Designjet 5500 Print Head Path Error 2
Posted by Bob Wert on
I recently purchased the belt kit and ink tube system for a designjet 5000 and after installing I've been unable to get past the initial boot up as the error check printhead path (2) is displayed. I've attached a video of what's happening with the carriage during the startup procedure. Would you have any suggestions on what you think the problem would be?
There are a number of things that can cause the print head path error.
- The brass screw on the tensioner assembly may not be totally disengaged. It needs to be completely unscrewed and hanging on its captive spring.
- The motor pulley may have debris remaining on it from the previous belt causing lumpy carriage movement
- If the carriage moves slightly and then the error occurs, the encoder strip is trapped behind the encoder sensor on the back of the carriage. If that is the case remove one of the end covers and move the carriage to that end so you can see the sensor and strip. Put the strip into the sensor.
- Defective encoder strip
- If you changed the carriage height (screw adjustment on the carriage) the carriage may be hitting something.
- Defective motor
- Broken tensioner or bad bearing on the tensioner pulley
Also check that all the print head cleaners are completely seated down.
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4 comments
Please I need a help I have 5500 plotter 42" asking me to replace magenta and black which I did but is blinking (5106)Reseat and (5006)Reseat
The Belt Replacement Kit Works Great…Thanks, maybe add a tension-er pully and the Gold Hex Adjusting Screw to the kit. I noted that the Tension-er pullies may look the same but of wrong fit for your particular machine…thus having the belt that comes with the kit seemingly to be to long of length as a wobble in the tension-er wheel occurs.
I turned on my designjet this morning and it fired up okay. Loaded paper. Started to print and it failed with a paper path error 2 error. It had been a while since I lubricated the rails. Lubricated the ink carriage rails. Did that, it did not solve the issue. Read the manual, which suggested replacing the print head cleaners, Several which were very old and dirty. I had 3 new cleaners and put them in black, Cyan, Magenta. Yellow was only a couple of weeks old. I did not have cleaners for lt Magenta or Lt Cyan. I also lubricated the chrome rails the cleaning station rides on. This 6th time I restarted the printer, reloaded the paper, and started printing it worked. I am not sure if it was replacing the cleaning stations or oiling the clean station rails so it slides slightly easier, but it worked again and I was happy.
Hi, I have this error, but here are the symptoms. The 5500PS fires up ok. Do a Calibration, all good. But then we start printing, it prints a line or 2, and stops right in the middle. The carriage moves smoothly on all start up operations, but just stops right in the middle when printing. I have tried many different jobs. Today, it stop mid point when trimming the paper after loading new paper coming from the left side. Usually stops coming from the right side. New LPS belt last year. Rails are all clean and lightly oiled. No belt debris around the motor or anywhere.