Tuesday, 9 February 2016

I get error code B200 on my Pixma MG5320 and can't reset/disable it. Is my printhead fried? Can this be fixed?

He Canon B200 error certainly ranks as one of the more common issues and certainly one of the most the bedeviling error codes a Canon user will come across. First, let's look at the root of the error message so we may bring to light the variety of possible solutions.
If you have read other portions of this website, you may already know of the fork in the road in inkjet-based printing. One path is the HP-based Pizeo-electric crystal approach. A Pizeo-crystal vibrates when electricity is applied to it. This creates a push and pull of the ink to the media. Contrast this to the Canon bubble jet system.
Imagine if you will on an ultra-fine scale, the rubber nipple on a baby bottle. If you have ever overheated a baby's bottle, you have already experienced the baby's forthcoming meal shooting out the top of the nipple like some miniature Mount Vesuvius. While the thermodynamic law in a baby bottles application is messy and annoying, Canon engineers use the principle for printing.
 In comparison to HP ink, the ink supply for a Canon printer is much thicker and more like oil, almost tar like. Behind the nipple is an electrical resistor that produces heat. Therefore, the same thermodynamic laws apply, and a droplet of ink 'bubbles out' of the nozzle.
The resistor needs electricity from a high-voltage section and feedback from the printhead about what is going on in the active bubble land. When something has gone awry in this sub process, the canon b200 error error occurs.

Canon b200 Error, Troubleshooting

Replace ink cartridges if they are empty

At the risk of stating the obvious (frequently not so obvious in the heat of the moment), find out if the ink cartridges are empty. When in doubt, try a new cartridge to fix canon error b200.

A data cable of print head is open

Did you just replace an ink cartridge? Perhaps you shifted a data cable to the print head.

Bad power adapter

Is the power supply (internal or external) failing to generate enough electrical juice to get the resistors hot enough for the laws of thermodynamics to occur (creating a bubble of ink).


It should be noted that for the Canon printers that use a separate (not integrated) printhead, there is a finite lifespan to the dozens of microsizedbaby bottle nipples. Just like the kids bottle, the rubber/silicon nozzle does wear out.

Turn off the printer for some time

In other troubleshooting tips here at printerspecial.blogspot.com we have advised any inkjet printer not seeing regular usage to run a test print page. For those of you making heavy usage of a Canon inkjet printer, consider getting a coffee break, while giving your printer a break too. This will avoid saturating the printhead with heat, prolonging useful service life.

Update the printer driver to fix Canon error b200

If you have followed all this and you're still screaming, "no joy!? From the printer menu (not computer) push the buttons to get a demo or test page. If everything is hunky-dory when you do this, however, you get the service error code B200 when you try to produce something productive, odds are good, the print driver the computer is using has gone south (corrupt).
 When printing on a network, a corrupt printer driver can spread like an unwanted virus. Depending on the network, a driver that has gone rogue may be seen as an updated driver, which network will 'helpfully spread' as an update.

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