When Printhead DATA Cable Is Connected Incorrectly (Head Issue #8) _ARTJET 2026

When Printhead DATA Cable Is Connected Incorrectly
(Head Issue #8) _ARTJET 2026

This post explains a real case where a specific color did not print at all even after replacing the printhead—and the root cause was the DATA cable connection.

📌 Who Should Read This

✔ Users who maintain UV printers themselves
✔ Anyone struggling because a specific color won’t print after a head replacement
✔ Cases where the nozzle test looks “normal,” but printing fails in real jobs
✔ Users who find it difficult to distinguish between DATA cable / printhead / board issues
✔ Anyone who wants to avoid unnecessary printhead replacement costs

⚠️ Before You Start (Important Notes)

✔ This post is based on real-world troubleshooting experience.
✔ Results may not be 100% identical across all machines and environments.✔ Any DATA cable work must be done with ALL power turned OFF.
✔ Working while powered ON may damage:
→ the head board
→ the printhead
→ the DATA cable

🧭 Key Takeaway

✔ Symptoms that look like a printhead failure can actually be caused by a DATA cable connection issue.

✔ Especially when the nozzle test is not completely broken, but you see:
→ only one specific color printing weakly, or
→ thin bars in the nozzle pattern for a specific color

You should check the DATA cable alignment/connection first.

✔ In some cases, you can solve the issue without replacing the printhead—simply by re-checking the DATA cable.

ARTJET Note: Faster troubleshooting leads to higher machine stability.

What I’ve Organized So Far (Click to Open Each Post)

• Print Head Basics (9 posts)
• Real Head Issues & Fixes (12 posts)
• Mechanical Issues & Fixes (10 posts)
• Electronic Boards and Software Issues(12 posts)
• SAi RIP Installation / Basic Settings / Spot Color & Fixes (11 posts)
• Complete List of Products You Can Make with a UV Printer

Two Ways to Approach Printing Failures

Today’s topic: A case where a specific color did not print at all even after replacing the printhead.

The video below shows the normal state when the board and printhead communicate correctly. Please refer to it first.

▶ Video placeholder (insert your video here)

If the DATA cable between the printhead and the board is connected incorrectly, you may see:

For more details, see:

Printing runs, but no ink is fired from the whole head (Cause & Fix) (Link)

In this case, the typical board LED blinking did not appear.

At first glance, the nozzle pattern also looked normal.

However, during printing, Light Magenta data did not fire.

After checking the nozzle pattern carefully, I found the Light Magenta bar was printed thin.

Since the machine was printing normally just 30 minutes earlier, I assumed the head suddenly reached end-of-life.
So I replaced the head with a new one.

But even after replacing with a new printhead, the issue remained—Light Magenta was still thin in the nozzle pattern.

 

When replacing the printhead, I checked the head-side DATA cable connection, so I didn’t think it required a re-check.
However, I had not re-checked the board-side connection before, so I inspected it again.After removing the DATA cable, I found the gold end was slightly outside the board connector area.I don’t have a photo of the exact case, but please refer to your connector area (board + DATA cable alignment) as shown in your reference photo.

I had not touched the DATA cable connector area for about one year.

Because it had been stable for a long time—and because the “typical incorrect-connection symptoms” did not appear (no LED blinking, no complete ink firing failure)—I initially suspected the printhead itself.

My best estimate of the cause is:

 

If a specific color stops printing during a job:

 

During printhead replacement, the DATA cable must be centered precisely on both sides:

 

DATA cable work must be done with all power OFF.
Otherwise, the head board, printhead, or DATA cable can be damaged.

Tip: Some DATA cables have a silver-coated contact area. The coating can peel off after only a few insertions/removals.
To reduce future errors, use a DATA cable with gold-coated contacts whenever possible.

For a method to replace the head by disconnecting only the head-side cable (without removing the board-side cable),
refer to:

Printhead Replacement Method & Precautions (Link)

Based on over five years of sales and maintenance experience with ARTJET UV printers, one key lesson stands out:

After product stability, the next most critical factor is troubleshooting data.

Every product can encounter issues — whether caused by equipment conditions or user operation.
In real production environments, product reliability depends on how quickly and efficiently those issues can be identified and resolved.

ARTJET continuously collects and organizes real field troubleshooting data to support faster and more accurate problem resolution.

You can view print quality samples here:

[Print quality sample by video] 

 

You can view ARTJET pricing and sales conditions here:

[Pricing & Sales Condition].

(Note: Exterior design has been updated)

 

You can also review a complete list of products that can be produced using UV printers here:
[UV Printable Product Guide]

* Note: The external design has been updated.