ipf5100

[GrahamBy]

It seems i have just bought an iPF5100... for 1€ !

It has the "close top cover" error. So maybe I can fix it, maybe not. At worst, a cheap printer stand...

I'll need to drive to Paris and pick it up, maybe Friday.

[Pete Berry]

It seems i have just bought an iPF5100... for 1€ !

It has the "close top cover" error. So maybe I can fix it, maybe not. At worst, a cheap printer stand...

I'll need to drive to Paris and pick it up, maybe Friday.

I remember seeing a posting about this error several years ago in the Canon large format Wiki and ran it down - very technical, but if you have the skills...

http://canonipf.wikispaces.com/share/view/60350014

I would not get into throwing money at it, though, as there is frequently a cascade of events in these incredibly complex machines. You will undoubtedly need new printheads at about US$450 each, and ink. The retail value of a new machine (if you can find it) is about $1500, which is about the retail value of the printheads and $600 for the 12 90ml starter carts. And, of course, if there is significant ink in the bum unit it can be used in a new one. I've done this a couple of times over the past 11 years of 1PF5000-5100 ownership, and kept the roll spindles and cassette trays - now three of each conveniently loaded with my most used media.

Pete

Pete

[GrahamBy]

Brought it home last night... first hope that the sensor was defective hasn't panned out. It does have a decent amount of ink in it, plus a part roll of paper, and one head was recently swapped.

Next step will be to check stability of the power suppy voltages, since failure after being left off for a bit could be due to an electolytic capacitor drying out. Beyond that... it's a nice stand :-)

In fact retail price is now under 1k€, but in any case it's likely to be discontinued soon due to the pro-1000.

Thanks for the link

[GrahamBy]

Interesting... if I try to measure the output voltage of the sensor when the printer is turned on and everything is plugged in, the pump starts up. Must be the small amount of capacitance in the multimeter stabilising something. If I short the sensor to ground, or have the multimeter probe in place before turning on the power, no dice.... but anyway there is some hope that it may in fact be sensor related.

Then it shows a valve motor error.

Oh well, there's no hurry 

Guess I'll be getting the oscilloscope out of the closet.

[Pete Berry]

Brought it home last night... first hope that the sensor was defective hasn't panned out. It does have a decent amount of ink in it, plus a part roll of paper, and one head was recently swapped.

Next step will be to check stability of the power suppy voltages, since failure after being left off for a bit could be due to an electolytic capacitor drying out. Beyond that... it's a nice stand :-)

In fact retail price is now under 1k€, but in any case it's likely to be discontinued soon due to the pro-1000.

Thanks for the link

Graham, about the Pro1000, it has a very limited printable length of A2's 23.4" in Europe, and for the US, 22" (ANSI C's 17x22"). Epson's great 3800 series had a 38" limit. Coupled with ink carts 50ml shy of the 5100's 130ml and the absence of a roll feed option, Canon have effectively shot themselves in both the head and foot, and defaulted the 17" game to Epson's P800.

The 5100 has beautiful output and total flexibility of media choices, and if I were you I would not put a farthing more into the defunct 5100 if you can afford to snap up a new one at the bargain price. I tried my hand with my prior five year old 5100 with a multi-sensor error, but after replacing that found a whole new collection of error messages. Once you get past the simple, but pricey head swaps, the game basically goes into the stratosphere of possibilities that the printing forums record with painful, costly detail - eg Eric Gulbransen's epic struggle with a used Epson 7900 detailed in a thread of over 1500 posts: 

http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=61585.0

The professional servicing of both Epson and Canon LFP's is so complex that, under warranty, it generally involves simply throwing the most likely suspect new parts at the printer until something sticks. I know that Canon's flat rate fee over here for out-of-warranty printers is (or was) $1500 - which for the 5100 was the new printer's price - and as I said before, the retail value of the included heads and ink alone.

Good luck!

Pete - the used printer pessimist

[GrahamBy]

I don't think I'd by a new 5100 at this stage, when I could get a P800 for only 100€ more. Not so much because of the quality difference as because of the lack of a LR plug-in and the list of problems they seem to suffer from.

My thinking is to play around a little with the 5100 and if I can get it to print without buying anything expensive, then I will buy it a new cartridge of PGY (the only one that is low) and then see where it takes me. In the meantime, Canon may or not have brought out the modified firmware for the pro-1000 to allow longer print lengths (as per Mark Segal's update) or not.

Up until then, I can continue making nice A3+ prints on my pro-100

[GrahamBy]

Ok, couple of points of progress: replacing the top-cover sensor receiver with an 810 Ohm resistor fools the CPU into thinking the cover is closed. I can now get into service mode and/or power down the printer normally, but the next error in line is the valve motor error, for which I can't find any documentation.

Otoh, I notice that the top cover sensor, the ink-cover sensor and the valve motor and its detection sensor are all connected through the same header to the main board. Since in some cases toggling the ink cover would overcome the top-cover error, there is presumably a common problem there... possibly provoked by the top cover sensor failure ?

On the downside, since it wasn't possible for the previous owner to power-down the printer properly, it couldn't do it's correct shut-down sequence which involves capping the heads. So the heads have been uncapped for several months. That's probably bad.

[Pete Berry]

Ok, couple of points of progress: replacing the top-cover sensor receiver with an 810 Ohm resistor fools the CPU into thinking the cover is closed. I can now get into service mode and/or power down the printer normally, but the next error in line is the valve motor error, for which I can't find any documentation.

Otoh, I notice that the top cover sensor, the ink-cover sensor and the valve motor and its detection sensor are all connected through the same header to the main board. Since in some cases toggling the ink cover would overcome the top-cover error, there is presumably a common problem there... possibly provoked by the top cover sensor failure ?

On the downside, since it wasn't possible for the previous owner to power-down the printer properly, it couldn't do it's correct shut-down sequence which involves capping the heads. So the heads have been uncapped for several months. That's probably bad.

With this concatenation of error messages and dry heads, ol' Pessimist Pete thinks, with no further ado, it's ready for the electronics recycling graveyard. The inks and roll spindle are probably worth a few pounds.

Pete

[GrahamBy]

In fact it's the same error: the motor is working fine, but the sensor isn't. And the sensor is identical to the one for the top cover. Wonder if the cutter sensor is out too?
I'll dig through some catalogues and see if I can find a generic replacement...

[John Henry]

I am about to throw out a Canon iPF5100 printer. that has sat unused for three plus years. I noticed that you seem to have one that is still working. If so, I would like to know if your printer ever had the error message "Close Top Cover". Nothing I could do or find on line. Give me hope that I could solve/repair or correct the error. Unless I replaced the motherboard, and doing so. Problem still might not be solved. I have the opportunity to buy two older still in package unused PF-01 heads. After a bit of research, I came to the conclusion that the printer would allow me to insert the print heads. Then revert back to the "Close Top Cover" error message. Which would render the printer unusable.  And, folks when I say unusable. I MEAN unusable. The only way to turn the printer off is to unplug it! Even after restarting printer in repair mode. It still went to the "Close Top Cover" error message. If anyone out there has solved the error. Please send me a direct e-mail, as to how to solve the "Close Top cover" error message.