Digital BW, The Print

The story continues. Not wanting to interrupt my work I went out and
purchased a new Epson 1280. I set it up installing the Epson cartridges, did
nozzle checks, head alignment and printed a purge page. Everything was just
fine so I proceeded with installing the hand loaded cartridges.

I removed the Epson color cartridge and the red light came on as it should.
I inserted the same hand filled cartridge with the second aftermarket chip
(remember I replaced this when I could not get the printer to recognize the
first one.) the light went out meaning it recognized the cartridge.

I removed the black Epson cartridge and the red light again came on as
normal. I then got a fresh hand filled black cartridge with the original
aftermarket chip and installed it. The red light did not go out.

I reinstalled the Epson black cartridge and the red light did not go out.
Essentially the brand new printer is in the identical locked-up condition as
my old one only with this one it does not recognize any black cartridge and
the old one would not recognize any color cartridge. Once again I verified
that the Epson cartridges were all okay by putting them in my 1270.

So it looks like the culprit for locking up two 1280's was a single
aftermarket cartridge chip.

I have a call into MIS to see if they can offer any advice on restoring
either of these printers to operation. I will keep you posted.

Martin Wesley

----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Wesley" <mwesley250@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 10:37 AM
Subject: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


> I had my 1280 fail last night. I changed color cartridges and when I
placed the new cartridge in the red media light did not go out and the print
head carriage would not return to the right when I pressed the Orange
button.
>
> I was changing hand filled cartridges with aftermarket chips. I removed
the chip from the empty cartridge, installed it on the full cartridge, reset
the chip and nothing. Tried a new chip no luck. Installed the old Epson
color cartridge and no luck. Tried a new color cartridge and no luck. All of
the cartridges ran fine in my 1270 so the problem was not there.
>
> Fortunately I am under warrantee and Epson is shipping me an exchange
unit.
>
> Has anyone else experiences a similar problem like this when using
aftermarket cartridge chips? It probably is not related, but I am a little
nervous about the possibility that the aftermarket chips might have damaged
something in the printer.
>
> Thanks,
> Martin
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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Paul
In the small size Epsons I use an 880 (have to find these rebuilt or used ). It is a 8.5 x 11 unit. 4 color printer with out chips. MIS has prefilled carts in FS and VM and I'm sure you could find CIS systems (I think MIS actually has them).
I just got my 2nd 880 and am going to use the FS inkset, I have the VM in my first unit. Unforunatley the existing curves for 1280 do not work, I had to play around and come up with my own (very generic) curves. I am very pleased with the results I get but I'm sure you could make this printer really sing.
Don Rooney

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paul Roark 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 4:23 PM
  Subject: RE: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


  Martin,

  What chip and cartridge system are you using.  I'm getting curious about the
  realities of 1280 cart filling because of my own 1160 problems, which I'll
  post separately.

  It sounds like you re-use the same chip with each cart.  Aside from the
  hassle of having 2 more color positions to mix and fill, are there any other
  disadvantages to the 1280-chipped virgin-cart-filling procedures?

  I might actually be interested in the small, letter size version of the
  1280.  I think there is an 820 that is, after rebates, only $99.  Do you
  have any idea if that machine uses the same curves as the 1280.  Since I
  have a 3000, I'd only use the smaller printer for daily non-photo printing
  and for small photos.  Of course, I'd also use the machine to support the
  1280 market.  So, having the driver being the same would be critical.

  Paul

  ________________
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Martin Wesley [mailto:mwesley250@...]
    Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 10:38 AM
    To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


    I had my 1280 fail last night.

      ...
    I was changing hand filled cartridges with aftermarket chips.
     ...






  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Paul,  I was looking at the Epson site and it does look like the little
brother to the 1280 is in fact the 820 but I don't see any cart or a CIS
system made for it.  Sorry if this sounds novice but how would you get the
quadtone inks in there?  Thanks.
 
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 5:24 PM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


Martin,

What chip and cartridge system are you using.  I'm getting curious about the
realities of 1280 cart filling because of my own 1160 problems, which I'll
post separately.

It sounds like you re-use the same chip with each cart.  Aside from the
hassle of having 2 more color positions to mix and fill, are there any other
disadvantages to the 1280-chipped virgin-cart-filling procedures?

I might actually be interested in the small, letter size version of the
1280.  I think there is an 820 that is, after rebates, only $99.  Do you
have any idea if that machine uses the same curves as the 1280.  Since I
have a 3000, I'd only use the smaller printer for daily non-photo printing
and for small photos.  Of course, I'd also use the machine to support the
1280 market.  So, having the driver being the same would be critical.

Paul

________________
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Martin Wesley [mailto:mwesley250@...]
  Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 10:38 AM
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


  I had my 1280 fail last night.

    ...
  I was changing hand filled cartridges with aftermarket chips.
   ...






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Paul,

The fault was mine. I was using the virgin carts and chips from MIS. After
Jim's post I looked closely and the pins on the cartridge sockets of both
printers had been damaged.

I thought back over what I had done and realized my mistake. Suspecting I
had slightly over filled the cartridges I wanted to break the clear bottom
seal and then remove the vent tape to let the cartridges drain a bit. I
decided the best way to do this would be to insert the carts into the
printer to break the seal and then take them out to drain. Unfortunately I
had forgotten to install the chip first so what must have happened is that
without the chip in place the fingers in the printer socket got caught on
the edge of the depression where the chip fits or the nubs that hole the
chip and were bent out of position.

The narrow format printer that most closely matches the 1280 would be the
Photo 890, $299 new and $239 refurbed from Epson. The 820 is on a different
chassis and from past experience with a model on this chassis, slow and
noisy. As far as the driver goes your guess is as good as mine. You would
think they would match but I would not necessarily count on it. If I had a
printer for general purpose I would buy new Epson carts rather than refill.
Too much hassle for the small amount of general printing I do.

I have been using the carts once so that I can use the vacuum fill method
and avoid damaging the cart filter screen. The chips are $5 each so re-using
them and resetting them with the chip resetter makes sense. I do find them a
little difficult to get on and as you can see my inattention to getting them
on before I install them in the printer is likely to cost me several hundred
dollars. I may take my 1200 out of mothballs to do the ink set trials we
discussed just so I don't have to deal with the cartridge issue.

Martin


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 4:23 PM
Subject: RE: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips


> Martin,
>
> What chip and cartridge system are you using.  I'm getting curious about
the
> realities of 1280 cart filling because of my own 1160 problems, which I'll
> post separately.
>
> It sounds like you re-use the same chip with each cart.  Aside from the
> hassle of having 2 more color positions to mix and fill, are there any
other
> disadvantages to the 1280-chipped virgin-cart-filling procedures?
>
> I might actually be interested in the small, letter size version of the
> 1280.  I think there is an 820 that is, after rebates, only $99.  Do you
> have any idea if that machine uses the same curves as the 1280.  Since I
> have a 3000, I'd only use the smaller printer for daily non-photo printing
> and for small photos.  Of course, I'd also use the machine to support the
> 1280 market.  So, having the driver being the same would be critical.
>
> Paul
>
> ________________
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: Martin Wesley [mailto:mwesley250@...]
>   Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 10:38 AM
>   To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
>   Subject: [Digital BW] 1280 Failure and After Market Chips
>
>
>   I had my 1280 fail last night.
>
>     ...
>   I was changing hand filled cartridges with aftermarket chips.
>    ...
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
>
> Please follow these basic guidelines:
> - Include your full name with your message.
> - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
> - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
> - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
> - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or "flames."
> - Complete your Yahoo profile.
> - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
resources on the homepage.

>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Martin Wesley" 
<mwesley250@e...> wrote:
> Paul,
> 
> The fault was mine. I was using the virgin carts and chips from MIS. 
After
> Jim's post I looked closely and the pins on the cartridge sockets of 
both
> printers had been damaged.
> 
> I thought back over what I had done and realized my mistake. 
Suspecting I
> had slightly over filled the cartridges I wanted to break the clear 
bottom
> seal and then remove the vent tape to let the cartridges drain a 
bit. I
> decided the best way to do this would be to insert the carts into 
the
> printer to break the seal and then take them out to drain.

I would recomend using a syringe to draw out ink from top, from vent 
holes if rubber balls already seated.. Or if just a little ink, and 
your top fill holes are not sealed with the balls yet (I use small Ace 
Hardware corks until all chambers are filled, then I let the chambers 
sit for an hour before sealing them with balls), twist paper towels 
into thin fingers and dip them into the fill holes to soak up excess.

To get great accuracy on filling the 18 ml carts for the 1280, I don't 
use the 30 ml syringes MIS supplies. I bought some 20 ml syringes 
which give me good resolution on fill volumes and fit in the bottles 
better when drawing out ink. B-D makes them, about 65 cents each. 
order #309661
 
Unfortunately I
> had forgotten to install the chip first so what must have happened 
is that
> without the chip in place the fingers in the printer socket got 
caught on
> the edge of the depression where the chip fits or the nubs that hole 
the
> chip and were bent out of position.

Yes this was mentioned in a previous post- it is deadly if the chip 
falls off when removing- the tines go into the hollow of the cart and 
bend. This is why I now securely melt the nubbins onto the chip when 
installing- so the chip won't pop off.
Jim H.