Burned FFC Cable and Damaged Printhead Connector on Epson WF-7710/WF-7720: Is Logic Board Repair Worth It?

Question: I disassembled my Epson printhead after watching your "Extreme Unclog" video, and the right-side FFC cable/connector area looks burned from ink. There were also small broken pieces stuck in the logic board input that I removed with tweezers. Is this the kind of damage you meant when you said it may be beyond repair? Can I send the logic board and disassembled printhead to BCH to replace the connector on the logic board, and is it worth repairing? I also can't find a WF-7710 printhead repair/replacement option on your site.

Answer:

Now, regarding your situation: yes-what you're describing is exactly the category of damage that often crosses the line from "dirty/clogged" into "electrically compromised." Once ink intrusion causes burning at an FFC connection, you're no longer dealing with a normal clog or even a normal electronics issue. You're dealing with conductive contamination + heat damage + broken connector hardware, and those three together can create a chain of failures.

1) Burned FFC area: why it happens and why it's serious

FFC/FPC connections (the flat ribbon cables) carry very small signals and, in some printers, also support power delivery to printhead control circuitry. When ink wicks into a connector, it may not seem conductive at first-but once mixed with dust, pigment, residue, cleaning fluid, or corrosion, it can become conductive enough to cause:

• Short circuits between pins

• Overheating at the connector

• Burning or charring of the cable end

• Melting/deforming of the connector housing

If the cable end is burned, that often means there was heat and current flow where it should not have been. At that point, even if you replace the cable or clean the area, the damage may have already traveled upstream (logic board driver circuits) or downstream (printhead internal circuitry).

2) Broken pieces inside the logic board connector

The "small pieces" you pulled out with tweezers are usually one of these:

• Broken locking bar fragments (the flip-lock or slide-lock that clamps the ribbon cable)

• Burned plastic from the connector body

• Carbonized debris from a short/arc event

Even if you removed the pieces successfully, the connector may still be compromised because:

• The contact pins inside may be bent, lifted, or partially melted

• The connector may no longer clamp the cable evenly

• The pin-to-pad solder joints on the logic board may have weakened from heat

• Carbon residue can continue to cause intermittent shorts, especially under humidity

This is one of the reasons we sometimes say it can be "beyond repair" in a practical sense-not because it's theoretically impossible, but because it can turn into a high-cost, high-risk repair with uncertain long-term reliability.

3) Is it repairable? Yes-at the right cost

Your proposed answer is correct: everything can be repaired at the right amount of money. In many cases, a skilled electronics technician can replace the FFC connector on the logic board, but whether it's worth it depends on what else got damaged during the short.

A connector replacement is only part of the equation. The bigger concern is whether the event also damaged:

• Driver ICs / head drive circuitry on the mainboard

• Power regulation components

• The printhead itself (internal shorts in the piezo/driver substrate are a common "silent failure" after ink intrusion)

If the printhead has internal electrical damage, a repaired logic board could immediately fail again once reconnected-so the repair can become a "domino effect" if not evaluated carefully.

4) Why you don't see a WF-7710 printhead option on the site

At the moment, we do not have a WF-7710 printhead for sale, and availability in the market can be inconsistent. That's why, before committing to a repair path, it's often smart to compare your repair cost to replacement cost.

A practical approach is:

• Check the going rate for a replacement WF-7710/WF-7720 printhead and/or donor printer on marketplaces like eBay (prices vary widely depending on condition and availability).

• Compare that to the cost of a board-level connector repair (plus any potential additional failures discovered during evaluation).

In many real-world cases, the most cost-effective route is either:

• A donor printer with a known-good board/printhead, or

• A full unit replacement-especially if multiple failures stacked up (like your earlier F1 fuse issue, followed by connector damage).

5) About error codes

You didn't list a specific numeric error code in this message (for example, Epson codes like 0x97, 0x9A, etc.), but it's worth noting: when connectors or head electronics are damaged, Epson printers can throw a range of "general hardware" or "printhead/communication" type faults depending on model and firmware. Burned FFC/connector damage commonly leads to intermittent faults that appear, disappear, and then return-because the cable may make partial contact until movement/heat changes the connection.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. Because of that, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, step-by-step repair suggestions, or direct support for printer repairs. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility via BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Due to the high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so it can take a few weeks before we're able to take in your printer for drop-off.

Our services are set up to repair either an entire printer or specific components, with clear instructions on how to proceed. That said, we understand our rates may not be the most economical option for every situation. Because of this, we strongly recommend self-help through online research first. You can start by checking YouTube or visiting our BCH Technologies YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). To find the most relevant content quickly, use the search icon near the "About" section on the right side of the channel menu bar. I receive dozens of questions every day asking for the exact video on a specific problem. After creating videos for more than nine years, it's tough to remember every single one, so YouTube's search tool is the fastest way-and it may also suggest helpful videos from other channels that could guide you as well.

Thank you again for reaching out, and thank you for supporting our content and products. I truly appreciate your patience, and I hope you're able to choose the path-repair vs. replacement-that saves you the most time and money while getting you printing again.