Testing a printer Cartridge outside the printer????

[directcurrent]

Hello Folks Got the passing thought in me heard; Is there a way to test a printer cartridge without placing it in the printer( for example a lexmark 1185 number 17 cartridge). I guess what I am getting at is this;

I have finally figured out how to reload this cartridge and it ant the way the books say do it. What I have in mine is to know what the sencor in the printer says is a fully charge cartridge and be able to test for leaks befor installing it back into the printer. If I could do that I could load the color cartridge to but they are a bit tricky. How do these thing work electricaly?

God Bless All and let us all pray for rain throughout our country

DC

[Chris Smith]

You could try but... its a lot of work?

The cartrige is a "dump" per signal type of system [micro dots] but unless your serious, and build a real mock up,...why?

Lot of work?

[hp]

You might as well place it in the printer since it is a big pain to test them. You must use different methods depending on the technology (thermal ink jet, piezo ink jet, bubble jet, etc).

Some require somewhat high voltage for very very short periods of time (~22 - 24 vdc). There are also very special rules for how to fire the nozzles. Most technologies have a max number of nozzles that can be fired at a time, and how far they must be apart from each other. They also require cool down times (to let ink recharge or to cool down the elements). Overall it can be somewhat difficult, and not worth doing since it would be cheaper to just go buy a new cartridge.

Harrison

[dacflyer]

currious ?? just how does a HP carterage dispence ink anyway.. i looked at the surface of one with a 30X loupe, and it looks like the die of a eprom in a sort of weird way..
i cannot understand how its dispenced...is the head like a sprayer? if so how does it spray from such a fine grid of what looks to be circuit lines on a chip ?
i hope someone understands what i am asking

[directcurrent]

Hello dacflyer from Faytteville, NC. which I know that town so well. I am like you. How does the darn thing work, I would really like to Know. I use to work with Data General Computers and repair many of thier dotmatrix printers and Have learn how to refill non-refillable ink jet and printers cartridges but can't quick get the handle on how these things mechanically work, it's a mystery to me!!!! Maybe we get luck and some good friends on the forum can stear us in the right direction.

I figure it would be quick a task to do something like this. You all are probable right but I have had quick a success on refilling a signle cartridge about eigth times before it go's to pot and I have to buy a new one. 20$ X 8 virsus 12$ is a lot better to me. The quaility seems to hold about the same as a new one to. But if you go by what some of these folk that sale the refill kit say on how to re-fill one, you do more damage then good. The ink they sale is fine. Wish I could find someone that sale just the ink and cleaners.

God Bless everyone!! DC or the one and only Direct Current that keeps the rubber side down, shiny side up, in between the digges and the wheels going round!!

[JPKNHTP]

-JPKNHTP

[Edd]

.

In my situation I use a Laser printer so frequently, that the Inkjet is relegated only for infrequent color work…In which case,
at some times, a dry out requires an alcohol and / de-ionized water head cleaning to get the I J unit fully operational again
along with the use of a very porous test paper until a full ink flow is reestablished..

Wouldn’t even think about the complexity of a test outside of the printer proper, by virtue of its u/p controlled complexity.

I have certainly done my share of evaluating HP units for family / friends / associates “findsâ€

[Chris Smith]

The jet type is a high speed ink migration type, apply a POS or NEG voltage and ink moves through the pores very fast, much like a hypo and a tiny squirt. [micro drops]

Laser toners are very different, they use a high-voltage difference to make a migration and cure, a magnetic effect for movment, a electro static plastic thermal ink to fly and stick, and then cure, a drum and memory to make the plastic ink fly towards a drum in the form of a symbol, and then stick and cure in the paper. [simple view]

And then you have the stamping type over a movable tape made of ink, A.K.A. the dot matrix type and also the pen plotter types.

[hp]

Take a look at Parallax's ink jet printer kit that teaches you how simple inkjet technology (thermal inkjet) works. It includes a driver board and an inkjet cartridge for you to play with. There is also a book included that goes through the steps on how inkjet works, etc.

You can view the datasheet for the driver board at http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/ro ... s-v1.0.pdf . It has a small section on how it works.