Homebrew_PCBs

Stephan
Summing up, which printer and which ink did you use in your tests?

I went back and read the threads from the various posts on the
subject, and followed the links to the chip resetting info, and Epson
inkjet maintenance and modification articles.

Which Epson model or models should we look for at thrift stores, etc.?
Do they have to be pigmented-ink printers to use the M16 ink (I think
that's the designation). Also, are certain models easier to modify
for straight-through PCB travel? An Epson was my first reasonably
high-quality inkjet printer a few years ago, but I've switched to
Canon. I think the model I had was the 870. I still have the
accessory photo-sized roll feeder for it.

Hopefully, as more of yours, Volkan's and others' work is successful,
a folder in the Files section will be established.

Great work, and I'm looking forward to seeing the photos!

Regards,
Ted

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan"
<stefan_trethan@...> wrote:

>
> I managed to replicate Volkan's success with direct inkjet printing.
>
> First i had to deal with the ink chips. I ended up soldering them

together

> in a stack (they are connected all parallel in the printer). I simply
> stuck wires through the vias and made a stack out of them, also

connecting

> them to the little PCB carrying the contacts for them. This PCB is
> attached to a section of ribbon cable that can be cut from the rest

of the

> head cable (don't slip with the knife!).
>
> The really neat thing is one can simply pull the ribbon cable out of

the

> PCB now, and take the whole stack of chips to a resetter like
> <http://www.eddiem.com/photo/printer/chipreset/resetchip.html> (make a
> blind reset to reset the whole stack at once).
>
> Now the the bloody printer shuts up about the chips being empty i

could

> find out why it would no longer print.
>
> I found there was no ink whatsoever in the black cart. The whole

fill must

> have gotten out somehow. I have no idea how it managed that feat,

looking

> at the waste ink absorber i think it may have gone there, may... I
> wouldn't know where else.
>
> Anyway, i put a small amount of MISPRO ink into the black cart and the
> head started to work just fine again.
> I can feed a strip of PCB through, if stuck to a page horizontally

so it

> will go around the paper path bend.
>
> Then i started to experiment with printer settings and got something

that

> worked after a while.
> I must play with the settings some more since i still have some

puddling,

> and i must modify the paper path for PCBs and raise the head

(currently it

> is too close). But the pattern i printed could be etched just fine and
> everything, just like Volkan says.
>
> The vanishing ink problem must be resolved - maybe it is the "dry

sponge"

> refill method that is the problem. I should get a spongeless cart

for this

> printer.
>
> When i'm confident the printer is no longer losing vast amounts of

ink i

> can fiddle with the settings some more to get things just perfect. I
> noticed the different settings will affect resolution (too low and

you see

> banding just like with a old printer), ink amount (too much and you

see

> puddling), and color mixture. Some settings will use vast amounts of

blue

> color even though i print something black.
>
> Anyway, i'm confident everyone can do it. The key is just a modern

printer

> with enough resolution to prevent the banding. The old models i tried
> before had the nozzles too far apart they would form individual

lines on

> the (not wicking) copper.
> I expect i can soon put the fuser for TT into long term storage. I

hope to

> find the usb cable later to do a scan.
>
> ST

---snip---