Epson R230 won't take CD tray anymore...

[Mini-Me]

Hi all. Epson R230, prints standard paper just fine, nozzle check says everything is great(no gaps), WAS printing CD's until yesterday, now it won't

I did some CD's yesterday, then turned the printer off as usual - everything went smoothly and as expected.

Today, I try to print a CD, and the printer flatly refuses to even take the tray in.

When you tell it to print a CD, the printer makes two short noises like it normally does JUST BEFORE IT GRABS THE TRAY, then refuses to take the tray, pops up with a message on the screen that the CD tray is misaligned(it isn't) and to realign and press the paper button, which is now lit up red(but not blinking - on all the time). It is important to note at this point, that the printer does not even try to suck the tray in, so it is NOT the common problem most Epson R series owners tend to have with the tray not going in without a gentle push to help it along...

No amount of resetting the tray or pushing of the paper button clears the problem.
If I shut the CD tray cover, the printer reinitalizes and you can still print paper, but open the cover and try the CD again, and you get exactly the same error as already described.

Anyone seen this problem?
I really need this fixed, and I am not willing to buy another printer, as it really is still working, there is obviously something wrong with a sensor somewhere. It looks like I will have to pull the printer to bits, but I would be very grateful if anyone else who may have had this problem, would chime in with their 2c please...

[Mini-Me]

UPDATE: Appears to be a fault with the CDR tray sensor switch or it's connecting cable, according to the service manual which I have downloaded. Tomottow, I will see if I can find time to pull the printer cover off, and test the switches and connecting cable back to the motherboard(releasing connector CN11 first, so as not to make matters worse!)

[Mini-Me]

ANOTHER UPDATE: Pulled side covers off printer, and removed the cover from the CD tray guide to reveal the sensor switches. After testing the switches with a multimeter(having first removed the sensor switch plug from the mainboard), the switches tested fine, so not a SWITCH problem.

However, with the CD guide in the down position, the switch no longer works - Hmmmmm

Remove the CD tray sensor switch from the CD guide, and holding the switch closed in my fingers, close the CD guide - switch suddenly works. Open the tray still holding the switch down, and the circuit is broken.

CONCLUSION - Thin connecting wire between actual switch and it's connector for the mainboard is broken internally.

I will have to replace the wire, but it is nothing more fancy then the kind of wire that you would find on a 133 IDE data cable. This is very thin stuff, and when you considder that it has been flexing back and forth every time you open and close the CD guide, over about 250 CD's, it has simply failed internally(the strands have broken, but the cable still looks OK visually).

Now, to pull even more off the printer to fix it...

[Mini-Me]

UPDATE: Yes, physically broken wires when I removed the cable along with the switches. This printer is built like a brick s**thouse. You would not beleive how many curves and turns this flat cable takes, to get back to the mainboard...

Tomorrow, I plan to replace the whole cable, and reconnect to the switches.

[Mini-Me]

The cable is a nightmare to get back in, so I just pulled the cable back to the mainboard side of the printer, and then drilled a small hole in the cover for a toggle switch, and I just manually operate the switch when I want to do CD's, and that is working just fine. Switch installed, printer is working.

[Arfer]

hi sorry too read about your pain
i have the same problem with my epson r320 + now i get the red light and paper jam message
all started with the cd being rejected as same as you did i read somewhere to squirt some wd 40 down the switch hole and onto the activator wheel on right hand side it cured it for a couple of months but now the problem is back with the paper jam error as a bonus is the casing easy too remove used to be an engineer used to striping this sort of stuff down but a helping guide always helps as its looking like a for sale job on ebay otherwise dont wanna do that if poss as it works or used to work well along thith my ciss i got at christmas hope you can trow a few pointers my way
have a good day (john) in uk

[Mini-Me]

WELCOME TO THE PC GUIDE!!!

I can e-mail you the service manual if you like - it might help you fix your issue. Send me a PM(private message), and we can swap details...

[Arfer]

thanks i think i have the service manual it says official but that means nothing i know lol i was just wondering if it is a mandatory thing too strip the printer right down thanks for the welcome
i will be having a go in the next couple of days i need a good day too start what i finish as i have good and bad days have a few health problems but i will advise you as too progress
John

[Mini-Me]

Not mandotory to strip whole printer, depending on what the problem is. You can get at most parts of the printer by removing the top, and both side panels.

[Arfer]

hi mini-me
had a quick tinker with printer this afternoon found that it will do a head clean and print nozzel check pattern which is fine but refuses to print test page etc it draws paper in and stops with the famous error paper jam and red light so its bite the bullet time siking myself up to strip down and clean watch this space have a good day fellow readers

[Arfer]

hi guys
just too let you know done all i can with this printer its still the same after a complete stripdown clean etc so its going for spares as soon as i find that section on here thankyou for all your guidence and help
god bless you all and god bless this site looking too the future a EpsonP50

[hossiensazzad]

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[Whyzman]

Thanks Mini....this one sent packing...

[Mini-Me]

Any time.

[aussianni]

Hi - I have the same problem and would love to be able to access the cd tray sensor switch but I think I would need the manual to guide me.

Is it easy to access and identify please.

Be gentle I am a 67 years old Grandmother

[Mini-Me]

Heh, heh - no problem.

Getting to the switch is easy enough - remove a couple of screws holding the CD flap togeather - that will get you access to the switches, but I guarantee that the switches are NOT your problem.

The switches are connected back to the printer's internal motherboard via very thin flat cable, and it breaks at the point where it is always bending back and forth - at the point where the CD tray hinges up and down.

There is some disassembly involved, but it is not that drastic. However, you do have to be prepared to pull the printer to bits to either (A) replace the thin wire with a new bit or (B) remove the thin wire totally and replace the sensor switches with manual toggle switches.

I will upload some photos here...



In the photo above, both the tray up/down and CD position sensor switches are replaced with toggle switches.
This was easiest FOR ME, but you may want to replace the wire all the way back, but it was going to be a pain to do it, based on the route the cable took...

In NZ, up is OFF and down is ON, unlike the States. With both switches up, the printer thinks that the tray is closed, and there is no CD carrier thing in place.

When I want to print a CD, I lower the CD flap, and load the CD into the plastic carrier thing, and load that into the printer.

Flick both switches DOWN - printer now thinks that flap is down, and CD is loaded.

Initiate printing, and when the CD carrier gets sucked into the printer, before the try gets all the way in, I flick the TRAY SENSOR switch UP - printer thinks the CD carrier is all the way in(which it is). Printer then pushes the carrier back out again, and as soon as it starts to move back out, flick the TRAY SENSOR switch back DOWN again, then printing completes without further issue. When printer tries to eject the carrier thing, you must flick the TRAY SENSOR switch back UP again at the point where the tray is just about all the way out, or you will get a CD JAMMED message.

Perhaps not the most elegant solution in the world, but works for me...

[aussianni]

Phew, you wouldn't want to forget it you were pushing up or pushing down lol!

The printer actually advances the tray and moves it back and forth and then ejects it.

I think I will try to trace back the wire back to the mainboard and take it from there.

I would like to be able to replace the faulty wire.

[Mini-Me]

I will send you the service manual - you most likely can work out what the issue is from there. When the try goes in and out, then ejects, once it has ejected it, there should be some kind of error report on the three LED lights on the top of the printer - the service manual will help you find out what exactly it is complaining about.

[aussianni]

Yes it does come up with an error light - Paper Out - I guess that is because it doesn't see the Tray.

The motor accepts the Tray when I give it a gentle nudge but it just ejects it.

My guess is it's the sensor as the Tray is a new one I was able to get hold of and the white stickers are pristine.

Thanks for the manual - I'll keep you informed

[aussianni]

Well - we live and learn - If was a software problem!
I had installed another Model Epson Print CD and there must have been a conflict.

I uninstalled my printer and re installed all the software from the ground up and BINGO - the Tray works. thanks for your help

[Mini-Me]

Well done. As pilots sometimes say: "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one."

I never considered driver problems - good thinking, and that is certainly something that would have/could have caused issues.