DTG VIPER Replacing the Capping Station Epson 4880

Epson 4880 Capping Station Replacement For the DTG Viper

Buy the Capping Station for the DTG Viper and other Epson 4880 based garment printer

Tools Required: #2 Phillips Screwdriver, Needlenose Pliers

 Download the Viper Capping Station Replacement PDF or view it here online. 

1) Removal of the Blue Cover: Lower the bed to the bottom. Power the printer off at the control panel, then main power
at the back. Remove the power cord. Lift the Ink Pods off of the hinges and set each Pod on the black covers at the rear
of the machine. Disconnect the Emergency Stop Switch plug. Remove the four screws on the Control Panel. Turn the
Control Panel 90 degrees counter-clockwise, so the white ribbon cable is at the top, then place the Control Panel inside
the blue cover, and tuck a corner of the Control Panel behind wires, so that it won’t fall over when the blue cover comes
off. Remove the four screws on each of the inside panels next to the bed, then place those panels on the bed. Remove
the four screws from the Control Panel side on the outside of the machine, and two more from the E-Stop switch side on
the outside of the machine. These steps are illustrated in Fig.1 below. Have someone help you lift the blue cover straight
up and off of the machine, being careful to ensure that the Control Panel will not fall, and that no wires will get snagged 
during removal. Set the cover aside

2) Some of the Control Panel connections need to be removed to make space to work. Pull the white Ribbon Cable
STRAIGHT out of the Control Panel. Ribbon Cables are delicate. Be sure not to crimp or twist the cable. Next remove the
LED light for the Gap Sensor (the grey cable comes from the Boss Board, and ts into a black hole on the back of the
Control Panel. A thicker grey cable coming from the circuit board on the back of the Control Panel should be unplugged
from the Boss board. The blue Membrane Cable should be unplugged as well. Make sure that the Membrane Cable is
marked on both the connector and plug, to make reassembly easier. Pictures of these steps are not included, as each
cable is unique and each connector can only plug into one place.

3) Remove the screw securing the Spit Station. Then remove the Spit Station by pulling it
towards the Capping Station Pad. To make the rest of the job easier, disconnect the tube
from the Spit Station. See Fig. 2.

4) Fig. 3 shows a Capping Station from underneath. Note that there
are four mounting holes where #2 screws are used to secure the
Capping Station to the Frame. The screws are numbered to help
you remove the correct screw in the correct order.
Note the metal tabs as well. Each tab ts into a corresponding slot
in the frame of the printer.

There are also three tubes coming from the Capping Station. The
two tubes on the left come from t hen exit the Capping Station,
meet at a Y-Connector, and then go directly to the Waste Tank. This
Y-Connector is normally covered when the Capping Station is
installed.
The third tube is attached to the Wiper Blade Assembly. It goes to a
Y-Connector and then to the Waste tank. The other side of this
Y-Connector is the Spit Station we already removed.

5) Remove the screw marked 1 in Fig.3. Its position is shown in Fig. 4. This frees the grey plastic Cover shown in Fig. 5. To
remove the Cover, slide it towards the front of the printer. This frees the tabs on the back end, shown in Fig. 6, and the
cover can then be completely removed. On some Vipers, a wire tie may be securing the Capping Station tube to the
Cover. Cut the tie (NOT the tube) and remove it.

6) Remove the Y-Connector
from the Capping Station
Tubes, located right next to
screw #1 in Fig. 5.
7) Remove the rest of the
screws securing the Capping
Station to the frame, circled
in Figs. 7 and 8.

8) The Capping Station is now free of the machine’s frame, but there is not enough room to remove it. In order to make
space, remove the Ink Chip reader Cover, directly behind the Capping Station. Remove the two vertical screws securing
the Ink Chip Reader Cover. See Figs. 9 & 10.

9) Go through the front of the machine to remove the two horizontally-mounted screws securing the Ink Chip Reader
Cover. These screws are hard to see, but they are located in between the two vertical screws removed in Step 8. See Figs.
11 & 12.
10) The Ink Chip Reader Cover is now free, but is still held in place by the tab on the top left corner (towards the outside
of the machine, just above the capping station. Work the Cover free of that tab, but do not bend the tab. If necessary, you
can lift the Capping Station out of its tab/slots, and manipulate it towards the front of the printer to gain a bit more
room.

11) Use needlenose pliers to remove the wire from the
Capping Station. This is hard to see, and impossible to see
or get to from the top, so go in through the front. Locate
the round Pump Assembly part of the Capping Station,
and carefully grasp the wires and remove the blue plug
from the Capping Station. Fig. 13 attempts to show the
connector.

12) With the Ink Chip Reader Cover removed, it is
now possible to remove the Capping Station. First,
note the four small white Ribbon Cables . Each of
these is connected to an Ink Chip Reader. It is very
important that these cables not be damaged,
shifted, or removed, so be very careful.
To remove the Capping Station, rotate it towards
the front of the printer, and manipulate it it up and
out. If you feel resistance while removing it, STOP,
see what the problem is, and make adjustments to
remove it. There are a delicate parts both in front of
the Capping Station, and behind it. It will take a few
minutes to manipulate the Capping Station to
remove it complately. This is a frustrating process.
Be careful, go slow, and it will come out. See Figs.
14 & 15 for an example of the rotation.

13) Before beginning reassembly, clean the empty space, especially the slots and screw holes, of ALL ink. See Fig. 16. Ink
buildup can make the Capping Station sit incorrectly, resulting in ink starvation and possibly Print Head Clogs. Insert the
new Capping Station. Plug in the blue connector. Insert the Ink Chip reader Cover, making sure that the base remains
completely INSIDE the Capping Station area, and that the top goes BEHIND the tab. See Fig. 17. Screw the Ink Chip
Reader back in place. Then get the Capping Station seated in its tabs/slots. Insert screws 2-4 rst. Then replace the
Y-Connector and tubes to the Capping Station, making sure to transfer the Wiper Blade tube to the new Capping
Station. Replace the grey Plastic Cover beneath the Capping Station, routing the Capping Station tubes through the gap
next to the hole for Screw #1. Then replace screw #1. Replace the Spit Station. Replace the Blue Cover, Emergency Stop
switch connection, Control Panel (including white Ribbon Cable, Membrane Cable, and Boss Board Connection.