Digital BW, The Print

Hi John,

Sorry it took a while to find this info, and it's pretty much what I
remembered and communicated earlier -- however, I wanted to make sure
I wasn't giving you any incorrect data and it is confirmed by Epson, 
since it's your printer that is "under the knife":

On Page 104 of my 7000 manual, here's the info regarding "power-off"
testing of the pump and associated components. It's also good to note
that the manual confirms that each "init" cycle pulls about 90 ml of
ink through each head -- so if you've done a number of "init" and KK2
cycles and your carts are still pretty full and your waste pads aren't
soaked, you can be confident that the machine is going through the
motions but it's not really charging. This isn't really news to us,
because we already agreed that the ink in your lines is probably there
due to your pulling it down to the dampers with the syringe. 

So here's what the manual states:

 
3. If the extra ink charge does not clear the clogged nozzles, confirm
the following.

 - There is no damage to or foreign materials in/around the rubber of
the Cap Assembly (My note: i.e., that there is really a good seal
there capable of holding a vacuum)

 - The Cap Assembly valve is operating normally (if it is not, the Cap
Assembly will not properly absorb ink)

 - The Cap Assembly retention spring is working properly

 - The ink tubes and pipes between the ink cartridges and printheads
are properly connected and are not damaged (check the nuts for
tightness, the O-rings for warping, and the tubes/pipes for ink
leakage)

 - Remove the R-side cover and looking from above, make sure both
heads are properly sealed when the printheads are in the capped
position

 - Put liquid in the caps and rotate the pump gears by hand to make
sure the pump assembly is working correctly

 - While performing a cleaning operation, make sure the pump motor
and gears are functioning correcting

 - Check the FFC connections, and reseat if necessary

So, that's the official Epson instructions. I'd add to that a couple
of things as well:

 - VERY IMPORTANT: This is likely to be the messiest part of the job
you've done so far, so do protect your environment, your body and your
printer from ink that may emerge under pressure. Keep plenty of rags
close at hand, Windex to do quick clean-ups and plastic bags for
quickly containing ink-covered "stuff" ;>)

 - ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: The sequence of instructions that are in the
manual are quoted "as written", but if you read them carefully I'm
sure you'll note they are not in logical sequence. i.e., some of the
suggested steps should be done when the power is off, others observing
the system executing its own routines, etc. Therefore, know that the
inspection points and procedures are good, but they are not
necessarily in proper sequence -- so use caution
 
 - Use a cleaning fluid of your choice when doing this process of
putting fluid in the caps and turning the pump, because it's very
likely that there are gunked up lines or pumps involved and some extra
help will be needed to break up the blockage

 - Remember to rotate the pump in a CLOCKWISE direction to pull the
fluids from the capping stations (See Page 65 of the manual)

 - If you're not getting any kind of flow with manual rotation of the
pump, you can start working through the system in one of two ways --
either from the top down or the bottom up, whichever looks to be the
most likely source of your problem. If you decide to disassemble
things from the capping station down to make sure that each of the
tubes are clear, just be careful when removing them and have a rag
handy. They will probably release ink when you least expect it

 - Conversely, you could create a vacuum from the "lowest point" in
the waste system while applying fluid at the top end. If you're not
seeing a result from manual pump rotation, this might be a way to go.
However, if the pump or any of the valves or lines are really gunked
up, you probably won't have a clear path to create negative pressure
(vacuum) all the way to the caps

 - When you're successul in clearing the system (and I know you will
be), make sure the lines from the capping station are secured properly
and out of the path of the head/carriage when you restore operation

 - Although the pads were cleaned when you put in the new Piezo inks
over the "Jet Jrano" and old Lyson inks, unless you flushed this whole
capping, pump and waste system completely, that was probably where the
incompatible inks found room to mingle and gel

Hope this does the trick for you, John. Let me know if I can be of
further assistance...

Richard

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "john dean"
<deanwork2003@y...> wrote:
> 
> Yea, I've checked the position of the dampers a million times. My
idea IS that something is 
> clogged in either the wate lines or the pump or both. I don't know
how much this inhibits 
> the heads filling. It could be I have to replace the pad station or
the pump or both, but I 
> want to try eveything I can before ordering parts that I don't need,
> 
> John
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, sdmey4@a...
wrote:
> > I like the idea of pulling ink from the waste lines At the waste
tank end. 
> > This will certainly tell you if there is a seal or vacum leak.
> > Are you sure the dampers have a good seal? They really don't snap
in, but 
> > they should NOT just lift up without a tool to pry them up and
out.
> > Steve M.
> > 
> > 
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]