HP697--C hardware failure

Have definate hardware failure on my 697c. The carriage does not
position itself over the Capping station and printer will not run the
standalone test page. (hold upper button while powering up). As a
ex-tech, I am familiar with internal problems, but have no access to
circuit boards anymore, so tore it down cleaned up all the dripped ink,
cleaned the shaft and cleaned/reversed the decoder film. Additionally,
disassembled the capping station and cleaned it up. All sensors are
verified to be working, but the head still does not seem to know where
it is. The printer was OK one day and in hard failure mode the next.
The only thing that seems to work normally is when the lid is
lifted-the head goes to the cartridge changing position like always,
but may be shifted to the left by about 1" (the same distance that it
misses the capping station)

Has anyone experienced this before? Hate to trash the unit if
something stupid is causing this...perhaps there is a way to reset the
column counter.

Thanks, Jim

Jim K. wrote:
Have definate hardware failure on my 697c. The carriage does not
position itself over the Capping station and printer will not run the
standalone test page. (hold upper button while powering up). As a
ex-tech, I am familiar with internal problems, but have no access to
circuit boards anymore, so tore it down cleaned up all the dripped ink,
cleaned the shaft and cleaned/reversed the decoder film. Additionally,
disassembled the capping station and cleaned it up. All sensors are
verified to be working, but the head still does not seem to know where
it is. The printer was OK one day and in hard failure mode the next.
The only thing that seems to work normally is when the lid is
lifted-the head goes to the cartridge changing position like always,
but may be shifted to the left by about 1" (the same distance that it
misses the capping station)

Has anyone experienced this before? Hate to trash the unit if
something stupid is causing this...perhaps there is a way to reset the
column counter.

Thanks, Jim

As an ex-tech you have it all over me there Jim. I don't know the
technical name, but there should be a clear tap (on many HPs) with
vertical lines that runs across in back of the printhead. The machine
uses this to know where the head is located. Ink splashes up on the
tape and the position cannot be sensed. You mentioned cleaning spilled
ink. Perhaps you're not done yet.
PS. When I'm stumped on something I put it aside until a new idea
emerges.