EPSON 7880 and 11880 Status - Meh

Creative Arts
#1

Please note the following for the wide format printers located in the Creative Arts Annex and please use at your own risk.

EPSON 7880 - Banding, color shift and stray ink appearing on prints.

EPSON 11880 - Severe Banding, clogged nozzles

I DO NOT recommend using either printer for critical printing at this time. They are both functional but results will be moderate at best.

More Details:

I’m concerned that the environmental conditions in the annex are detrimental to the printheads. Heat plus low humidity equals clogs and severe clogs can become permanent. The 7880 has been reliably clog-free or at least such that clogs can be easily cleared since we put it into service a few years ago. Since it has moved to the Annex clogs have become worse and harder to clear. Currently several channels are clogged and I was unable to clear them last night. The 11880 had one channel that seemed to have a permanent (or at least very stubborn) clog and as of last night several channels are clogged and weren’t clearing as quickly as they should have. The issue with the 11880 is particularly tricky because it’s also low on ink and running repeated cleaning cycles runs the risk of emptying several of the ink tanks which are expensive to replace (and shouldn’t be replaced if the printhead is permanently clogged).

I don’t have a good solution for the environmental situation. The annex seems like it should be in the portion of the building that’s climate controlled but I believe the “wall” that was installed to separate it from the rest of the hands-on classroom is preventing effective airflow.

Looking Forward: The 7880 is an old but sturdy printer. It’s not at the end of it’s life just yet but we may be close. We may be getting to a point where replacing it with a new printer would cost less than maintaining this one. The 11880 with at least one head that seems to be 50% permanently clogged (best case scenario) may never be such that it’s effective for high-end printing (photos, fine art, etc) but may be fine for “B” and “C” grade prints such as signage, schematics and such.

I will be back at the space on Sunday or Monday to take another look at the printers and see if I can improve the situation.

-Steve

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#2

Maybe a small fan set on the top of the partition would create enough airflow.

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#3

Myself, @mreynolds & @John_Marlow have discussed the temp in there before. I really believe that we need to do a couple “duct booster” fan to get air movement in there. This would be above the ceiling. I don’t recall if there is a grill in there or not.

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#4

We could see about adding a vent in there instead & balance the air flow.

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#5

I think there is one small grill in the ceiling, near the door, based on this photo.

There also appears to be a hole in the ceiling (i.e., missing tile) at the other end, but no grill.

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#6

@pandabob thanks for all the time you put in to diagnosing it. Sorry to hear she’s in such a state.

Would a window unit be of any help?

1 Like
#7

No. Too much noise in the Interactive Classroom and where do you dump the heat and condensation drip?

#8

You could do the ductless min-split…
https://www.amazon.com/WYS012-17-Air-Conditioner-Inverter-Ductless/dp/B01DVW6G06/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_201_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Q445KE0DJ4YA4TMRKDYP

#9

We don’t need a window unit or mini split. Worst case a duct booster fan. Best case, Y off the duct & balance it. We didn’t add anymore space that wasn’t aready being cooled.

3 Likes
#10

So step 1 is running a new duct?

#11

Yes. We need to add a wye with dampers. We can get one without dampers & make a couple if we have trouble finding some. My supply house that I frequent is open on Saturdays until 12. Then there is the supply house in Garland that’s open on Sunday, that’s @zmetzing, @Owen_Soccer22 spot.

So wye with dampers, 6" flex duct, panduit straps (large zip ties), fiber reinforced foil back tape & a 6" insulated boot diffuser that’s 24"x24". Obviously the wye would have to be appropriately sized for what existing duct is there.

If you wanted to get super fancy, you could put mastic around the fittings (pooky)

5 Likes
#12

Let me know exactly what you need and I’ll pick it up anytime.

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#13

ROFL! :blankspace: :blankspace:

1 Like
#14

Happy to hear the discussion regarding getting airflow into the room. That will help.

My schedule got crazy and I haven’t been able to get back up there but will ASAP. Once I figure out when that will be… is there anyone that would like to tag along to learn a little about how to work on these things from a maintenance point of view? I can’t do it as a class, but if a person or two wants to help it would be good to have some other folks that can pitch in.

-Steve

5 Likes
#15

I’d be interested. I’ve rebuilt a HP T1100ps (timing belt, power supply, etc), HP 800ps (timing belt & hard drive replacement), and work with plotters in general at my workplace.
[email protected] if you want to contact me.

3 Likes
#16
#17

So just to be clear? The 7880 works but I might run the risk of my prints being less than stellar?

#18

I would suggest doing a small 12" print so only a couple $$ are at risk if it misprints.

2 Likes
#19

I have a fair amount of experience with these machines and am willing to take this on as a project if anyone thinks this is a good idea. These were a key reason that I joined. I used to own one of these 7880s. I had the same issues in an open loft with near perfect airflow, but I was able to bring it back.

The solution was to purchase a set of cleaning carts to get it going again. Doing this with ink isn’t practical! After it is functional again, you set up the machine to do a tiny print every day to keep the nozzles clear. That said. I’m a fan of getting new gear, but if we are getting another printer similar to this one but perhaps from a different manufacturer, we will likely see this issue again unless we set up a daily maintenance print.

5 Likes
#20

That would be awesome! Not sure who you need to talk to to get that done, but I also miss using these machines.