Cartridges's memory: How?

[yonikeren]

Hi!

I would like to know (if a specific example is required then take Lexmark's 41/41a or 42/42a) the following:
-How does the cartridge remember (and how is it modified) the number of pages/amount of ink that went out from the nozzles?
-same thing for the cartridge's type?
-Is there a known way to tamper with that information?

This question is important since,for example,the only difference between Lexmark's 41 and 41a (or 37/37a 42/42a 14/14a 36/36a etc)
is that the ones with the "a" (37a model etc) are refillable,meaning that you can refill and print regardless of the count,while with the 37,from a certain count you cannot use that cartridge anymore!




My best regards,
Yoni.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I don't know about Lexmark but the Canon cartridges have an electronic chip with the same kind of memory in it that you have on memory sticks and cards. There are industrious people who have figured out how to tamper with the information stored on those chips and to reset them to the state they were when brand new. Unless you have hope to make money off of such resetters, I doubt that it would be worth your while to do your own tampering.