Epson 8550 Drag Chain and Power Cycling: Troubleshooting Tips

Question:

I just installed the drag chain on my Epson 8550, and it was not running smoothly. Now, it just powers on and turns off. Can you help me understand how to get it going again?

Answer:

Drag Chain Getting Caught:

The initial problem you’re seeing with the drag chain snagging might have to do with the way the printhead carriage moves. Here's a proposed solution in more detail:

Free the Printhead Carriage

Turn on your printer and let the carriage start moving.

As soon as the carriage moves, power off the printer immediately. This will enable you to shift the carriage by hand without worry of breaking any internals.

Gently push/slide the carriage left-right, to the extremes of both sides of the printer. Make sure that it moves freely and without obstruction or force.

If the carriage moves freely without catching on anything, the problem may not be the carriage. If it does catch, the issue is likely due to interference from the scanner or other nearby components.

Inspecting the Scanner Area:

The scanner lid or parts of the scanner assembly may be obstructing the drag chain.

Open the scanner a little, and see where the printhead could be binding up. If you can see the place where it’s caught up, you may be able to adjust the scanner so it no longer obstructs the motion.

If needed, sharply prop the scanner open to allow the printhead carriage ample room to pull unimpeded.

Printer Power Cycling:

Several factors may cause the problem where your printer turns on and then off. Some possible causes include:

This means that the printer is sensing some form of malfunction and is going into a protective shutdown in order to protect its own components from damage. This may have to do with the installation of the drag chain, and may be caused by chain or components being too tight, or misaligned.

Power Supply Problems: Check that your printer is connected to a power source and that the rules on the power supply side are not disrupted (for example, if the surge protector is broken).

Firmware or Electrical ShortIf the printer is still shutting off even after addressing the drag chain issue, it may need a firmware reset, or it may have an internal short. In such scenarios, we recommend checking the visible wiring problems or mainboard and connections errors.

More Troubleshooting Tips Here:

Once the drag chain is repaired power the printer off and back to confirm the issue is solved. If so, you may need to check internal wiring to restore any loose connections.

Once the drag chain problem is resolved, do a diagnostic print.

Printer problems can be tricky affairs — they have a tendency to be hands-on in their nature. Sorry, we have no remote troubleshooting service or printer repair support. However, we do provide in-person evaluation and repair services via our regional diagnostic facility, BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service. Because we receive a lot of requests, we work only on a first-come, first served basis, and it could take a few weeks until we can assist you with your printer repair. We offer services to either restore the entire printer or parts of the printer, and the process will be easy to follow.

We know no one wants to overpay but we aren't the cheapest. As such, we strongly encourage you to try self-repair using online resources. Begin by visiting BCH Technologies YouTube Channel, piled with many how-to videos. To find videos on your issue, just use the search icon to the left of “About” on the menu bar. As I get lots of requests for videos on specific topics, it’s helpful to try YouTube’s searchbox, which will probably even suggest useful videos from other channels.