Inkjet Chip Resetter Can Be The Difference Between A Successful Ink Refill And A Total Failure

By John Synder

Epson has recently introduced a new fancy technology used with some of its inkjet cartridges, namely the Intellidge® chip, also known as Integrated Circuit (or IC, for short) chip. It performs a few fairly important functions, such as communicating to the printer and the computer when your ink levels are getting low and it's time to replace the cartridge. It also identifies the cartridge model and ink color to the printer to prevent the use of wrong cartridge. While it is useful, many people have discovered what hassle it can be if you are trying to refill such a cartridge yourself. It's not as intelligent as the name would suggest and seems to think that the cartridge is empty even after it has been refilled, making printing outright difficult, since the software complains that the ink is depleted and may even refuse to print. To circumvent the problem, several companies now manufacture the so-called "inkjet chip resetters", which are used, as the name suggests, to reset the chip on Epson cartridges so that it believes it's full once again.

While there are a couple of different models, they all function pretty much the same way. These resetters are small devices with their own batteries that are really easy to use and only reset the "empty" indicator, so the printer has no way of detecting that the cartridge was refilled. One such resetter, Multi-Model Resetter, model #R168-III, manufactured by Repeat-O-Type sells for $24.95 and can be used to reset the Intellidge chip on any Epson cartridge. Another, Universal Chip Resetter, model number SK168, costs $19.95. That does add significantly to the cost of refilling, but these can be used as many times as you need and will pay for themselves in the long run.

The actual process of resetting the chip is very easy. The resetter has seven prongs that are matched with the chip's holes. Once it is paired with the chip, the LED on top of the resetter will light up in case of the Multi-Model Resetter and after holding it in that position for three seconds, the LED should start flashing, which means the reset is complete. The Universal Chip Resetter works the same way, except the LED does not turn on when you pair the resetter with the cartridge, so you just need to hold it there for three (3) seconds and, again, make sure the LED is flashing upon completion. If that doesn't happen, your inkjet chip resetter has either run out of juice itself, in which case you just need to replace the AA batteries, or the chip is damaged, in which case there isn't much you can do.

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