2nd 3880 fails, same reason - Using Photo Rag

I use only Canon Photo Rag on my Epson 3880. I do about 75 prints per month but in batches of about 150.

My first (new) 3880 died with service error 150C at the six month mark. The replacement just died with the same error code after two months use.

I print 13 x 19 borderless with a platen gap of "5", "wider". I feed from the top; have to do it one sheet at a time or it will occasionally double-feed.

Anyone else use this combination and workflow?
Have you had a 150C (platen gap) error?
Is it safe to vacuum the innards of this printer?

many rag papers are notorious for shedding and leaving dust/fibers behind or making the rollers slick and un-grabby. Do you ever clean the rollers or printer internals?

Haven't so far beyond cleaning the print heads. But only put 150 prints through the 2nd (apparently new) printer. The first maybe 500.

What would you recommend as a cleaning procedure? Anything beyond the manual's advice to remove dust with a cloth?

You might want to consider the Epson 4900 in light of your monthly production.

I'm not sure if you can do 13x19 single sheet mode with the 4900 but the roll method is likely. Shades of Paper has the 4900 on sale for $1300.

It's funny I was just watching a How To video at Inkjet Mall.com and one of the things the girl did was to soak up some cleaning fluid from the print heads using a good paper towel. She then said that after you use the paper towel it would be a good idea to use canned compressed air to blow away any fibers that may of dropped off from the paper towels. When all else fails you try anything within reason.

ChetRoi said:

I use only Canon Photo Rag on my Epson 3880.

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Hmm, Hahnemühle Photo Rag 188 is the same paper and is usually slightly cheaper.

ChetRoi said:

I do about 75 prints per month but in batches of about 150.

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It is probably better to print more frequently.

ChetRoi said:

My first (new) 3880 died with service error 150C at the six month mark. The replacement just died with the same error code after two months use.

I print 13 x 19 borderless with a platen gap of "5", "wider". I feed from the top; have to do it one sheet at a time or it will occasionally double-feed.

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Such a wide platen gap is unusual for 188 g/m² 0.3 mm paper.

Do you always print the same size paper with the same platen gap and borderless?

Brian A

Another way to avoid printer going sick over a hair paper balll is run a slightly sticky gloss paper through the printer after each fluffy velvet sheet.

Thanks for the responses. To speak to questions/comments:

I do donation jobs for veteran's medical care so the work is at my pace but, by its nature, comes in batches (i.e., facilities) of about 150 prints per institution or ward/unit. So, total control over jobs but with constraints. I do print for myself, as well, maybe 10-15 prints a month. I try to leave the printer turned on for multiple days at a time when printing. Looking ahead, I don't see the job pattern changing much.

Perhaps I'm off on the recommended platen gap. Did the math once according to some recognized authority's formula; haven't had an obvious problem with a setting of "5", "wider". You'd recommend something different (default was "2", I believe)?

Lastly, "Do you always print the same size paper with the same platen gap and borderless?". Yep, pretty much.

ChetRoi said:

Perhaps I'm off on the recommended platen gap. Did the math once according to some recognized authority's formula; haven't had an obvious problem with a setting of "5", "wider". You'd recommend something different (default was "2", I believe)?

Lastly, "Do you always print the same size paper with the same platen gap and borderless?". Yep, pretty much.

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Just a shot in the dark really. A wide platen gap will lessen the chances of a head strike with the paper. But on a machine that doesn’t have the vacuum systems of a roll feed printer, a wide platen gap allows for more overspray of ink over the edge of the paper, and possibly more ink build up. If you are always printing the same size, then the ink build up would be in the same place each time.

I use auto platen gap for almost everything, but I have used wider for canvas and 500 g/m² paper. Canon Photo Rag is 188 g/m² Hahnemühle Photo Rag (it also comes in 308 and 500 g/m²), the coating may have been modified for Canon printers, but the paper is the same. It isn’t a particularly thick or particularly heavy textured.

Brian A

Thanks, Brian. I'll give it a go.

Try this..
http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/faq.html#paperthickness

I think Canon Photo Rag is about 12mil.. thinking this leads to a 3 or possibly 4 for platengap setting.

--
'Everything in photography boils down to what's sharp and what's fuzzy.'
-Gaylord Herron

Much obliged.

There was another post about 150C error awhile back, but search engine couldn't find it.

I had the problem since the printer was new, but could always power cycle it to make it go away. So procrastinated until it stopped working altogether. Eventually it would show 150C error immediately on powerup, without even trying to load paper.

Took it into Epson certified service shop last week. [Thankfully] demonstrated the problem to the manager.

Got a call two days later saying they were unable to duplicate the problem, and could I bring in some of the paper I use. [17X24 Epson Exhibition Fiber, loaded one sheet at a time from the rear. Always careful to brush off the little white flecks.]

Stood with the technician for two hours trying to see the problem. Worked great! Technician said he had re-seated all the connectors, and that he had seen this problem once before with a hair-line kink in one of the flex cables. Beat guess was wiggling the connectors worked.

Took the printer home, and first sheet of paper threw the 150C error.

Was able to get rid of it by power cycling. This weekend plan on doing quite a few more prints, so will see what happens.

Shop says there are no Epson service bulletins on issue. Since I procrastinated, it is of course out of warranty. My bet is on software, but so far thare has not been any firmware upgrades for this machine.

Error 150C is a platen related error. It's hardware and will likely fail permanently on you. It has nothing to do with the paper.

My service shop replaced my 3880 both times it failed (150c) while still under warranty. I saw the same behavior as you--initially it failed with a 150c and was clearable by bouncing the printer. Soon after, it failed permanently. Same behavior, both times.

This problem is not unknown to Epson, although some service shops may not have seen it before.

ChetRoi said:

and was clearable by bouncing the printer. Soon after, it failed permanently. Same > behavior, both times.

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hmm... That suggests that some strategically applied duct tape could be a cure...

I was pretty sure the paper story was dodgy. The shop was the Chicago regional certified shop for Epson. They seemed pretty knowledgeable.

Best guess would be bad connector, or maybe an intermittent solder joint. The tech suggested a micro-crack in the big white ribbon cable that runs across the front; that would be expensive I guess.

Anyone know where I can get a service manual for the 3880? Its out of warranty, and with the price of a new one vs ink any major repair would not be cost reasonable.

have you tried simply googling 'epson 3880 service manual' ?

I have one for my 3800 (99% same hardware) via

http://www.americaninkjetsystems.com/epson_mimaki_roland_printer_rep/StylusPro3800_service_manual.pdf

Howard Moftich said:

have you tried simply googling 'epson 3880 service manual' ?

I have one for my 3800 (99% same hardware) via

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Thank you. I did not know the two were so similar on the inside.

Thank you for the link to the service manual. My Epson 3880 did not power up completely anymore and stopped with "Service Call Error 150c" - Lately it was almost impossible to use the printer anymore, I had to power off and on again about 10 times before I could print... Because my printer was out of warranty (but almost new) I decided to open it and have a closer look at the "APG assembly" - according to the service manual you should replace the APG Motor and APG Sensor....

When I had a look at the gear wheels and the AGP motor and turned the mechanism by hand and it did not work (the print head was not lifted up), I realized that this was only a mechanical fault. I dismantled and cleaned the gear wheels and but some oil on the axis.





Additionally there is a metal spring in between one gear wheel – remove it and make it stronger by pushing the spring a bit apart.





For me this was the solution for the annoying “Service Call Error 150c” and I am very happy that my Epson printer is now working flawlessly

Best Regards,
Robert
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http://www.photograph-austria.at

Thanks a lot, It works now perfectly.... I just wanted to throw the printer through the window...

Henri

There is a lot of speculation around the 150C error out there and I cannot say that my experience and perspective does anything but add to the speculation but here goes.

I purchased a 3880 in January of 2012. I used it consistently for two years running up to 100 images a month in batches of 5 to 20 images twice a week. When I moved in April of 2014, my printer use dropped of significantly. Sometimes I would go two or three weeks without running any images. I would run a nozzle check since it is very dry every 10 days or so. It was after I moved that I started to see the 150C errors.

Epson has a little thing you can do with moving the print head back and forth (which I believe forces the printer to recalibrate head position). I would go through the little dance most times I turned on the printer. Epson service was little help when I asked about the suggested action from their FAQ and speculated that firmware might be related to the problem. The response was "It is more of a Hardware issue." The key word here (in my mind) is "more," this is a hedge. So I started thinking about what changed. The first thing that came to mind was frequency of use. Before I moved, the printer was turned on at least twice a week, now I hardly use it. I decided to see what would happen if I turned the printer on at least twice a week (this would be 3 to 4 intervals). I can usually find something to print even if it is just a single image. Since doing this (for the last 8 weeks), I have not seen a single 150C error. Cycling the printer probably consumes ink but this is the price I pay for great photo output, living in Nevada and avoiding the dreaded 150C errors.

So what is happening? I don’t know. Maybe it is just luck (I doubt it though). Maybe there is a design issue that causes the printer to lose some calibration if left unused for long periods of time. But I think that it is significant that the Epson FAQ gives a solution that involves moving the print head around (which seems to force the printer to do additional startup calibration). Additionally, I noticed that several people reporting this error also mention long printer down times before the error shows up. I am not convinced that the problem related to any “broken” part. Maybe there is some battery backed ram (capacitor powered) that loses calibration information if left too long unpowered. Maybe as the aging capacitor loses charge storage capacity requiring more frequent power cycles. This would fit the “It is more of a Hardware issue.” response while at the same time support their FAQ solution to force a total recalibration of parts.