ACHI ZZJP1308-1 DTF Printer Red Ink Light and "No Ink" Error: What to Check Before Replacing More Parts

Question

I have an ACHI ZZJP1308-1 DTF printer that I purchased used. The previous owner told me it only needed a new printhead, dampers and ink lines, and printhead ribbon cables. When I first powered it on, the carriage moved slowly away from the home position, traveled back and forth several times, returned to the home position, and then the red ink-droplet light came on.

I replaced the printhead, dampers, ink lines, and printhead ribbon cables, but the printer behaved exactly the same way. Since then, I have spent several hundred dollars replacing the ribbon cables again, another printhead, the print carriage and its ribbon cable, and I have also thoroughly cleaned and unclogged the waste-ink/capping assembly. Nothing has changed.

WICReset communicates with the printer and recognizes the printer and printhead ID, but it reports that there is no ink. The printer has a continuous ink system with ink in the tanks, so I do not understand why it would report no ink.

At this point, I am concerned that the printer had a more serious problem before I bought it. I cannot bring it to your shop or afford to ship it. Based on these symptoms, what could actually be wrong, and what should I check next?

Answer

First, I Would Stop Replacing Parts

Based on what you described, I would not purchase another printhead, carriage, damper set, ink line, or FFC cable at this point.

The most important clue is that the printer has behaved essentially the same way from the day you purchased it, despite replacement of many of the major components that would normally be blamed for printing and ink-delivery problems.

That tells us something important. It does not prove that every replacement component is good, but it strongly suggests that the original fault may be somewhere else in the system.

Your ACHI ZZJP1308-1 appears to belong to a family of converted A3 DTF machines built around Epson L1800/1390-style hardware. An available DTF manual specifically identifies ZZJP1308-1 as the part number for a DTF L1800 configuration. The same style of machine also uses internal cartridge/damper assemblies connected to external ink tanks. (Manuals+)

This distinction is important because an external continuous ink supply does not necessarily mean the printer's electronics automatically know that ink is present.

The "No Ink" Message May Be the Most Important Clue

When WICReset reports "no ink," I would take that seriously before concentrating on the printhead or capping station.

There are really two different things involved:

Physical ink supply means that you can see ink in the external bottles, tubes, dampers, and cartridges.

Electronic ink status is what the mainboard believes about the ink system.

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

For example, the Epson Stylus Photo 1390 architecture uses six cartridge positions and communicates electronically with cartridge CSIC chips. Its service documentation specifically lists a missing cartridge or failure to communicate with a cartridge's CSIC chip as an ink-cartridge error. (ManualsLib)

Therefore, if your particular ZZJP1308-1 uses a 1390-style controller, you can have completely full external tanks and perfectly full ink lines while the printer still reports no ink because it cannot electronically recognize one or more ink channels.

On a converted DTF machine, that recognition may depend on cartridge chips, an auto-reset-chip assembly, a chip decoder, the cartridge contact board, its ribbon cable, or circuitry on the mainboard.

That would explain why changing the printhead, dampers, tubing, and carriage did not make the red ink light disappear.

The Exact Controller Matters: L1800 Versus 1390

Before spending any more money, I would determine exactly what the electronics inside the machine think the printer is.

The ZZJP1308-1 designation by itself is not enough because machines of this type have been sold by different DTF companies and may use variations of Epson-based hardware.

The useful information is what appears in WICReset and the Windows printer driver. If WICReset identifies the machine specifically as an Epson L1800, that points toward one diagnostic path. If it identifies it as a Stylus Photo 1390/1400/1410-type printer, cartridge/chip recognition becomes particularly important.

The original Epson L1800 behaves differently from the cartridge-based 1390. Epson's L1800 documentation states that a steady ink light together with the power light can indicate that the initial ink-charging procedure has not been completed. Epson instructs the user, under that specific condition, to hold the ink button for three seconds to begin the initial charge. (Epson Support)

However, I would not blindly perform an initial charge repeatedly on a modified DTF printer. A charge can move a substantial amount of ink through the machine and into the waste system. You first need to make sure the ink system is properly filled and primed, the dampers/cartridges contain ink rather than large pockets of air, the capping station seals correctly, and the waste bottle has sufficient capacity.

The available manual for this ZZJP1308-1-style DTF system itself instructs the operator to prime the internal cartridges by drawing ink into them and then use the ink button for the cleaning process. (Manuals+)

What I Would Diagnose Next

Instead of replacing more parts, I would work through the printer in this order:

1. Record the exact LED behavior. Determine whether the red droplet light is continuously on or flashing. Also note exactly what the power and paper lights are doing. A solid ink light is not necessarily the same fault as a flashing ink light, and combinations of the ink and paper LEDs can indicate completely different errors.

2. Use WICReset to read the actual printer status and error history. Do not concentrate only on the ink level. Look for an error log, fatal-error history, or printer-status report and record the exact wording and any hexadecimal or numerical error code. No numerical error code was included in your question, so at this point there is no specific code such as a CR motor, PF motor, encoder, APG, or other mechanical error that we can reliably diagnose.

3. Confirm which Epson platform WICReset detects. If it identifies an L1800, investigate ink initialization/ink-status information appropriate to the L1800. If it identifies a 1390-family controller, investigate cartridge/chip recognition much more closely.

4. Inspect the ink-recognition hardware. If there are chips on the cartridges or dampers, inspect every chip and every corresponding contact. Look for a missing chip, damaged contact, corrosion, dried ink, a contact pushed out of position, or a damaged ribbon cable between the chip/contact board and the mainboard. A six-channel system can refuse to operate because of only one failed channel.

5. Check whether the printer contains an aftermarket chip board or decoder. Many converted DTF printers do not use their ink electronics exactly as Epson originally designed them. An aftermarket reset board, chipless modification, or decoder can fail while the physical ink system remains completely full. This can produce the confusing situation where the customer sees plenty of ink but the printer electronically sees none.

6. Do not assume the encoder is bad merely because the carriage moves during startup. Your description actually sounds different from the classic dirty or damaged CR encoder symptom where the carriage loses position, accelerates incorrectly, bangs into the side of the printer, or stops at an unexpected location. Your carriage apparently moves through its startup sequence and deliberately returns to home before the ink light appears. That makes an ink-status or initialization problem worth investigating before replacing additional carriage components. It does not completely rule out an encoder or sensor problem, but I would want an actual error code before going in that direction.

7. Consider the mainboard, but do not condemn the entire board yet. WICReset being able to communicate with the printer and retrieve information such as the printhead ID tells us that at least significant portions of the board and communication system are operating. However, the board can still have a localized failure-for example in a cartridge/CSIC communication circuit, sensor input, power rail, connector, or other section. A mainboard does not have to be completely dead to be defective.

8. Be extremely careful with any further printhead testing. You have already installed more than one head and set of cables. If there is an electrical problem on the mainboard or if a cable has been inserted incorrectly, repeatedly connecting new printheads can turn one problem into several. Before another head is installed, I would verify cable orientation, connector condition, and make sure there is absolutely no ink or cleaning fluid on the FFC contacts or printhead electronics.

The Capping Station Probably Is Not Causing the "No Ink" Status

Cleaning the waste-ink assembly and capping station was useful maintenance, but I would separate that issue from the electronic no-ink condition.

A clogged pump, leaking cap, damaged waste tube, or badly sealing capping station can prevent the machine from priming the printhead. It can give you empty dampers, missing nozzles, poor cleaning performance, or an inability to pull ink through the head.

However, it normally does not make a cartridge-based controller electronically recognize an ink channel as missing.

In other words, you could potentially have both an ink-flow problem and an electronic ink-recognition problem, but fixing the capping station will not necessarily clear the red ink light if the controller believes an ink channel is absent.

Why WICReset Recognizing the Printhead ID Matters

The fact that WICReset can see the printer and retrieve the printhead ID is encouraging because it shows that the computer is communicating with the printer's main electronics.

It also makes me less inclined to immediately blame the USB interface or assume the board is completely nonfunctional.

However, it does not prove that the printhead itself is good, nor does it prove that every circuit on the mainboard is functioning correctly. The mainboard has many independent circuits and inputs. It can communicate with the computer and identify the printer while simultaneously having a failure elsewhere.

I Would Not Assume You Were Sold a Printer That Only Needed a Printhead

Unfortunately, based on the history you provided, there is no way to confirm what the previous owner knew about the printer.

What we can say technically is that replacing the components you were originally told were defective did not change the startup behavior. You then replaced several additional components, and the original symptom still remained.

That is a strong reason to change the diagnostic strategy rather than continue replacing parts.

At this stage, the most valuable information would be the printer's exact electronic identity, LED pattern, ink-status information, and stored WICReset error log. Those pieces of information are more valuable diagnostically than another new printhead.

I would especially focus on the fact that WICReset reports no ink. If the machine uses a cartridge/chip recognition system, inspect that entire system from the chips and contact board through its cable and ultimately to the mainboard. If it is truly running an L1800 controller, determine whether it is stuck in an ink initialization or ink-status condition before investigating additional mechanical parts.

Addressing printer problems can become complicated very quickly because so much of the diagnosis requires hands-on inspection, measurements, and observation of the machine while it operates. For that reason, we're not able to provide individual remote troubleshooting, repair instructions, or ongoing remote repair support.

We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our BCH Technologies printer repair service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Because of the volume of printers we receive, repairs are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and there may be a wait of several weeks before a printer can be dropped off. Our service options cover either complete printers or certain individual components, with instructions provided on the service page. We also understand that professional repair is not always the most economical choice, especially when shipping a large DTF machine is involved.

For that reason, we strongly encourage self-help and online research when practical. A good starting point is YouTube and our BCH Technologies YouTube channel [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. On our channel homepage, use the search icon located near the "About" section and search terms such as L1800 red ink light, L1800 no ink, 1390 cartridge error, DTF ink chip, CSIC, WICReset error, or the exact error code reported by WICReset. I receive dozens of questions asking me to locate particular videos, and after producing videos for more than nine years, it is difficult to remember every video by title. The channel search function is normally much faster, and YouTube may also recommend useful repair videos from other technicians.

Thank you again for supporting BCH Technologies and for providing such a detailed history of what you have already done. I know it is frustrating to put this much time and money into a printer without changing the original symptom. At this stage, I would concentrate on identifying the electronic ink-status fault and obtaining the exact stored error information before investing in any more replacement parts.