Epson 7900 flush carts not recognized

the epson 7900 carts are filled with red flush fluid and after trying all techniques posted: paper shims, move cart to left, restarting printer, I only have 5 that are recognized by printer. the six that don’t work are:
YELLOW, LIGHT CYAN, LIGHT BLACK, GREEN, LLBLACK, VLMAGENTA. I do have a chip resetter but have not used it. the message on the printer blinks and shows a circle with an x in it and tells me to INSTALL INK CARTRIDGE. this is my first time doing this and I am stuck! please advise. Also, the pigment ink carts for those same colors work fine in the printer. thank you!

I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues with your printer not recognizing all the refill carts.

We have noticed the carts we received in the most recent shipment occasionally have physical fit issues, which cause errors like what you are experiencing. After much testing, I determined the chips are good, but the slight dip in the plastic around the chip area can cause the chip to not have a good connection with the printer’s chip sensor. In most cases, adding a thin wedge of folded paper under the cartridge, or a few layers of masking tape to the bottom of the cart (right behind the triangle locking area) is enough to make a good connection so the printer is able to read the chips. Other than this recent and occasional issue, we feel the carts work very well, so this chip issue is a real shame… We have communicated this issue to the cartridge manufacturer, but they were unable to offer a good solution, so we have been testing a new cartridge design for the past few weeks, and feel this new cartridge is the best design we’ve seen to date. We should hopefully receive the new carts in a few weeks. Many people are using the 800ml carts with excellent results after adding a few layers of masking tape to resolve the physical fit issue, so I recommend you give this a try, as it will be the easiest/quickest solution to get you back to happily printing.

Please let me know if you have questions, your results, or if there’s anything else I can hop you with.
Best regards~ Dana

I have managed to get all the carts working. what worked for me was using 1 layer of gaffers tape covered at the top near the triange with l piece of 3M removable white artist tape. the masking tape did not work at all. I have run at least 10 cycles of power cleaning and the test print shows the pigment ink bars of colors not the flushing fluid red marks. I am doubtful that the flushing fluid is making it to the nozzles to unclog them - I did not see a place to vent air before inserting them into the machine but all of the carts show some fluid on the cart at the entry holes. Also, I purchased l gallon of the flush fluid but it did not fill to the top the entire set. So what I am puzzled about is after all these cleanings the pigment ink is every so slowly fading away but there seems to be the same amount of the flush fluid in the carts. Am I doing something wrong? I don;t see any videos about this particular cart. Still hopeful! please advise and thank you.

Thanks for the update and your feedback. I’m glad to hear you were able to get all the carts working, though apologize for the what you had to do to get them working correctly, and the frustration you suffered…

I saw your post come thru my email before you edited (so the non-edited post is no longer on this thread), and wanted to clarify the “NO cartridge” error when the printer is first turned on is normal when using refillable carts, and simply opening and closing the two cartridge bay doors resolves that message.

With the 4900/7900/9900 and 7890/9890 printers, the power clean cycles are weak compared to previous models. With previous model printers, such as the 7880/9880, 7800/9800, 4880, 4800, 3880, 3800, etc… three power clean cycles was enough to move ink from cartridges to the print head. With the newer models, you would have to do dozens of power clean cycles to move ink the same distance. For this reason, we recommend doing an initial fill cycle when changing inks or flushing a printer. Initial fill procedures can be found here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?151-Initial-Fill-Procedures-for-Epson-Pro-Model-Printers

I hope this helps.
Please let me know if you have further questions or there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards~ Dana :slight_smile:

We don’t have a video specific to this model cartridge, and this cart doesn’t need air vented like the previous internal bag cart (the cartridge model used in our current 7900/9900 video), but as per the written instructions for these carts- exit channels need to be primed using the syringe and priming tip, so the exit channels are filled with ink/fluid prior to installing carts into the printer.

thank you Dana, I will do what you suggest - I need to order more flush fluid so it will be awhile before I get back to you - I am in So California.

You are very welcome. Please keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.

Warmly~ Dana :slight_smile:

I have run the flush fluid on Intil fill and let it sit in the printer for 48hrs several times with no different result - the printout reads the same as when I started. I do notice, especially in the photo black cart, that the pinkish fluid has turned much darker. Is that a good sign or is that a sign that the black is not making it through the clogged head and going back into the cart? I am encouraged about the glowing reviews about this flush product but unfortunately I am not seeing a good result. Am I missing something?? please advise and thank you!

What was the condition of the printer prior to installing the flush carts?
I assume you installed the flush carts because you were dealing with clogs that you wanted to try cleaning/clearing, correct?
If so, which position(s) were you having trouble with, and what was the severity of the clogs?
What inks have you been using prior to installing PiezoFlush into this printer?
About how old is this printer, and have you ever replaced any parts in it?
Have you manually cleaned the capping stations, flushing box, wiper blade and/or bottom of the print head? If not, I recommend you clean your printer by following our instructions, here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?133-Printer-Cleaning-and-Preventative-Maintenance

If PiezoFlush in the cartridge is getting darker, this indicated back-flow of ink into the cartridge. This could happen if there’s something restricting flow thru the internal ink system (a blockage in the line, damper and/or print head), and doing multiple cleaning cycles creates a vacuum and back-suction in the cartridge.

Please let me know so I can try to help.
Best regards~ Dana

Hi Dana - I am working on the cleaning according to the link you referred me to. I am doing as much as I can without taking the thing apart! I am embarrassed to say I have not done any maintenance at all over the pst 3 1/2 yrs! I didn’t know I had to as silly as that sounds. I have been cleaning and cleaning and more cleaning with viva towels q-tips and the flush fluid and it is amazing what is coming off of the various parts. I started out with a completely clogged YELLOW and after many cleanings (before I contacted you) ended up with completely clogged CYAN, YELLOW AND LT CYAN - the rest showing intermittent lines of clog at the bottom. After following your recommendations I am not seeing much difference in the printing BUT gobs and gobs of ink are coming off of the print head, capping station and other parts and the maintenance tank fills right up with dark ink. I leave a damped viva towel with flush fluid on the printhead over night and surprised by what I see removed in the morning. I know the epson guy would never do all of what I am doing - he’d just want to install new parts. I can’t get at the damper without taking the printer apart myself but may have to have him do that. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is going to take time. I hope to get all unclogged but if not I hope to get some unclogged to use for the piezography inks.
so, am I on the right track? is there anything else I can do? right now the printer is INIT filled with ink and I let it rest for 48 hrs while the print head is “soaking” in flush fluid along with a flush fluid towel sitting on the capping station. I have removed the wiper blade unit and cleaned it thoroughly. I do have two other desk top epsons that I have used the flush fluid on and it cleaned them up in no time so I know the stuff works!!

please advise and thank you!

H

Thanks for the update. It sounds like you are doing a great job at cleaning your printer (and realizing the importance of regular maintenance). You’re right, Epson techs don’t clean- they replace parts (and often more parts than necessary).
Based on your results and the age of your printer, I really think you’re going to need to replace the ink selector unit and wiper blade to (hopefully) get your printer in good working condition again. You can get the replacement parts from www.compassmicro.com (let them know we sent you), and the repair manual from www.2manuals.com for clear step by step instructions for working on your printer. Also, http://myx900.com/ has lots of helpful (and funny) info/videos.

I wish you the best!!
Please let me know if you have questions, or there’s anything else I can help you with.

Warmly~ Dana :slight_smile:

Hi Dana,

So far I have replaced the wiper blade and see no difference. But, I am confused about something which I hope you help me with. So far it seems the red flush fluid has made its way though every nozzle except a very faint black and an “almost cleared” green. None of the printouts made with the parallel line test prints are completely clear- there are a few tiny broken lines at the bottom of all of them. However, I printed out one of those color charts for the 7900 - eleven squares of true color (with the red flush carts) - and it shows no gaps in the squares and I even printed out a black and white version of the color squares so I could get a better idea of the tones and all seemed right except for the black and the green. I know that when I leave a dampened viva towel overnight at the printhead I am mostly getting the red flushing fluid draining out and a fair amount of black and green . I was wondering whether you would know which of these readings is a true reading: the parallel line printout or the squares.
Also, what is the minimum amount of cleared nozzles (maybe with a few broken lines at the bottom) that I would need to dedicate this printer to carbon printing. I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars replacing parts - it would be better to invest in a new one.
thanks again in advance!

Hi pigment888~

By “parallel line test” do you mean the manual nozzle check? What “color charts” are you referring to, the automatic nozzle check of squares, or color squares printed thru the Epson driver? Looking at the manual nozzle check, what positions are not fully printing all nozzles, and about how many individual nozzles are missing from each channel?
When did you install PiezoFlush into your printer and flush the lines (about how long has PiezoFlush been in the printer’s internal ink system)?

If you print “pure colors” thru the Epson print driver, it will mix channels and not actually print pure ink from an individual channel. The only way to print pure ink from an individual channel is to use a RIP that has individual channel control, such as QuadTone RIP’s calibration mode. We have instructions for printing with QTR calibration mode, here: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?144-Print-Ink-Separation-Image-thru-QTR-Calibration-Mode

Please let me know so I can help you move forward.
Warmly~ Dana :slight_smile:

Hi Dana, I have had the P.Flush carts in the printer for a month now. Just this past week the red Flush has made its way through the nozzles. To get to this point i had to do the Initial Fill mode every couple of days and every night leave a dampened viva towel sprayed with the Flush fluid on the print head. I have also replaced the wiper blade and often cleaned the other recommended places. A ton of ink came out of everything everywhere!! and now I am left with just the Flush fluid coming through the nozzles. Basically, the print test print - the parallel lines - have gotten worse. But when I print a test chart of squares of 11 HDR colors everything looks even better today. It looks like the green has filled in and the black, now, is the only problem. This is a test color strip of 1"squares that is on my desktop that is representative of the HDR ink colors - not in the printer utility. I don’t know how to attach the color strip to this reply or I would . So, with printing out the 11 HDR ink color squares with just the red Flush - just like I would a photo - the only problem nozzle now is the black. When I print out the test print in the utility mode I have basically no cleared nozzles - a lot of broken lines and some nozzles completely gone - BUT, this changes from day to day - I printed out a photo with the red Flush and it looked pretty good. I haven’t tried the QTR yet - I do have that installed - anyway, that is where I am. I wish I were better at all of this!

thanks again, pigmentista!

Thanks for the additional information. If you’ve had to do multiple initial fill cycles to get PiezoFlush to the print head, then I suspect you are dealing with restricted flow somewhere in the ink system, possibly the dampers or pump.
If your nozzle check looks poor- this is what you should be going by to determine the printer’s output/health. It sounds like you are printing 11 colors from the Epson driver, which mixes colors and is not an accurate test to evaluate individual channel health. This page explains how to attach images to your post: http://www.inkjetmall.com/tech/content.php?152-How-to-attach-images-to-this-forum

Best~ Dana

I have ordered a new pump and am waiting for that - meanwhile on the LC cartridge I get a blinking green light that won’t stop blinking when I try to reset the chip ( with the resetter I purchased from you guys) after refilling the cart. The printer shows that I am almost out of ink( flush fluid) but really it is half full. I suspect I need a new chip is that right? The resetter works fine on the other 10 carts. These are pretty new carts - should this being troublesome so soon?? Where can I get a new chip? I didn’t see one on the website on the 7900 page.

Thanks again -

If the resetter is working correctly on the other 10 carts, then I suspect something with the LC is causing it to not reset correctly. It is not common, but sometimes chip can go bad. We recommend everyone have a set of spare chips on hand, to be prepared and quickly replace a chip if needed (to resume printing without down time of waiting for a single chip to arrive in the mail).
Replacement chips can be found here: http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.362672/sc.18/category.52335/.f (starting at the bottom of the first page, and continuing to the second page).

Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.
Best regards and happy printing~ Dana :slight_smile:

Hi Dana, I am back to having problems with your flush carts again - they were out of the printer for a month or so and when I put them back in they were not recognized by the printer again - epson 7900.
I went through the drill of retaping and all the chips were reset showing a green light. I don’t know what else to do! I frankly do not have the time or inclination to fiddle with these carts for infinite amounts of time! I hope by now you have gotten the cartridge situation resolved and I would like to exchange them for ones that work. Please advise and thank you!

My name is Kelly, I am filling in for Dana while she is out on maternity leave.

I see you purchased the 850ml carts in march of this year, these are the carts you are having the trouble with correct? If so, we will send you a replacement sent of our NEW 350ml carts and you can simply transfer the flush from the other carts into the new carts and prime the same way.

Kindly,
Kelly

Hi Kelly - the carts I have say 800ml on them. Thank you for sending the replacement carts - I hope they work much better -