A Detailed Guide to Solve Epson Printhead Lock Malfunction and Unlock Cartridge Carriage Cradle

Today we’re going to be talking about the Epson printhead’s lock malfunction, and I will give you a detailed explanation of how to get around that to unlock the cartridge carriage cradle. As always, the first step to fixing the problem is to know what it is and how to troubleshoot the cause. Just in case, I’ll also show you how to install a new one if nothing else works.

The Printhead Lock

If you need new parts, you can either go to eBay or our own website. If you choose to use our website, which I am always thankful for, all you have to do is go to Printer Parts > Epson > Printhead Lock.

What is the Printhead Lock?

The printhead lock is a small piece of plastic that prevents the printhead from moving more to the left than it is supposed to. If the printhead is allowed to move too far to the left, it can cause further malfunctions or error messages (some of which I’ve talked about previously).

How and why to Unlock the Printhead Lock

There may be a few ways to unlock the printhead lock if you need to. A common way is to turn the power on and wait until you see the lock move. As soon as you do, cut the power. Since the printhead is always moving at such a high speed, the locking mechanism can easily get damaged.

If the printhead is not synchronized with the mechanism properly, it will strike the printhead lock with a lot of force. You may also encounter issues with the printhead lock during a paper jam because in the process of fixing it you’re fighting the printer, which is bad for this piece of plastic.

Another thing that can cause the lock to malfunction is simple wear and tear. That's bound to happen when you’ve got two pieces of plastic pushing against each other like we do here. There’s also a chance that the spring in the printhead carriage may have popped loose.

How does the Printhead Cartridge Carriage Work?

If you take a look at the overall carriage piece, you can see that two gears control the lock on the side. If you examine this and find the bolt on the larger of the two gears, you’ll see that that is what pushes the lock into position.

When you order your printhead lock from our website, you’ll see that it also comes with the necessary spring. The spring connects to two hooks, one on the lock and one on the printhead. When the lock is engaged, it will activate the attached hook and the spring will prevent the printhead from moving.

There is a part on one side of the printer that turns an additional wheel. When it moves, it will also turn a small connected rod. This rod connects to a smaller wheel inside the printer, which connects to the smaller gear wheel on the printhead carriage.

The wheel on the carriage is split into two parts. The first part is the part that controls the lock. No matter how you try to twist and turn it, it never moves. This is because there is another lock inside the carriage that, when engaged, prevents it from rotating. You’ll have to slide the carriage component containing that lock slightly to the right to release the inner wheel.

You’ll have to turn it counterclockwise to lock the printhead or clockwise to unlock it.

My Test with a Real Printer

To demonstrate my technique and make sure that it still works, I went through this process on a real printer. This process starts by turning the small wheel on the left (connected to the rod) and pulling on the cables. The printhead should now be unlocked.

Next, turn the power on. You should be able to see the wheel turning now, which is how the unlocking and locking works. To tell if it's locking or unlocking, pay attention to the small, lighter wheel to the left and whether it’s moving clockwise or counterclockwise. It always moves in the same direction as the bigger wheel that controls this.

How to Install or Change a Printhead Lock

Firstly, you’ll see that there’s a piece on the plastic lock that protrudes from it. Fit this into the small, round hole near the big wheel, which the hook should be pointing away from. Be very careful of the spring that goes with it, it’s very easy to lose.

Start by hooking this small spring on the lock first, then loop it through the black hook on the carriage base. You may need to find a small needle or something to help you loop it through. It’s best to have it in the lock position for this. I usually use a rubber band to help me keep it in the lock position.

Next, just slide it in. Make sure you’re paying attention to the little wheel. It has to be connected to the assembly to transfer power to it. Once you hear it click, you can remove that rubber band holding it in the lock position. Give it a quick test, and you should be good to go.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post. For more tips, tricks, and printer fixes, browse our selection of how-tos and tutorials at BCHTechnologies.com/blog. Happy Printing!