Epson ET-15000 Stuck in Printer Inspection Mode: Causes and Solutions

Question:

My Epson ET-15000 printer is stuck in Printer Inspection Mode or Set Jig. I have a home, help, and power buttons, but there is no way to fix this. I've done firmware updates, but the inspection screen keeps coming back. I get a PIN entry screen when I hold the home and power buttons, but there is no PIN. What can I do to get this fixed?

Answer:

So, with the sticky Epson ET-15000 stuck in 'Printer Inspection Mode' or 'Set Jig,' this is often due to corrupt firmware. The 'Set Jig' mode is commonly enabled by a factory flag stored in the printer's firmware, set to 0 during manufacturing. This flag informs the printer that it is not yet adequately assembled or inspected, which locks functionality like printing. This enables Epson technicians to test the printer before its full operational status. But when this flag is set (because you corrupt the firmware, as you did), the printer will be stuck in the mode, and nothing usually works.

Epson fails to publicly enumerate an easy method to bypass the flag in the manuals, but sometimes, this information is available to authorized Epson technicians in the service documentation. I consulted the service manual for the ET-15000 and could not find anything other than Epson not providing a way to exit "Set Jig" mode without them getting involved.

You stated that one possible solution is to reset the printer by installing the firmware, but this did not solve the problem. It indicates the firmware is corrupted or incomplete, which is typically more complicated to resolve. A slender handful of "street hacks" or workarounds have spread on the internet, and some users have found them helpful. So, I'd be cautious in performing them since Epson does not officially support them and might be causing more problems than helping. In the best case — though it might be a little complicated — you can reprogram the firmware and possibly the EEPROM chip of the printer's mainboard.

So that you know, the EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) maintains critical parameters about the printer. In case of extensive firmware corruption, you may have to copy a good firmware dump (a bin file) in the EEPROM. This process is highly specialized, and often, you will need to replace the EEPROM chip to ensure long-term reliability.

Scratch this if you're not comfortable doing hardware-level repairs. You'll want to do this if you're familiar with EEPROM replacement and firmware flashing; otherwise, have a professional take care of it. Professional repair services might also be able to assist with this kind of issue if you cannot figure it out yourself, but be aware that this kind of repair can be complicated and often involves replacing many components.

Printer issues can be a pain to address because of the nature of more hands-on problems. So that means we cannot offer remote troubleshooting, recommendations for printer repairs, or support. BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service. We diagnose locally with a carry-in repair service. Because of the high volume of secreting printers, it is first come, first served, and it may take weeks before we can get your printer to deposit it. We organize our services to fix an entire printer or specific components, along with precise directions on following through. However, we recognize that our rates do not represent the most cost-effective option. So, we strongly suggest you help yourself through online research. If you are looking for videos on specific topics, use the search icon (next to the word "About"). I get dozens of questions daily on particular issues, and though I can't remember all the videos I've made over the past nine years, YouTube's search platform is your best shot at finding the critical content. YouTube might also recommend other valuable resources to help solve that problem.