Refill instruction Brother LC-3219 LC-3217 printer ink and chip replacement

At the moment the alternative market supplies a chip resetter for the original Brother LC-3219 LC-3217 inkjet cartridges. It is not possible to use a refilled original cartridge, either LC-3217 or LC-3219, and continue printing with it when there is an empty ink chip on that cartridge. There are also alternative chips available that fir on alternative cartridges.
In our approach we use alternative chips for LC-3219 or LC-3217, the chips are good for one printing cycle. That means if the chips sends the message empty - You need a new chip. These alternative chips do not fit on the chip position on the original Brother LC-3219, LC-3217 cartridges. It is not impossible but some extensive adjustments to the original cartridge´s housing would be necessary. Therefore our approach aims at reusing and refilling alternative inkjet cartridge. Their chip holder can be used multiple times for a new alternative LC-3219 chip and the refill ink can be filled very easily too. On the positive side the cartrdge is used multiple times and does not go to the dump site after one printing cycle only.

As the first step we take off the chip holder from the empty, alternative cartridge for Brother LC-3217. When taken off it is easier to get remove the old chip from the holder. At the same time a necessary adjustment to the LC-3217 chip holder can be applied also more easy.
The ink chip is hold in its position by two holding pins, they go through two openings in the chip´s board. The upper part of these pins has been melted to the shape of a flat cap. We cut off that flat part carefully using a sharp cutting tool. Then the chip can be pried out from the holder without difficulties.

Beside the chip´s programming there is another physical characteristic on the cartridges´ housing that makes LC-3217 and LC-3219 inkjet cartridges different from each other. Nearby to the ink inspection window there is small plastic fin. On the LC-3219 cartridges that part has an opening, on the LC-3217 on the other hand it is closed. When the inkjet cartridge is clicked into its position inside the printer the device identifies by this characteristic (additional to the chip´s programming) which version of the cartridge is installed. So this version of part on the housing and the version of the chip have to match each other.
In our tutorial we refill an alternative LC-3217 inkjet with the high page yield ink quantity for LC-3219 cartridges and replace the old empty LC-3217 chip with a new, high page yield LC-3219 chip. To make the cartridge work we have to adjust the LC-3217 chip holder that it becomes a LC-3219 suitable chip holder. The chip holder has a little flag part, whose function is to do the job of the fin on the original cartridge´s housing. We use a sharp cutting tool and cut out the front corner of that little flag - this equals to the opening in the fin on the original LC-3219 housing. This way our LC-3217 chip holder becomes a LC-3219 chip holder.
When You refill an alternative LC-3219 cartridge, it is not necessary to adjust the chip holder as chip and holder match each other already.

How much ink fits into a Brother LC-3219 inkjet cartridge?
The ink quanitity for LC-3219 Cyan Magenta Yellow is 13 ml pigmented printer ink. For the big, black cartridge LC-3219 the ink quantity is 50 ml black pigmented refill ink.

The tip of our refill tool ECO-Fill  fits into the rubber sealing inside the ink ports on LC-3217, LC-3219 inkjet cartridges. The tip is pushed into the ink port carefully and seals leakproof.The refill tip has a Luer-Lock part, using this part the tip is monted on a Luer-Lock refill syringe. Using the refill tool the right amount of refill ink can be extracted from the ink bottle. It supports the process of filling in the ink when placing the cartridge in an upright position - the same position as the cartridge sits inside the printer. Pushing on the syringe´s plunger fills the refill ink into the alternative LC-3217, soon to be LC-3219 inkjet cartridge. The upright position ensures that the refill ink flows into the different ink chambers one after the other. The ink flowing this way is basically the reverse way of the ink flowing out of the cartridge during printing.

Now place a new, alternative LC-3219 chip into the adjusted chip holder. We have cut off just the upper, flat part on the holding pins - thanks to that there is sufficient material of the holding pins remaining to stick the new chip on. To ensure that the chip stays in position it is possible to put a little drop of super glue on the holding pin and the chip´s board.
The holder carrying the new ink chip we set back on our refilled, alternative inkjet cartridge. In our case here in the tutorial a compatible cartridge, at the tutorial´s beginning a LC-3217 cartridge, becomes now LC-3219 cartridge with high page yield. The cartridge alternative to Brother orignal cartridges is refilled completely and is ready for use inside an Brother inkjet printer again.

Our approach of refilling alternative inkjet cartridges for LC-3217 LC-3219 provides You the opportunity to control that a high quality, pigmented refill ink is used in Your cartridges. And at the same time You avoid a lot of unnecessary cartridge waste.