Blinking Light Troubleshooting for F13 Panda DTF Users

Ranked as the bestseller among Procolored's offerings, the F13 Panda DTF Printer (also known as the L1800 or R1390) has garnered high praise from users for its superior quality and reliable performance. Despite its robust design, even the F13 Panda DTF can encounter unexpected issues. In this passage, we will focus specifically on troubleshooting blinking light problems, providing you with the steps needed to resolve these issues efficiently.

Written by Procolored - Published on July 21, 2024

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Written by Procolored - Published on Oct 14, 2024

PASSAGE SUMMARY

1. Understanding F13 Panda DTF Structure
1.1 Outer structure
1.2 Inner structure
2. Blinking Light Troubleshooting
2.1 Blinking paper button
2.2 Blinking ink button
2.3 Alternating blinking lights
2.4 Both blinking lights

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1. Understanding F13 Panda DTF Structure

1.1 Outer Structure

Outer Structure of F13 Panda DTF

Before diving into troubleshooting the blinking light issues, let's first get familiar with the printer's structure, focusing on 7 key external components.

① Film roll: This component is mounted on a roller and facilitates smoother manual adjustments for film feeding.
② Front cover: It shields the internal parts from contaminants like dust and debris. In case of operational problems, opening this cover offers a better view of the printhead's condition.
③ Operation panel: Featuring four buttons—power/start, paper, ink, and cancel—the operation panel displays different light patterns that indicate various statuses or issues. When discussing blinking light concerns, we refer to the varied flashing sequences of these buttons.

layout of control panel

④ Temperature controller: The device that allows adjusting the temperature of the internal heating element situated right above the film exit. We generally recommend setting the heating temperature to 40°C to prevent the printed inks from bleeding.
⑤ Ink warehouse: The section where ink is stored and where we refill the ink supply.
⑥ Waste ink collector: The embedded waste ink bottle located at the rear of the printer, designed to effectively prevent accidental tipping.

embedded waste ink bottle at the rear

⑦ Film exit: Where finished print comes out. Procolored configures a film cutter at film exit on all DTF printers to provide a more streamlined workflow.

1.2 Inner Structure

Inner Structure of F13 Panda DTF (top view)

Inner Structure of F13 Panda DTF (side view)

Encoder strip: This is a sensitive component featuring numerous magnetic strips. It plays a crucial role by translating printing tasks and aiding in the confirmation of printing positions.

Printing platform: This is the area where the film is fed and the printing process takes place.

Printhead assembly: This includes the ink cartridges and printhead (or nozzles). It is the primary component responsible for depositing ink onto the film to complete a printing task.

Guide rail: This is the path along which the printhead assembly moves.

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2. Blinking Light Troubleshooting

Now let’s combine the outer and inner printer structure to gain a deeper understanding of blinking light issues and how to address them. In this passage, we will focus on the four most common issues. Should you encounter any other unforeseen circumstances, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer service for further assistance.

2.1 Blinking paper button

If the paper button on your F13 Panda DTF keeps blinking and there’s no film or print coming out from the exit, there might be a film jam or a printing task jam. Here are three feasible solutions:

Check if the film has been delivered smoothly: look for any film curvature or unexpected foreign objects at the film feeder. Ensure the film can successfully pass through the feeder and reach the printing platform. Then, restart the printer.

Open the front lid and inspect the printing platform for any foreign objects. Ensure there are no obstacles preventing the film from loading forward. Then, restart the printer.

Cancel all the printing tasks on your computer. Then restart the printer.

2.2 Blinking ink button

A blinking ink button suggests that the ink supply is insufficient to support a complete print. This issue can be resolved by checking whether the ink levels in the ink warehouse are adequate.

If the ink levels are sufficient, press the ink button several times; typically, this will resolve the issue.

If the ink levels are low, add an appropriate amount of ink accordingly.

2.3 Alternating blinking lights

Generally speaking, if the paper button and ink button alternately blink, it indicates that your waste ink pad requires a reset. So, what and where is the waste ink pad?

First, let’s take a closer look at the inner part of the F13 Panda DTF. If we move the printhead assembly to the left, we’ll find a moisturizing device right underneath, known as the capping station. The waste ink pad is located directly beneath this capping station.

printhead stopping on capping station

capping station is right beneath assembly

Here’s how they work: when the printhead assembly returns to the capping station, the nozzles are sealed onto the station to undergo cleaning and moisturizing. During this process, the waste ink generated is absorbed by the waste ink pad below and then flows back to the waste ink bottle located at the rear of the printer.

Every waste ink pad has a pre-set maximum number of uses. For most printers currently on the market, the waste ink pad must be replaced once it reaches this maximum. Procolored simplifies this process for all DTF printer users: to resolve the alternately blinking light issue, all you need to do is perform a waste ink pad reset in the software. Click here for online tutorial from Procolored user.

waste ink pad reset page on the software

2.4 Both blinking lights

Simultaneous blinking of the paper button and ink button might be caused by, but is not limited to, the following issues:

Malfunctioning encoder strip: As previously mentioned, the encoder strip assists in translating printing tasks and positioning printhead movements. Any foreign object on the encoder strip can cause a malfunction and halt a printing task.

Unsuccessful film feeding: The blinking issue could also be due to unsuccessful film feeding on the printing platform, possibly because of ink buildups or film curvature.

Stuck printhead assembly: This can occur due to friction on the guide rail.

How to solve them by yourself? While we do not recommend users tackle the simultaneous blinking situation without professional assistance, we suggest the following steps:

Use the Wicreset software to diagnose the exact issue (we’ve included the software installation package on the USB device in your printer parcel) and see if there are any minor improvements you can make. For instance, adding lubricating oil to the guide rail or cleaning the encoder strip according to our maintenance tutorial video. Then, restart the printer.

If the two lights continue to blink persistently, please feel free to contact our customer service so that our technical team can intervene.

diagnose page on Wicreset software

About the Author - Joyce

Joyce has worked with Procolored since the first day she joined inkjet printing career. Through continual training courses and years of working experiences, Joyce has formed a comprehensive understanding over Procolored products and a thorough knowledge of printing technologies.

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