Canon MP520 6a80 error print head stuck on right

[zxcvbnm114]

My brother says his canon mp520 started dragging paper in skewed and now it just shows error 6a80 and refuses to do anything.

The print head has parked itself to the right hidden under the carapace and appears stuck, opening the lid does not make it move into position it just sits there. So he can't get to it at all.

I suggested trying to poke some folded foil under the head to see if it knocked anything loose but that did not help, he said it was too tight to really get anything around the print head. Forcing a piece of paper through manually did not either. He said the head was too far to the right for the paper to go past it. It seems too solid to manually drag it out without breaking it?

I finally found how to get service mode and asked him to press the orange reset button three times in the hope of resetting the eeprom but it did not seem to do anything. I wonder if we were doing it right.

I would welcome any other ideas on how to solve this error. If anyone has a copy of the service manual that might be helpful too. Many of the internet posts are just links to buy one...

Oh the instructions I used to get into service mode are below. I tried them on my mp520 and after pressing the reset button twice and then the off button it did print our eeprom details so that works at least.

Thanks

With the printer powered off but connected to a power source, press the Power button while pressing and holding the Stop/ Reset button.
When the Power is lit, press the Stop/Reset button two times while pressing and holding the Power button.
When releasing the Power button and the Stop / Reset button (regardless of order), the printer will move into a service mode. (Waiting for menu selection)
When the on/off lights in green, press the Stop/Reset button the specified number of time(s) according to the function listed in the table below.(Each time the Stop/Reset button is pressed, the LED lights alternately in orange and green, starting with orange.)note: press 4 times for waste ink counter reset.

The number of the Reset button pressing LED Function Remarks
0 time Green Power off
1 time Orange Service pattern print (auto teste)
2 times Green EEPROM print (dados da EEPROM)
3 times Orange EEPROM reset (EEPROM reset)
4 times Green Waste ink counter reset (Absorvente reset)

Turn off the printer.( it must be turn off) then turn it on again.

 

[Ron350]

Are you saying it will print an eeprom page but the print head is stuck in the park position?

 

[zxcvbnm114]

Are you saying it will print an eeprom page but the print head is stuck in the park position?

No sorry. The broken printer won't do anything. I have an identical model on which I tested and confirmed the service mode hack worked. My brothers broken printer displayed the service mode message on the screen but after turning it off and on was back to the same 6a80 problem. The print head never budged. (Everyone in my family bought the same printer so I could refill them all when I visited but this looks like the end of that.)

Incidentally I should have mentioned the lights are flashing green and orange 12 times he thinks.

 

[gigigogu]

From a useful list with Canon error codes:

APP position error or Error Code 6A80
Condition: An error occurred in the APP motor.
Problems and Solutions:
Check for foreign material or paper debris around the purge drive system unit
- remove foreign material.
Check for foreign material or paper debris around the ASF unit
- remove foreign material.

 

[zxcvbnm114]

Thank-you for that. I assume asf is the auto sheet feeder?

Unfortunately as the head seems fixed over the purge pad there does not seem any easy way to check it. Unless they can figure out a way to get it to move we seem to be stuffed.

I may suggest playing with the service mode options just in case something shakes lose. The only other idea I can think of is if the have a thin nozzle to try and hoover it and hope something is sucked astray... A rather unlikely hope. Any better thoughts welcomed. He is rather upset that it was all working fine one minute and then the next it was dead. Grr.

Thanks again.

 

[Ron350]

If it were my printer I would take it outside turn it upside down and shake the crap out of it.
If no foreign objects fall out then it is time to take it apart down to the print head and the right hand side gears that move the purge pump assembly. These gears control the cam that locks and unlocks the print head when parked.

 

[PeterBJ]

zxcvbnm114 wrote:
I may suggest playing with the service mode options just in case something shakes lose.

Don't do that. Service mode is intended only for getting information or changing settings, not for troubleshooting mechanical problems. Playing with service mode operations is not recommended. You could loose information or worse turn the printer into a Japanese model using an entirely different cartridge set. I have made an unwanted reset of absorber level on one printer and lost EEPROM info on another, by using wrong commands.

Before using service mode commands it is a very good idea to obtain the service manual and study service mode operations, but even service manuals may contain errors: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7171 so be careful.

 

[Harvey]

What you need to do is to try to put a little pressure on the purge pads maybe with your fingers (if you manage to move the head) or with a long object. All I did was to press the purge pads 3 times and the error was gone.

 

[zxcvbnm114]

Thankyou for the thoughts but I think its had it.

Shaking it upside down produced a penny and a sim card but did not otherwise help.

Sliding folded foil around the printer head did not help.

The service mode had no effect other than saying it was in service mode.

Brute force did not shift the printer head.


Looking at similar service manuals for the mp610 I think taking it apart will be beyond my brother so I think it will go to the junkyard. A shame as I have all the refilling kit but it has done three years.

I have suggested he look at an epson sx130 for 25, an Epson sx445w 56 or an Epson Stylus SX525WD for 67. Annoyingly they all went up 10 or so over the weekend. I don't know why. Probably people rushing to get airprint printers after chrismas?

I will suggest he buys the fake epson ink off amazon from the better reviewed sellers at 2 a cartridge which shouldn't be too bad if it works. If it clogs, spills or goes wrong it will be a pain.

Don't know if this is the best course but best I can do.