plagued by 14:06 errors for 3 years now, on my L25500 - now its beyond belief...

[iSign]

I have been fighting this lamea$$ excuse for a printer since the day it arrived when 10 hours was spent on the phone trying to get it set up, and ultimately a technician had to fly out to fight with it for me.

It has NEVER worked even half as reliable as my 7 years with a Mimaki, or 12 years with an EDGE... quite frankly, it is the worst machine I have ever owned of any kind...

I don't have the energy to post the story i've felt like I should post here for a while now, but i'll just get this thread started now.

I am being called upon to pay the annual $2500 service contract again, and just like last year, it feels like utter BULL$#!T to pay for this, when the printed has NEVER WORKED reliably... which is not to say it doesn't print beautiful prints, because it does... but it costs me an insane amount of time, not to mention losses in ink & media. I can honestly tell you that if I had the foresight to push it off the second floor loft, & pay full price for a working printer 2 or 3 years ago, I would have been far far ahead compared to the dozens upon dozens of months where my losses in production EASILY ADD UP TO $1000..

...but alas, foresight is not among my talents, & instead I'm the sucker that is governed by optimism... until it nearly kills me, and in this case, nearly kills my business...

...but I digress

I just wonder if anyone else has ever been plagued by 14:06 and 14:08 errors like I have?

Over the years, it's usually only 1 or 2 in a day, (not meaning every day, I'm just saying it's usually not been more then twice in a day until now) and despite the ridiculous design of costing me another 15 minutes to get cooled down, & then warmed up again, enough to function... I have become very very used to accepting these unexplained delays & material losses... not to mention literally hundreds of other error messages also costing me time and money over the last 3 years...

...HP has flown a technician to Maui at least TEN F'N TIMES to try to fix this damn lemon, and were here again last week, for i think the 4th time since this summer... and all the guy told me he did was a test print... rolled it up, and left... (though he was alone with the printer for over an hour when I came up & he said he was finally doing the print)

...and since then,. the printer is suddenly so F'd up, I've literally had 40 "restart" errors, including 2 days i could never get the printer to turn on all freaking day... including today (finally got it to start up at 6pm... printed 2 jobs, then another 14:06 jacked a half done print)..

well, like I said, I'm too tired of dealing with this frustration to go into the rest of the scathing report of how bad this machine is right now, but I will post a screen shot from the printer information, showing the last 20 "severe" errors which are all just since Saturday... 12 of them today... This report won't show that I had over 12 errors on Friday, the day after the tech left!! I video'd the error messages, as well as some of the other crazy s**t I had to deal with which is par for the course on the rest of the 3 years... but i can't show them until I edit out the angry sound track...

what I really want to know is two things:

1.) anyone else ever deal with this & find any solution?

2.) can anyone suggest where I might turn, to seek retribution for this entire rip off experience? (within HP, or elsewhere)


I'd settle for a new printer, although my losses exceed the value of one in my opinion, but HP isn't interested in that conversation, even though my case was escalated several notches above the phone jockeys, and one guy basically promised me a new 260, then the next day said, 'sorry, we don't have any more" and has not gotten back to me for a week since that BS conversation!!

 

[dypinc]

Looks like the first place to look might be a cable or connector. But I am surprised the techs couldn't have tested all this and discovered the problem.

Do you have a service manual?

SE Code: 14.06:00 - One or more heaters are not connected
Problem Description:
There is a communication failure between the Heaters Control Assembly and the Curing Module or Dryer
Assembly.
Corrective Action:
• Check all the cables are correctly connected from the Heaters Control assembly to the Curing
module and the Dryer Assembly around the left arc.
• Check that none of the cables are damaged, if they are replace them.
• Check the cables are connected between the Heaters Control Assembly PCA and the Sausalito
PCA.

SE Code: 14.08:00 - No AC voltage in the Dryer Assembly
Problem Description:
The firmware has detected that there is no AC voltage in the Dryer Input connection.
Corrective Action:
• Check that the power cables are correctly inserted at the rear of the printer. Check to see if a fuse
has blown on one of the electrical input cables (when the region has a fuse in the power cord).
• Check to see if the Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCD) has blown, reset it, if it blows again
immediately (or often), this would indicate an error with the Dryer Assembly or the RCCD.
• Check the electrical supply from the customer´s site.
• Check that the power cables are correctly inserted at the rear of the printer.
• Check to see if the Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCD) has blown, reset it, if it blows again
immediately (or often), this would indicate an error with the Dryer Assembly or the RCCD.
• Check the connections of the cables from the Dryer input connection, RCCD, the filter and the Heater
Control Assembly.
• Check to see if the fuses F1 and F2 have blown on the Heaters Control Assembly ⇒ page 53, if they
have replace the Heater Control Assembly ⇒ Page 465.
• Check the 24 Volt LED on the PrintMech is on, see ⇒ Page 49, check the connections between the
Heaters Control assembly and the PrintMech PCA, try disconnecting and reconnecting them.
• One of the following PCAs has failed and must be replaced:
• Replace the Heater Control Assembly ⇒ Page 465.
• Replace the PrintMech ⇒ Page 482.
• Replace the Sausalito PCI PCA ⇒ Page 444.

 

[Typestries]

Did you check the heater power cable on the door for a short to the printer frame? I'm really surprised your check did not clean it out as something to keep an eye on. There was a post on here a while back about it

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?92441-Odd-L25500-problem&highlight=Heater+short

worth a shot at least.

In our opinion these are good machines we have four of them running very consistently. Wonder if it's worth cutting your losses and picking up a used one. Of course that's easier said than done for someone in Hawaii in terms of shipping.

 

[LeLuni]

...HP has flown a technician to Maui at least TEN F'N TIMES to try to fix this damn lemon, and were here again last week, for i think the 4th time since this summer... and all the guy told me he did was a test print... rolled it up, and left... (though he was alone with the printer for over an hour when I came up & he said he was finally doing the print)

There's the crux of your problem. If you lived in Alaska, it would have been fixed the first time.

 

[HulkSmash]

Did you check the heater power cable on the door for a short to the printer frame? I'm really surprised your check did not clean it out as something to keep an eye on. There was a post on here a while back about it

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?92441-Odd-L25500-problem&highlight=Heater+short

worth a shot at least.

In our opinion these are good machines we have four of them running very consistently. Wonder if it's worth cutting your losses and picking up a used one. Of course that's easier said than done for someone in Hawaii in terms of shipping.

Read the Thread Rick just linked. After about 70k SQFT we had that issue. Our heater core was pretty much overheating and causing issues. Read post #12. That's exactly what we did with our machines, and the errors disappeared. I know these printers like the back of my hand. We FINALLY upgraded to the 360's last month.. couldn't be happier.

 

[P Wagner]

Hi Doug:

I am sorry to learn of your poor experience with the HP L25500 printer. It certainly sounds like there have been consistent issues with this machine dating back to it's installation, is this correct?

If that is the case, I would also want to explore additional variables that are unique to your site, specifically the environment and power. The HP Latex machines can be particular about power and fluctuations, and having been to Hawaii a number of times, I know that power consistency and reliability can be an issue. The fact that the Latex machines require 220v and the other print machines you have owned (Gerber Edge and Mimaki solvent) do not could also play a role in this issue.

You may already have it, but if not, I am attaching the Site Preparation Guide for the Latex 260/ L26500 (this is functionally equivalent to the L25500 printer). It is conceivable in my mind that the root cause could be related to power, and some type of line conditioner may prove beneficial to you. In any event, I would look this direction in the event that you have not ruled this out previously. Aloha!

 

[iSign]

Thanks Dypinc, Rick, Colorado & Castek...

First, I have to say it's really unfortunate that these issues showed up in my life at a time when, after 10 years of active participation, I had been on hiatus from this community.

I never really chose to take a break, I just drifted.. and as a result, I wasn't as sure of how beneficial it would be to rant about my printer...

I guess I was falsely assuming that if HP's own technician's are regularly involved, that this should be sufficient.

I'll add that my drifting away was in conjunction with what could most easily be described as a midlife crisis of sorts, so mechanical issues (and related financial issues) at work were very stressful, but not the only challenge on my plate.

Anyway, I am more optimistic about resolving this issue just from waking up to this first bit of information, and more importantly, the reminder of how great of a resource is here in this community.

Even if the piece of aluminum that shorts on the element isn't my solution, I'll keep updating this thread, & will be grateful for the chance to have help working out what is up.

There's the crux of your problem. If you lived in Alaska, it would have been fixed the first time.

And thanks for the laugh LeLuni!
My technician is just flying in from Honolulu, so it took me a few seconds to get it, but comic relief is always a good thing!

 

[Split76]

Here in finland the service contract is about 2500euros/year but i took insurance for it. 550 euros / year for all the equipement i have (cutters, l260, emroidery machines, heat presses, rollsroller...). No matter what machine breaks up, 500e and it's fixed. My l260 broke down 3 times within the first year, ( first the heater unit, then heater sensor and at the last time at the funnel change, it just didn't want to come off. Tech came and disassembled much more and changed it (even he didn't get it off like it should have been removed)
i bought my summa s140t at the same time with my l260, and it broke too in it's warranty period (whole cutting head which was 2300euros + taxes) (thank god for warranty)
I thought that i may need an insurance for these after the warranty period
I still think that was just bad luck and i'm not willing to change either HP or s140..

 

[HulkSmash]

Thanks Dypinc, Rick, Colorado & Castek...

First, I have to say it's really unfortunate that these issues showed up in my life at a time when, after 10 years of active participation, I had been on hiatus from this community.

I never really chose to take a break, I just drifted.. and as a result, I wasn't as sure of how beneficial it would be to rant about my printer...

I guess I was falsely assuming that if HP's own technician's are regularly involved, that this should be sufficient.

I'll add that my drifting away was in conjunction with what could most easily be described as a midlife crisis of sorts, so mechanical issues (and related financial issues) at work were very stressful, but not the only challenge on my plate.

Anyway, I am more optimistic about resolving this issue just from waking up to this first bit of information, and more importantly, the reminder of how great of a resource is here in this community.

Even if the piece of aluminum that shorts on the element isn't my solution, I'll keep updating this thread, & will be grateful for the chance to have help working out what is up.



And thanks for the laugh LeLuni!
My technician is just flying in from Honolulu, so it took me a few seconds to get it, but comic relief is always a good thing!

Doug you're not the only one with issues trust me. I've had a few of these printers over the years. I recently upgraded to the HP Latex 360.. I honestly was on the edge about ever using HP again.. but after others have had such good results with the newest version of that machine.. i'm giving it a go. Going back to solvent would have been very hard for us. We do a ton of wraps, and the latex just makes more sense for our market.

The errors we have had never really took the printer down. It would print 1 panel. then error out. restart. blah blah blah blah. Right now we have 2 l225500s left. The problem i'm having with 1 is that it keeps saying reinsert print head... after.. every...single...panel.. it's always the SAME print head. I've changed out the print head. Changed out the whole capping station, contact strips, the primer assembly.. the main board.. all PER HP suggestion. So.. After each replacement they were like.. ok if it's not that.. it's this.. So after 6-7 parts that totaled around 2500, they finally said ok 1 part left that could be causing this issue... but its 2700..and even after you replace that.. we can't promise it wouldn't be something else completely... In my mind at this point i'm hulk punching the printer until it explodes.. .

This is where we got a new printer.. It didn't make sense spending more than what is was worth.. and the down times from was far more devastating then the repair bills. Luckily we have more than 1 printer..but being down to what we had wasn't working.

HP literally told me.. your workload is far too great for that printer. They wanted me to upgrade to a 270k printer.. from a 18k printer. Ha. No. It seems like with their new machine there is far less "plastic" than there was in the l2.

On my other l2.. just 2 hrs ago, i had to take a hammer and chizzle to remove the DRY BLOCK OF INK that was clogging up my ink funnel escape hatch... what a nightmare... and that was causing my sensor to get dirty, and not read the edge of the material. With these printers there is a dominoes effect with the small problems.. that always lead to worse.. sadly

good luck with your issue.. call me ANY time. I know these printers inside and out.. like the back of my hand.

-Adam 303 953 7264

 

[Bly]

Sounds a bit like the 14:10 error issue we had with one of our 25500s.
HP wouldn't say the problem is "this"..
so the tech tried swapping a few things it could have been with the other printer.
Then when it could be nothing else it turned out to be the heater assembly (which Prowraps said it was).
Although it cost us 3 grand to replace it was worth it to get the thing back into production.
I have an eye on the 300s and will probably upgrade in the near future.
Sure when something goes wrong they seem like an over engineered piece of plastic but when they
are running well they are awesome and way more productive than a solvent printer.

 

[iSign]

I agree Bly... once I coerce a print outta the thing, it's awesome!
Appreciate your input to Split!

Adam! Thanks for the invitation to reach out! That's awesome, & most likely will need to happen some day soon... or I'll call even when I'm not hating life so we can connect first, when I aint a basket case

So, you said you cut the metal by the sensors too, like that photo above?

HP tech arrives Tuesday. They say they expect a loose dryer connection...guess I'll have to pay a competitor for my measly $225 rush job that I spent half a day trying to get printer running for yesterday... seems like I could have tightened a loose cable myself if they walked me thru it... Do you have experience accessing those connections?

The best news is all I did all day is design work, cut vinyl, weeding & and installing a few signs on the other side of the island... reminded me of the good old days when changing blade pressure for cast or calendared vinyl was as technical as my life got!!

 

[Split76]

I have to update my post, for the first time in my life i have such a good luck I took insurance for all my equipment 3-4 weeks ago (mainly because HP repairs are so expensive) but my 2,5 years old amaya bravo embroidery machine broke down yesterday.. I'm very happy to pay 500e for the repair, it will cost much more for the insurance company
no need for over overpriced service contracts for l260