Recently my Brother MFC-230C ran out of ink so I decided to buy some cheap replacements on eBay that were "guaranteed" to work. The first set worked fine for a month or two even though it appeared as though they ran out a little quicker than usual. When it came time to replace those I ran into nothing but issues. At first the black ink would show "no ink cartridge" and the colored inks would still show low or nearly empty. I managed to do a hard rest and get the black ink to show however this only worked for a short time.
Being fed up with these hassles I almost when out and paid for the original Brother ink cartridges to see if this would alleviate my issues. Then I came across a great tutorial on how to fool your ink sensors into thinking they are always full. Not only did this solve my issues with incompatible cartridges it also allowed me to use nearly all the ink in my carts before replacing them.
This worked on my Brother MFC-230C, and is verified to work on the Brother MFC-240C and Brother MFC-440CN and rother MFC-665CN, others might be similar if not the same.
See images below
- Pull the top up and remove the control panel, you'll see 3 screws under the top lid. You'll need to pry the panel out pulling towards you and up.
- Locate and unplug the connector with 9 wires (it should be labeled "cartridges" on the circuit card)
- Disconnect only the center wire (5th cable from either end). Its a bit of a pain to get out but I didn't want to cut mine right off until I knew for sure it would work.
- Reconnect the the 9 wire connector
- Close the lids and restart the printer
Although I've tested it on my own printer and it works fine for me there is still some risk involved and results can not be guranteed. Try this at your own risk!
Credit goes to cano14 over at Tech Support Forum for the information and the images.
This info really did work for my MFC-240C. The new black ink cartridge would not install. Followed the above instructions and I was able to print again. I found it difficult to pull the 5th cable out of the connector. If I had to do it again I would just cut the cable to save time. I had nothing to lose. Thanks for the help.
ReplyDeleteGary D.
This is hot worked for me Thanks again you rock
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIt worked, so far, it is printing. I cleaned up the printer and pulled out that one wire (5th) and it is printing and cleaning. And my Brother 240 MFC seems like it is good to go.
Thank you very much.
Grateful... Tom
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYour info worked. I had to be particularly slow, because I become impatient. Impatience usually kills the patient. And you only have one shot. So I read it a few times before pulling the trigger. I pull out that 5th wire and put it back together. Bingo. Thank you, because it is working for now. Saved another one from the environment heap. And it probably will work better.
Can't thank you enough. Took awhile to reseat the connector... I would just cut the wire looking back. Another thing that may help conserve toner is in the printer preferences... set the speed to fast and click settings next to where you selected fast and deselect bi-directional printing. Found this on another website.
ReplyDeleteFantastic solution! I did have to cut away some overhanging plastic to make the 9pin connector accessible. But a few snips with wire-cutting pliers and it was all downhill to the finish line.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Funciona perfecto hasta el momento... Gracias
ReplyDeleteUntil now, It works perfectly...thanks
My Brother MFC J430W printer wasn't recognizing the generic ink cartridge I installed. So I simply peeled the label off the authentic cartridge and positioned it onto the generic one. It read the Brother QR code and "thought" it was an OEM! Flawless performance....
ReplyDeleteWhat wire do i cut on a MFC J430W? It looks different than the pics.
ReplyDeleteI honestly wouldn't be able to tell you. Most people that responded to the original forum posting said the same wired worked on their units. So I'd think it would be the same one, but that is no guarantee.
DeleteWorked to perfection on MFC 440cn. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have an MFC 440CN too, but I cannot locate the nine pin connector.
DeleteWhere is it?
Thank you!!!! After months of frustration dealing with this issue on my MFC-240C, this worked!!!!
ReplyDeleteWorked like a charm for me also. Removing the control panel took a lil while b/c didn't want to break anything. No trick u just have to pry it fr the housing. Removed 9 pin connector and used a small file to pry the wire out in case it needed to be replaced. Lil difficult replacing 9 pin. 1st time got an error msg, then had to remove some of the plastic housing . Used pliers to squeeze down hard and bend pieces off the housing til I could access the seat for the 9 pin. Once seated correctly started up fine. If u get error msg w a # 40 in the error, reseat 9 pin
ReplyDeleteI just cut the fifth little white wire on the MFC 230, and bingo! Prints like a charm again. No black ink cartridge message gone!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone tell me were the nine pin connector is located on a MFC 440CN?
ReplyDeleteIt should be in a fairly similar location right under the front panel on the right hand side.
DeleteWow! I was doubtful at first but this McGyver knowledge actually worked!! 👍
ReplyDeleteBrilliant solution! I'm not particularly handy but I removed the Control Panel and used a small pair of wire cutters to reach in and cut wire 5. Moved the cut ends a bit to, hopefully, avoid sparking, reassembled and, heigh ho - I'm printing again!
ReplyDeleteDave
Just found this site...I was hours away from buying a new printer and said what harm can I do now...So after reading all the comments I just pulled out wire 5 and assembled printer plugged it in. AND IT WORKED thank you. It kept saying no black cartridge....I did the black tape etc. and nothing worked...cleaned the circuits .
DeleteAlthough it's nearly 2016, this clever trick is still relevant. I tried it today on Old Faithful - my Brother MFC 440CN, and in under 15 minutes - problem solved! I am no printer expert, but I sure feel like one now. Thanks for the help!
ReplyDeleteCan recommend.
I just tried this on my Brother 240C. It worked great; I'm back in business. Thank you for the clear instructions.
ReplyDeleteWOW am I the only that this didnt work for remove the 5th wire and reconnect ... i wonder what i did wrong or if my machine is just to far gone
ReplyDeletethanks you very much sir.. it's work well in DCP-135c.
ReplyDeleteThis worked like a champ on my MFC-440CN, which was consistently giving the 'no cartridge' warning for black and occasionally the yellow cartridges. Thank you ever so much!
ReplyDeleteAlways glad to hear that it helped someone out. I know it was a godsend for me when I found out about it!
DeleteCutting one avariciousness wire has freed me from the perpetual annoyance of being bled every time I needed to use the printer.
ReplyDeleteThanks a million to the clever soul who figured it out and to the kind person who posted the solution, it freed me.
Cannot find a 9-wire connector on my MFC-J280W. Any suggestions? Thanks
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! This took me less than 5 min and my MFC240C is printing again :)
ReplyDeleteMy MFC-J430W does not have a 9 wire connector, can someone please tell me were it is if you have one and it has worked for you. Thanks a bunch!
ReplyDeleteOne small step against corporate greed and planned obsolescence and and one giant step towards sanity.
ReplyDeleteI was skeptical at first, but following these simple instructions just gave a second life to my old MFC-230C. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteWould this work for any other color besides black? I am having trouble with the Cyan. It does not recognize the cartridge or any other cartridge. It let me know that no cartridge has been installed.
ReplyDeleteJoe I'm not real sure since it has been so long since I owned my own printer, but I do believe it worked for all the colors.
DeleteThis actually works but now I have a new problem with the fact that my ink door is missing so now it wont let me fax because of that issue. oh well at least this solved my no ink error message problem.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot
Genius, I had same issue - half full cartridge not being recognised by the sensor so was spending a fortune on replacement cartridges. I just cut the 5th wire. Now printing perfectly with no annoying message saying 'ink cartridge missing'. Man 1 Machines 0.
ReplyDelete