Canon i960 Status Monitor problem

[dozer74]

Hi,

I'm new here, though not a novice at computing. I realize this is not primarily a tech support forum but, after using this i960 printer trouble-free for a year, I have a problem the Canon support people cannot solve. The Status Monitor no longer shows the correct ink level, and it displays no warnings. For the last week, it has shown the same levels in the cartridges as follows: C= 1/4, PC=Full, B= 1/4 (even though it is full), Y=3/4 (even though it is empty), PM=3/4, M=Full. During that time, the black cartridge has gone dry and the yellow cartridge is nearly dry right now. As the ink us used up, the ink levels shown by the monitor do not change, and cartridges go dry without warning. The monitor seems to be frozen without changing and, no matter what I do to the cartridges, it reads the same. I just replaced the black cartridge, which was bone dry, but the monitor still reads 1/4 full even though it is full. I reinstalled the software but that did not help. Any ideas? Thanks for reading this. Dozer74

 

[JV]

dozer74,

When the triangular prism at the bottom of the ink tank is exposed (ink tank almost empty or empty) the optical sensor triggers the "low ink" signal. At this point there is about 4 to 5 cc's of ink in the sponge chamber. That can only be determined by weighing the cartridge and comparing it to a new cartridge that has obout 13 to 14 cc of ink.

After the "low ink" signal ink counters in the printer track the ink use until about 0.6 cc's of ink is used and then the "empty" signal is displayed.

Also see:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=140 Post #4

JV

 

[dozer74]

Thanks Inkjet Guru. The ink tanks run dry (and I mean totally out of ink) without giving a warning of any kind. That's a good way to ruin prints. I'll have to watch them more closely because the Status Monitor does not function and no one knows why. I can take the ink tanks completely out of the printer with no change in the monitor display. Whether the tanks are full, empty or somewhere between, the monitor reads the same (see above post). Without realizing it, I ran the printer until black ink stopped flowing and two prints were ruined. Then, when I replaced it, it still showed 1/4 full, just like it did to start with. Frustrating! I must have a bad optical sensor. Dozer

 

[drc023]

The optical sensor may not be defective. Be sure to check that it isn't covered with ink or paper which would prevent it from detecting a low or out of ink condition.

 

[dozer74]

JV and drc023, thanks for your help. Could one of you please tell me where the optical sensor is? I thought about cleaning it but I don't know where it is or what it looks like. Thanks, Dozer

 

[Grandad35]

On my i9900 there is a hole in the printer carriage directly under each prism (top image below). Apparently, the hole for each ink color is passed over a single sensor so that the ink level in every cart can be tested. I couldn't see any sensor in the correct position on the right side of the printer, but there was a strange looking device close to the left edge in exactly the right place to see into the prisms (bottom image). You will have to look into your printer to find its sensor.

 

[dozer74]

Thanks Grandad35. Those are great photos.....and this is a great forum. Dozer

 

[emerald]

I have two Canon i960 printers. Call them Printer 1 and Printer 2. Printer 1 seems to have a "frozen" printer ink status monitor. Even though the ink cartridges are full the ink status monitor registers five of the six cartridges as 1/3 full. The Photo Magenta is stuck on 2/3 full. Printer 2 seems to portray an accurate picture of the status of the ink cartridges. They all show full and indeed they are. Swapping the ink cartridges changes nothing. Swapping the print heads changes nothing. Each printer is connected to separate computers - both are dual boot, Win98 and Win XP. Both printers show the same status with Win98 AND Win XP. Unless someone can convince me otherwise I don't want to swap printers with computers because you have to remove and install the printer drivers. Both Computer 1 and Computer 2 drivers were programmed with the same CD. Even though they are identical when you try to swap them the computer thinks it has a new piece of hardware. I might change the software so that both computers share the same faulty printer just to see if there's a change.

I removed the cover and the base from Printer 1 to flush and clean the waste ink pads. Printer 1 prints fine other than the ink monitor problem. I noticed the problem before I took the cover and base off. When I first noticed the problem all were 1/3 full except the black and photo magenta. I taped a piece of paper over the photo sensor at the left side of the printer. I printed a couple of charts and noticed that the black changed from 2/3 to 1/3 full. I removed the piece of paper but nothing changed. I dabbed a corner of a paper towel in alcohol and rubbed it over the photo optic sensor. There appears to be two very small lenses - one to emit a beam up into the cartridge prism and another to read the reflection. I suspected the photo optic sensor to be defective or the circuity behind it as faulty.

I found the answer to my problem from a string "wrong cartridge error code." Post # 3 by ghwellsjr. I changed two cartridges to empty cartridges. The monitor showed them as being nearly empty - the others still registered as 1/3 full. Then I replaced the empty cartridges with full ones and then all 6 cartridges registered as full, their true status.

Hats off to ghwellsjr!

 

[ghwellsjr]

Thanks, and here is the link for those who would like to see the post that emerald referenced:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=26946#p26946

You will also want to read down to post #5.

 

[emerald]

iP4000 USB Connector

I'm asking advice about how to make one good printer out of two Canon iP4000 printers with marginal problems. I acquired both at little expense.

Printer 1 is in better shape than Printer 2. However the USB port on printer 1 is dead. The parallel port is OK. The waste ink pad level is at 35%. The case is immaculate with no breakage or scratches. The printer engine works well and is very quiet. The print head shows 100% on both the simple nozzle check and the extended check in the service mode. The second and third line of the magenta matrix shown in the service mode test may be a little light but there is no streaking or banding when printing 5 or 6 color bar test patterns using plain paper at medium quality.

Printer 2 has upper and lower case damage. On the lower case, the plastic is broken on the right hinge of the output tray lid. On the upper case, the plastic bar above the output tray on the left side near the push-to-release catch is broken apart. The push-to-release catch has been jimmied and is unusable - the front lid can NOT be latched in the closed position. The front and top lids and side surfaces are scratched but are otherwise intact. Epoxy glue (JB Weld) would probably restore most of the damaged areas so that the case and hinge will be reasonably sound. However, the jimmied push-to-release catch is beyond repair - part of it is missing.

The print head on Printer 2 shows some cyan streaking on the nozzle check which also shows up on color bar test patterns. The service mode test shows the cyan matrix with a few uneven grid lines but all nozzles show good. I flushed the print head under a hot water stream and it's now setting in a saucer of Windex - to be dried and checked in the morning.

The printer engine on Printer 2 works well but is slightly noisier than Printer 1. The waste ink pad level is at 66%. Both printers are messy around the purge systems but the purge and wiping actions work well. On both printers, no paper jams have occurred on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper sheets or #10 envelopes from either the top sheet feeder or the cassette

The USB port fastens directly to the logic board and it works OK on Printer 2. I'm considering swapping logic boards but I'm a little leery of unplugging 7 miniature plugs, some of which appear to have latching tabs. I intend to remove the purge systems to inspect and clean them. Waste pad kits are available from Canon for under $20.

Forum contributors having experience swapping logic boards on Canon printers are asked for advice about possible pitfalls. It will be greatly appreciated. Trigger 37, are you out there?