Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan" 
<stefan_trethan@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Ok so i fetched that printer today.
> The colored carts were indicated as empty, so i took a few minutes 
> to  
> follow the instructions here:
> <http://www.eddiem.com/photo/printer/chipreset/resetchip.html>
> (the SSC utility can't reset on that model and i didn't want to wait 
> for  
> ordering a resetter)
> It seems i must have succeeded because the printer now starts up 
> normally  
> without indicating lack of ink and accepts stuff to print.

I think the SSC utility is designed to reset with a 'build it 
yourself' resetter (the diagram for it is in the help files 
somewhere). I don't think it can reset cartridges in the printer, it 
can only lock the ink levels from decreasing.

> 
> However i do not correctly see the ink levels in the silly service 
> utility  
> that somehow assimilated my PC (that's what it feels like really 
> because  
> that window does _not_ have a button to close it, only minimize!).
> Is this normal for a LPT connection? I'll try USB next...
> 

If you mean the Epson Status Monitor that sits in your System Tray, if 
you right-click on it and select Monitoring Preferences, you should be 
able to disable it. The driver for the C84 could be different from the 
C88, so I may be way off on this one. Also, I think the SSC utility 
has a checkbox for 'disable Epson assistant'

> 
> It looks to me as if nothing at all is printing, not a surprise, 
> since i  
> bought this printer as dead/clogged up.
> I'll have to clean it, and look if that vacuum hose has slipped off 
> or is  
> clogged. Also i'll need to put ink in.

If you go to Google Groups and search comp.periphs.printers for 
'Arthur Entlich', he can e-mail you instructions on how to unclog 
Epson printers.

 
> The thing isn't as flimsy as i feared. I must say considering the 
> fact  
> that they must have fallen victim to acute shortage of screws the 
> case  
> appears pretty sturdy actually. Also the printer is _a lot_ quieter 
> than  
> the stylus 600...
> 
> What i noticed - the paper seems to go backward at times during 
> printing,  
> is that normal?

Not sure on that one, you could try cleaning the feed rollers. It 
could be trying to keep the paper aligned properly. If it's printing 
fine, I'd just ignore it.

> 
> Anyway, just to let you know i now have a C84 and hope to try it 
> very soon  
> with mispro ink and PCBs.
> Let's be honest, the printer is shit, otherwise there wouldn't be so 
> many  
> on ebay for nothing. But if i could get it to work for PCBs i would 
> have a  
> steady supply of new printers and replacement parts for 1eur each. 
> Also,  
> it is probably the most widely available model right now (even new 
> it is  
> affordable), so if we could come up with a way to use it everyone 
> would be  
> able to replicate the procedure.
> 
> ST
>

While I have a very strong dislike of Epson (horrible warranty 
service, not to mention that 'settlement' for their printers falsely 
reporting cartridges empty), I will say that the printer itself isn't 
usually the issue. The problem is those DuraBrite inks. It's like 
acrylic enamel rather than watery dye, so if you don't use the printer 
24/7, it will dry out within days, if not hours, and is very difficult 
to unclog. The C88 Durabrite Ultra ink seems to be even /more/ of a 
problem. I reccomend aftermarket refills for these printers even if 
you aren't modifying them for PCB stuff.

The only reason I tend to think an R200 would be easier to modify is 
because it's already designed with a straight-through path for the CD 
printing function, while the 88 is not. Also, for those of you buying 
older models used to test for taking them apart, if you run into 'the 
printer has shut down for maintenance' problems, it's probably the 
waste ink tank overfilling. There's details on how to solve this 
problem here (I can't remember if I or someone else has posted this 
link before). The C printers are harder to modify than the R printers 
(you have to 'break off' the right side panel to get to the waste ink 
tube), but with the modification along with the SSC utility, you 
should get an Epson to work a very long time.

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=51595&forum_id=40