Test Print Interpretation?

[Kevin Flowers]

Hi
when you replaced the capping station did you reset their height? I would use a syringe and check you are getting a seal. You may have to do a head soak to help loosen any dried ink

Kev

[Boyd Godfrey]

Thanks Kevin, I have to admit that I wasn’t even aware the height could be adjusted, I did use a syringe and there is a good seal though.
I’ll run another test this morning (we’re on Canada’s west coast) and see what it looks like as the heads have been soaking overnight. My big concern was to why I’m only getting a half print on the cyan.

[Boyd Godfrey]

Checked height and alignment and everything looks spot-on, also test prints are much improved after a good soaking overnight. Still only getting a half print on the cyan though…Have tried swapping damper line with the other cyan with no difference, pulled ink through both dampers and the head, cleaned the Y fitting on the ink lines and still only getting half cyan.
Could this be a fuse issue, and if so, where are the fuses located?

[Kevin Flowers]

Hi
head fuse normally covers 2 heads, can you draw ink on that side with the syringe. Remove the dampers allow ink to drain back, place back on head and use syringe. I would say you may have a crack in the manifold nipple that the damper goes on to. This test may show up that as the problem

[Stafford Cox]

I don’t think that will be a two head machine. Probably a 6, but maybe 3.

I would check the damper on channel 2. Failing that, maybe the manifold has a fracture?

Stafford

[Boyd Godfrey]

Thanks for the replies but things went from worse to worser I’m afraid. After installing a new manifold I ran another test print with the same results. Then, following some suggested tests on a Roland document I swapped ribbon cables with a head that I knew was fully functional to see if a defective cable may be to blame. In between speaking with a client, answering the phone and emails it appears I may have cooked the main board fuse. Looks as though in the process I had the machine powered down but not unplugged…the main board is now pulled and will be shipped out for diagnosis and possible repair.
Aaah, the many joys of self employment.

[Stafford Cox]

Ouch!!! Sorry to hear that. Fortunately it’s one of those mistakes you only tend to make once.

I assume the fuse was not one of those user replaceable ones then?

Stafford

[Boyd Godfrey]

It is replaceable but definitely not by the end user.
Fortunately I’ve got a second Roland machine as backup.

[Kevin Flowers]

Hi
you can get the fuses from Roland and solder them in yourself, done a few of them over the years. One fuse runs two heads

Kev

[Kevin Flowers]

quote Stafford Cox:

I don’t think that will be a two head machine. Probably a 6, but maybe 3.

I would check the damper on channel 2. Failing that, maybe the manifold has a fracture?

Stafford

It will be a six head machine with 3 head fuses each fuse protecting 2 heads

Kev

[Boyd Godfrey]

So I got the repaired head board back from macmedia.com (excellent service BTW) and finally got around to installing it.
Macmedia removed the soldered-in fuses and replaced with the newer type snap-in fuse holders and fuses.
The problem head is now firing well but now the black is not printing at all and I’m stumped.
Here’s what I’ve done thus far:
Clean all heads
Replace all dampers, caps and lines
Draw ink through heads with syringe
Test print – all good except black is not firing
Swap ribbon cables (connect yellow cables to black head) – now black fires but not yellow, tells me heads are okay
Reconnect as normal – all heads fire except black
Full cable swap between cyan and black – cyan still fires, black does not, tells me cables are okay
Open case, inspect connections to board – all good
Inspect fuses – all appear good (but I don’t really know what this type of blown fuse would look like)
Test print – all still printing except black
…any suggestion?
FWIW I do have a call in to Macmedia but it will be several hours before they can reply at length.