Canon Chip Resetter Reports

[binkie]

I have successfully been using the German Durchstich Refill Method with the RedSetter, but have a question. Are there any problems with resetting the chip with the RedSetter before the chip reports that the ink is low? When one cartridge is reported as low, I plan the top off and reset all cartridges. That way, I only have to open the machine once, thus avoiding a cleaning cycle as each cartridge is individually filled. Hope my logic is correct and makes sense.

Binkie

 

[pebe]

I have refilled and reset three half empty cartridges and experienced no problems.

 

[IGExpandingPanda]

I have successfully been using the German Durchstich Refill Method with the RedSetter, but have a question. Are there any problems with resetting the chip with the RedSetter before the chip reports that the ink is low? When one cartridge is reported as low, I plan the top off and reset all cartridges. That way, I only have to open the machine once, thus avoiding a cleaning cycle as each cartridge is individually filled. Hope my logic is correct and makes sense.

Binkie

Your logic makes sense.

Keep in mind that at least on the ip5200 of mine, I've observed that you can refill them before they hit "low" and continue to fill them and either
1) get the warning when the ink exposes the prism
2) get the warning after print exceeds a certain amount

What I'm saying is you may not need to reset the chips if you are just planning to top them off.

 

[pebe]

If you top up before the cartridge is empty you should reset, otherwise the counter in the chip is not a true record and you would get an 'Empty' warning when there was still ink in the tank.

 

[InkWiz]

Ink Refill Needle type question.

I have a question about the right type of needle guage to use with the "German Method."

First of all, I got the Sudhaus Redsetter. Bought off an ebay seller. But, the syringes that came with it were 5 "Slip Tip" syringes. While, the pics show 5 "Leur Lock" syringes. Is this normal? I'm just wondering if I got the correct kit, or if the ebay seller swapped the contents of the box. Can anyone confirm that Sudhaus is shipping "Slip Tip" instead of "Leur Lock" in their boxes. Thanks.

I also got 5 Needles that have "Pink" plastic hubs. They are 18 guage blunt needles, and 50 mm (about 2") long.

Are these the correct needles for Sudhaus Kit?

I ask this because most of the posts I read say use 20 or 22 guage needles, and usually people mention needles 70mm (about 2.75") or longer for the German Method.

The Sudhaus kit includes an instruction sheet describing the German Method, so obviously the needles supplied is expected to work for that technique.

The 50mm needles do seem to be "just enough" to enter the ink tank on the other side of the sponge, so I think the length may be ok.

But, I haven't started refilling yet, and I'm not sure how 18 guage blunt needles will penetrate the sponge without pushing it. Looks kinda thick needle to me.

Being that it's blunt, should I sharpen them before use? I have a Fordum SR Rotary Tool, so I can probably put a grinder bit on it and shape the needle, but I might shorten the needle doing so and then it might not reach the tank.

Needle seems to be just too short for adjustments of this kind.

Also, I'm wondering if using an 18 guage needle might require the fill hole to be too big and so cause ink to leak out? Then I'd have to put tape over the fill hole or something, instead of leaving it neat like the GM users do.

I'm just trying to cover all the bases here before re-discovering things people may already know about. Couldn't find answers to these things on the forum. So, I'd appreciate it if members could help answer these questions.

[1] Did Sudhaus ship "Slip Tip" syringes or "Leur Lock" in the kit you got?
[2] Are the needles "sharp" or "blunt" in this kit?
[3] Are the needles 18 guage "Pink hubs" or 20 Guage "Yellow hubs" or 22 Guage "Black Hubs"?
[4] Are the needles 50mm (2") or longer, what length?
[5] Does anyone use 18 guage needles for the "German Method", is it ok, any leaks?
[6] If using 18 guage needle, do you need to sharpen the blunt needle before use? [I know 22 guage blunt needles work fine, and 20 guage sharp ones, read about that, but I didn't find mention of 18 guage used for GM]
[7] Do the Ink Bottles in the Sudhaus kit come with full ink levels, or does the ink level look low. My color inks don't top up the bottles, rather only rise to the top etched mark below the top of the label. This may be fine. But, just looks a bit odd to me.
[8] Anyone use Sudhaus Kit Ink in their ip4500, is this ink ok?

I like the "Leur Lock" syringes because of less possibility for the needle to accidentally disconnect and spill ink when servicing the printer, but I've seen people use "Slip Tip" just fine. Only need to be more careful. But, I was kinda dissapointed to find the Sudhaus box contents didn't match the pics on eBay. Manufacturers do swap and change contents, however, so this could be normal. I also read somewhere that the needles shipped with the Sudhaus kit were "sharp", so the blunt needles were a surprise.

Anyway, sorry for all the questions, but this is going to be my first attempt at refilling. Trying to get the parameters right the first time, if possible.

 

[stratman]

Don't know about what to expect in the Sudhaus kit but I can answer some other questions of yours from my experience.

1) 50 mm or 2 inches is probably the least needle length to use in the Durchstich method of refilling. You want the needle to traverse the sponged side of the cartridge and into the spongeless side to control the location that the ink is injected. I purchased 2.5 inch 18 guage blunt-tipped needles (and some syringes) from www.alotofthings.com.

2) Blunt or sharp needles work. I use blunt-tipped needles and never had a problem. Benefits of blunt tipped needles are no worry about skewering plastic surfaces inside the cartridge and a greatly reduced risk of drawing blood if you stab yourself. I would NOT sharpen a blunt-tipped needle as you create metal fatigue and run the risk of breaking off a piece that may wind up somewhere you don't want. You can do it, and it may never break apart, but why? Sharp or blunt, it's all good. Use whatever you have.

3) The higher the number of the guage, the smaller the diameter of the bore of the needle. Smaller bores require greater force to inject the ink which could result in greater velocity of ink flow which could result in increased risk of foam formation. Foam isn't too much of a deal in the spongeless side in my experience, but I have read that foam in the sponged side can create ink flow problems while printing - not sure how that would impact a sponge, though. Anyways, I use 18 guage needles and appreciate that less force is required (muscle!) to get the job done. Also, there is zero issue with the 18 guage size on the fill hole made - there are no leaks on my cartridges.

4) As you said, the Leur Lock needle and syringes are a method of ensuring the needle does not separate from the syringe during use. Other mechanisms may or may not be as secure (or even better) but will work as well with care. Leur Lock systems do cost more than older technology. I prefer the Leur Lock system. Recently, I have been using plastic squeeze bottles that have Leur Lock caps from Howard Electronics (http://www.howardelectronics.com/kahnetics/squeezebottles.html). I transfer the ink into these bottles and use their Leur Lock caps to attach a needle to them. I use the needle cap with the needle still on the bottle for storage. So far so good, and much faster and with less risk of a mess than having to refill syringes each time.

 

[pharmacist]

I have tried several needles and for me the optimal diameter is 21G. I do not use Luer lock syringes, I never had problems of needles coming of during refilling, but it might be an extra safeguard for those being afraid of making a complete mess.

 

[InkWiz]

Thanks guys. I'll use the 18 guage needles I have. I did run out to the dollar store to pick up a set of miscellaneous sewing needles for a buck. Seems that the upholstery needle could make the path through the sponge if the blunt 18 g needle pushes the sponge too much. But, its good to know someone out there actually uses 18g for the German Method.

I looked at www.alotofthings.com before, some time ago, but they don't ship to Canada. So, I was out of luck there. All the places that sell longer 20g and 22 g needles in single units, that I could find, only ship within the USA. Those shipping single units to Canada only have short needles 2" and shorter.

www.howardelectronics.com is the only place I could find that will ship the 20g-22g long needles to Canada, but they require customers to buy in bulk. Nevertheless, I did bookmark them, just in case I couldn't locate needles elsewhere.

This is why I picked the Sudhaus Kit, instead of just the Sudhaus Redsetter, because the kit came with needles.

I'd already decided I'd use Hobbicolors or Image Specialists Ink from MIS or Precision Colors, so I really didn't need the Sudhaus Ink Set. It's sourcing the needles that I found difficult.

There's a store called Active Surplus here in Toronto that usually has Leur Lock syringes, so I picked up a couple there, but they didn't have the right size, only 20 mL and 3 mL syringes, all out of 10-12ml. They get stock at random times, so there's no way to order through them. Just have to keep checking back with this surplus store. They sell cheap, but they never carry needles of any kind, so again obtaining needles seem to be the issue.

Never thought about the foam issue with smaller diameter needles, good point, maybe 21g is optimum like pharmacist suggests. Over time, I'll probably experiment with these alternatives to see the impacts of using different guages, but getting started its nice to get things right first time.

By the way, I found this really cool box to hold all the refill tools for the printer. It's called a "Boater's Dry Box" sold at Canadian Tire in Canada # 079-0004-6, and I understand Walmart sells them in the USA. Prices range from $9.95-19.95. In Canada it's $19.95. This box is waterproof so if Ink spills are contained inside the box. It has the right size to hold 4oz ink bottles, the Resetter kit, and holds the CD-Tray for the Canon PIXMA iP4500 perfectly, incl other things like my spare print head etc... It's an orange color plastic box that is stackable, inside dimensions 12"L x 6"W x 4.5"H. I had planned to buy a toolbox for my "Printer Maintenance Service Kit" and was looking for something like this. However, I found this one by accident one day walking through the fishing section, it's in the Marine Section of the store, not the usual tools section where all the toolboxes are. I'd heard that other places sell this box with different names, like Marine Box, or Tackle Box, etc..but it's hard to locate through the web. You sort of have to go to the store and look around. The few pics on the web don't really show the box properly. Anyway, thought I'd mention this, just in case anyone is looking for a suitable box to hold all their refill tools and bulk ink etc..

 

[stratman]

InkWiz:

Thanks for the tip on the Boater's Dry Box. I was thinking of getting something to store my kit in. I need 8.5" heighth clearance for the Howard Electronic plastic bottles with their attached needles and scabbords (caps). A dry box or ammo box will have plenty of room for spare ink and refilled cartridges too.

I use a push pin to make the Durchstich fill hole. I make my hole near the bottom, on the side of the cartridge closest to the ink exit port. You'll notice a small plastic tab sticking out from the cartridge. Below that you'll see two arrowheads pointing inward towards each other with two capital "PP" within. I aim the pushpin at the central "o" of the "P" or let the point of the pushpin fall into the furrow of the top part of one of the stamped/molded "P", then push in the pushpin. Then I rotate the pushpin in a tangential circular arc to enlargen the hole. The 18 guage needle will be a tight fit and require a little effort to insert. Aim the blunt-tipped needle towards the bottom of the cartridge (where the ink exit port is located). Most of the length of the needle will traverse the bottom of the sponge and be seen clearly through the plastic of the cartridge. Only a portion of the sponge will be pierced. A groove forms inside and on the outer surface of the sponge, acting as a channel for subsequent refills if the same technique is used.

Hope this helps.

 

[binkie]

I purchased a RedSetter a little over a month ago and had no trouble for about 7 resets. Then it started taking repeated efforts to properly reset a cartridge. The cartridge light would blink but not stay on. After repeated attempts a cartridge would finally light up. Now, however, I can't get the cartridge light to blink or light up. It appears as if nothing is happening when I push the cartridge into the RedSetter. I suspect that maybe the battery is too low or dead but don't have a meter to test it. It shouldn't be after only light use.

Any one else out there have similar problems and/or any suggestions?

Binkie