Reset your Canon printer’s upkeep cartridge with this hack

Printers are infamous for top working prices. Normally these come within the type of costly ink cartridges, which require substitute even after they nonetheless include some ink. However some printers, together with Canon Pixma G fashions, take this a step additional with a upkeep cartridge. A brand new MC-G02 upkeep cartridge solely prices round $10, however that provides up if it is advisable exchange yours typically. To eradicate that price, Yancey Wang developed a hack that solely requires an Arduino Uno and a few wire.

Canon printers use the MC-G02 upkeep cartridge to retailer waste ink after some operations, similar to print head cleansing. The cartridge will quickly refill and Canon expects you to buy a brand new cartridge. In the event you don’t, the printer will cease working. However customers can empty and reuse the upkeep cartridge, making a brand new cartridge pointless. The issue is that the cartridge has a built-in “counter” chip, which can inform the printer that the cartridge is full — even when the consumer emptied it.

This hack works by resetting the chip’s counter, which methods the printer into believing that the MC-G02 upkeep cartridge is new and prepared to be used. It does that by rewriting the chip with an “empty” ROM, which the firmware on the upkeep cartridge when it’s new. You may get that ROM by both dumping a brand new chip or discovering one on-line (although it’s copyrighted). Yang’s Arduino sketch gives capabilities for dumping the ROM and importing a brand new ROM. You should use each capabilities via the Serial monitor.  All it is advisable do is join 4 wires to the chip and run them to the Arduino via a pair of resistors.

With this hack, you’ll have the ability to clear out your upkeep cartridges and reuse them as many occasions as you want.