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#1: RIHAC digital solutions au Author: georges,

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:35 pm
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Anybody know the cis from rihac and what is it worth?
For Canon Pixma ip 4200 experiences ?

#2: Re: RIHAC digital solutions au Author: Martin, Location: South Yorkshire, UK

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:43 am
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georges wrote:
Anybody know the cis from rihac and what is it worth?
For Canon Pixma ip 4200 experiences ?

Sam Cahir (or that's the name on steves-forums) seems to be related to that company and his knowledge has seemed pretty comprehensive so in terms of support you should be ok.

I've no idea how reliable the systems themselves are however so it's not entirely obvious how much mileage you'll get.. I do however have a LOT of experience with the printer now and have found more ways not to do CIS's than is entirely healthy for one person Razz

You could do worse but I'd check that I'm thinking of the same person.

#3: Author: torch,

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:42 am
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I'm not sure why, but when I tried to reply to this topic I got a message that the post included a banned word.

In any event, I have installed that kit on an MP830, and documented my experience on Steve's Digicams website: http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=116793&forum_id=40

#4: Author: ocular,

Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 1:44 pm
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Torch can you check that link - I get an error on stevesforums when I click on the above link.

I would be keen to hear your experience with CISS and the MP830.

I have tried the CIS units ( IP3000 and MP730) from http://www.selectiveimage.com.au/ which seems similar to the rihac CISS. One thing that seems different after reading the pdf instructions is that to refill the rihac reservoir the air filter needs to be replaced by the original plug and the filler plug is then removed and ink injected into the reservoir. The filler plug and the air filter are replaced. The selective image system just requires the filler plug to removed ( the air filter can stay in place) for filling.

The other difference is that the rihac people advocate dye ink for the black text printing which is a pigment ink in the OEM cartridge. They say that pigment ink is not good for a CISS and this will cause sludging and blockage long term. Whereas selective image advocates the one pigment black and the rest dye ( as per OEM). Is pigment black a no no for CISS?

My IP3000 amd MP730 CISS have been very stable since introducing the thin silicon gaskets to the printhead.

#5: Author: torch,

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 11:31 pm
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ocular wrote:
Torch can you check that link - I get an error on stevesforums when I click on the above link.

I would be keen to hear your experience with CISS and the MP830.

I know about the missing link. I tried to log in and update it after a couple of months but the thread is missing. I don't know why, I don't think I violated any rules or anything. I pm'd the admin but received no response. The short version is that the kit was very inclusive, down to even including a pair of tweezers and a syringe. Professionally packaged, with moulded styrofoam packing inserts and a commercially printed (glossy) heavy cardboard box. There was a supply of a few spare bits like tie-wraps and an extra plug, elbow etc. I think the only thing I had to supply was a pair of rubber gloves.

On the down side, the documentation was a little thin and confusing for a CISS newbie like me, especially with regards to exact positioning of the tubing and amount of slack to leave, etc. I did manage to muddle through the installation and had it all working without undue fuss. It seemed like a good investment at the time.

A few weeks later, I had some trouble with the yellow cartridge. It acted as though it was running out of ink. It would print a perfect test pattern after cleaning, but if I printed, say, a 3"x3" pure yellow square, the first pass would be mostly solid yellow, then the next pass or two would have bare streaks in the centre, starting 1/2 way along the pass, then from there each pass would be just two thinning strips of yellow down the top and bottom and eventually no yellow at all. Somehow an air bubbles appear in the line right at the cartridge. Sometimes a deep-clean would get it going again but usually it required a re-prime. Once re-primed, all would be well for a few days or a week and then I'd have trouble again. It was frustrating and I was going through a lot of ink with all the priming and cleaning cycles. Eventually the cyan started the same thing. I wrote Rihac and inquired about the problems I was having. The fellow (Steve? I think his name was) wrote back almost immediately, advising me that he would send some replacement cartridges in case they were defective and suggesting that in the meantime I could place the ink reservoirs on a jewel (cd) case to raise them slightly and reduce the vacuum applied to the carts.

He was as good as his word and a week or so later I received a complete set of cartridges and two sets of new seals in the mail, all free of charge. They certainly believe in prompt customer service at Rihac! Anyway, I changed the two fussy cartridges and all was well for a while.

Then just this past week the yellow started to act up again. After re-priming it, the large black petered out. Then the blue and the red. Re-priming got the blue and red back but not the black and the yellow. I took the whole lot out, installed new seals, reprimed all 5 and reinstalled. Still problems with the yellow and large black. Did it all again and got the large black back but the small black was now problematic. Etc. Etc. Etc.

My current theory is that the tubes didn't have quite enough slack and were pulling on the silicone seals on the tops of the cartridges when the carriage is at the extreme ends of travel. I'm playing around to see if I can allow a bit more slack without the excess getting hung up on something. I may have to write Rihac again and ask for more advice.

ocular wrote:
I have tried the CIS units ( IP3000 and MP730) from http://www.selectiveimage.com.au/ which seems similar to the rihac CISS. One thing that seems different after reading the pdf instructions is that to refill the rihac reservoir the air filter needs to be replaced by the original plug and the filler plug is then removed and ink injected into the reservoir. The filler plug and the air filter are replaced. The selective image system just requires the filler plug to removed ( the air filter can stay in place) for filling.

I'm not familar with the selectiveimage system. The Rihac system requires the air column to be at a constant height relative to the printhead to maintain constant delivery pressure, so it uses a separate air chamber as a vacuum pressure control. Removing the fill plug allows ink to flood the air chamber unless the air plug is in place to maintain the pressure. I don't find it that big a deal -- not compared to repriming anyway!

ocular wrote:
The other difference is that the rihac people advocate dye ink for the black text printing which is a pigment ink in the OEM cartridge. They say that pigment ink is not good for a CISS and this will cause sludging and blockage long term. Whereas selective image advocates the one pigment black and the rest dye ( as per OEM). Is pigment black a no no for CISS?

I raised that issue with Rihac myself. Their assertion is firstly, that pigment density in "pigmented" Canon ink is extremely low anyway. It has to be or it would instantly plug the microscopic holes that flow mere picoliters. Secondly, that pigments are what cause long-term problems in ink delivery systems, as they precipitate out of the ink.

Personally, my thought after looking at the system is that if the Rihac reservoirs used a short snorkel, they couldn't draw sediment from the bottom of the reservoir and pigment precipitation wouldn't be much of an issue. Wink

Whatever Rihac thinks about the density of pigment in Canon ink, it does make a difference in the results. Before switching over, I printed off some photos using Canon ink carts. After getting things set up, I printed off the identical pictures using the identical settings and the Rihac inks. The average person would probably never notice the difference separately, but side by side, black objects in the original photos look distinctly "blacker". Now, it is my understanding that the printer uses the small ink cart for photos, which would normally be dye-based anyway, so that is not in and of itself suggestive of a difference between pigmented and dye based black. But I suspect the Rihac black is "adjusted" to give a pigmented-ink look (ie: flat v.s. glossy) to text pages.

That said, the quality of the ink has been excellent and the results pleasing for a 5-colour inkjet printer. I took one of the original Canon ink photos and one of the Rihac ink photos and masked off one half of each with paper. Those two photos have sat in a south-facing window for the last few months with no noticable fading of either one (as judged by removing the masking temporarily). So the UV resistance of the Rihac ink seems comparable to the Canon too.

#6: Author: ocular,

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 2:55 am
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Some great info their. There is no doubt that MF printers and CISS are a challenge. I have IP3000 x2 and MP730 x2 all fitted with CISS. I have gone thru a number of types of CISS. I started off by making my own and just having a a single black feed for office work where clour was rarely used. I then tried a sinopis sytem that lasted a while and then a no name chinese spongeless sytem that never worked.

I have settled for the selective image CISS which has the similar style of sponge as OEM. I gather the rihac systems are a type of spongeless.

Sound as though your problem is the seal between the ink cartridge and the printhead taking in air.
One CD jewel case is a small amount to elevate the tank. I have carefully worked out how high I can elevate the tank before there is forward flow when the reservoir is maximally filled. With IP3000 I have the tank 4cm above the desk top and for the MP730 2.5cm above the desktop. In this way I minimise the vacum created but don't allow forward siphoning.

It has amazed me that more detail to this measurement is not encouraged. Yet the CISS for the IP4200 and the MP830 are the same as the cartridges are identical. Yet the cartridges are not the same height above the desktop if you compare the two models

I will one day have to move to these chipped cartridges. Is there a 4 cartridge Multifunction machine (like the MP730) as I would wish to keep the number of cartridges to four rather than five.

#7: Rihac Echostore the same? Author: GeorgesPlat,

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:13 pm
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I tried the Rihac website. When I enter their CIS zone I end up at what seems another store called Echostore.com Is the system advertised at Echostore the same as is being discussed in this threat?

#8: Re: Rihac Echostore the same? Author: Martin, Location: South Yorkshire, UK

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:01 am
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GeorgesPlat wrote:
I tried the Rihac website. When I enter their CIS zone I end up at what seems another store called Echostore.com Is the system advertised at Echostore the same as is being discussed in this threat?

Not entirely sure...

You probably want to try contacting Rihac via the stevesforums forum as that's who I know of... Not sure of his current status though.

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