The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Day: March 21, 2012

  • Epson R380 Printhead Clog: Syringe Flush

    The saga of the blocked magenta printhead on my Epson R380 continues. The inlet posts that tap the R380 printer’s ink cartridges…

    R380 printhead ink inlets
    R380 printhead ink inlets

    … look like they ought to fit some sort of tubing and, indeed, a bit of rummaging produced a hank of suitable thick-walled plastic stuff. Heating one end until it went clear and floppy, then jamming it over a syringe’s Luer fitting produced a workable flushing tool:

    Syringe with tubing to fit R380
    Syringe with tubing to fit R380

    I folded a tissue, laid it over the sponges and wipers at the printhead park position, then pushed the ink tank carrier over the tissue to absorb the spray. Squirting three syringes full of 10% ethanol through the head cleaned out a few of the blocked jets, but didn’t produce a complete fix.

    Next up: homebrew window cleaner, diluted about 1:3 to knock back the ammonia concentration.