Common PF Sensor Errors in Roll-Feed Printers
- By Kevin Day
- On Jan 04, 2025
- Comment 0
Question:
I ended a massive lesson with my printer by purchasing and installing a new factory printhead following a blown F1 fuse that cut the power to the printhead and rebuilding my ink system with new bottles, lines, and dampers. The 2.5-day printer was connected. I now face a common problem where the printer does not complete the print job and shows a PF sensor error in WIC. Restoring the error allows printing to proceed, but the situation has deteriorated, now occurring after a few inches of printing. Do you have any guidance or tips to address this?
Answer:
We appreciate the feedback about your printer’s issues. I apologize for the delayed response. Printer problems such as these can be maddening, and I want to ensure you get a full and considerate response. We at BCH Technologies are very grateful for your continued support. Your response will help us develop our expertise further and provide valuable resources for printer users like yourself.
So, here are the potential causes of the PF sensor error in roll feed printers and some appropriate resolutions.
PF Sensor Error Explained
The PF (Paper Feed) sensor corrects this paper or film. This is usually accompanied by the error code PF, as displayed on the printer screen. Here are the most likely causes and fixes:
Breakout Board (Overwrite or Driver Board) Problems
The page feed signal is controlled by the breakout board (also known as the overwrite or driver board) in roll-feed printers. From this board, the roll will run smoothly, as you can use buttons to make adjustments either forward or backward by hand. However, these boards are also infamous for failing frequently, which causes erratic functioning.
Symptoms of a Bad Breakout Board:
Solution:
If the PF sensor is covered with dust, ink residue, or debris, it needs to be calibrated or cleaned.
Solution:
Because you are on roll-feed, even the feed mechanism can be one cause of this PF sensor error.
Solution:
If the breakout board and PF sensor are working correctly, the problem could be the printer's firmware or mainboard.
Solution:
Because printer issues are so hands-on, they can be challenging to address. Thus, there is no remote troubleshooting or support for printer repairs. We currently provide in-person evaluation and repair service at our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service), but as this service is first come, first served, it may take a few weeks to look at your printer. We will provide the least complicated solution, whether this involves repairing the entire printer or just specific parts.
Please look at all the resources online for troubleshooting, including our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies. You can also use the search feature here to find troubleshooting videos that might apply to your issue.
Thank you once again for reaching out. Your interactions are precious, and we have your back in letting you overcome your printing problems.
I ended a massive lesson with my printer by purchasing and installing a new factory printhead following a blown F1 fuse that cut the power to the printhead and rebuilding my ink system with new bottles, lines, and dampers. The 2.5-day printer was connected. I now face a common problem where the printer does not complete the print job and shows a PF sensor error in WIC. Restoring the error allows printing to proceed, but the situation has deteriorated, now occurring after a few inches of printing. Do you have any guidance or tips to address this?
Answer:
We appreciate the feedback about your printer’s issues. I apologize for the delayed response. Printer problems such as these can be maddening, and I want to ensure you get a full and considerate response. We at BCH Technologies are very grateful for your continued support. Your response will help us develop our expertise further and provide valuable resources for printer users like yourself.
So, here are the potential causes of the PF sensor error in roll feed printers and some appropriate resolutions.
PF Sensor Error Explained
The PF (Paper Feed) sensor corrects this paper or film. This is usually accompanied by the error code PF, as displayed on the printer screen. Here are the most likely causes and fixes:
Breakout Board (Overwrite or Driver Board) Problems
The page feed signal is controlled by the breakout board (also known as the overwrite or driver board) in roll-feed printers. From this board, the roll will run smoothly, as you can use buttons to make adjustments either forward or backward by hand. However, these boards are also infamous for failing frequently, which causes erratic functioning.
Symptoms of a Bad Breakout Board:
- PF sensor errors at printing.
- High-impact feeding, like congregated tracks or sporadic halts.
- Generally, it is due to failure to feed after a print of several inches.
Solution:
- Could you check the breakout board for burn marks or loose wires?
- If damaged, replace it with a compatible board. You can check with DTFPro for availability or consider BCH Technologies’ breakout board compatible with 1390 and L1800 printers (https://bchtechnologies.com/products/printhead-conversion-breakout-board-l1800-1390-to-l805-l800-adapter-riser-card-1).
If the PF sensor is covered with dust, ink residue, or debris, it needs to be calibrated or cleaned.
Solution:
- Turn the printer off; then use a microfiber cloth with isopropyl alcohol to clean the PF sensor.
- Could you check that the sensor is still attached and free of dirt or dried ink?
- If your printer software has this feature, recalibrate the sensor.
Because you are on roll-feed, even the feed mechanism can be one cause of this PF sensor error.
Solution:
- Could you check the alignment of the roll feed and check the tension?
- Clean the rollers and any knobs or wheels that guide the film or paper.
- Could you check that you can advance the roll manually with zero resistance?
If the breakout board and PF sensor are working correctly, the problem could be the printer's firmware or mainboard.
Solution:
- This update is significant because you want to ensure the printer’s firmware will work with your setup.
- Diagnostics are then run to test the mainboard for any hardware faults.
Because printer issues are so hands-on, they can be challenging to address. Thus, there is no remote troubleshooting or support for printer repairs. We currently provide in-person evaluation and repair service at our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service), but as this service is first come, first served, it may take a few weeks to look at your printer. We will provide the least complicated solution, whether this involves repairing the entire printer or just specific parts.
Please look at all the resources online for troubleshooting, including our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies. You can also use the search feature here to find troubleshooting videos that might apply to your issue.
Thank you once again for reaching out. Your interactions are precious, and we have your back in letting you overcome your printing problems.