How to Control an Inkjet Cartridge with Pulse Signals?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around controlling an inkjet cartridge using pulse signals instead of a computer. Participants explore the feasibility of operating piezoelectric crystals within the cartridge to simultaneously eject ink droplets from all nozzles. The scope includes technical challenges, reverse engineering, and potential applications of the technology.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Hanan expresses a desire to control an inkjet cartridge with pulse signals and seeks guidance on operating the piezo crystals.
  • One participant questions the feasibility of dismantling the cartridge without damage and suggests that the signals are proprietary and complex.
  • Another participant mentions the difficulty of reverse engineering the cartridge and suggests monitoring drive signals with an oscilloscope as a potential method.
  • There is a recommendation to conduct a patent search on inkjet technology to uncover useful information, acknowledging that some technology may be proprietary.
  • A participant speculates that Hanan's application may involve using the cartridge to inject microscopic organisms, referencing a related post.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the feasibility of controlling the inkjet cartridge with pulse signals, and multiple competing views regarding the challenges and methods remain present.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations related to proprietary technology, the complexity of the signals, and the challenges of reverse engineering the cartridge. Specific assumptions about the application and technical capabilities are not fully explored.

hananl
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I would be very happy if there is anyone that knows a way to control the inkjet cartige with pulse signals instead of the computer.
I want to be able to "shoot" ink droplets from all the nozzles at the same time. I need to know how to operate each of the pizo crystals, and then to operate them all.
Anyone?
Thanks,
Hanan.
 
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Are you planning to somehow dismantle the catridge without destroying it? If you plan to say... take the catridge out of the printer and connect your own circuit to the input circuitry, I think it would turn out quite impossiblish. The signals are encoded and unique to the company that made it. You would have to know what signal to feed it to make it do something.

Or on the other hand, you may be planning to drive the printer from a non-Word program?
 
hananl said:
I would be very happy if there is anyone that knows a way to control the inkjet cartige with pulse signals instead of the computer.
I want to be able to "shoot" ink droplets from all the nozzles at the same time. I need to know how to operate each of the pizo crystals, and then to operate them all.
Anyone?
Thanks,
Hanan.
Reverse engineering something like a ThinkJet cartridge can be difficult, especially when a big company like HP has put so much R&D into getting the technology to work well. You can try monitoring the drive signals with your oscilloscope while the printer runs, but that will be pretty hard to instrument. I did a google search on the following and got some good hits, including the one after the search text:

+inkjet +drive +circuit

http://powerelectronics.com/mag/power_power_amplifier_drives/

Another approach that you might try would be to do a patent search on inkjet technology. HP and Xerox and whoever else is big on the research will typically patent some of the technology, and keep other parts proprietary. But the Patent literature may give you enough to do simple stuff with the cartridges (certainly not photo quality, though).
 
I believe hananl's application is to adapt a printer cartridge as an injector of microscopic organisms in suspension. See hananl's related post
 

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