These printer do indeed have a trap door to the left, when facing the rear of the printer, in which case it's a fairly "standard" modification.

In terms of resetting the SSC utility has mixed reports of success but someone posted up the main service utility here:
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/22895/SEIKO%20EPSON_EPSON%20RX420-425-430.html

Look for the

Quote:

Download >> To download the file, please, click here ! << Download

.. to get the download.

UPDATED:
Instructions for modifying the RX420 are now up here:
http://www.octoink.co.uk/store/pages/Epson-RX420.html



Last edited by Martin on Sat Feb 21, 2009 1:19 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Hi Martin,

Thank you for your swift reply. I have opened the rear trap door and a tube comes straight down the back of this, goes into either a bend or some sort of tube-juncton (which is clipped near to the back of the printer), which I think then goes back into the printer at an angle somewhere. I can take a photo if it would help you to give slightly clearer instruction.

I have not yet had achance to try the software, as I want to take the file across to my XP machine to try and guarantee compatability. Is it safe to try resetting the counter without having the modification sorted, just to see if the software works before buying the mod?

I would be willing to take photos along the way to provide instructions if it helped (as per your other post in this forum offering a discount).

thomasross wrote:

Hi Martin,

Thank you for your swift reply. I have opened the rear trap door and a tube comes straight down the back of this, goes into either a bend or some sort of tube-juncton (which is clipped near to the back of the printer), which I think then goes back into the printer at an angle somewhere. I can take a photo if it would help you to give slightly clearer instruction.

A photo is always worth it... I'd take a few from different angles and distances to give a clearer overview if you can.

Quote:

I have not yet had achance to try the software, as I want to take the file across to my XP machine to try and guarantee compatability. Is it safe to try resetting the counter without having the modification sorted, just to see if the software works before buying the mod?

I ran the software from eserviceinfo after scanning it for virii, etc... (none found) and that should work fine so long as you use it properly... (ie: don't click randomly on buttons!).and yes I'd recommend using it on an XP machine.

Quote:

I would be willing to take photos along the way to provide instructions if it helped (as per your other post in this forum offering a discount).

Yep... that'd work... If you want to go that route I'm more than happy to discount you... You may have realised that I have an online shop which is a bit cheaper (no ebay fees) but ebay is still valid..


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

As promised please follow the link to images of the open rear hatch on photobucket.

http://s336.photobucket.com/albums/n349/tdrledgowan/Printer%20Hatch/

Looking at your website I would probably purchase the bag-in-box version of the product.

I have tried the utility out on my XP machine which managed to reset the counters fine andthe printer culd be rebooted without the error message appearing, although I didn't print anything yet as there will be nowhere for the spare ink to go.

If you could take a look over the images and give me some basic pointers as to how I would go about attaching the tube to the kit (i.e. where to detach/cut) when I buy it, and if it is suitable, I would be gratefull. Also, is it necessary for me to make a hole in the trap door for this printer to continue operating normally (and if so where is best), or could I just leave the hatch open.

Finally, if you could pint me in the direction of any instructions for a model which looks similar to this I would be grateful. Once I get the kit, I would be able to take pictures at as many stages as you would like me to.

thomasross wrote:

As promised please follow the link to images of the open rear hatch on photobucket.

http://s336.photobucket.com/albums/n349/tdrledgowan/Printer%20Hatch/

Looking at your website I would probably purchase the bag-in-box version of the product.

Ok... I'll need to grab another one of those boxes then.. They were put together as a "try it and see" item but easy enough to do..

Quote:

I have tried the utility out on my XP machine which managed to reset the counters fine andthe printer culd be rebooted without the error message appearing, although I didn't print anything yet as there will be nowhere for the spare ink to go.

That's good to know...

Given that you haven't disconnected anything the only bit of intel remaining/required is an indication of which direction the ink is flowing to/from..

My educated guess is that the key tube is the one coming down into the top of that plastic fitting and you would just need to redirect that one. The other tube is probably just redirecting out of that plastic fitting you see at the trap door. You could check that if you like.

I'd just try rebooting the printer and seeing what happens with the ink this once to be sure.

Quote:

If you could take a look over the images and give me some basic pointers as to how I would go about attaching the tube to the kit (i.e. where to detach/cut) when I buy it, and if it is suitable, I would be gratefull. Also, is it necessary for me to make a hole in the trap door for this printer to continue operating normally (and if so where is best), or could I just leave the hatch open.

You could just leave the printer hatch off, which would make it possible for you to just plug everything back as normal if you felt the need. However I tend to recommend modifying the hatch as you can then keep the barb fitting on the inside so that it provides a safety stop (ie: oversized plug) to keep you from accidentally pulling the tubing off the pump itself which is a seriously "bad news" mistake to make. Of course you need to make sure you modify the trap door with a big enough hole for the tubing to get through but not the barb and because the barb is glued into the kit tube the best way to get the desired result is to just notch the edge of the door.

I don't have a picture to explain it better but I'll try to sort something tomorrow evening if I get a chance.

Quote:

Finally, if you could pint me in the direction of any instructions for a model which looks similar to this I would be grateful. Once I get the kit, I would be able to take pictures at as many stages as you would like me to.

The little metal clips are beautifully illustrated in the video for the R1800/2400 kit, while the tray door side of things is demonstrated well in the R300 instruction links. It's fairly common sense stuff after that.

The key thing is of course to check that you've got the right tube to connect to


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Sorry Martin, one last quick question. Reading your description on the website of the box version of the kit:

Quote:

The fitting is mounted on the outside of the box with a rubber gasket providing a liquid tight seal and the bag is locked in place (non-removable).

Does this mean that when the bag is full, it can't be emptied? If so, does the bag usually fill quite quickly, and therefore would it be better if I bought the standard bag version (to save me buying the kit again fairly soon. I have had the printer for around 3 and a half years before the pads filled, to give you an indication. Sorry for being a pain.

P.S. Do both the kits come with the required bit of tube to link the waste ink tube to the bag, as it is not shown in the image of the box version.

thomasross wrote:

Sorry Martin, one last quick question. Reading your description on the website of the box version of the kit:

Quote:

The fitting is mounted on the outside of the box with a rubber gasket providing a liquid tight seal and the bag is locked in place (non-removable).

Does this mean that when the bag is full, it can't be emptied?

Not at all... The way to empty it is to use the extra fitting that comes with the kit.. you simply unscrew the fitting attached to the tubing and screw in the extra one. This opens up the valve and allows you to tip out the ink or (as I've found recently) to purge any air that's been pumped into the bag.

It's definitely not a single use application.

Quote:

P.S. Do both the kits come with the required bit of tube to link the waste ink tube to the bag, as it is not shown in the image of the box version.

I deliberately didn't show the tubing as there's two types and I've been improving on the design a little since version #1 ... but yes it would come with the relevant tubing for the kit you required.

Also just to clarify the discount was announced when I was only doing bag kits so basically you'd get a £3 discount or credit, not half price on a box kit. I need to clarify that side of things a bit but just wanted to be sure you weren't expecting a bit more than I could afford


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Have now placed the order, so let me know how you would like me to compile instructions (just photos on photobucet with text on forum, as a PDF, Word DOC, Powerpoint, etc. etc.) Look forward to getting stuck in!

thomasross wrote:

Have now placed the order, so let me know how you would like me to compile instructions (just photos on photobucet with text on forum, as a PDF, Word DOC, Powerpoint, etc. etc.) Look forward to getting stuck in!

I'll give you the ability to edit articles on the octoink site. Should make life a bit easier... A PDF would be a little too easily "borrowed" by other sites I reckon. Expect a PM shortly..


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680

Ok... finally got things organised and the instructions for the RX420 are now up here:

http://www.octoink.co.uk/store/pages/Epson-RX420.html

... Thanks for the info Thomas, much appreciated..


_________________
Printers: (Canon) MP500/830, MX700, iP4000/4200/4300/4500/5200, iX4000(A3) (Epson) C84/86, D88, CX6600, R285/800/1900 (HP) K550, K850, K5400, L7680