I fear I've killed my Pixma IP4950

[Jeffro Jones]

I do a fair bit of home printing: CD/DVD labels, software manuals, and general household stuff - timetables, pdf's etc. I have a good scanner, so I prefer a "single function" printer. I have been happily using the Canon ip4950 for about 4 years, but recently got the error code of five flashes on startup. This error (strangely) is NOT in the manual. The manual (again, strangely) skips from 4 flashes to 6 flashes, so it was not very helpful.

The WWW revealed that it was probably a problem with the print head, which might simply need cleaning and reseating, or it might be cactus, or there might be a problem with another PCB that was generating the error. Cleaning and reseating didn't help. I found (on this forum, I think) that the cause might be an ink cartridge running dry, and as I fill my own cartridges, that does happen now and then, and there was indeed an empty cartridge in the printer. DOH!

Its been a week now, and the problem persists. Is there anything else I can try, apart from reseating the print head? I'm not sure about buying a new print head, because if its not the source of the error, it is time and money wasted...

cheers


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[kdsdata]

Through my years I have managed to recover 3 or 4 print heads (out of around 10 or so). When I have a clogging problem like that I remove the print head and purge with Windex.

But that is complicated because you want to keep the (pure; no additives) Windex away from all parts except the ink channels. I set it upright and then with a syringe I LIGHTLY squeeze some fluid through all channels. Most importantly I do not allow any channels to get dry (very important). After a couple of days (no magic in the 2 days, just my choice, I start with water flush of the channels, and again I do not allow any channels to get dry (very important). I do that for again a couple days (again no magic, I just give it time to soak and flush). Then, I install the print head, but keep the channels wet with water.

The maintenance cycle flushes out the water. Each of the times it worked, it took only a could of cycles to get good color. However the rest of the heads (6 or 7) were dead. One of the times it was even the motherboard, hence a new printer.

I think this is the procedure that is used for the "recycled" print heads from China (or wherever). No intent to badmouth the process. It's time consuming, so not necessarily cheap.

My replacement heads were all the recycled types, and all except one worked well. The one that didn't work was on the printer with the bad motherboard, so I wouldn't even claim that the recycled print head was bad.

So all in all I am not unhappy about this process, but it is time consuming.

 

[The Hat]

@Jeffro Jones, If one of your cartridges run out of ink in the middle of a print run, that will most definitely cause heating issues within the head, mostly if you catch it in time there will be no damage, but Canon print heads will fail very quickly when used without proper ink flowing through the nozzles...

 

[Jeffro Jones]

@The Hat: I suspect your are right. I should have been more vigilant. Price of an education, I guess

@kdsdata: Thanks for your reply. I have nothing to lose by trying this method, so I will. cheers


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[barfl2]

@The Hat: I suspect your are right. I should have been more vigilant. Price of an education, I guess

@kdsdata: Thanks for your reply. I have nothing to lose by trying this method, so I will. cheers
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You could also try the well tested and popular method of a Household paper towel folded in 4 put into a small container (I use old food containers) soak the folded pad with Windex and gently push the head up and down and also cover the screen you are trying to unblock with more Windex and see how many colours you are getting on the paper pad. If necessary replace dirty towel with another and repeat. Another thing you can try is to remove the rubber gasket around the suspect colour and fit a piece of plastic tubing usually about 3/8" on my MP620 I use a needle scabbard with the tip cut off. its a perfect push fit. With a syringe I then fill the tube up and see how fast it goes through. if yours goes through very quickly it is likely not to be a blockage.

 

[mikling]

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/info...g-of-canon-printer-warning-light-flashes.html

The number of flashes and its meaning is pretty much universal among the Canon models.

 

[Jeffro Jones]

@barfl2: thanks for that.
@mikling: thanks for the link. I did find the information, but I still thought it odd it wasn't in the ip4950 manual.

The printer has not responded to my efforts, so alas, I can do no more.
But there was serendipity... a friend had wanted to simplify their home-office, and replaced a canon multifunction with a black and white laser printer.
The canon - a mp980 - is slightly more than I require, but the price (free to a good home) was right. It had been sitting on a shelf in a garage for two years, and the cartridges and print-head were bone dry. I sat the print-head on some paper towel and trickled Windex into the top ink channels for a couple of days (thanks kdsdata) until colour started to appear and then applied water. Now its back in action and printing fine. I've never been a fan of the multifunction, but I've got one now, and it comes with a 947 page manual, so its a "new toy" I guess

thanks for replies and kind help!!!

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