# Epson 4880 Dampers



## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Hi guys,

What are the tell tale signs that the dampers need changing on the 4880?

Any different to signs shown when the print head is wearing out?

Cheers


----------



## FBNick (Oct 21, 2015)

There's a fair chunk of overlap with other issues. Think things like banding, poor nozzle checks, basically anything that might be affected by the amount of ink passing through. Sometimes something might sound like dampers and be a printhead or even something electric

When we get tech calls (not our usual thing when it's hardware causing the issue since we don't deal with printers directly) we suggest dampers first for anything that might be a printhead wearing out just because of the huge cost difference.


----------



## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

I really appreciate your message, thank you!

Just a couple of things on the back of that...

A UK supplier offer 'pre charged' dampers at a premium price, is this something that we could do ourselves? I'm assuming that pre charged is another term for pre loaded with ink?

And, do you know what the telltale signs are that the capping station should be replaced?

We're experiencing a few issues at the moment and trying to diagnose it ourselves due to the lack of engineers available in the UK who know what they're doing with these printers. 

Thanks a million!


----------



## FBNick (Oct 21, 2015)

I haven't heard of precharged, which doesn't necessarily mean anything other than the ones we get in are labeled differently. I'm guessing that you're looking at Resolute DTG, who's website says they offer OEM dampers. As long as you're staying away from the dirt cheap dampers on Ebay, I haven't heard of anyone having issues.

As far as the capping station, I'd ask what kind of printer and what kind of issues. You may be better off posting a new thread mentioning these specifically, plus any pictures you can get of nozzle tests, problem prints, etc. I'm far from the expert that a lot of the other guys on the forums are.


----------



## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Good guess 

So with the (potential) capping station issue the printer prints fine up to a point (usually after a clean) then will stop printing as well and it take half a cap of cleaner over the capping station & a clean cycle to get things moving again. 

One thing to note is that when you try to bleed the print head using an isopropyl wipe, no ink comes through at all!

Thanks again !!


----------



## 23spiderman (Jun 26, 2008)

one of the signs that you have damper issues is when you lose and entire channel during printing. a head clean will bring the channel back, and then it drops again when printing. this is ink starvation, and generally, it's at the damper. 

i rotate out my dampers every 4-6 weeks depending on usage. i clean them with Windex w/ammonia (not sure if you have the same in the UK), then rinse well with distilled water before using again. i wrote up a thread regarding this issue here.

if your capping station drains/pull ink, then it's probably ok. check that the rubber seal (this is what presses against your nozzle plate) is in good order. mine started making weird noises, and had trouble moving the wiper blade, but i made it 4 years with my original capping station. i was told that replacing it every 1-2 years is preferred.


----------



## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Great advice, it's much appreciated!!

In terms of cleaning, each different supplier will tell you differently how it should be done (despite them all being the same machines)

What do you find is the most effective form of cleaning / daily maintenance and what do you use to clean?

Thanks!


----------



## 23spiderman (Jun 26, 2008)

i use Windex full strength as my cleaning solution. i dilute it 50/50 with distilled water if i need to flush out my white ink.


----------



## Archiebee (Sep 1, 2014)

Awesome. What do you do typically on a day to day basis in terms of print head / capping station cleaning?


----------



## 23spiderman (Jun 26, 2008)

i'm bad about daily maintenance. i might get to it every other week or so. i don't recommend going that long, but it's what i do.

for my maintenance, i fill the capping station with Windex, then i just wipe around the rubber seal at the top of the capping station. i scrape off the wiper blade and make sure all the dried ink is off of it, and i clean the wiper blade holder. i also clean the metal rail that the wiper blade slides on. then on the head, i will clean any dried ink on either side of the nozzle plate, including the front and back edges of the nozzle plate. if you are using white ink, it will gather there.


----------

