Troubleshooting a Procolored L1800 DTF Printer That Beeps and Won’t Power On

Question:

I have Procolored L1800 DTF printer. After cleaning the print head, the machine started beeping and would not turn on from the front panel. I inspected the cords connected to it, and they appear fine. I also tested the transistors, and they are getting voltage. But I don’t know what to check next. Is the cable that connects to the front power button terrible, even if it works well? Because the printer won’t start from the front, I can’t run a diagnostic from Epson’s software. What are the other things that may be causing this?

Answer:

Beeping and Power Issues: Potential Reasons and Solutions

And since your printer’s beeping but not turning on from the front panel, let’s check over a few possible causes and steps you can take:

Power Supply Issues

Even if the printer beeps, the power supply may not work correctly. Connect to the power supply board and measure the output voltage. The L1800 typically operates on the 42V and 5V rails. If either of these voltages is absent or unstable, the printer won’t power up properly.

If you can get a working power supply of the same specs, swap it out and see if that works.

Damage to a Fuse or Component on the Mainboard

Epson printers and many others tend to have miniature surface-mounted fuses on the mainboard. If liquid got on the board while the printhead was being cleaned, it could have shorted something out, blowing a fuse or damaging a component.

Use a multimeter to check for continuity on all fuses. If you do find a blown fuse you'll need to replace it.

Moreover, check the mainboard for burned or damaged components. Even a minor short will prevent the board from turning on.

Front Panel Cable and Power Button Board

A cable can physically appear to be in fine shape but still not function. Even a tiny internal break between pins on the ribbon cable will not show up on the outside.

If you have the original faceplate, try using a multimeter to test continuity on each ribbon cable pin that corresponds to the front power button.

If you suspect a problem with the power button board, you can try bridging the corresponding pins on the mainboard to see if it powers up (only do this if you’re confident working with electronics).

There are several potential causes for a corrupted EEPROM or firmware lock.

Certain printers will not function if their EEPROM is corrupted or their firmware has become locked due to an internal failure.

If your printer beeps in a particular pattern, it could be an error code. Sadly, these will not be useful here because Epson diagnostic tools require that the printer be turned on.

If any, reflash the firmware or replace the EEPROM chip.

Shorted Printhead Cable

It's possible that the cleaning solution leaked into the FFC connections, causing a shortage. This issue started after servicing the printhead.

The printhead cables may be making insufficient contact, so you could try unplugging them from the mainboard and carriage board, cleaning and drying their contacts, and plugging them back in.

If you have a spare printhead cable, take it out and install it to check for internal damage.

Next Steps

If none of these workarounds fix the problem, you may need to replace the mainboard or seek professional help to diagnose the issue. Printer issues have many possible causes. They can have multiple symptoms at once, making it difficult to isolate the exact cause of failure without taking the device to the lab for testing.

Printer problems are challenging to troubleshoot because they are a hybrid device. Sorry, we cannot provide remote troubleshooting, support, or repair advice. Unfortunately, depending on where you send it, we do not provide mail-in inspection and repair. However, at our local diagnostic center, we do. ( https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) We are super busy and work on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning it may take some time before we can analyze your printer. Whether your entire printer or certain components need repairs, we can help you understand what to do.

We understand that our repair services are not the most affordable, so we strongly encourage you to take advantage of self-help resources. Search for troubleshooting videos on YouTube (https://youtube.com) or our YouTube channel homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies) using the search icon on the left of (About) on the menu bar. As we have made lots of videos throughout the years, the best way is how to search by the topic. On top of that, YouTube may also serve Content from other Creators who can help solve the problem.

Thanks again for contacting us and for your continued support. We are here to serve all your printing needs.