--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan"
<stefan_trethan@...> wrote:
>
> I did some more testing.
> It seems the stupid printer really notices if the value in the chips
> is
> different from the value in it's own memory.
> Because i noticed the writing is only done when the power is
> removed. So i
> simply pulled the chips before switching off. But at next power up
> the
> printer did a cleaning cycle.
>
> I'm still not sure how the chips work. The readout is clear, there
> are 4
> transmissions, i think one for each chip. It's always clock and
> data, very
> normal. But for writing there seems also to be some fast clock, and
> then
> some slow clock. Any idea what is transmitted there? It is only a
> single
> block fast, then slow, not 4 blocks fast/slow fast/slow fast/slow
> fast/slow as i would have expected. How does it write to the 4 chips
> then?
>
Epson printers store the ink level information on the chips, not in
the printer. If you take one set of cartridges out of the printer, and
put it in another, it will still show the ink depleted. The printer
checks for this data, and also checks to see if they are Epson branded
chips (aftermarket regular chips and auto-reset chips were built from
scratch to avoid patent infringement, while they work, they are not
the same, and the printer can tell). The printer should not have a
problem with the chips being re-set, otherwise the $10 resetters from
Staples wouldn't work for people who refill their cartridges. Unless
you mean you are resetting while the printer is still on and not in
cartridge-change mode, which might confuse it.
If a chip is reset to 100%, the printer will do a very full, intense
cleaning cycle, as it thinks that a new cartridge has been installed
and wants to start the ink flow properly. Newer generation auto-reset
chips only reset to 90%, so the printer never does the full purge
again. However, Epson printers also tend to do an ink cleaning
whenever you turn the printer on. This seems like a huge waste of ink,
but on the C-series printers with OEM Durabrite ink, you do NOT want
the ink in the cart to run out, and you DO want the printer to run
massive amounts of cleaning cycles, otherwise the quick dry acrylic
enamel they call ink will dry up in the printer within days and wreck
it.