No Maintenance Tank Error - Epson 9900

[PatrickFisher]

Today I was training my employees on how to use the Epson 9900, and I showed them how to remove the maintenance tanks and reset the chips. When I reinserted the tank it gave me a "No Maintenance Tank" error message on the LCD screen. I tried removing and reinserting several times but to no avail. The printer whirrs to life when I reinsert the tank, but I still get the error. I tried inserting two different tanks but still no luck. I turned the printer off and on, unplugged, replugged it but now it just gets stuck on either the splash screen or the "No Maintenance Tank" screen. The chip is clean and the contacts look clean also. Everything fits properly and I never had to force anything.

I tried searching old forum topics but couldn't find any reports of other users encountering this problem. I called Epson tech support and they couldn't come up with a solution other than sending a tech over to try and fix it. Seems like an expensive prospect for something that must be a simple fix.

I've got printing orders to finish up and my wife is due tomorrow so even if I can arrange for a tech to come I'm anticipating being knee deep in baby poop for the next while anyway.

Help!

[PatrickFisher]

Fixed it! The problem was a bad chip reset. I realized the chip flashed red when I tried to reset it the first time and that's what screwed it up. I reset it again and it flashed green and that solved the problem. It doesn't explain why changing the maintenance tank didn't work but it's working now so that's all that matters. I'll leave this thread up in case this information will be helpful to someone in the future.

[langier]

That can me nerve racking!

First thought was an issue with the chip reset but when a replacement tank didn't do the trick...

After ten years with my second-hand 9900, I had the head replaced a couple of months back and it's working better than it ever has! My guru tells me the replacement head is an upgrade to the original 9900/7900 heads and is much more reliable.

Because of the pandemic, my 9900 sits for a couple of weeks at a time and then used for a few prints and they come out swell, for the most part, without nozzle clogs. I almost wish I had replaced the head a couple of years sooner.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I'm glad you got it sorted, and thanks for the heads up!

Today, after a considerable spell of no printing on my Epson P800, I got a terrible nozzle check: almost nothing from the PK ink, but all others just fine. Two head cleans and two more nozzle checks showed no improvement, nor did taking the PK cart out and shaking it before reinserting. The cart was quite low  but hadn't "officially" quit. The usual wisdom seems to be to leave it overnight before doing further head cleans, but I wanted to get these prints done today so I could mail them out.

I was also fearing the possibility of the old Epson screw-up if you don't switch the PK and MK inks occasionally. I hadn't switched them in over a year, and that was what killed my previous 3800.

So I tried one more head clean and nozzle check. This one came out perfect, and the prints all looked good.

I think I'd better print some MK prints just in case...

[disneytoy]

Yikes, I haven't printed Matte ink in a LONG time. So I better do a black switch on my 9890? Did not know that.

[langier]

Me too!

I was getting the "Wrong Black" message last night on some fine-art paper and simply used a profiles for another paper that was close enough. I'd better check my MK now that I've got a new head on my 9900 and make sure the ink is flowing from that cart...