Tough clog in Epson R220

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This product is also available from a Danish supplier, but p.t. not in stock. It is also available from other EU suppliers, so what are your experiences with the product, please?

I haven't had a chance to use it properly as yet so I can't say how effective it is but I suspect it'll come down more to technique than the actual solution so looks like I've got another bunch of lessons to learn all over again.

 

[elerouxx]

Well guys, I finally did it. I killed my printer!

After reinstalling the printhead on the printer, there was nothing but blank pages.

I removed it again, carefully cleaned and dried the circuit board in the printhead using a circuit-cleaner spray (mostly alcohol), reconnected the ribbon cable connections carefully (quite hard, I wish I had smaller fingers). I thought the connectors were the problem, but I'm pretty sure they are well connected. I'm also sure this is not a clog problem because there isn't a trace of ink on the paper even with full cartridges and after doing some of the cleaning procedures in this post.

So the problem is actually ME. I have ISSUES! LOL

I hate throwing away hardware, I want to fix everything, and I don't know when to stop. I could have kept the printer to print only in photo mode for a while but I wasn't satisfied with a clogged head so I decided to 'bet it all'. You were absolutely right, PeterBJ.

Sorry if I wasted my time and yours. I was warned and learned my lesson and I am publishing it here for others. Removing the printhead was unnecessary. Whatever you want to do with the printhead (i.e. even flushing any liquid thru the beaks) can be done with the printhead in place. Cleaning and drying the underlying printer parts afterwards is easier and safer than removing the head.

I'm researching some new printers now. I think my next printer/multifunctional will probably be an HP.

 

[The Hat]

Sorry to hear your dreadful news but I wouldn’t give up just yet, maybe there’s still hope for it.

I reckon you have not pushed home the Data cable (Ribbon) enough and it’s not making good electrical contact, try using a snub-nosed pliers instead of your fingers, it can’t hurt to have another go at it.
Let us know the outcome hopefully it will be good..

 

[elerouxx]

Thanks, The Hat.
I think connections are pretty tight and correctly positioned by now. I remade these connections carefully, and with a magnifier glass I can see the contacts on the ribbons are in contact with the metal contacts in the connectors.

The tip of the ribbon cables are very thin and soft. The cables have usually a piece of blue, harder plastic glued to the back of the connectors to make them more rigid and properly thick, but these plastic pieces felt appart when I disconnected the cables. I had to replace them with tabs of transparent plastic I cut from somewhere else. (image) I'm sure connection is well aligned, deep and tight.


The little circuit board in the printhead is also clean and dry. I used a proper spray for circuits that doesn't left any residues. It evaporates quickly, much like isopropylic alcohol.

I think I was too aggressive with the printhead during the process. Maybe some of the cleaning solution liquid went INSIDE the printhead, not just the nozzles. Quite probably the printhead is just dead. But I'm letting it dry for some days, hoping it starts working. Very long shot.

 

[Tudor]

In your image, the top connector has some transparent plastic on it, I think you are referring to it as "tab". If it covers the back and front of the wires... how would you get a contact?
There is a dot on the 6th wire... is the wire intact?

 

[elerouxx]

I wish you were right.

the ribbon cables have visible connectors on one side and a piece of rigid plastic glued to the other side (I had to replace the original blue plastic for this one I found, about the same thickness, because the former was 'rotten'.)

Obviously the plastic doesn't cover the contacts, which are in the opposite side.

The wires are intact but I'll double check them again in the morning.

The picture above shows two ribbon cables facing opposite directions. The cable with the visible connections also has a piece of plastic on the other side.

 

[elerouxx]

It's hard to photograph, but I checked that the cables and connectors are in contact and are aligned, on both connectors. Also, the way the ribbon cables are folded and layed out on the printer, it's impossible to accidentally switch them or turn them around. The cables are not so fragile to be broken by the fold or turns, the indents you see along the cables are superficial and don't go near the copper inside.

 

[Tudor]

The way the ribbons are folded doesn't seem to correspond with the way they are inserted. Are you sure the left ribbon should go to the left and not the right?

 

[elerouxx]

Yes. There's only one way to connect the printhead. You can pull out a little more of the cables and unfold them to help making your work easier, but there's only one way all this can be put back together. Here's an image of when I first removed the printhead, it shows the original position of the cables, one longer than the other, one facing down, the other facing up.

 

[turbguy]

If you have allowed air to enter the print head ink passageways, it may take a LOT of effort to "prime" the nozzles. I beleive the Epson recommends a maximum number of serial/repetitive cleaning cycles without a specific cool-down period. Did you perform repetitive cleaning cycles after installing the head?