Procolored L1800 DTF Printer Two Blinking Lights: Troubleshooting, Control Board Replacement, and Repair Options

Question

My Procolored/L1800-based DTF printer suddenly developed two blinking indicator lights at the same time. The printer had been cleaned regularly and was working normally before the problem occurred.

Procolored support previously instructed me to replace the control board, including a replacement board purchased through Amazon, along with associated cables. Before that, I also replaced components related to the white-ink circulation and waste-pump system. However, after replacing these parts, the printer still has exactly the same two blinking lights.

Support has continued asking for photos and videos without identifying a clear next step. I would like to know:

1. Is there anything else I can reasonably troubleshoot myself before bringing the printer in?

2. Can BCH Technologies determine whether the printer is worth repairing and arrange a drop-off appointment with Abby?

3. Does BCH Technologies work on Procolored printers and other third-party DTF machines based on the Epson L1800 platform?

Answer

What Two Blinking Lights Can Mean on an L1800-Based DTF Printer

You did not provide a numerical error code, so the two blinking lights themselves are the main symptom available for diagnosis.

On Epson L1800-based systems, two warning indicators blinking together commonly indicate that the printer has detected a more general mechanical, electrical, sensor, or initialization fault. However, a Procolored DTF printer is not identical to a stock Epson L1800. The original Epson mechanism may be combined with a modified mainboard, white-ink circulation system, additional pumps, altered wiring, custom firmware, external controllers, and other conversion-specific components.

That means the light pattern alone cannot reliably identify the failed part.

Since you have already replaced the control board, cables, white-ink circulation components, and waste-pump-related parts without changing the symptom, I would not recommend continuing to replace expensive components simply because support suggests another possible part. At this point, systematic diagnosis is likely more useful than additional part swapping.

Things You Can Check Before Bringing the Printer In

There are several reasonable inspections you can perform yourself.

First, disconnect the printer from power and inspect the carriage path. Make sure the printhead carriage can move normally and that there is no piece of film, paper, dried ink, tubing, cable, or other obstruction preventing it from traveling through its expected range.

Pay particular attention to the capping station and cleaning mechanism. A capping station that does not return to its correct position can prevent the carriage from initializing and may cause the machine to enter an error condition immediately after startup.

You should also inspect the clear carriage encoder strip. The L1800 platform uses this strip to determine the printhead carriage position. If the strip is dirty, disconnected, installed incorrectly, damaged, or no longer passing correctly through the carriage encoder sensor, the printer may not be able to determine where the carriage is located.

The paper-feed encoder system is another area worth checking. If the printer cannot correctly detect movement of the paper-feed mechanism, a startup error can occur even though nothing appears to be physically jammed.

Because several cables and the control board have already been replaced, I would inspect every connector that was disturbed during those repairs. Look for FFC/ribbon cables that are:

• Inserted crooked

• Not fully seated

• Installed with the contacts facing the wrong direction

• Damaged at the end

• Creased or cracked

• Contaminated with ink or cleaning fluid

Also inspect the connectors themselves. A replacement board will not correct the problem if the original fault is in a damaged cable, connector, sensor, motor, printhead, power supply, or another peripheral device connected to that board.

Be Careful After a Mainboard Replacement

Replacing a control board does not necessarily prove that the mainboard was the original problem.

With modified L1800 DTF equipment, compatibility can involve more than simply matching the physical connector locations. The board, firmware, machine configuration, carriage electronics, white-ink system, and conversion controller may all need to work together.

Therefore, if the original board and replacement board produce exactly the same blinking-light condition, I would start considering components outside the mainboard rather than assuming that another board is necessary.

A shorted printhead, damaged printhead cable, carriage sensor problem, motor problem, encoder problem, incorrectly connected peripheral device, or mechanical initialization failure can all produce symptoms that appear to be a mainboard problem.

If ink or cleaning solution has ever reached the printhead FFC cables or electrical connectors, I would be particularly careful about repeatedly powering the machine on. A contaminated or shorted cable can damage a board or printhead.

Check Whether the Error Changes During Startup

One useful troubleshooting approach is to watch exactly what happens between pressing the power button and the lights beginning to blink.

For example, observe whether:

• The carriage moves at all.

• The carriage moves and then stops at a particular location.

• The paper-feed motor turns.

• The capping station moves.

• The pump operates.

• The white-ink circulation system starts.

• There is a grinding, clicking, or repeated motor sound.

• The lights begin blinking immediately before any mechanical movement.

The point in the startup sequence where the failure occurs can provide much more useful information than the blinking lights alone.

If your Procolored software, Epson diagnostic software, or RIP software displays a numerical error or service code, record the exact code. A specific error code is considerably more useful for diagnosis than the indicator lights by themselves.

Search for the Symptom Before Replacing More Parts

Before investing in additional components, I would also recommend doing some independent research. Search YouTube, Google, printer-repair forums, and other resources using several variations of the symptom, such as:

Procolored L1800 two blinking lights

Epson L1800 both lights blinking

L1800 DTF fatal error

L1800 DTF carriage initialization error

L1800 DTF printer blinking lights after mainboard replacement

You can also use an AI assistant to organize the symptoms and help identify areas to inspect, although any AI-generated repair advice should be treated as general information rather than a confirmed diagnosis.

Our BCH Technologies YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies contains many videos covering Epson-based DTF machines, carriage systems, encoder strips, capping stations, mainboards, printheads, pumps, and related components. Use the search icon on our channel and search for the specific component or symptom rather than scrolling through the entire video library.

Can We Tell You Whether the Printer Is "Worth Repairing"?

Unfortunately, that is not a decision we can make for you.

There are really two separate questions:

Can the printer potentially be repaired?

and

Is repairing it financially worthwhile for you?

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

Not every printer can be repaired successfully, and not every technically possible repair makes financial sense. With DTF equipment, factors such as the age of the machine, condition of the printhead, amount already spent on replacement parts, availability of compatible components, conversion quality, and the value of the printer to your business all affect that decision.

We don't make financial decisions on behalf of customers. Our role is to diagnose and repair equipment that is physically in front of us. Once a diagnosis is made, you can compare the expected repair expense with the value of the printer and decide how you want to proceed.

Can We Approve a Drop-Off Appointment With Abby?

We would not schedule or approve a repair drop-off until you have decided that you want to proceed with our repair service.

If you are still deciding whether the machine is worth repairing, please review the service information first. It explains our diagnostic process, labor structure, service limitations, repair queue, parts policies, and other important details.

You can review our DTF/DTG/Eco-Solvent Whole Printer Diagnostic and Repair Service https://bchtechnologies.com/collections/printer-repair-service/products/dtf-dtg-ecosolvent-whole-printer-diagnostic-fee-repair-labor-deposit-limited-opening.

The service page explains important items including:

• How the whole-printer diagnostic and repair process works

• Printer platforms and configurations covered

• Diagnostic fees and labor deposits

• Labor rates and repair charges

• What is included and excluded

• Replacement-parts policies

• Shipping and handling responsibilities

• Packing requirements for mailed-in equipment

• Repair queues and expected turnaround considerations

• Warranty terms

• Liability and repair-risk information

• Storage, pickup, and disposal policies

• Limited availability due to repair volume

Please review those terms carefully before placing a repair order or shipping the printer. After you have decided to proceed through the repair-service process, scheduling and drop-off arrangements can then be addressed.

Do We Work on Procolored and Third-Party L1800 DTF Conversions?

Yes. We do work on Procolored printers and other third-party DTF conversions based on Epson platforms such as the L1800.

However, converted printers can be significantly more complicated than original Epson machines because the manufacturer or converter may have modified the ink system, electronics, firmware, circulation system, pumps, sensors, wiring, carriage components, or other parts.

For that reason, accepting this type of printer for evaluation does not mean that every machine will ultimately be repairable. Diagnosis has to be performed on the actual printer before we can determine what has failed and what repair options are realistically available.

Printer repair can be difficult to evaluate remotely because so much of the diagnosis depends on physically observing the machine, testing components, and seeing how the mechanisms behave. For that reason, we're not able to provide ongoing remote troubleshooting, individualized repair instructions, or remote repair support.

We do offer in-person evaluation and repair through our printer diagnostic and repair facility https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service. Because demand is high, repairs are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and availability may mean waiting several weeks before a printer can be accepted for drop-off.

Our services can address either complete printers or certain individual components, depending on the situation, and the service pages explain how to proceed. We also recognize that professional diagnostic and repair labor may not be the most economical option for every printer. For that reason, we strongly encourage self-help research before committing to a repair.

You can begin with YouTube, general internet searches, repair communities, or our BCH Technologies YouTube homepage https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies. On our channel, use the search icon next to the "About" area to search for a specific printer model, error, or component. We have created repair videos for many years, and with such a large library, searching the channel is much more efficient than asking us to locate a particular video from memory. YouTube may also recommend useful videos from other repair channels that cover the same issue.

Thank you again for contacting BCH Technologies and for giving us the detailed history of the repairs that have already been attempted. That information is very helpful. I hope the checks above give you a more organized way to evaluate the printer before deciding whether professional diagnosis is the next step.