manually cleaning a printhead
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From: snydley on 20 Sep 2006 15:21 I have a Canon MP730 printer and it's started to print colored documents really bad. I've done the cleaning, head alignment and nozzle check, with no positive effects. The printer gets easy use, just occasional printing at home. I would like to remove the printhead, (I have it in my hand now), and somehow manually clean it to see if that makes any difference, but I'm not sure what kind of cleaner to use or what procedure. I'm trying to determine if: A: the printhead is dirty and needs to be cleaned, B: the printhead is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced, or C: it's something other than a printhead problem. When I do a printhead alignment setup it prints 11 columns of patterns and 5 of them are completely blank, when it used to print all 11. The printing has been deteriorating for a while, now it's really bad. Does anyone know how to do this, or could maybe recommend a website on the Internet that might have some info? I went to the Canon site, and that was no more help than what I had in my manual. Thanks, Snyde
From: Bob Day on 20 Sep 2006 16:11 "snydley" <snydley2REMOVETHIS(a)stny.rr.com> wrote in message news:PwgQg.44017$xV.38885(a)twister.nyroc.rr.com... >I have a Canon MP730 printer and it's started to print colored documents > really bad. I've done the cleaning, head alignment and nozzle check, with no > positive effects. The printer gets easy use, just occasional printing at > home. > I would like to remove the printhead, (I have it in my hand now), and > somehow manually clean it to see if that makes any difference, but I'm not > sure what kind of cleaner to use or what procedure. I use a Q-Tip dampened with distilled water. It seems to work pretty well. (It usually takes a good number of Q-Tips.) -- Bob Day http://bobday.vze.com
From: Paul on 20 Sep 2006 16:29 In article <PwgQg.44017$xV.38885(a)twister.nyroc.rr.com>, "snydley" <snydley2REMOVETHIS(a)stny.rr.com> wrote: > I have a Canon MP730 printer and it's started to print colored documents > really bad. I've done the cleaning, head alignment and nozzle check, with no > positive effects. The printer gets easy use, just occasional printing at > home. > I would like to remove the printhead, (I have it in my hand now), and > somehow manually clean it to see if that makes any difference, but I'm not > sure what kind of cleaner to use or what procedure. > I'm trying to determine if: A: the printhead is dirty and needs to be > cleaned, B: the printhead is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced, or C: > it's something other than a printhead problem. When I do a printhead > alignment setup it prints 11 columns of patterns and 5 of them are > completely blank, when it used to print all 11. The printing has been > deteriorating for a while, now it's really bad. Does anyone know how to do > this, or could maybe recommend a website on the Internet that might have > some info? I went to the Canon site, and that was no more help than what I > had in my manual. > > Thanks, > Snyde Maybe some of the elements in the print head have stopped functioning ? Maybe whatever electrical connection scheme the printhead uses is not working properly ? I used to clean print heads with alcohol, but a note of caution. You can apply alcohol to the face of the print head, and then use a low-lint cleaning cloth to wipe it. But there is a chance that repeated wiping will actually force dirt and grime into the tiny, tiny holes on the face of the printhead. I managed to ruin one that way, so cleaning the thing manually always carries some risk of damage with it. It is better to use any built-in head cleaning function, then mess with it yourself. If you are not using a printer for a while, it helps if the print head has some form of cap that can be snapped over it. That can help prevent it from drying out. Dryed on ink is one reason for smearing, Losing entire rows or columns of elements, to me at least, implies that a row or column in the matrix is not making electrical connection, or the elements are blown. Your problem could be electrical, or it could be clogging, but your problem sounds electrical to me, for a precise group of elements to stop functioning like that. Print heads and ink are how the printer companies make money, so don't expect any help from them. Paul
From: KILOWATT on 20 Sep 2006 21:42 Hi Snyde. There's a great probability that it's simply a severely clogged head nozzle/ink channel that the printer's internal pump cannot fix during a head cleaning cycle but that YOU can fix. I have an Epson stylus color 440 bought in 1999 that refuses to die and feeding it with ink cost almost nothing. I just cleaned the print head two times since with absolute success. Did a few other printers successfully also. For a total of 17 machines with the same problem as you have, only two could not be saved. So the chances are great that you may save yours. >The printer gets easy use, just occasional printing at home. That's part of your problem. A fact with inkjet printers is that they must be used often (at least twice a month) to maintain print quality. Sooner or later the ink dries out in the head's nozzles. I don't know what is the price range/quality of this printer, Snyde. If it's an el-cheapo printer...the kind that cost the same amount to get ink cartridges than to buy a new one, my procedure may seem to not be so cost effective, timewise. But if you're like me and preffer to spend some time to get a new life on a piece of equipment instead of throwing it's 3~4 lbs worth of plastic to the environment, you may want to spend the time and follow my procedure. Since you've already disassemble the head, starting from there, it should take about 45~60 mins + the one hour soak time for the head once you have all the stuff needed. First, check the obvious. Is the print head's an integral part of the cartridge? I think that it's only HP doing that but i'm not shure. Replace simply the cartridge if the head is integrated to it! Also, be shure that you have remaining ink in the cartridges! Speaking of it, i just hope that you just not let the cartridges stand there in free air? The holes underneath should be sealed with adhesive tape, but better, use a small Ziplock bag and put the cartridges in with a wet towel and seal. Note that you need at least 1/4 remaining ink for each color since when you reinstall the cartriges, the newly cleaned head and it's channels will be empty, and a few cleaning cycles will be needed for priming. You did noticed the approx. remaining ink recently with the printer's utilities, isn't it? Now that the obvious things have been ruled out, let's get to the fun part! ;-) 1st, here's the stuff you need. cost= <$10 CND: http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8449/ammoniayx1.jpg I've bought the ammonia at the local drugstore among the other domestic products. http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9438/dispenseryp2.jpg I've bought that syringue medication dispenser at the same place. You will need to find in an harware store a 1 foot lenght of clear plastic tubing. It obviously needs to fit snugly the dispenser's tip. Get thereafter some distilled water (at least 2L / 8 cups). Ordinary tap water just contains too much impurities that may clog further the very small ink channels/nozzles. Have a clean container that can go to the microwave oven. I used 1L empty plastic margarine container throughly cleaned. Rince that container with the distilled water. Rince also the the dispenser/tubing assembly. Using a (rinced!) measuring cup, prepare 2 cups/ ?L of the "magic head cleaning potion" that is one part ammonia, for ten part distilled water (10% ammonia). Stir the mix and put it to the microwave oven (no, that won't catch fire! :-) ) for 25~35 seconds depending on the power of you mw oven. The goal if to warm the mix to only about 35~40?C (about 95~105?F). Leave the mw door open for the next few hours as there will be a slight odour remaining. Now that you have everything ready, let's go to the 1st step of the cleaning process. Depending on the type of head, fill the container with between 3~10 mm of the potion. My particular container has a slightly curved bottom so i only had to put the head straight down in the container as you can see there: http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9427/soakingheadik8.jpg This is my print head in 2002 before actually cleaning. Dried ink, dust, cat's hair...yackkk! http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/4775/headqk5.jpg Of course you don't want the controller board on the head to get wet... only the head surface soaking a few mm deep. If your container's bottom is perfectly flat, you may want to tilt the head assembly against the side of the container so ink can freely wick out. Or use some small diameter straws or something else under the head. Be shure to not bump the head surface against anything. You will notice that inks will wick out from all channels and mix together under the head and spread into the potion in a messy black fluid. Don't worry since it's only the 1st part of the procedure. Leave the head there for an hour, gently stirring away seeping ink from under the head every few minutes. Ok it's been a hour so let's move on. Place the head on it's side over a towel so you don't mess anything with ink. Discard the messy fluid down the drain and rince the container with ordinary tap water this time. Now reheat in the mw oven the potion in the measuring cup. Time to ask for your spouse, your son, no matter who to help you with the 2nd step. That person will control the dispenser (well, you'll control that person! ;-)). Use safety goggles to protect you eyes from the potion. It's not battery electrolyte, but with a small amount of ammonia, i would not like to have it in my eyes. Place the head over the container you've just rinced. Ask your helper to fill the dispenser with the warm potion and while holding the head with one hand, use the tubing with the other one to rince the inky surface of the head while your helper push the piston of the dispenser. Ok now the tricky part: While holding the head face down toward the container with one hand, you will have to push and hold firmly the tubing over one of the spigots pictured here while your helper push slowly the piston. http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1220/spigotsup6.jpg The pressure that your helper is maintaining push away the remaining ink corresponding to the spigot you are injecting to. This will help finish to clear out the channel and nozzle. That's why i suggest that you protect your eyes because if you happen to stop holding correctly the tubing on the spigot, the potion will spurt. You should see the tiny microjets (impressive!) of ink (eventually the clear potion) flow
From: Null on 21 Sep 2006 08:34
On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 21:42:56 -0400, "KILOWATT" <kilowatt"nospam"@softhome.net> wrote: >Hi Snyde. >There's a great probability that it's simply a severely clogged head >nozzle/ink channel that the printer's internal pump cannot fix during a head >cleaning cycle but that YOU can fix. <snip> Wow, very detailed. You should have this on a web page somewhere. |