HP F4180 gone crazy, the carriage slams from left to right

[RMGH]

Hi I have used my F4180 with my PC and its been a great printer. I recently purchased an IMac and it worked fine with that for a few weeks and then it took on a mind of its own. As soon as I turn it on the carridge with traverse at high speed hammering the stops for three or four times then stops..... any ideas on how to fix this please???

[Bob_Headrick]

The most likely cause for the symptoms you describe would be a damaged encoder strip.  The encoder strip is a thin mostly clear plastic strip that runs the width of the printer.  It is used by the printer to tell where the carriage is as it moves across the page.  If the strip is dislodged or damaged the carriage may slam from side to side, followed by a carriage jam or similar message.

The post here may help reattach the encoder strip if it has become dislodged.  Note the strip has very fine lines printed on it, it is important not to get ink on the strip or to clean it with solvents.

[RMGH]

Hi Bob

The carridge is locked, please advise on how to unlock!

Thank you

[RMGH]

I am not getting a reply from Bob......Can anyone help me please ?

[RMGH]

My encoder strip is intact, so the original reply and fix from Bob would not fix the problem. Is it posible for the encoder strip to loose part of its code?

[Bob_Headrick]

Sorry for the delay.  In your case if the carriage is slamming to the side you could do the following to release the carriage - turn on the printer, and as soon as it starts to move the carriage unplug the printer before it has a chance to slam much.

Unfortunately, if the encoder strip is in place then there are not easy fixes.  The encoder strip has a series of very fine lines printed on the strip.  If they are damaged (which can happen if cleaning the inside of the printer with solvents or even with vigorous cleaning with soap and water) the printer may skip printing areas down part of the page, or in extreme cases slam the carriage to the sides and report a paper jam or carriage jam.  In this case the strip would require replacement, it may be more economical to buy a relacement used printer.  (The encoder strips are available from third parties, but generally cost more than a used printer....)