Spongeless cartridge from inkjetreset.com

[irvweiner]

1) Where are you inserting the #1916 CLI8 Plugs? These plugs are used for Canon OEM carts.
http://www.rjettek.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1081/

"This Plug is used in the HP564XL, 920XL and Canon CLi221, CLi8, BCi3, PGi5 PGi220 cartridges. An 18g or smaller needle is injected and removed through the plug, allowing the cartridge to be refilled while upside-down, as recommended." I would add the BCI6 cart since I know it fits.

4) How easy is it to remove the plug if you don't want to inject through it or remove it for flushing the cartridge? I use a tweezer to remove these plugs. During the last decade I used the BCI6 carts on my s9000 & i9900, my 'plug' was either a nylon or stainless steel 6-32 screw. I gave up using a 'hotglue' gun very quickly.

2) Are you injecting through the plug?
3) Longevity of the plug?

At this time I am not using my OEM carts--but I have tested by injecting water thru the plug. I used an older BCI6 cart with the 1813 port cap on and about 4-5 cc of water in the ink chamber. I exercised 5+ insertions & withdraw/s with no leaks, at $0.09 each I will not hesitate to replace the plug frequently. All my OEM CLI8 carts have been stored several months with the 1813 port caps, no leaks have developed.

If the caps work properly then..........the 1813 caps do work well, checkout the larger 1814 caps for other Canon carts.

At present I am trying to get the real, detailed facts about the Skyhorse cart--what is the actual failure mode each person encountered and how was it resolved or not and then dumped. As a lifelong Engineer, designing, testing, trouble shooting hardware I need 'real' facts to resolve a 'problem'. I sense that I have become somewhat technically obsessed over this cart--it's elegant appearance and robust construction are impressive. However, if it's hydraulic design is faulty-game over! Unless the company can correct or is willing to do so, technical feedback from our community to them is necessary.

Bottom line, I know if this cart cannot be relied on I still have my OEM carts. However, I have observed that the temperature, humidity and barometric pressure of my workspace each time I print leave little telltale signs. Muggy, humid conditions give each print a 'more' vivid appearance--is the paper more receptive to the applied ink? Can moderate variations in barometric pressure (before, during or after a storm) alter ink delivery while I'm printing? What about the combined effect of conditions?
When printing images the human eye looks at the colors in the print relatively--looks good....etc. But if you are creating a profile, absolute relations are required else the resulting possible color casts will stand out in subsequent prints made from this 'tainted' profile.

pharmacist:...............actually I think every print should be without problems.
I totally agree! I have been doing just what you have said for the last decade with my previous 9xxxx's. I do not print professionally nor in large quantity, it is comforting to know that I can revert back to my OEM carts. Technocratically, I want to know where the cartridge's demons lie and how/if they can be removed. I believe this cart has promise.

thanks for listening, I hope the info supplied is of assistance irv weiner

 

[stratman]

We are constantly on the lookout for new tweaks and techniques in refilling and printing.

Thank you for your great responses.

 

[lin]

@Hat,
you mentioned that you tired PGI-9 cartridges, by the way, what ink did you used on these PGI-9 cartridges, dye or pigment.

@irvweiner,

you mentioned at post #27 that your ink may crystallize at the air vent, this is due to your ink. You could use other ink as there is no reason to stick to such ink that crystallized unless there is you don't mind.

reply to your post#31,
The failure mode which I could think of would be the inner ink and air exchange passage for the Sxxxxxxx cigarrette sponge cartridges. The hole is too small as it's mimimicking some of the epson compatible refillable cartridge. While it may works for epson, it will not be to suitable for canon because canon uses capillary action and if the sponge fails to absorb the ink readily, this will cause ink starvation during heavy and/or consecutive printing.

Feedback?? If you read my previous post, this Sxxxxxxx is a company that does not value feedback. If memory still serve me, I remember one company that carries Sxxxxxxx carts and due to poor communication with these Sxxxxxxx company they stop selling their product. Well, let's hope time have change and some of their non-chalent staff were replaced with customer-oriented staff.

@All
Now this thread refers to the spongeless cartridges that mapsy carries and not any other spongeless epson lookalike canon cartridges that one had tried them for CISS or such. And if anyone are referring to other spongeless looking cartridges and not those carry by mapsy, they should state clearly instead of saying they had tried them and does not works for them because it's misleading as we are not sure what spongeless cartridges they are referring since this thread is referring to mapsy spongeless carts.

And some of the repliers like siusiuenen and a few others here mentioned that they had used these 'cigarette' sponge looking carts and it's not working for them, I wonder if I could borrowed these 'cigarette' sponge looking carts to experiment if you still have them around and not using? I will wash and returned them once I had experiment on them.

Update: Edited naming out the manufacturer of the cart

 

[The Hat]

lin wrote:-

@Hat, you mentioned that you tired PGI-9 cartridges, by the way, what ink did you used on these PGI-9 cartridges, dye or pigment.

I use all pigment inks from Efillinks (Image Specialists I believe) ..

 

[irvweiner]

lin, thank you for your constructive reply, It is much appreciated.

I did not overlook your feedback attempts toward Skyhorse, I was more concerned about the posts by dissatisfied users. Their vague responses do not foster a critical analysis of the problem and having vented their frustration, typically vanish.

mapsys, in an earlier reply to you in this post:
"But if you want to test one or a whole set, I am sure we can work something out. We do sell them for $24 for a set of 5 and I think it is quite reasonable. But talk to me. It is always refreshing to work with people who are doing research to get the best outcomes for all of us."

I suggest we take Michelle up on her offer, I will try to phone&email , advising her of this 'dynamic firebrand' thread and your test request. I ask you to throw another feedback loop and contact her with your voice. I have no financial ties to her business nor am I a personal acquaintance--just a new customer intrigued by the Skyhorse CC8 carts.

@siusiuenen, mikling : Can you possibly lend lin one of your rejected carts, especially so if it is the one with the 'cigarette' style foam insert?

@lin
"you mentioned at post #27 that your ink may crystallize at the air vent, this is due to your ink. You could use other ink as there is no reason to stick to such ink that crystallized unless there is you don't mind."
At present I am using OCP ink, crystallization will occur with most dye inks when the solvent evaporates and the solute remains behind. The air vent channel in the CC8 is horizontal and ink may be splashed into that channel. The droplets of ink or those that have 'dried out' can contribute to air flow restriction resulting in 'starvation'. I mention this as a possible mechanical design flaw not a failure of the ink, it is quite possible that a vertical air vent channel would be more proper. I have not actually noticed significant buildup of crystals--yet.

The air vent hole feeds directly into the top of the plastic cylinder containing the foam cigarette, the dual ink channels feed ink directly to the lower portion of the foam cigarette above the exit port.
As you state, if the air vent hole is too small or if the 'nib' is too large or both starvation may occur under heavy ink demand. Getting a CC8 cart in your hands quickly would be of great help.

Once more, thanks for listening irv weiner

 

[mapsy]

Hi all: Here are some more pictures, Lin, if you want to test one of these, I will pull one and send it to you, let me know the address. You can also call me, as Irv knows, I do pick up the phone and I attempt to help our customers. However, I am not an engineer, just a person with good design skills and mind that looks closely at anything mechanical.

I think there is a way to email me directly but in case, here is my email with some spaces to avoid the robots: inkjetreset @ gmail.com

Let me know if this helps.
Best to everyone here. I appreciate your input. We now focus on the carts with sponges, but I do believe that these carts are by far the very sturdiest I have ever seen.

 

[lin]

At present I am using OCP ink, crystallization will occur with most dye inks when the solvent evaporates and the solute remains behind. The air vent channel in the CC8 is horizontal and ink may be splashed into that channel. The droplets of ink or those that have 'dried out' can contribute to air flow restriction resulting in 'starvation'. I mention this as a possible mechanical design flaw not a failure of the ink, it is quite possible that a vertical air vent channel would be more proper. I have not actually noticed significant buildup of crystals--yet.

The air vent hole feeds directly into the top of the plastic cylinder containing the foam cigarette, the dual ink channels feed ink directly to the lower portion of the foam cigarette above the exit port.
As you state, if the air vent hole is too small or if the 'nib' is too large or both starvation may occur under heavy ink demand. Getting a CC8 cart in your hands quickly would be of great help.

Once more, thanks for listening irv weiner

@irvweiner,

I didn't state the air vent hole. All my previous post, I am referring to the air and ink exchange passage within the cartridge ink chamber. I think you were referring to that as "the dual ink channels feed ink directly to the lower portion of the foam" for the mapsy cart. In original cartridge, the area would have been at the rails and the hole at the bottom of the divider. It's this area (air and ink exchange inside the cartridge) that I am referring to. If the air entering from the air inlet hole does not exchange with ink in the ink chamber for the sponge to absorb readily as the printing required, then ink starvation would occur during heaving and/or consecutive printing.

No not all ink crystallizes. While I was testing out different brand of inks, I had used ink that would crystallized before. Though the ink that crystallized didn't give me major problem (I didn't use it for long also). But I couldn't find reason to be using it and had changed to other ink since I had other ink that does not crystallizes. It's not the mechanical design of these 'cigarette' sponge looking carts that you are experiencing this ink crystallization.

You can ask many here who does German Refilled Method if they experience their ink crystallizes at the refilled hole because when the needle insert and extract, a tiny winny little bit of ink maybe left at the refilled hole (assuming they did not seal the refill hole and left the hole expose to air). I can tell you I believe many didn't experience the tiny bit of ink crystallized at that area. Of course, I cannot rule out that there maybe some people who may have used ink that does crystallizes when a tiny bits of ink when exposed to air. But you can hear from the many people who didn't encounter ink crystallizes.

You also can try a color of another brand of ink on the same cart and see for yourself that it doesn't crystallized.

However having said that, if your ink despite it crystallizes does not give you problem, then whether you like to stick to using the same brand after they finishes, it's really up to you. The most important thing is that the ink did not imposed problem for you and you are happy with it.

For OCP ink, the colors one are okay, but I would suggest you change the ocp black dye as the black one fades much faster than the colors one. That was my personal experience 2 years back but maybe their formulation had changed since then, I don't know.

I am just sharing here and there is no rule that what I say should be accept. It's perfectly alright to have different opinions on the matter. What matters most is what works for us individually.

 

[irvweiner]

Michelle, many thanks for your response and offer--I hav'nt gotten to the phone yet!
One more request, the CC8 pix were excellent, however, could you post a shot just showing the exit port,cigarette and air vent with the large upper storage cap and exit cap removed? Actually the left hand side of your first pix with none of orange caps. This will permit lin to see the complete air path: from the outside world into the air vent, thru the foam cigarette into the 2 ink delivery channels and then the ink storage chamber.

Returning to a request I made when we first spoke several months ago: have you yet offered the dehydrated dye pills?
Pop a pill into the cart, add water then print!! If 'soda water' ('seltzer') is used you will have the first self-pressurized inkjet cart!! Sorry, couldn't resist.

Thank you for your continued assistance and concern. irv weiner

 

[lin]

@irvweiner, It's okay, I think I know where the air vent hole is based on your description. It's too troublesome for to Michelle to take pictures. So it's okay.

@mapsy, by the way, would you be carrying or testing out the CC9 design after your current batches of spongeless refillable cartridge stock depleted?

 

[siusiuenen]

siusiuenen, thank you for your reply. Can you indicate the failure modes encountered? I'm curious to know if they similar or varied widely.

Secondly, how did you solve this problem? Dumped them or found a fix/fixes.?

Thirdly, did the failures indicate air starvation after printing a group of pix or immediately at startup? How did you recover and continue printing?

Carts that do not deliver consistent output can be irksome or devastating. If one is printing a test target for creating a new profile, slight variation in the output of one cart or more may not be immediately recognized by the viewer in the output target, but the profile creed will be off. If the test prints made from this new profile are way off, we stop and check our workflow, but if it's color cast, checking becomes more elusive. The worst case can be when we print several pages of target with hundreds of tiles and the cart(s) is/ are randomly inconsistent-a real nightmare! Air bubbles in the cart(s) can be a contributing factor.

When I run a new profile, I print a test print of color bands representing each cart color, next a full nozzle check--before and in between target pages. This has kept my aspirin bills minimized!


thanks again, irv weiner

I rebuilding my desktop at now and it's was happen for a long time so i try to recall for it . I did take some picture i'll send to you for reference when i done with my computer.
At first, i been happy with OEM cart and i buy this set of spongeless cart just to look easier solution for my brother and i admit i impressed with this cart so i want to give it a try. When i received the carts and refill with ink then i find there're flaws in this cart. As you see on the picture's mapsy posted, the pink plastic is very cheap make compare to the body is very well build make me wonder why? And as i expected, i got 2 cart ink leaking from there ( cyan and photo black) . Not too much but enough to make me aware of .Base on experience on the pass with refillable cart on my epson printer is ink flow issue so i download some magazine in .pdf file to test it out because i want all the colors in use ( it about 100-200 page) Here what i got : ( just try to recall, may not total correct)

I didn't notice any problem when start a big print job unstill page 150-200 i saw banding. ( Never ever happen to me with OEM cart unstill it need flush) . Nozzle check then found out flow issue on on photo black, cyan and magenta and never recover after several cleaning cycles . I decided to take it out and flush and what i see is ink all over my printer. Black pigment and photo black leaking badly. Cyan cart totally empty after left overnight with full ink on it. As you said the sponge in " the cigarette tube" is easy to pop out for wash but i think this is the cause of leaking issue . The yellow cart at first i think it got problem either because with nozzle check it show half light and half dark but not with other printer and lately there're a lot of thread discussion about it so i believe it is electronic contact problem on my print head .
Mapsy is agree to send a replacement cart but i think this is design flaws so i don't border with it anymore . Now i use this set with windex filled in case i need to clean a print head .