Question for jtoolman, setting up my 3880 Cone Carts

[jtoolman]

I am using a tape used in book binding in school libraries. Or you can get clear packing tape. There is cheap very thin stuff and good thicker tape. I use the thicker variety.

I would leave them in for now and wait for CONE's response. They claim that their carts are the best! But the truth is, all of them have that problem. The controller chips housing is not held down securely and does move up due to the spring pressure.

Do not leave th ink compartment empty, at least stick the OEM carts back in if you must.

Gotta leave the house for the day so I talk with you later tomorrow.

Maybe I will shot a short video and show you how to modify the cart chips to elimintate the problem.

Joe

 

[jtoolman]

I just uploaded a video covering the problems of refillable carts for the 3800 though most is also applicable to the 3880
It is still processing so it will not be available for several hours yet. It's a no holds barred expose!!!!! LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDi1lhDoWjM

 

[3dogs]

Joe,

That's a GOOD video, pity it comes now for me. Like many I was thinking that the non OEM ink companies had viable commercial carts for the 3880. It is now very apparent that what they did bring was brought to the market prematurely.

When one looks at the carts, and I only did that last Saturday a person shakes his head and just wonders what sort of ASS made a die for injection moulding that arrangement with no, ZERO lateral support via a 'snap in'
along the long side of that chip controller.......... Even a slide in from the front with a bump over to snap in place would have been many many times better.

Your idea of HD tape seems good. Bob P has put forward the idea of silicone, and bedding the controller into that. It sounds doable but will be difficult to do without masking contacts. I can see no reason why one would want to separate them .......can you?

Nice work with the video Joe, many people will be helped by this and my guess is we will get a solution from it as it will open up debate and hopefully innovation.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[jtoolman]

Thanks, I thought I had to do this to show everyone that even though the carts themselves are fine and operate well, the weakpoint is the chip assembly.
There also seems to be a very sloppy level of tolerance between expamples. Some suffer more than others.

So far NO ONE has explained to me the reason why they have not integrated the effects of the OEM and the controller chip into one single permanently installed chip lke the other common refillables. Maybe Mikling ( Mike ) can explain this to us. I don't know enough about chip coding so can't comment.

Also I wonder whether it was due to Patent restrictions why they didn't incorporate an ink bladder or bag design as in the OEM carts, that could be refilled directly through the ink exit nozzle or through a secondary inkport on the opposite end of the bag.
Some of the large format refillable carts sold by some makers actually use an ink bladder. You simply stand then up, ink exit port down, unplug the rear fill plug and fill up the ink bag, plug it, reset, done.

So until something better comes up this is what we have.

 

[3dogs]

Joe,

I have made a tool that has resolved my problem of extracting these carts. We think alike in a way you used a piece of card or something to wedge between the printer and the Controller chip. I had done the same sort of thing but the paper I used was not up to the task so I put it to one side to think on. I have been mulling this over ever since as it seems that pushing the Controller Chip and the Printer internals apart was the key to extraction, but the 'tool' needed to be subtle, precise and reusable long term.

My wife has some HD plastic document folders in various colours she got from a Staples type outlet. I am guessing at about .25ml thick (cant be bothered walking to the workshop to get the vernier). I cut a strip as wide as the cart and about 1.5 times the length. I cut a second piece identical but made the second one shorter by the length of the Controller Chip. For the prototype I simply stapled them one on top of the other giving me a robust 'handle' the other 'sticking out' bit is the 'tool' and I shaved the leading edge of that by scraping a sharp blade along the edge to make it tapered.

Knowing the length of the tool means that it will only EVER go in as far as the cart itself, so I will not accidentally insert it too far and cause some unintended damage inside the printer. The next trial model will have a slight wedge shape so that the corners don't contact anything either side as the tool is being inserted.

I just used the prototype tool and a person can actually 'feel' the tool slip between the printer internals and the carts' Controller Chip!

To be honest I held my breath at this point on account of the fact that the carts were stuck SOLID!! .........

They ALL slipped out and back a number of times as sweet as pie and light as a feather. BY holding the tool still and sliding the cart back out there is no further friction against the printers internal contacts.....so now I can top up, do some prints and GET SOME SLEEP!!!!

Next step (for me) is to sort out the best HOW TO fix the Controller chip in place so it does not jam again. I cant see how to fix the rough edge of the plastic carrier that houses the Controller Chip as you say the quality sucks, taping it is maybe the best we will get..........tho I am wondering if this 'simple' tool is not as good a solution as any till we get better carts on the market or snow falls on the Sahara Desert!!

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[panos]

"I NEED order, PROCESS and CLARITY" I keep saying that to myself as well but why do I end in disorder, randomness and obscurity I'll never understand!

 

[3dogs]

Panos I see you are from Greece,

Having visited Athens and Poros briefly in the 80's, I am astounded at your lament, Greece and the Greek people (not tourists) was Sunshine, Coffee, Retsina, food, talk, and beautiful people........everything else is just a distraction to be ignored and put off 'till later. just buy a new, brighter, lighter set of worry beads and be Greek!!

Andrew