The saga of the blocked magenta printhead on my Epson R380 continues. The inlet posts that tap the R380 printer’s ink cartridges…
… 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:
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.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
I know its for the C82 – but this has helped me when cleaning up another Epson as well… http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/laser/26282
There is actual “Epson Print Head Cleaning Solution” too – but mainly take note of the looong post about the potential to damage the nozzles based on too much pressure in the syringe…
Anyway – you seem like someone who has it all very well in hand :)
I’d like to have the patient survive the operation, but … it’s already dead.
What could possibly go wrong? [grin]
Leaving the head in contact with a damp tissue (for minutes, hours, or days) often does the trick for me.
Why is there a QR code inside the printer?
Haven’t a clue, but it’s on the top surface of the printhead assembly (better view there). Might be a unique ID for traceability; Epson really doesn’t want oddball parts creeping into or out of the machinery.