade( It's so small, It's easy to over-look.)

[Like]

Mac, do you recommend unplugging the printer before working inside it?
Thanks

[Bodyslide]

Yes, anytime you work on equipment it is always best to unplug the device.

[macrovision]

That's correct..unplug equipment before working inside of it...also avoid jewlery and long sleeve shirts. All tools used need to have non-sharpened ends and preferbly anti-static coatings....If you need to reattach the hose use a needle nosed plier or blunt tweezer to grasp the hose away from it's end.....you can put it into position before placing the spring over it but place the spring over the round opening before grasping the hose....don't be afraid to strech the hose enough for you to grab it with your other hand however don't be too rough as you don't want to break the hose....after you grab the hose with your free hand set down the plier/tweezer and use that hand to get a better grip on the hose freeing up the other hand to pick up the waste-pad...attach the waste-pad....run a clean cycle...do a nozzle check and if all is well detach the wste-pad...rinse it under cold water....dry it and reattach it with-out the hose. Let me know if you have problems but remember this: Once you detach the hose...forget about it...don't keep disturbing the printer as if it's gonna burst into flames. If it's printing perfect nozzle checks...LEAVE IT ALONE...YOUR SAVING YOURSELF A HEAD-ACHE IF YOU LET IT BE. You'll see...days,weeks, months later...It'll still print the same as it did when the hose was attached....the only difference is when it does auto-cleaning it won't succeed in wasting your ink. LOL!

[Like]

Thank you both!

[poolenglish]

If you are out of warranty time (1year) and the piece of shit is broke... go ahead ...chop and break away.
But I suggest no alterations, none at all.
If it isn't broke, dont fix it !

I have had this printer 6+ months with
CIS (jwl) and switched to refillable carts. Never did modification for waste bottle, cleaned a pad or anything and it has worked fine.
I am sure Tim Taylor (tool time) would hook it up to 220 vac to make it print quicker!
If it isn't broke, dont fix it !

Owning a printer costs ink....and minimal dollars or cents I should say---- "with auto reset chips on carts, and/or CIS."

[bidefordboy]

@poolenglish

I think you did modify your casing though :-

http://members.cox.net/layhay/epson%20setup%20002.jpg

I wonder if that will affect your warranty ?

But to be serious. The modification to save wasting ink that Macrovision & myself (& I think a lot of other's) have done, will not affect the warranty in any way. It can be reversed.
The chip's that are fitted to Mac's system, & the one's fitted to mine, cause the printer to perform a cart recharge when the levels reset to 100%, which is a total waste of ink. That was the reason Mac tried to find a way to stop this, & he has with great success. The cost of the ink is irrelevant. Personally I hate waste if it can be avoided.
Other user's of other system's may not have chip's that behave this way. So there is no need for them to apply this modification.

[poolenglish]

ok,
I wonder how many cc's of ink you all have "wasted"?
good luck at this riskie(as for breaking parts), tried and unproven method (as for printer working longevity) for saving ink.

If ink was free would you recommend these alterations to a printer?

[Like]

If you are out of warranty time (1year) and the piece of shit is broke... go ahead ...chop and break away.
But I suggest no alterations, none at all.
If it isn't broke, dont fix it !

I have had this printer 6+ months with
CIS (jwl) and switched to refillable carts. Never did modification for waste bottle, cleaned a pad or anything and it has worked fine.
I am sure Tim Taylor (tool time) would hook it up to 220 vac to make it print quicker!
If it isn't broke, dont fix it !

Owning a printer costs ink....and minimal dollars or cents I should say---- "with auto reset chips on carts, and/or CIS."

WOW! I'm totally stund with your post I just didn't expect this from you! However, there are two (2) reasons I will not be taking your advise.
1st. You have modified your printer in at least 3 different ways. And you should practice what you preach!
2nd. If this was a $500 printer, I would think I might not do anything that would viod my warrenty. Not even changing the ink carts. But we're talking about a $95 printer.
Sorry Poolenglish, but think about it

[macrovision]

Well to be true in answering your question Poolenglish...I may indeed do alot more printing than you...I don't know this for fact but I do know that I have filled my printonadime tanks ( to capacity) and executed a print command only to have an auto clean that reduced the levels about a tenth...then printing large jobs another reset...reset after reset...auto-clean after auto-clean and at the end over 60% of the ink in the tanks was wasted due to auto-cleans....this caused ink to overflow from the waste-pad causing the gears on the waste-pad to become sticky which resulted in a error " GENERAL ERROR"....I resolved this matter simply ( Pain in the *ss) taking the waste-pad ASSEMBLY....not just the pad...the entire assembly...springs and all APART and washing them off...printer worked fine afterwards. You stated unproven technique? I've been using INKJET PRINTERS since they hit the market in the 1990's....My first inkjet printer was a Canon BJC-6000....It costed me $599.99 plus tax...and it never auto-cleaned...didn't have "Smart-chips"...and it didn't have a pump attached to the waste-pad...Nor does the Canon Pixma IP series...no Smart-chips...as a matter of a fact the IP series printer will attempt to print when there's no carts in the printer. "GO FIGURE!". If you are comfortable with what you have I can understand that. I hate when people try to change my beliefs to thiers and it's against my values to try and make some-one/anyone think what I think or believe what I believe. I told my experience in this forum as others have. I never stated " EVERY/ANY person should or better do this or that. It may mean something to me to help others but if they refuse to listen or learn I can only wish them the best of luck. I won't allow people to live rent-free in my mind and I don't want any-one to feel that I am here to make enemies or rivals. If any-one wants information about this particualar mod you can PM me and we can discuss it from beginning to end. I mean exactly what the pump is for from power-up to auto-clean and I've manage to run into an EPSON tehnician( At J&R computer store in lower manhattan) and ask him about this auto-clean stuff....He babbled on about clogged nozzles if you don't print for a long period of time....'Like I don't know that " any Ink-Jet printer will clog on you if you leave it for a long time. As for cc's...Maybe 100ml of ink I've washed out of the waste-pad over the past 4 or 5 months Poolenglish....almost 2000 DVD's. I would suggest this mod if ink was free....you see the issue has never been about ink....you see our posts about wasted ink but the ink at samsclub is how cheap? It's about the ERROR MESSAGE.....remember the pics you took of the inside of your printer? The comment posted about the inside of your printer? Did you do that to the inside of your printer? If you want to...."Think about the inside of your printer and what caused it....I doubt that you poured the ink all over the places that have ink around them. Anyway LOL! Lots and lots of love to all of you! MAC. 8)

[poolenglish]

Maybe 100ml of ink I've washed out of the waste-pad over the past 4 or 5 months Poolenglish....almost 2000 DVD's Anyway LOL! Lots and lots of love to all of you! MAC.

100ml = 3.4 oz not very much wasted ink for massive printing is it?approximately $5.


as for printer modifications, i did a few case mods... well documented here and i regret doing them in hindsite, as for possible future warranty voids. For videohelp.com forum members you can learn from my mistakes.

The history of my life experience will follow when i get my wife to type a 50 line post. j/k

[macrovision]

Poolenglish, I know it's not alot of money...but it's alot of ink for that little waste-pad. 100ml of ink cannot stay in that waste-pad without causing problems. You see this from a consumers view...I see it from a technicians view, Even till this day I service electronic devices but not like I used to because most consumer eletronics aren't worth the trouble and the consumer can buy a new and better device cheaper. Even more interesting and you may not believe this but I know this for fact: The Epson R200 printer is one of the only electronic devices that cost 90-100% to manufacuture as it cost brand new in the store. Simple: The R200 costs $99 new....It cost about that much to manufacture(If not more) plus it comes with 6 carts. However It isn't worth repairing because I would charge you $50 to diagnose the problem(NON-REFUNDABLE) and the print-head alone will cost you $80...the main board will cost you $100...and the other parts?....I can buy a 5.0 megapixle camera in New York for $80...if it breaks and I send it to the shop do you know how much I'll need to deposit for them to diagnose it( NON-REFUNDABLE) It doesn't matter how much the printer costs but for Epson to cause a problem intentionaly?(Smart-chips,Auto-clean cycles,Classified parts,"Technician Only" waste-pad changing,Ect.)GO FIGURE! And BTW, If I need to do rework on a unit...Forget it! You'll pay 3 times the price of this printer but as you may already know...3/4 of the issues in consumer electronics come from poor maintenance and neglect. I've seen technicians attach old parts that didn't come out of the unit in a clear baggie to the cord and tell the consumer "those are parts that were replaced" over-charge the comsumer when all they did is vaccum the insides and replace a two transistors. $2 worth of parts, Five minutes work.....$150 bill

[macrovision]

For videohelp.com forum members you can learn from my mistakes.

Poolenglish, I'm sorry to post again...back 2 back but I was wondering... "Are you one of the Videohelp.com forum members that can learn from your mistakes?"


And since I've already began to redundantly post I thought I'll entertain the forum by posting a rather interesting link( It's the least I can do!)....The top portion is in another language(I think it's German) But if you read the posts( English) You'll see my point 8) Poolenglish might even get a kick outta it http://www.technik-zone.de/board/post/13658/IP5000_Advice_Required.html

[poolenglish]

Here is a good link to save money on long distance. Free long distance in us and canada from your pc to a any home telephone.

http://www.adcalls.com/

click overview for a tutorial.

It works!
I suggest a earphone or headset to avoid feedback to the person you call. You need a microphone. I use it on my wireless laptop with an earphone.

[macrovision]

I'm still looking at the R300 service manual. There's another way of detaching the vacuum hose but it really doesn't make sense because the waste pad will still need to be cleaned in the event of a needed head cleaning(If you don't print every day then you'll need to do a cleaning at least once a month). I've been looking to make a simple mos that will allow the waste pad to be taken out,cleaned and reinstalled with-out disconnecting the hose.....This would also require either putting a manual valve in that will allow or disallow the vacuum or a switch that will cut power to the pump assembly however the mod needs to attach to the hose under the waste pad and suspend the hose with a connector that allows the wastepad vacuum port to connect easily...and of course the cut-off valve

[EpsonInkBasher]

OK people, I found a great place to get Stratitec ink :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11203&item=6781262142&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

If this goes good, I'll have all the ink I'll ever need, and an annual vacation back to Hawaii! Wish me luck...

[Like]

EpsonInkBasher, Good for you & sure hope it does good for you

[macrovision]

How's everyones CIS/Epsons workin"? How about the waste pump mod people....I'm still printin' a plenty with NO problems...Every nozzle check is perfect and still no Auto-Clean cycle waste. What's up every-one....This forum seems to stand still durin' the week-ends...Hung over?....LA LA dum de dum..la de da da? BTW, Epsoninkbasher....YOOOOOUUUUU,....Just want ya t know I'm jealous....Just kiddin'....I've found a way to mod my R200 so I can detach the waste pad...replace it...and not mess with the hose...It'll reconnect to the hose automatically. Now all I need to do is get a extra fitting and a cut-off valve for the back trap door mod. Thanks JR.HighSchool shop class! Can you believe I'm using parts from one of my old cigarette lighters, for the waste pump mod? It fits perfect...right down to the "O" ring but I'm gonna have to get a second spring from somewhere else...It's gotta be smaller than the one already on the wastepad however this is going so smooth I'm happy as a pig in *hit!...If It works out fine I might be sellin' them on E-bay...De dum dum.

[Like]

Poolenglish, Thanks for the phone link item. Looks pretty good & going to check it further later.

Mac, My R300 is still good. I've done all your mods on it didn't print for a couple of days, till I just got your post above. And just now turned it on and printed a purge sheet & looks good. Now that ink is cheap, I don't even do a nozzel check, but print small purge sheet. Printed a 8 X 10 senic photo my son sells on eBay and it came out beautiful No where as good though as the ones he sell because he send off for a profession print, but I can frame this one and put it on a wall and from 4 to 8 feet away it looks great to me. Did it with the ink that came with my CIS from Printforless on Epson glossy photo paper. If I can figure out how to paste it here, I will.

I have yet to print my first DVD though. Just need to get off my butt & learn the Epson program and print one. That's why I bought this printer...DUH.
Now I'm getting anxious to fix the Epson 960. Yellow quit printing on it, and doesn't have a waste pad, instead it has like a small trough full of ink.

[bidefordboy]

Hi Mac,
Just to let you know everything is working great. Nice to hear the pump working & know that not a drop of ink is being wasted. It's so easy to remove the pad that I can now do it without gloves .
All nozzle checks are perfect. Never seen my printer looking so clean. Soon as the pads look a bit mucky I just whip'em out & clean.
I see you are still working on this. Will be watching with great interest.

[macrovision]

I'm happy that every-one that did my mod is as satified as me....I'm still printing large orders without waste or problems. I've even been doing research on other inkjet printers only to find that they don't have waste pumps either....As I stated I've never seen any inkjet printers with waste pumps until I bought my R200. Auto-clean cycles controlled by firmware? NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE! Thanks for the education EPSON! LOL everyone. 8) BTW Like, Just in case you didn't know...When you print photos you should choose "Printing Preferences" and tick(check mark) Both "Best Photo" and "Photo Enhance". Then at the bottom right click advanced...On the right side of the next page you'll see a slide rule...move that all the way to the right and you can play with the tone control by clicking the right down arrow of "Tone" ...ya might wanna try VIVID, NORMAL or HARD.....These settings do make a difference.