FAQ

• What is this good for? Can it replace my current inkjet printer?

  It is more for art, hobby, and educational use than for replacing current printers.  The Arduino (which is what this kit is designed to work with) is a small programmable board for electronics projects.  It helps to ease the learning curve and allow more people to get involved in electronics.

  Here are some examples of projects done with an older board like this (which is no longer available):

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ep5OC3E02I

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VzIrBQeaQ0

  This one is a scratch-built inkjet project:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_ifyc5cVc

  and these two are mine using an early version of my board:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYeYeTGkvJM

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li1yihOgREA

  Last updated: Saturday Sep 3, 8:01pm EDT
• Where can I buy an InkShield now that the Kickstarter is over?

  Information about buying a kit will be available here:

  http://nicholasclewis.com/projects/inkshield/buying/

  Last updated: Tuesday Nov 22, 2:16am EST
• What is the ink spray angle, and how far from the printing surface will it function?

  I do not know the exact spray angle. However I can tell you it is narrow and from these tests it looks to be about 18 degrees: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholasclewis/6142938466/in/photostream

  These tests also show that it does work to 90mm from the print surface but is very sparse. It should work farther than that but at rapidly diminishing quality.  Anything over 30-45mm will not give good results for printing any patterns besides a "blackout" pattern (as in the pictures).

  According to http://sysdoc.doors.ch/HP/5981-9514EN.pdf the recommended print distance is 2.54-4.1mm.

  Last updated: Tuesday Sep 13, 12:35am EDT
• Where can I find more information about commercial printers that use these cartridges?
   Here is a site I currently know about that has that information: http://www.c6602a.com (DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with them and have not validated their information.  The site seems to be affiliated with InkOasis) This page lists printers for the C6602 cartridge: http://www.c6602a.com/2010/05/c6602a-black-ink-cartridges.html This page lists printers for the older 51604 cartridge which should be compatible with this shield (but is currently untested): http://www.c6602a.com/2010/11/hp-51604a-ink-cartridge.html

  Last updated: Tuesday Nov 22, 2:16am EST
• Where can I buy ink?

  There are reward levels which include ink either a single cartridge (in a choice of  black, red, blue, or green) or all four colors.

  One source of additional ink is: http://www.transactsupplies.com/store/Hp-C6602-Inkjet-Cartridges-p-1-c-333.html

  Last updated: Saturday Sep 3, 8:01pm EDT
• What ink carrier options are there?

  There are reward levels which include a basic carrier with a 18" cable. (you can buy others here: http://bit.ly/n12jlI)

  There are more complex double carriers such as http://bit.ly/ro0z00 which could be used with a pair of shields for two color printing

  Last updated: Saturday Sep 3, 8:01pm EDT
• Can I get multiple kits?

  Yes, there are Hackerspace packs of 10 at a discount which anyone can select OR if you just want a few select the reward level you want and double, triple, etc.. the pledge amount.  (i.e. select the $10 "PCB only" reward and pledge $30 to receive 3 PCBs).

  Last updated: Wednesday Sep 7, 12:46am EDT
• Where can I find out more about the ink head this supports?

  The inkjet head this was designed for is the C6602 series.  It should also work with the older 51604A series (but will need a different carrier).

  Here is some documentation on these heads:

  http://h10088.www1.hp.com/gap/download/HowtoChooseYourTIJFamilyRevB-1.pdf

  http://sysdoc.doors.ch/HP/5981-9514EN.pdf

  It may also be possible to use this shield to drive other models of inkjet head although none have been attempted.

  Last updated: Saturday Sep 3, 8:01pm EDT