Home-made ink-level sensor for inkjet printers?

[Al Deveron]

After refilling a Canon ip4200 or similar, with the newer-type chipped cartridges, one loses the ability to monitor the ink levels using the printer's cirquitry and software. This is unfortunate.

It occurred to me that it would be quite easy to design and produce a low-cost add-on ink level warning device - comprising a sensor that detects when the rear portion of the cartridge (the chamber with no sponge inside) runs dry. This could be achieved with a two-terminal sensor that detects increased electrical resistance when there is no longer any ink between the terminals. The terminals could project from the end of a rod that extends down into the cartridge from the top. It could be inserted after drilling a hole - one for each cart. The sensors could cause an LED to light up (one for each cart). It could also set off a beeper.

If anyone ends up building one, please send me one ..or at least, some instructions and a component list!

I'd design it myself, but my knowledge of electronics is too scant.

Al D

[NoSpam]

Before I gave-up on Epson printers I bought a gizzmo that reset the device on the cartridge - it wasn't very expensive and worked OK. Try the usual ink vendors.

Dave

[Al Deveron]

They are available for Epson printers but not for the new Canon printers, whose cart chips have 128-bit encryption. No one has cracked it yet, to my knowledge.

AL D

[RzB]

Hmm - Interestingly non Epson cartridges in my recently purchased Epson R220 still show the ink levels...

Roy

[Al Deveron]

That's because the Epson chip system was easy to crack, as I understand it.

Al D

[David Hearn]

Originally the chip system was there to stop people from using 3rd party cartridges and refilling OEM cartridges. In 2002 the EU said this was to be made illegal from 2006.

So, now whilst you can refill your cartridges without having the cartridge refuse to work (or have to be reset) - they just disable the ink level check and other functionality that the chips now provide. This is following the letter of the law, but not the spirit.

D

[Al Deveron]

I wasn't aware of the EU ruling. That's good news. All we need now is a way to resotore the ink-level monitoring. Hence my suggestion for a makeshift ink-level-monitoring ghizmo.

Al D

[PeTe33]

I always find it quite obvious when the ink is running low on the inkjet or the toner is running low on the laser printers, as long as I always keep a spare cartridge or bottle of toner there's never a problem.

or am I missing something?

[Derek ^]

Ink jet cartridges which include the thermal print head are damaged within a few lines/characters if they are allowed to run dry.

If dry the thermal elements melt the plastic chambers they are set in.

"Or so they say" .

AMOF I try to re-fill cartridges at home but not in the office. The secretaries have a very low tolerance of computer faults such as this.

DG