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Author Topic: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance  (Read 18560 times)

jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #20 on: May 30, 2017, 01:11:18 pm »

Hello Datro,
So I tried the method you described and things did not go as expected:
1. When I moved the head away, I could not see the wiper blade assembly, at least not like I do with the 7900. I could see the capping station, and below it a wide, white strip of material that looked like course fabric. I have attached a picture. To repeat, I did not see a wiper blade assembly. Could you direct me to what I should be seeing for the wiper.

2. When I closed the front lid and tried to power on, nothing happened. The printer did not respond to the power button, nor to the OK button. Nothing.
    To recover the machine, we pulled the power plug and then re-plugged and powered on.
    That seemed to work but it gave us, briefly, a terrifying message about total system malfunction and the need to call Epson Service. This message stayed on the screen only briefly during startup, but…

I went through the procedure you outlined three times, each time with the same results as noted above.

Could you advise me further on how to proceed?

Thanks.
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datro

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #21 on: May 31, 2017, 11:49:28 am »

Sorry for the delayed reply...I've been on the road.  Please understand I'm a user just like you wanting to make sure I can maintain my machines.  I've done a fair amount of repair work on my 7900 and I'm familiar with its internal mechanics.  I'd like to be clear about the following:

DISCLAIMER:  Please understand that the procedure you are asking about in this thread is NOT a EPSON-supported procedure.  Depending on the sequence you use (powering down, opening lid while head is moving, etc.), you may see error messages generated by the printer firmware.  This is to be expected.  You are completely on your own.  If you are not comfortable with doing this kind of procedure or fully understand how the mechanism works, I recommend that you simply do not attempt it.

The reason you don't see the wiper or flushing box is that it is hidden up in the cap assembly.  To access it, you have to gently pull it down, then push it back up when you are finished.  AGAIN, if you aren't familiar with how this mechanism works it's best not to mess with it.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #22 on: May 31, 2017, 12:04:17 pm »

Thank you, Datro. Yes, I completely understand and agree with your disclaimer. I very much appreciate your assistance and do not hold you responsible for what I choose to do with it.

I would like to clarify what you said if I might. You said, pull "it" down. By "it" you are referring to the capping station, correct? I should gently pull the capping station down to reveal the flushing box and wiper blade assembly (as I can see them in my 7900)?

Also does the wiper blade appear to be the same as for the 7900 or do I need to find a source for 9000 series wiper blades, should I ever want to replace the wiper?
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datro

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #23 on: May 31, 2017, 12:16:39 pm »

Watch this to understand more about the mechanism.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #24 on: May 31, 2017, 03:11:57 pm »

Thanks, Datro.

Was able to take out the wiper blade and examine it. It is not the same as on the 7900: though overall the assembly seems to be about the same size, the rubber wiper itself is a totally different design and construction.

So, do you know where we can purchase the new wiper assembly?
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #25 on: June 01, 2017, 09:09:34 am »

Thanks, Datro.

Was able to take out the wiper blade and examine it. It is not the same as on the 7900: though overall the assembly seems to be about the same size, the rubber wiper itself is a totally different design and construction.

So, do you know where we can purchase the new wiper assembly?

Hello,

Having owned and operated an SP9900 for 6+ years I am very familiar with the Wiper Blade cleaning/replacement procedure, as well as cleaning the capping station and flushing box.  I have since moved my business to my home and will be downsizing to a P7000, after selling the 9900 to a fellow in Toronto, close to my former business location.  After the first year using the 9900 I extended the warranty for another year and also a third year after that.  I considered it an insurance policy that helped me sleep at night without worrying about the centre of my business, the printer(s).  If you are using your P9000 for any sort of business activity I would strongly suggest extending the warranty for as long as possible(max 3 years).  I would also suggest that you not do any of the "maintenance" procedures you have discussed here while under warranty, since said warranty could be voided if a service tech were called in at some point.  As far as purchasing the wiper blade is concerned, I might have a source if you live in Canada.  I have just been in touch with a tech I know, about that possibility for myself as well.  I'll let you know what I find.

And one more thing - In all of the years I have been accessing and cleaning/replacing the wiper blade as well as the cap assembly/flushing box, I have never powered down when working in that area.  I do understand the possible reason for doing so, in case one might accidentally contact the OK button while the assembly(s) are out of place, but that has never been an issue with me, since I always take care to cover that area of the panel to prevent such "accidents".  By not shutting down while performing these procedures you only have to close the cover when finished and the head will locate its parking position, and NO heart-stopping messages to deal with.     

Gary       

 
« Last Edit: June 02, 2017, 07:42:41 am by Garnick »
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Gary N.
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #26 on: June 01, 2017, 10:22:36 am »

Just me again,

I had a reply from my printer tech contact.  He told me that although some of the part numbers have been changed on the Px000 series, the parts are basically interchangeable in some cases.  I was interested because when I sold my 9900 I kept two new wiper blades that he had told me would work in the P7000 as well.   He also mentioned that the print head in the new printers can be used in the older printers and the older print heads can be used in the newer printers, and that the improvements were made for reliability.  Of course he would be hard pressed to put an older print head in a newer series printer, since he was only referring to the actual compatibility issue.  He assured me that the older wiper blades would also work in the Px000 series printers, although if necessary I would probably opt for the newer version if possible.

Gary       
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Gary N.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #27 on: June 01, 2017, 12:23:45 pm »

Hello Garnick,
Thank you for your posts.

1. I would very much appreciate your telling me your source here in Canada for P9000 / P7000 wiper blades.
    I am surprised that he said the x9000 wipers can be used at all; they look quite different.
    Anyway, yes, please tell me your Canadian source (or send it to my e-mail if you wish: jmlamont@magma.ca)

2. I agree that an extended warranty period can be useful and worthwhile. However, I believe from reading the warranty document carefully that maintenance activities are specifically EXCLUDED. Many printers have been doing wiper blade replacement and other easy routine maintenance activities on the previous generations of Epsons or at least want to have that ability even if they choose most times to bring in Epson and pay the cost in down-time and money. (It is similar to cleaning your camera sensor yourself; it is not covered by warranty, but many consider it a risk worth taking.)  Incidentally, do you know the maintenance schedules for the various components of the P7000 / P9000? If we are to bring in Epson to do the routine maintenance, it is essential that we know these.

3. I agree that we do not want to power down the printer while doing these activities. However, the P9000 does not have the same menu interface as the 9900 and specifically does not have the explicit wiper replacement capability. So, as Datro has outlined above, other methods must be used. If someone in the group knows the "official service tech" method it would be very nice if they shared it here. Thus far none of the other experienced members of this group have done so. Nor has anyone yet come forward with the official, Epson maintenance schedules for the various components of these new machines. Without these schedules, how does anyone know when to schedule Epson to come in and do routine maintenance?
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #28 on: June 01, 2017, 04:57:21 pm »

Hello Garnick,
Thank you for your posts.

1. I would very much appreciate your telling me your source here in Canada for P9000 / P7000 wiper blades.
    I am surprised that he said the x9000 wipers can be used at all; they look quite different.
    Anyway, yes, please tell me your Canadian source (or send it to my e-mail if you wish: jmlamont@magma.ca)

2. I agree that an extended warranty period can be useful and worthwhile. However, I believe from reading the warranty document carefully that maintenance activities are specifically EXCLUDED. Many printers have been doing wiper blade replacement and other easy routine maintenance activities on the previous generations of Epsons or at least want to have that ability even if they choose most times to bring in Epson and pay the cost in down-time and money. (It is similar to cleaning your camera sensor yourself; it is not covered by warranty, but many consider it a risk worth taking.)  Incidentally, do you know the maintenance schedules for the various components of the P7000 / P9000? If we are to bring in Epson to do the routine maintenance, it is essential that we know these.

3. I agree that we do not want to power down the printer while doing these activities. However, the P9000 does not have the same menu interface as the 9900 and specifically does not have the explicit wiper replacement capability. So, as Datro has outlined above, other methods must be used. If someone in the group knows the "official service tech" method it would be very nice if they shared it here. Thus far none of the other experienced members of this group have done so. Nor has anyone yet come forward with the official, Epson maintenance schedules for the various components of these new machines. Without these schedules, how does anyone know when to schedule Epson to come in and do routine maintenance?

Hello again,

RE: 1. "I am surprised that he said the x9000 wipers can be used at all; they look quite different".  He didn't say the wiper blade was the same, he said the Wiper Assembly was interchangeable.  In other words, if you choose to do so you could use an older Wiper Assembly in a newer machine and vice versa.  I apologize for my lack of clarity on that issue.  I believe I also mentioned that I would not put an older version of the wiper assembly(blade) in a newer printer, even though it would work.  Probably not as efficient as the newer version.

2. Since I don't yet have the P7000 I haven't of course read the warranty documentation.  By "EXCLUDED", do you interpret that as the warranty would be voided if the owner had previously carried out certain maintenance procedures themselves?  I would imagine not, since otherwise it would seem to imply that the warranty would also cover scheduled maintenance calls.  Not likely I would think.

3. I will question my techie contact on that matter and pass it along when I have that info.  He is pretty open about selling certain parts, but I will have to get his permission to forward his name and contact info before I do so.  I have done that once before after I had secured his permission, so I suspect he will be OK this time, but I will not jeopardize my contact without checking in.  I imagine the official Epson Field Repair manual will be available soon, probably from https://www.2manuals.com.

Gary

« Last Edit: June 01, 2017, 05:01:08 pm by Garnick »
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Gary N.
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deanwork

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #29 on: June 01, 2017, 05:06:32 pm »

Oh man, I am so glad that I'll never have to buy one of these Epsons ever again. What a waste of time and energy. Everyone thought after all that mess of the last series they were going to completely revamp their head - pressure-cap assembly design. Just didn't happen.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #30 on: June 01, 2017, 05:48:50 pm »

Hi Deanwork,
I'm sure you don't mean to hijack this thread but I would prefer that everyone here stay focussed on the maintenance issues I've raised. I would ask everyone to open a new topic if you want to discuss or compare the maintenance issues of the three manufacturers. (This might well be a very worthwhile discussion that I have not seen elsewhere; I just ask everyone not to do it in this thread because I fear it will make it even more difficult to get answers to the questions I have raised.)

All large format printers, indeed all industrial grade machines, require maintenance to operate at their best. I am merely trying to find out how I should do that. HP's and Canon's have their maintenance issues too, I'm sure.

Many thanks in advance.
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #31 on: June 01, 2017, 06:10:18 pm »

Hi Deanwork,
I'm sure you don't mean to hijack this thread but I would prefer that everyone here stay focussed on the maintenance issues I've raised. I would ask everyone to open a new topic if you want to discuss or compare the maintenance issues of the three manufacturers. (This might well be a very worthwhile discussion that I have not seen elsewhere; I just ask everyone not to do it in this thread because I fear it will make it even more difficult to get answers to the questions I have raised.)

All large format printers, indeed all industrial grade machines, require maintenance to operate at their best. I am merely trying to find out how I should do that. HP's and Canon's have their maintenance issues too, I'm sure.

Many thanks in advance.


John has been a long time member of this forum and I've often communicated with him(on forum) concerning various issues etc.  However, in this case I agree that a negative reply to this thread offers absolutely no positive information of any sort.  Nuff said. 

Even though I no longer have the 9900, I still have the information I used concerning the use of the Service Mode for cleaning/replacing the Wiper Blade or the complete assembly.  Initially I was using the "Wiper Exchange" menu, but then found that the Temporary PG menu seemed to be more efficient, another pointer from my techie contact.  I understand that the Temp PG menu on the P series printers might not have exactly that same capabilities as on the SP79/9900 machines.  On the 9900 in Temp PG mode, once I had gently pushed the Flushing Box/Wiper assembly back up into place it was simply a matter of closing the cover, after which the carriage would move back to the Capping Station.  No shutdown necessary at all.  It would seem that this is not the case with the SC P series printers.

Gary
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Gary N.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #32 on: June 01, 2017, 06:22:25 pm »

Thanks, Garnick.

Re:1. Yes, I understand the distinction you are making and I agree that I do not want to use the wiper assemblies that were not designed for the new machines. I think that means that both of us may need to have a source for the new wiper blades/assemblies if we buy one of the P7000 or P9000 machines. I am having great difficulty in finding a source, and perhaps the equivalent difficulty in finding a non-heart-stopping way to change the wiper blades/assemblies. So anything you or anyone else here in the group can do to assist me in finding this information would be really appreciated. I should note that I very much appreciate the information I have received, from Datro and others, just so I am not misunderstood here. It's just not quite all there yet.

Re:2. Regarding the warranty information: I have only looked fairly quickly at the warranty document for the P9000, and I am not a lawyer. That said, I think it is clear that their warranty covers equipment failures, not maintenance, in general. (Despite the fact that several maintenance procedures should likely be done in the three year period that one gets total after adding the 2-year extension to the basic 1-year warranty.) That is, they will not come out and do routine maintenance on your machine as part of their (extended) warranty program. I have been told verbally that if the owner while doing maintenance such as wiper blade replacement damages the machine, that damage would not be covered under their warranty. That's fair, I think. But it leaves owners with the need to know what the official maintenance schedule is for the various components. Epson has it; so do Epson reps. But so far no one will copy me the official Epson references on this. More information that I have been trying to get here and would really appreciate someone passing on my way.

3. Thank you for checking with your technical contact. I completely understand, and share, your concern not to jeopardize anyone in this endeavour. I have been searching the source you reference and any others that are brought to my attention. So far no joy. My impression is that there is a much greater effort to suppress the public dissemination of such information, but I could be wrong there. In any event, my purchase decision can't wait and I really (really!) don't feel comfortable going forward without at least the basic information I have been seeking here.

Thanks again.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #33 on: June 01, 2017, 06:30:56 pm »

Hi Garnick,
It is the "Wiper Exchange" menu item that is no longer there with the P9000. I was able to do everything you describe, and indeed when I closed the cover the carriage appeared to move back to the Capping Station. However, I could not then do anything further by the menu: hitting the power button to turn the printer back on did not work, nor anything else. Perhaps the problem lies in my turning the machine off immediately after I uncapped the head. That was what I understood I was supposed to do, and I am always nervous opening the cover with a "live" machine. But since I subsequently could never turn the printer back on (and had to pull the plug, re-plug, and then power on) maybe that's the root cause of the problem. It would be nice to have the exact instructions the Epson service techs must have.
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deanwork

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #34 on: June 01, 2017, 09:09:36 pm »

I'm sorry. I totally understand . My sarcasm about this new series was not useful or helpful to your situation. You might do a google search to see if there are any tech manuals available online. We used to find them fairly easily and they helped to understand how to work on things. There is an Epson Large Format list online and a guy named Mark Savoia is the moderator and he might be able to help you. I'll see if I can find the link to it.

John



Hi Deanwork,
I'm sure you don't mean to hijack this thread but I would prefer that everyone here stay focussed on the maintenance issues I've raised. I would ask everyone to open a new topic if you want to discuss or compare the maintenance issues of the three manufacturers. (This might well be a very worthwhile discussion that I have not seen elsewhere; I just ask everyone not to do it in this thread because I fear it will make it even more difficult to get answers to the questions I have raised.)

All large format printers, indeed all industrial grade machines, require maintenance to operate at their best. I am merely trying to find out how I should do that. HP's and Canon's have their maintenance issues too, I'm sure.

Many thanks in advance.
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deanwork

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #35 on: June 01, 2017, 09:13:15 pm »

https://groups.io/g/EpsonWideFormat/topics

They have 6000 members now and deal with similar issues regularly.



I'm sorry. I totally understand . My sarcasm about this new series was not useful or helpful to your situation. You might do a google search to see if there are any tech manuals available online. We used to find them fairly easily and they helped to understand how to work on things. There is an Epson Large Format list online and a guy named Mark Savoia is the moderator and he might be able to help you. I'll see if I can find the link to it.

John
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #36 on: June 01, 2017, 10:40:38 pm »

https://groups.io/g/EpsonWideFormat/topics

They have 6000 members now and deal with similar issues regularly.

Hi John,

Thank you, this more like the John I remember.  I can't be sure about this, but I think you might have been a member of the EWF forum quite a few years ago when it was a Yahoo sponsored Group.  We have shared information here on LuLa, and I seem to recall communicating on EWF as well many moons ago, but of course I could be mistaken.  I hadn't visited that forum for a long time and then found it again about a year ago, and of course Mark Savoia is still the moderator I believe.  Back then I would occasionally call Mark and pick his brain, a very nice fellow and loves sharing information as well.  However, once I found LuLa and this forum I was hooked, although I still log in to EWF occasionally and compare the info there, still a lot of the old group I remember.  I just ordered a P7000 to downsize from the 9900 I sold, as I'm in the process of moving my business to my home.  I'm anxious to get it up and running and see exactly what I can do in regard to the maintenance questions posted here.  I also have a very good relationship with a tech close to where I live and he's a genius when it comes to these printers, all makes.  As a matter of fact he has trained a lot of the techs that work for Epson, as well as those for the other two biggies(Canon & HP).  I just lucked out on that one I guess. 

Hopefully we'll figure out what's actually going on with the latest iteration of Epson Pro Graphic printers and their maintenance requirements.  I've never been one to be afraid of trying something just to see if it would work, and now I have a backup plan as well, with the tech I referred to.

Thanks again John, take care.  My reply to your post was not meant to jump all over you, but to perhaps give you an opportunity to join in on the conversation.  I hope you realized that was my only intention.   

Gary 

       
« Last Edit: June 02, 2017, 07:23:02 am by Garnick »
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Gary N.
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Garnick

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #37 on: June 02, 2017, 07:56:38 am »

Hi Garnick,
It is the "Wiper Exchange" menu item that is no longer there with the P9000. I was able to do everything you describe, and indeed when I closed the cover the carriage appeared to move back to the Capping Station. However, I could not then do anything further by the menu: hitting the power button to turn the printer back on did not work, nor anything else. Perhaps the problem lies in my turning the machine off immediately after I uncapped the head. That was what I understood I was supposed to do, and I am always nervous opening the cover with a "live" machine. But since I subsequently could never turn the printer back on (and had to pull the plug, re-plug, and then power on) maybe that's the root cause of the problem. It would be nice to have the exact instructions the Epson service techs must have.

I may not have made my point well enough, wouldn't be the first time.  I believe I mentioned that originally I was using the "Wiper Exchange" menu as well, until the tech showed me that the Temporary PG offered more options.  From that time forward I always used the Temp PG menu to clean/replace the Wiper Assembly as well as clean the cap station and flushing box.  Of course here I am referring to the 9900.  At no time did I ever shut down the printer while working on it.  Therefore, when finished I would simply close the cover and the carriage would seek its position on the capping station as usual and I would proceed as usual, no problem.  I do believe that your issue was related to the fact that you did indeed power off after releasing the carriage, but I will check that with my tech as soon as possible.

Gary
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Gary N.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #38 on: June 02, 2017, 09:47:10 am »

Hi Garnick,
I think you were very clear, in fact. Thank you for checking with your tech contact.
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jlamont

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Re: Epson SureColor Px000 Maintenance
« Reply #39 on: June 02, 2017, 10:36:21 am »

Hello Deanwork,
Thank you for your excellent suggestion about the Wide Format group, which I will follow up for sure. I have always been grateful for and admired your contributions to LuLa. I myself sometimes feel very frustrated with EPSON. I was just in my clumsy way trying to ensure that the discussion here didn't descend into an unproductive flamewar ("PC versus MAC" style).

This may be a good time to try to summarize my understanding of where we are so far. The discussions have been about finding answers to the following three questions:

1. What is the proper procedure to change the wiper blade / wiper assembly of a SureColor P7000  or P9000?
    What is certain is that it cannot be exactly like the methodology for older generations of printer, such as the x900, since the Service Mode is missing the Wiper Exchange feature.
    So far, we have received several possibilities, but all of them can apparently result in some heart-stopping moments and/or printer messages. This leads me to think that there must be an official methodology, documented in a yet-to-be revealed service manual for the service techs. Thus far I don't believe we have seen this.

2. Where can we get replacement wiper blades / wiper assemblies for a SureColor P7000 or P9000?
    a. So far, we have heard that the older wiper assembly for older printer series such as the 9900 will probably work in the P9000. However, these older wiper assemblies do not have the same wiper blade as the P9000, and it would probably be preferable to use the official P9000 wiper blade.
    b. No one has yet identified a source for the SureColor P7000 or P9000 wiper blades / assemblies.

3. What is the official list of maintenance schedules for the various components in a P7000 / P9000?
    So far we have heard various opinions, but I am not aware of any definitive list. In short, I don't believe we have seen the pages from the yet-to-be-revealed Epson maintenance manuals for the P7000 / P9000. While better than nothing, opinions without this sort of official corroboration may be faulty; many of us tend to remember how things were for our older generation machines and forget that they may be different for these new machines. Without such a list, we cannot properly schedule maintenance, regardless of whether we plan to do it ourselves or have EPSON do it for us.

Anyway, that's where I think we are at this time. There are other things I would very much like to know, of course, but this list is a concrete and useful start.

Thanks again to everyone for their help. I hope it will benefit everyone, including EPSON (having their printers well maintained has to be good for them).
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