Canon service tool v2000

[PeterBJ]

The service manual for your printer uses a version 1081 of the service tool. It looks like the old version 1074. I haven't bookmarked the link, but you might find it using Google if you want to try a version similar to that used in the service manual.

The service tools are general tools intended for use on many different printers with different features. If you click a function not supported by your printer, you will get an error message with error 0002.

Some high end Canon photo printer has a clear ink or wetting liquid or gloss optimiser for optimising pigment prints. I think this function has no use for your printer.

I think that the page counter cannot be reset, at least not with v3200. The older v1074 has an EEPROM clear button. This may or may not work with your printer. But don't use it. If you use it you will lose the history of the printer. It should be sufficient to reset the ink absorber counter when replacing the ink absorbers. The D-value will then be reset to zero. I think Canon does not want the page counter to be reset. See post #32.

The DF-value is an estimated value. If you have done many printhead cleanings lately it might be much too low, estimating that you will continue to do all those cleanings. I think it will correct itself if you print a new EEPROM test in say a month.

You haven't disabled ink monitoring? This is reported to dramatically increase numbers of printhead cleanings initiated by the printer. I would ignore the DF value, at least until it possibly causes problems. I think the D-value is what is important and if it is only 10% I guess that you will have years of absorber life left.

For resetting the D-value after changing the absorbers, I think this will work: Click the set button in "Ink Absorber Counter" row of buttons after having checked that "Counter Value%" button shows 0, and the "Absorber"button shows "Main"

 

[pixmania]

The service manual for your printer uses a version 1081 of the service tool. It looks like the old version 1074. I haven't bookmarked the link, but you might find it using Google if you want to try a version similar to that used in the service manual..

ok but why are there 2 reset buttons relating to ink absorber in the v3200. on another link i found for v3200 it says click eeprom, click set clear ink counter and finally click set ink absorber counter after zero % change.
the version depicted in the manual only has 1 reset button relating to the ink absorber, but v3200 has 2 and thats the version i should use apparently.

 

[PeterBJ]

Even if I don't recommend it I tested the "Set" button in the "Clear Ink Counter" row of buttons. I expected to get an error 0002, but instead the green power lamp on the printer blinked for some time and the printer sounded like it was doing a printhead cleaning. It finally ejected a blank piece of paper. A subsequent EEPROM test printout showed D=000.2, so this button seems also to reset the D-value. As the D-value was 4 before the reset and I had tested a reset from D=3 before in another test, I then used the "Set" button in the "Ink Absorber Counter" row after having preset the "Counter Value%" to 10%. Confirmed by an EEPROM test print the D-value is now 10%.

The setting of the D-value with the "Ink Absorber Counter" buttons happened immediately without "cleaning" sounds from the printer, so I recommend that only this row of buttons is used for resetting the D-Value.

I used a Pixma 3600 for the test, I don't know if your printer will behave in the same way. But if you have no problems with your printer at the moment, I suggest stop playing with service mode and use it only for print quality checks and getting info about D-value. Don't use other functions unless needed.

 

[pixmania]

Even if I don't recommend it I tested the "Set" button in the "Clear Ink Counter" row of buttons. I expected to get an error 0002, but instead the green power lamp on the printer blinked for some time and the .

No, like i said before i won't use it till i have to but want to understand it all now. do you have a key to explain what all the codes mean on the eeprom print out?
also the df= code appears to be a value based on time not use, a sort of shelf life monitor for the absorber pad. the manual says if its below 24 which is 24 months, then replace the pad regardless of how full it is.
so i guess its counting down and may stop the printer when it hit zero! so that looks as if it may need a reset in the future. like i said mine says df=8 meaning 8 months left and i've only had the printer 4/5 months so it was never on 24 when i bought
see page 54/62 just over halfway down the page step2 df.

 

[PeterBJ]

It seems something brought the DF-value "out of sync". I have noticed that frequent entering and leaving service mode on my pixma 3600 by turning the printer on and off seems to cause extra printhead cleanings, and the D-value also goes up a bit faster than I like. My pixma 3600 has not got the DF-value, so I cannot tell how to reset it as I cannot test it. But as it is an estimated value based on how frequent printhead cleanings are done, I think it might correct itself if the printer is used in a normal way, without many service mode operations. Maybe the "Clear Ink Counter" has something to do with the DF-value.

Not recommended, but you could try at your own risk to set the "Clear Ink Counter" and do an EEPROM test print and see if it has changed the DF value. Probably the D-value is set to 0, so the "Ink Absorber Counter" should be set to 10%"so no information is lost.

But "trial and error" and service mode operations is a risky combination, that can cause problems or even stop your printer working, so I recommend to use the printer normally for a month, without service mode operations, and then do an EEPROM test print to check the D and DF values. The DF value might have increased by then, as the number of printhead cleanings will probably be lower during the month with normal use.

You haven't disabled ink monitoring? I think this might be the cause of the problems with the DF value. Another cause could be the use of a wrong version of the service tool. The recommended version is 1081. Maybe the older versions 1074 or 2000 are better suited for your printer? But these older versions only run under 32 bit Windows.

BTW could you upload a scan of the EEPROM printout. Only the part with the larger print is needed. The small print HEX info is not needed. Maybe I can spot something wrong?

 

[pixmania]

It seems something brought the DF-value "out of sync". I have noticed that frequent entering and leaving service mode on my pixma 3600 by turning the printer on and off seems to cause extra

BTW could you upload a scan of the EEPROM printout. Only the part with the larger print is needed. The small print HEX info is not needed. Maybe I can spot something wrong?

eeprom scan

 

[PeterBJ]

I see that ink monitoring has not been disabled, so that cause of problems is ruled out. It is the line : INK_OFF ( PGBK=0 BK=0 Y=0 M=0 C=0)

Starting from the top, here is the info I am able to decipher and also some guesses: MG5200 is the model number indicating that European and American models very similar,. SN=........ is the serial number, EUR shows region is correctly set to Europe, V1.050 is the firmware version ST=......... is the date and time for first print or installation. LPT=...... is the date and time of the last print. D=... is the D-value and DF=...... is the DF value, which seems much too low.

The next line starting with ER is interesting. It is a record of errors, both service call errors and operator call errors. From the service manual they translate to:

ER0=1000 is an operator call error, meaning no paper in the rear tray

ER1=6000 is a more serious service call error meaning line feed error. This can have a lot of causes, some harmless some serious, see the service manual p. 10/62

ER2=5100 is a service call error meaning carriage error also potentially serious with many causes, see service manual p, 10/62

ER3=1851 I couldn't find this. As the number is low, <2000, it is probably a harmless operator call error.

ER4=1000 is an operator call error, meaning no paper in the rear tray

ER5=1682 is an operator call error meaning ink cartridge not recognised. The chip is possibly defective.

ER6=1660 is an operator call error meaning a cartridge is probably empty.

ER7=5100 is a service call error meaning carriage error also potentially serious with many causes, see service manual p, 10/62

ER8=C000 is a service call error meaning drive switch error, potentially serious, see p. 13/62

Did you have some paper jams? That could explain the service call errors, or were the timing strip and disk stained by ink? or was a cartridge not properly installed and blocked printhead movement?

I don't know this: PC(............

LG=02 English means English is chosen as language.

TPAGE( TTL=00428 COPY=00000) is a page counter meaning that 482 pages were printed in total and no copies were made using the printer as a stand alone copier.

CH=004 means printhead number 4, meaning that the printhead was replaced 3 times or removed for cleaning outside the printer 3 times. Have you had problems with clogging of the printhead?

The CT(..... line shows number of cartridge changes, maybe 1 should be subtracted from each value, as with the CH value?

IL(... I read somewhere that this is ink level in cartridges, and it can have the values 0, 1, 2 and 3. I don't know if 0 means a full or nearly empty cartridge.

P_ON is probably number of times the printer has been powered on.

A_REG=1, M_REG=0 could mean that the printhead has been aligned automatically once and never manually. It is a good idea to do a new alignment if the printhead has been removed from the printer, and a manual alignment printed on high definition paper or matte photo paper is more accurate than an automatic alignment, giving better photo print quality.

IF(USB2=1) probably something with interface. Could indicate if the printer is connected via USB or via. wireless

ASF PAGE, ASF means Automatic Sheet Feeder. This could be a page counter for rear tray or it could be from the cassette. Total number of pages from this paper source is 389, the other numbers indicate what printing media was chosen and the number of prints on each media.

FR PAGE is a page counter for either the cassette or the rear tray. Note that ASF PAGE+FR PAGE=TPAGE TTL or 389+39=428

DCDP(ALL=00000) maybe number of printed duplex pages if the printer has this capability?

EDGE=00103 , L=00000 probably some alignment values.

4x6+KG=00008 Could this be the calculation of the DF value?

CDR=00004 could be number of CD's printed.

CDRP-0177, -00489) most likely CD alignment value

CDRS0053) probably also a CD alignment value.

LF=* EJ=* are values for alignments made in service mode.

INK_OFF ( PGBK=0 BK=0 Y=0 M=0 C=0) means ink monitoring was never turned off.

SC(TTL=00012 PC=00012 COPY=00000) is number of scans with a total of 112 all scanned to the PC no scan as a stand alone copier.

WL-LAN= .......... is the printers MAC address.

LP_WL=00000 could indicate that the printer is not connected via wireless

I cannot tell from the info why the DF-value is so low. It might be related to many printhead cleanings from the printer maintenance tab. Many cleanings in a short time might cause the value to go low.

The EEPROM data tells the service technician a lot about the printers history and usage. I guess that is why the EEPROM cannot be reset with the newer versions of the service tool. I think this is related to warranty conditions. One must not be able to delete the fact that the inklevel has been disabled or that the printhead has been removed, possibly for cleaning outside the printer. Also in some countries warranty is also limited by a number of pages printed.

 

[pixmania]

I see that ink monitoring has not been disabled, so that cause of problems is ruled out. It is the line : INK_OFF ( PGBK=0 BK=0 Y=0 M=0 C=0).

yes i had a paper jam once and the another time the refill plug rose up from the cart causing a the cart carriage to jam. both flagged up errors but switching off and unjamming cured the problems. i had the print out an in isopropol cause a faulty ink flow made me think the head was blocked but it was the cart at fault. haven't run clean hardly at all i usually run a test print once a week to keep nozzles clear.

 

[PeterBJ]

Isopropyl alcohol is not the best printhead cleaner. Much better is a water/alcohol mixture with about 20% alcohol, as the ink is not alcohol based but water based. a window cleaner with ammonia is better or you could use pharmacist's cleaning solution, which I think is just as good as the window cleaner: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=38818#p38818

You see it is like the printer has a built in flight data recorder, It is hard to hide anything from the Canon service technician or others with access to a service tool.

I don't understand the low DF value, but try to check it again after a month, with no more service mode operations in the meantime. If that doesn't help. I'm out of ideas.

 

[pixmania]

Isopropyl alcohol is not the best printhead cleaner. Much better is a water/alcohol mixture with about 20% alcohol, as the ink is not alcohol based but water based. a window cleaner with ammonia is better or you could use pharmacist's cleaning solution, which I think is just as good as the window cleaner: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=38818#p38818

You see it is like the printer has a built in flight data recorder, It is hard to hide anything from the Canon service technician or others with access to a service tool.

I don't understand the low DF value, but try to check it again after a month, with no more service mode operations in the meantime. If that doesn't help. I'm out of ideas.

o.k peter thanks, maybe when i come to reset the absorber using the 2 buttons it will reset the df value. only time will tell.
regards,px.