I have had a Brother DCP-130C for about 10 months now, but use it as much for its scanner as the printing (I also have a colour laser). Some time ago it showed ink low and now is showing ink empty on yellow and others low. Yet I have only printed a few dozen pages (mostly 'photocopies') and when I take out the cartridges they ALL show at least 1/3 full in the viewport of the cartridge (and 'slosh' when shaken [gently]).
Any ideas on what's going on, and more importantly, how I can fix it - short of replacing half full cartridges?
Thanks in advance
flashfletch
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by Anonymous (5/27/08 2:21 PM) reply
the machine won't remove all the ink from the cart to avoid sucking up air in the print head , if it says emptry , u will have to repalce the cart with New ink ( preferable Brother inks) to reset the error, this machine is design to shut down if one or mnore carts are empty!
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by flashfletch (5/27/08 3:05 PM) reply
If you look at the front of the cartridge you will see a square block of plastic set back in the casing. A light sensor is passed through this for ink levels. Cover this block with a piece of address label of tipex, inulation tape around the edges and the machine will show the cart as full. Some carts will open like a book on the square opening to make this easier.
cheers,
Spill
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by Hu Chou (10/30/08 5:21 AM) reply
I would like to share with everybody that the "black tape" trick works for the following models: DCP-330C, DCP-350C, DCP-540CN, DCP-560CN, FAX-2480C, MFC-240C, MFC-440CN, MFC-465CN, MFC-665CW, MFC-685CW, MFC-885CW, MFC-3360C, MFC-5460CN, MFC-5860CN.
DCP-130C is using LC57 ink cartridge and the box states that this cartridge can be used for the above-mentioned models.
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by printer maniac (10/30/08 3:19 PM) reply
It says see maintenance guide UNABLE TO PRINT checked everything in the book I have contacted Brother they say the ink waste pad needs renewing. Ive checked waste pad it dosnt seem that dirty Does anyone know how to reset this Model thanks
Re: Brother MFC-420CN-shows No Cartridge, but .... by LiveWithLeslie (12/1/08 9:56 AM) reply
I have a Brother MFC-420CN, the one with four colors. All of the colors, Black, Yellow, Blue, are fine, except I received a LED notice that the Magenta was “NEAR EMPTY” (which it was not). I replaced it with a brand new cartridge, and now the LED message reads, “NO CARTRIDGE". I even went and purchased another brand new Magenta cartridge thinking that the other was defected, and this one - same thing. I just cannot get this LED display or the Brother machine to READ that there is a new cartridge in there. I called an authorized dealer, and he told me it may be the sensor...and to fix it, repair costs begins at $55.00+parts. I have unplugged the printer, turned it on/off, took all the cartridges out, then placed them all back in following the LED instructions, then answered YES when LED asked if it was replaced...I have even placed the wrong color cartridge into the Magenta slot, and it still does not read that there is a cartridge in there. Please advise soonest. Thank you.
If you want to use only Black Ink by Anonymous (12/15/08 10:04 PM) reply
I think this printer is fairly heavy with the cleaning process. I notice that the ink is used up within a few weeks even if you don't use color inks. Try the blockout method below to "trick" it into thinking there is ink in the tanks.
I have this problem with my 5460CN and read about this taping thing. I just can't figure out where the tape goes! Tried about everyplace I think. Anyone have a photo to show me where the tape goes?
Re: Re: Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by Zorro11p (10/15/09 3:35 PM) reply
I have reset the waste ink counter, put black tape on critical ridge of all cartridges and refilled them. All showed full. All was well for 2 sheets, then all 4 cartridges are showing as near empty on LCD also on software monitor program.
Whether or not they are near empty, how does the printer know with the light beam blocked? I have made filling holes on each cartridge (sealed with rubber plugs) so that I can refill without removing them. Doing this is not going to change the readout. How do I prevent them showing as empty after another few sheets and preventing printing. Anyone any suggestions please?
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by angryman (2/1/10 2:07 PM) reply
My brother dcp 130c printer prints blank pages. But when I run a test print, it prints 2 lines of tiny squares (in black), unfortunately, I've given up on the colored cartridges. They stopped printing even if the cartriges are full.
Please can you tell me if my printheads are damaged? Is there a solution that I can try? Having it repaired will cost a lot. Better to buy a new printer.
Help!!
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by tigerwan (3/11/10 2:35 PM) reply
Sounds as though the print head is burned out, you will pay approx. the same price as a new Brother or more depending on where your location is,for new print head. Better off to by a new Brother printer.
Re: Brother DCP-130C shows empty, but .... by JUB1L (edited 3/12/10 3:40 PM) reply
I have solved the ink problem on my DCP 115C. The black tape on the ink cartridges seemed very hit and miss. I was going to try and modify the sensor circuitry but found that if you remove the top cover, below the scanner, the sensors are on a strip next to the ridges on the cartridges. By unplugging the white connector from this strip and holding the plug out of the way with tape, the cartridges show as permanently full. There are also twin wires going in the direction of the waste ink pad. I did not try but maybe if these are also disconnected then the waste ink counter will also not have to be reset periodically. You could try by just unplugging the white 10 way connector, disconnecting both units at the same time (at your own risk).
If you fool the printer into thinking the cartridges are always full, you must be careful not to let the ink run out or the heads will possibly be damaged.
What I did was make a DIY continuous ink system (CISS). I drilled a 3mm hole in the top of each cartridge, made sure that they were topped up using a syringe and refill kit and then pushed a length of 3mm OD plastic tube into each cartridge. I drilled 3mm holes both in the side of the printer body and the caps of each 30ml JR refill bottle. The other end of the corresponding tubes were passed through the printer body then through the cap to the bottom of each bottle. By gently squeezing the bottles, the ink passed down the tube into the cartridge. Once primed, the joint between the tube and cartridge was made airtight using a little silicon or adhesive. Any other vents etc on the top of the cartridge should also be sealed. The joint at the bottle end was left as a push fit to allow air to replace the ink as it was used up. The four bottles were placed in a small tray at the side of the printer adjacent to the cartridges.
To make the printer even more economical to use, I recycled the ink, which would have been dumped to the pad at each cleaning cycle, back into the black ink bottle. (Yellow, cyan and magenta, when mixed, make black). If you do this, either collect in a separate bottle and transfer using a syringe or if you feed directly into the black bottle always make sure there is space left in the bottle to accomodate it. When the ink levels fall in the bottles, unscrew the caps and hold them to the side whilst you top them up using a syringe. Always keep the end of the tubes under the ink so as not to let air enter the tubes and break the syphon. I buy ink in 100ml bottles for £1.49 each from Bytech.co.uk.
I have used this system for a month now and not wasted a drop of ink.
Re: Re: Brother DCP-130C prints blank pages by JUB1L (edited 3/12/10 1:31 PM) reply
If it is printing squares, then the print heads should be OK. Try unplugging the cable going to the level sensors as outlined in my post above. Then try switching on and off to reboot or even reinstall the printer driver. It may well come back to life again. Worth a try!
Post to this thread Post a new message thread
