Re: Re-Unusual strong drift of Epson 5500
Re: Re-Unusual strong drift of Epson 5500
- Subject: Re: Re-Unusual strong drift of Epson 5500
- From: "Ernst Dinkla" <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 11:27:55 +0200
Udo,
With that kind of CIS systems there are several bottlenecks and
flaws in the inklines possible. A good CIS system directly to the
internal inklines bypasses part of the problems. Bottles on
springs to keep the ink pressure constant in time are another
advantage. An additional waste tube + bottle is helping too.
That's the way I make my CIS systems.
Don't be surprised when nozzle checks are good but printing
isn't, there's a difference between the short burst of printing
some lines at full throttle and the slow but steady printing of
larger images.
Did you change the inks from Fotonic to the new Lyson pigments
(Cave = Ultrachrome clones ?), the new high loaded pigment inks
react more or less with dye inks so it is important to clean the
system thoroughly in between if that has been the case.
Starting at the beginning of your CIS:
Your CIS has bottles where the inkpressure gradually becomes less
when the inklevel drops. Also check whether the air inlet on the
bottles isn't blocked.
Then the bottleneck of all Epson Pro printers with CIS or
without, the needles the carts are stuck on in the inkslots.
Either they let air in on a not perfect seal or the needle itself
having the smallest diameter in the inkline gets clogged. Often a
result of reusing old carts that are refilled, the carts seals
wear off and small parts get into the needle.
Then going deeper into the printer you most likely find your
particular problem. The small sieves and ink pressure control
parts on top of the head called dampers are filthy. I have no
knowledge when the printer was last serviced but with your change
from carts to a CIS there's usually more fluid going through the
system with more force to prime the new system. That can be
enough to let the sieves fill up with the last filth from the
inklines. An open system like a CIS can also create more filth in
the line not to speak of small creatures that like a dye ink
environment. Dampers can be replaced or cleaned with a reversed
flow. Depending on the pressure needed in that backflow you can
determine whether new ones are needed. A 5500 or 5000 service
manual is handy to get there.
Last but not least: I have once done some work on a 5000 that had
an "official" serviceman treatment not long before that. The
waste ink box with absorbing material is directly located beneath
the head's capping position. I have to admit a horrible place to
do any service on. In this case one of the tubes that are running
directly from the the head capping station into that waste box
was folded between the capping station and the top of the box, no
waste ink going through it at all. Most likely caused by the
serviceman but understandable. Cleaning then becomes a farce, ink
from one line can get into the other if there's a pressure
difference, etc etc. Best way to do keep any servicemen out is by
making an external wastebottle and longer wastelines. It also
allows you to apply a vacuum on the wastebottle which does
wonders if you have to clean heads with a stubborn clogg.
The 5000/5500 are the most difficult Epson pro printers to
service. On the other hand both (but especially the 5500 loaded
with third party inks) can deliver superb prints over a long
period.
Ernst
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