Cannon Ink Tank Error Message for the IP4300. Anything agreed on yet?

[KittyMarmalade]

Hi There everyone, and thanks for all the replies again

Websnail, I'd like to take you up on your offer - this week if possible. I'll pm you in the next few days if that's ok

I'm in desperate need of a working printer asap though, so I'm contemplating just buying a new set of carts now because I genuinely think they'll work [if they don't, then I know it's the printer, and I can either try to fix whatever it is needs fixing, or take it back since I've only had it 4 months]

I Can then look at improving my refilling method and trialing not taking out the carts as much and various other ways of maximising the potential of the ink monitoring. I dont think there's anything wrong with the contacts on the printer, if anything it's the contacts on the carts [which websnail should be able to confirm if he checks mine out], or it's another printer issue.

important
Can anyone here confirm that if it's a problem with the printer contacts/carts not making contact, the light on the cart will still work?
If anyone can confirm/eliminate this [Trigger maybe?] it will help deduce where the issue lies a little more accurately

I'll post a pic of my contacts so you can see if they look ok to you Trigger. They seem fine to me.

And as a quick separate alternative to me. Since a new set of carts is going to cost me at east 40.
The MP500 takes the same carts as my 4300, is this worth buying for a basic all in one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-PIXMA-M...goryZ178QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It seems to be a really decent price and my sister needs a basic all in one. I might even consider it myself if it compares well

 

[KittyMarmalade]

Hi Kitty
I am facing exactly the same problem, same error message you get every morning
when I start my computer and the ip4300. Forgot how many times I refill those cartridges
that comes with the printer when new (about 9 months ago).

Thanks for responding.

Unfortunately for me though, when I get the message none of the carts are lit up, when I take them
out and put them back in, they ALL light up and flash. and when I close the cover and let the printer
do its thing, the error message just comes back, and I still can't print. The error message
never goes away. Even if I put my other set of refilled carts in and don't turn the printer off.
It's constant

Here's my printer contacts. the cyan large prong looks slightly bent but it isn't, it's spot on straight.
My camera angle isn't wide enough so take a completely dead on pic and include all detail without adding perspective.

 

[ltsang]

Hi Kitty:
I would do one thing first to check out which part goes wrong. See if you can buy or borrow one genuine working cli-8
and put it in the printer. If that cartridge shows solid light and the rest blinking, then its likely to be caused by bad chips on the cartridges.
Or better still, check with someone that have a printer that use the same cartridges and try your cartridges on that printer. I don't
think it will hurt the printer. If your set works fine in the other printer, than it shows your printer have a way of throwing out
refilled cartridges, Canon should buy your printer and test it in their lab. I don't think there is anything wrong with your printer's
contact since you clicked and reseated the cartridge and it blinked again. One more thing you should know is that the chip on
the cartridge can be easily zapped by static while handling, I have one that gone dead with inks full. I got a replacement since I
have not used any of the ink. I hope you don't have to buy a new printer because the printer head and the rest are still good
although buying a new set of cartridges would cost close to a new printer. The problem could have been caused by one or two
bad chips on the cartridges.

 

[Trigger 37]

Kitty,... Lots of stuff to answer. First, Yes, the MP500 will be a great all in one. It just does not have a FAX function, but can be bypassed by just scanning what you want to fax and using the built in Modem that most PC's have these days. If you don't have one you can buy them for about $15 U.S. If you buy the printer just for the ink carts, that is a good idea, but you might check out if anyone of the ink sources in the UK have compatible Canon CLI-8 ink carts. I've seen all kinds of info on Jet Tec ink carts. Do a search on the web as I think they are in Germany. Here in the States there are a couple of sources that are now selling the compatible Canon CLI-8 ink carts at about 1/2 price of standard Canon carts. They can also be refilled without any problem as they are original Canon ink carts just remanufactured.

Now for you problem, it seems that the pins on the printer look great. So the answer has to be some kind of dirt or oil film from you hands as you handle the ink carts to refill them. Try cleaning the contacts on the ink carts. If this does not work, I have one more suggestion. Go into Service Mode and do a full reset of the EEprom data. This resets the EEprom that is in the printer but not the eeprom data on each ink cart. I believe that canon has updated there software driver such that they are now keeping track of how many times the ink carts have been pulled out and re-installed, and somehow this flags the printer to stop accepting this. They can write the amount on the ink cart chip but they also keep track of the data on the master eeprom. Reseting that eeprom may just screw up there checking system.

While I have a lot of Ip4200 printers, none of them have every had their ink carts swapped even once, or even ever refilled, so there is no way I could have run into this problem yet. My biggest fault is I typically never know the solution to a problem until I have had it myself and had to fix it. I'm affraid that you are out in front of all of us on this one.

Getting into service mode is very easy and there have been many posts on how to do it. I don't remember the link or I would give it to you now.

 

[jru]

Kitty,

Here is a link I saved for how to reset EEprom values for the ip4300, that was posted in this forum by Smile:

Smile
InkJet Master
Registered: 08/23/2006
Posts: 133
E-mail
Re: Restoring INK monitoring on ip4300
Try to enter service mode and reset EEPROM:

1. Start with the printer OFF
2. Hold down RESUME and then hold down POWER
3. release RESUME
4. press RESUME twice, then release POWER
5. Let green light blink until printer is done moving print head.

Now you should be in service mode.

6. Press RESUME 1 time then POWER to execute the command
This will print head test print. Just if you want to check clogging problems in depth.

7.Press RESUME 2 times then POWER to execute the command
This will print EEPROM information ink usage etc.

8. Press RESUME 3 times then POWER to execute the command
This will reinitialize (reset) EEPROM

9. Press RESUME 2 times then POWER to execute the command
This will print EEPROM information once more, you should compare it with your fist print. All zeroes should be all over the place.
That means your EEPROM is reset.

In the Canon tech's start to ask questions just say you pressed the buttons tried to clear the error or tried something you read on internet that you taught might solve your problem.

After everything is reset install borrowed cartridges to get monitoring features back, and send the unit to canon service.

Keep us updated how it went, many people I think have the same question. Hope it works out fine for you.

If you printed alot of pages since you had CIS installed you need to reset waste ink counter too:

Press resume 4 times to reset ink waste counter than POWER to execute the command

Last edited by Smile (Yesterday 3:40:41 pm)

 

[jru]

Oops... that link for resetting EEprom values for ip4300 was:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=14820#p14820

 

[KittyMarmalade]

Hi Again

update

went out and bought 1 new OEM cart on a whim after reading Smiles comments about shorting the circuit.

Pushed the new cart in and viola, it allows you to print again. Tried it with all the carts I have which wouldnt work at all and it seems like it wasnt the chips on those either as EVERY one of them works now that I've bought 1 new OEM. How interesting.

I knew the problem wasn't contacts/chips not working in terms of not making contact.

Conclusions anyone?

Jru, thanks for the info, I thought I'd try the new cart thing first because I need a printer asap. If it happens again then I'll try what you linked.

I'm going to nursemaid this new cart like a baby though, and attempt to refill before I get low ink warnings, as well as only take it out of the printer when the printer is completely switched off and presumably then can't write any information to the chip/printer about number of times it's been removed.

Luckily its the CLI 8BK so it will also take longer to empty anyway.


EDIT

In the name of science I'm still happy to send a set of my carts to you Websnail, to see if you get the same results in your ip4200.

 

[Trigger 37]

Kitty,... Great news and congradulations. Some how I thought you had already tried a new CLI-8 ink cart. In my last post I had made a comment that;

I believe that canon has updated there software driver such that they are now keeping track of how many times the ink carts have been pulled out and re-installed, and somehow this flags the printer to stop accepting this. They can write the amount on the ink cart chip but they also keep track of the data on the master eeprom. Reseting that eeprom may just screw up there checking system.

Since then I have talked to several more people that have the iP4300 and all have had the same problem. After "N" refills the printer refuses to print. About 4+ months ago there was one of the masters on this web site that had proposed that Canon had made some changes and that some of the iP4200 were no long providing the ink Cartridge Reset option. I forgot who it was but it seems like the iP4300 has clearly got some different software. I have not seen one report of this same kind of problem on any other Pixma printer. If anyone remembers who the poster was I would like to go back and find that original thread.

The good news is that once your put back a new CLI-8 this seems to reset the software. In reading your post it seems to only work if you leave the new cart installed. I'm sure you're not anxious to pull it out and try all the old ones one more time. The System eeprom does keep track of each time any ink cart is removed, it counts them and this data is shown when you print the eeprom data. This data can also be reset in the Service mode. I guess you did not get the opportunity to try and do the Service Mode reset since you had a solution. But, your idea of 1. Open the cover to get the head to the center. 2. Pull the power cord out. 3. Pull all ink carts and fill them all and replace. 4. Plug the power cord back in to the printer. Power the printer on. This will stop the count of how many time the ink carts have been pulled.

I know you are a very busy person, buy it sure would be very interesting to find out of the Service Mode reset would also clear this problem. It would also be good to know if the reset would still hold if you took out your new CLI-8 ink cart and tried just old ones again.

 

[headphonesman]

I know you are a very busy person, buy it sure would be very interesting to find out of the Service Mode reset would also clear this problem. It would also be good to know if the reset would still hold if you took out your new CLI-8 ink cart and tried just old ones again.

Kitty ,
I have , (like many others) , been following this thread with a great deal of interest, and I would like to second Trigger`s request to you to keep us informed on your progress in totally overcoming this nasty problem.
There are still several unanswered questions that we all may need to know to get our printers to coninue to function as we want them to in the future.

We thank you for your efforts to date and the way in which you have described and dealt with the problem, but I think we are only 50% along the road in understanding what is going on.

Trigger is correct , there is another thread, (somewhere ?) , but my recollection is that most of us all thought it was a one-off , that the problem would go away, this is obviously not the case.

We have to know which printer models are subject to the problem , (rumored to be late 4200`s and all 4300/500`s ?
Is the stoppage able to be overcome by epromm re-set ? (alone or in conjuction with something else?)
Do carts that have been in a stoppage machine "infect" other ok machines ?
Has only removing carts for re-fill with the power lead disconnected any merit ?
Do you always have to have one Lit-up cart in these machines for the other carts to work , after stoppage?
When the one "good" cart runs out what happens and what do you do next ? override ? buy another cart?
These are some of the questions all Canon Forum members should be concerned with.
I currently have a 4300 (new) which was purchased just for the head to be used as a spare for the MP600.( The MP600 is currently running with lights out on all carts. ) If , ( after sensible discussion ) there is a need to confirm or dispense with certain solutions , I will transfer the head and carts from the 600 for the test,but I do not want to carry out these tests over a prolonged period of time on the 4300 machine.

 

[KittyMarmalade]

Hi guys

In the morning, when I get time, i'll do the service mode rest and report back.

I'm just sooo hardcore [and intrigued, which is the main reason ]