Unused Canon ip5200 will not work - 12 alternating flashes

[ghwellsjr]

When you do a head cleaning (either Regular or Deep) no signals go to the printhead. The purge units try to suck ink through the head to loosen and clean out dry ink. Don't try too many nozzle checks if ink isn't flowing - that can burn out a printhead.

Steve W.

Actually, during head cleanings, the nozzles are fired. But I don't think you have to worry too much about burning out the nozzle heating elements during either cleanings or nozzle checks since the amount of firings is minimal compared to printing a page.

 

[emerald]

Mediokrates: Seeing that this ip5200 printer has not been used, I'm betting that the print head is probably OK. It's not likely that any nozzles are burned out because your activities have been modest.

Because you are now an expert at removing and working with the purge unit, may I suggest that you query eBay for a new purge unit. There is a QM2-2252 purge unit for an ip5200 currently listed - $18.00 shipping included.

Service Manual iP5200.

 

[Mediokrates]

I hope you're right emerald,

I am thinking about swapping the purge unit, if I can get a good price. The one you mentioned doesn't seem too bad. I've seen a few, but the shipping is outrageous.

Canon actually gave me their parts number for Canada (that's where I live), so I'll try them too.

First of all, I would like to see if I can get the current purge unit working. Even if just for a little while. If I can get it to work, and the printer works, then I know that its just the purge unit that needs replacing.

I don't want to spend the money on a new purge unit, and find out that there's something else wrong too.

Thanks for all the help and advice all...

 

[Mediokrates]

Hey all,

Thought we might return to the topic of purge units.

I've reassembled the purge unit for my ip5200, with the repairs I had made. It would be a little difficult to describe these repairs without pictures (which I have), so I'll just say that it involved, a hairdrier, GOOP, tape, a penny, and a dime (Canadian currency).

It appears the repaired carousel-cylinder set inside the housing is holding. However, the plastic wood I was temporarily using to lock the drive gear on its axel, failed immediately, as has 4 different types of contact cements, which were lying around the house. I'm going hunting this weekend for a replacement gear or an appropriate epoxy.

In one direction the gears control the movements of the various parts. In the other, the gears rotate only the carousel sets. This motion has the most tension/friction, and was initially causing the carousel-cylinder to come apart . This makes sense, as it is this direction of motion which "milks" the purge tubes, and drains the purge pads. It is the friction in this motion which keeps stripping the gear from the axel.

So at this time, I've removed the drive gear and axel, and am just performing tests.

Since the printer never even completed its initial setup, the waste ink pads located under the printer chassis are completely clean, with the exception of 2 or 3 drops of ink. After cleaning the printhead (which took a while, but yielding a lot of ink), and reading the posts about checking the suction action of the purge unit, I got to thinking that maybe the purge pads had clogged with dried ink, since they had never been "sucked" clean, and had been sitting for a looong time.

Using windex on the pads, I soaked up the ink in papertowels, which also yielded a lot of ink. Eventually, by turning the gears, I was able to get ink to start flowing through the purge tubes. The pads have now turned from black to white.

Note: If you do this in your family room, and realize you've dripped ink on your beige carpet, Isopropyl will help clean it up before your girlfriend notices.

Maybe this should also be considered when diagnosing printing issues when a printer has been sitting for a long time, or experienced a purge unit failure.

Anyway... hopefully I'll be able to fix the drive gear this weekend, and providing that I haven't wrecked my printhead, maybe I'll have some positive results.

 

[stratman]

Note: If you do this in your family room, and realize you've dripped ink on your beige carpet, Isopropyl will help clean it up before your girlfriend notices.

Even more important note: Remove girlfriend from family room before wife notices.

Great posting Superiokrates!

 

[Mediokrates]

Nice one Stratman

Anyway, a quick update...

OK, I got ahead of myself. I decided to try one of the contact cements again on the gear and axel. The first time I tried it, I only let it dry for 6 hours or so. This time I let it dry for almost 30 hours. Please, no Einstein jokes.

I put everything back together and hooked the printer up to the computer and went through the set up routine.

I didn't get to printing, as the gear did come loose again... but I almost made it. So, I don't know if the printer will actually print yet...

Atleast I know the carousel-cylinder set in the purge unit, which originally broke, is priming the printhead. By the way, I never did mention, that this is for the black ink (the long rectangular nozzles). So it looks like that repair is holding.

Just gotta figure out how to repair that damn gear. I'm starting to really consider barfl2's suggestion of using a soldering gun to melt the gear mount back into shape. Anyway, gonna check out the model shop and hardware store first.

One other note. Ever since I got the printer to initialize its startup routine, I noted that the ink-cartridges were lighting up. This only occurred when the top cover microswitch was not engaged, and all the cartridges lit up at the same time. This time, the switch was engaged, and the cartridges lit up one at a time, before turning off.

Wish me luck

 

[Mediokrates]

Damn, if its not one thing, it's another...

Okay, so I've used Gorilla Glue on the gear and axel in question, and let cure for a day.

Setting up the print this time, resulted in an an error 1410, with my magenta ink tank blinking. It's never been used, the ink is still wet. Never did this on the other set up attempts.
Any ideas?

I'm gonna look into it.

Thanks

 

[Mediokrates]

Okay, for anyone who can help, here's what's happening.

When I put the cartridges in the printhead, they light up. Closing the top cover switch results in the cartridges turning off as the carriage returns to home. As the carriage begins to move again, the cartridges each turn on, one at a time, in a certain sequence.
The carriage returns home.

Then the error 1410-1419 begins to flash.

Opening the top cover switch has the carriage move to mid position, with all the cartridges lit up solid, except for magenta, which is flashing.
I just now tried to gently swab the contacts on both carriage and cartridge, to no result.

Edit: I'm not sure, but I believe I found the problem.
I've inspected all the cartridge chips under a magnifying glass. Each has a rectangular contact with a circular hoop on the top and bottom. The magenta cartridge's chip looks like there is a dent in the lower hoop. It is un-noticable to the eye, but under 8 times magnification is just noticable.

Oh yeah, I can't get the printer into test mode. Tried smile's post, and a slightly different description otherwhere's online. Maybe the printer won't go into test while it won't recognize a cartridge.

 

[emerald]

It sounds like the Gorilla Glue may have fixed the original purge unit problem and now you have a cartridge problem. Is the present problem (blinking magenta) preventing a cleaning or a nozzle check?


"Then the error 1410-1419 begins to flash."

Do you mean the error 1410-1419 is displayed on a maintenance printout?

"I just now tried to gently swap the contacts on both carriage and cartridge to no result."

contacts? carriage? Please explain.

I have a Canon ip4200 which has the same cartridges as your ip5200. At one time, perhaps a year ago, one of the color cartridges (cyan?) would display the same symptoms you describe. After raising the lid the carriage would move to the center and the cyan would be flashing. It had plenty of ink. I put it in my resetter. I received a success indication on the resetter. I put it back into the printer and it would be OK for a short time but then it would return to the same condition. I put a new Canon cyan cartridge in and that was the end of the problem. I suspect the cartridge chip was faulty.

 

[Mediokrates]

Hey emerald,

I was just updating my last post while you were responding. See my Edit.

Gorilla Glue... yes, so far it appears to be holding. I've tried it twice. First time, I got ahead of myself (I do that sometimes) and tried it after 8 hours, after trimming off the excess glue, and placing the washer back on. It failed before it could get to the printing in the printhead alignment.

So I tried again, and let it dry for a full 24 hours, some of it in front of a heater fan. This time I didn't trim off the excess glue, which meant I couldn't reapply the washer.

However, the glue has held up against 20 start up attempts... which is about 19 more than any other. So that's good.

I haven't tried a cleaning or nozzle check.

I've been cancelling the software setup, as the printer fails (and uninstalling). I'm trying to do it all from scratch, like brand new.

I've been assuming that the error (15 flashing alarm lights), will prevent any activity, just as the other errors did.

As for the cleaning and nozzle check, I had already soaked the printhead nozzles in 2mm of windex, and thoroughly rinsed. Looks brand new (which it is) and unused. When placing the cartridges in, I lightly swabbed their transfer pads in the carriage with windex to help prime them.

When the cartridge failed to recognize, I tried lightly spraying a q-tip with windex and gently wiping the contacts on the cartridge and the carriage, as I had read that something like ink on them, might result in this error.

Since, I don't have a resetter, I can't try that part of your solution.

As I noted in my Edit to my last post, I believe that I have found a flaw/damage to the cartridge chip, which if is the case, I guess I'll have to get a new cartridge.