Theoretical new concept for Canon ink level monitoring

[pharmacist]

Why not try my Inkmon monitor? You can get it at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/inkmon/?yguid=177393865 in the files section. The monitor is in beta testing at the moment and testers are required. It takes up when a printer monitor fails or will run in tandom.

Terry

Thanks for your suggestion, but is it also available for let's say: 5, 6,8 or 10 different cartridges/inktanks like the Canon 6700D, Pro9000, Pro9500 and so on ? I can only see the standard black/cyan/magenta/yellow. Are there plans to make these types of "Inkmonitors" too ?

 

[pebe]

ghwellsjr,
Thinking a bit more about this concept, there is a small 8pin microcontroller the PIC 12C508A that would do this task with one hand tied behind its back.

I am retired now otherwise I would be making a DIY kit for this. The PIC chip retails at about $2 for one-off quantities and would require a simple program written for it. A piezo sounder like the one in cheap talking toys would also be needed, and a wiring adapter plug/socket.

I figure the whole thing could be made in quantity for just a few dollars. Anyone could then fit it in some convenient spot in the printer with double sided adhesive tape.

 

[InkMon]

pharmacist Yes, that's on the cards. There is a 5 colour trial version available in the files section on the forum "Inkmon", link previous post. There is a need of more feedback but so far it's showing a viable method.

I seriously thought of creating a physical monitor not quite on the lines suggested by pebe, actually a bit easier, but what printer owner would like to do mods to his/her printer? I have the ability but polling that question got a negative response, I thought it a good idea too. I could even interface the AtoD with a usb input and have an on screen display but couldn't find enough interest to make it worth starting. So I created a software solution that will work in tandem with any existing monitoring (Great for establishing settings) and be totally transparrent to the user until the warning shows.

It is made for all types of printers, probably laser too. So far only Canon owners are trying it, perhaps because the monitor fails when other cartridges are used. I created it to monitor my old HP720c which does not have a monitor, it's designed to empty and burn out the nozzles. I refill now when my monitor shows 30% full. The print head in the cartridge will never burn out due to no ink. I never have had a printing problem as there is never a chance for the nozzles to dry out either. I have refilled these so called one use cartridges dozens of times. The printer is nearly 8 years old and the quality is as good today as it was when new. I must admit I am using ink I fill my new Epson with and it appears compatable, What have I got to lose? I can pick up another HP720c for $5 at an opportunity shop with cartridges.

As you can imagine I am one happy printer owner.

Terry

 

[pharmacist]

I'm unfortunately not very technical about chips and so on (which you probably can guess from my nickname), but how does this sensor actually scan for light breaking changes in the prism above it and tell the computer that, for example, only the yellow cart is running low/empty, since I presume that there is only one sensor. Who is actually doing the trick? And is this sensor the same for all the types of Canon printers?

Let's presume that the sensor is universal and it beams a ray of light straight up: the carriage is moving over it from right to left and it senses 2 reflected light beams back: that means two cartridges are low/empty. How can I know that actually the photo-black and yellow are affected and not for example photo-magenta? And of course the carriage will move back to the right giving again pulses from the sensor. Let's say: the carts from left to right are: BCcMmY (Black, Cyan, photo-Cyan, Magenta, photo-Magenta, Yellow), this would give a pulse diagram of (not reflected: 0, reflected: 1):

right to left: 100001
left to right: 100001

But what if Cyan and photo-Magenta are running low/empty too ? Then this would give you:

right to left: 110011
left to right: 110011

Is there an actual pause betweeen two 11 or two 00 subsequentially so it doesn't be detected as one 1 or 0, depending of the speed of movement from the carriage over the sensor -and of course the difference in size between PGI-5 and CLI-8 carts- and the speed of detection from the optical sensor underneath it?

Another problem of my concept: Is it possible to intersect any print command sent by the user if the sensor triggers a low or empty ink signal to the computer. In other words: the theoretical pop-up driver must act as an intermediate layer between Canon's own driver and the Windows print manager, bouncing back any print command if one or more "low or empty ink" signals is triggered. This is maybe something to be done by Inkmon and to be built in his future inkmonitor driver (problems to be countered/solved: uniformity of detection, available for more then 4 colours, modular system interacting with the USB port by which the signals are sent over from the sensor to the computer).

 

[ghwellsjr]

You've got the right idea about how the sensor would work. There would be a separate pulse for every empty cartridge but I was not proposing that the retrofit device would try to figure out which cartridges were empty, let alone, try to communicate any information to the printer or computer. All it would do is beep anytime there are any empty cartridges while printing. It would be up to the user to remove all cartridges and replace the empty or almost empty cartridges at the end of the current print run.

Remember that the optical device detects LOW cartridges. There is still lots of ink in the sponge even when the reservoir is empty. Also, when you replace a cartridge, you need to do a cleaning cycle to get the ink flowing in the replaced cartridges, and this will drain ink from all the reservoirs so any that were almost ready to trip the optical detector will soon trip it and cause you to waste more ink when replacing additional cartridges. So you would want to manually check all your cartridges anyway, even if you knew which ones were actually tripping the detector.

I don't think this retrofit needs anything more than a pulse detector that would emit a sound, it doesn't need a processor, although it might be cheap enough to do it that way, it's just more work.

 

[pebe]

......I don't think this retrofit needs anything more than a pulse detector that would emit a sound, it doesn't need a processor, although it might be cheap enough to do it that way, it's just more work.

I was thinking for anyone considering making a ready-made kit available, a monostable and tone generator would need discrete components in addition to an IC. But the microcontroller would do all the functions in software, so saving components and assembly time.

Of course, for a one-off home brew, the 555 is probably the way to go.

 

[InkMon]

Consider a poll to see how many would be interested to purchase. Making a device is fairly easy but personally who would get involved unless at least 100 printer owners would want it? Who would pay $20+ and have to fit it themselves? The theory is good and parts are readily available.

There is a circuit board, housing, connectors and power supply to consider for a stand alone device. You could use a project board but the hard wiring is a bit messy. Have you ever made a circuit board? Cut the copper backed board, stick on the resists, drill the component holes, etch the circuit, clean and solder the components and fit the board in a container then open up the printer and connect the sensor wires. You could use batteries, as the power drain would be low, or a power supply. It would probably be best to keep it isolated from the printer. The device based on your theory could use a led to indicate low ink. As said before, once you inspect one cart the others can be inspected as well. The led could flash once per pass or give a series of flashes. The simpler the system the better.

Nothing wrong with the idea, just needs willing people to buy the kit. Best go for the software option.

Terry

 

[ghwellsjr]

The first step is for someone who has one of these printers to determine if the LED and photodetector remain powered all the time, especially after the printer has determined that all the cartridges have been refilled and has shut off the ink monitor function. If this is the case, it will make the task very much simpler. Any volunteers?

Also, now that I think about it some more, it may not even be necessary to have a beeper. What if you just hooked up a transistor to the photodetector so that the pulse could be amplified enough to make a click in a little audio device, like the ceramic speaker you see in all kinds of gadgets?

I can just see it now: someone hooks up one of these devices to his printer and trusts it enough to not even think anymore about a cartridge running out of ink, and then one day, he starts hearing this strange clicking sound. He can't figure out what it is, so he posts a question on the forum: "My printer has been working perfectly for several months but now it's making this clicking sound everytime the head does a scan. Anyone know what that is?"

 

[Tin Ho]

There is another way.

The cause of this issue, no more ink level status, is Canon. Just think about it. Let's think of a Honda. How about when a Honda automobile detects that you are not refilling the gas tank with Honda brand of gas the traction control system gets disabled? All new series Pixma printers will turn off the optical sensor for detecting empty ink tanks whenever refilled ink cartridges are used in the printer. This is exactly like disabling traction control of an automobile when you refill the gask tank with non OEM brand of gas. The consequence of that is you get to destroy the printer (and the car) sooner.

Another way to solve this issue is to send a complaint to FTC. If enough of people complain I believe Canon will release a firmware patch for our printers. We will get the optical sensor and the ink level status to work normally again.

 

[pebe]

Canon could always argue that the optical ink monitor on the ip4200 is not used, and they left it in the design after changing from the ip4000, in case production of their chipped carts was not ready in time. In that case they would not be removing a facility.

You would have to empty the ink from a cart to prove them wrong. If the optocoupler said the cart was empty but the chip said it wasn't, then it would prove the optics were being used.

As a matter of interest, can anyone confirm that the ip4300 and later production still has the optocoupler?