Me, being me, I decided that I would take the whole printer apart and attempt to put the encoder strip back in. After opening the entire printer and ripping parts out (carefully taking notes and remembering where everything is suppose to go), I had printer guts all over my kitchen table. That was when I realized I had no idea where this thing is suppose to go.
Ah, I have the trusty internet! I run to Google, thinking I would discover where this part was suppose to go, reattach it, and be on my way... No such luck. First, I had no idea what the part name was, so I started searching for the printer first, then after no luck, I started searching repairs, broken plastic piece, where parts go, service manuals, images of the insides... nada. Then I took a closer look at the strip and discovered there were words printed on it (the name brand being Ruhlatec), and I had a few hits, but nothing that helped. I then discovered people were calling it the encoder strip or timing strip. Another hour on Google and I hit the jackpot... one singular image (and a crappy image at that) of a page from a Canon Pixma MP160 service manual. I was able to see exactly where the strip attaches, then realized I was missing a piece! The spring that holds the strip on the right side can and will fall off if the strip is not attached. I found the spring in my printer, put it on, attached the encoder strip, carefully put the pieces back together (I had no spare pieces! Hooray!) and I'll be damned, the thing actually worked!
So, in my attempt at making someone else's life easier, I am going to post a few pictures to let others that have had the same problem (and there were a lot) know where this encoder strip is suppose to go. Think of it as my public service for the day.. erm... year.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not recommend taking your printer apart unless you are sure you know what you are doing or have nothing to lose. You may end up doing more damage than you started with. I take no responsibility for what you do to your equipment.
The strip has an "L" on one side and a dot on the other. Be sure you put the "L" side on the left. There is a small slit behind the printer head that you must slide the encoder strip through before attaching. (sorry, I couldn't get a picture).
If this helped you, please leave me a comment.
