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F-16 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The F-16 will not reset the red light on my printer. Is this because a have a bad chip ?
Yes, if the chip is bad the F-16 will not reset it. We can send you a new chip or you can take one
from a good, not empty, Epson cartridge. Black and color chips are the same. One thing we have
learned. The printer memory can hold the same corrupted data that the chip has in it. When you
leave the power on, and install a new cart, with a new chip on it, the printer will write the corrupted
data to the new chip, rendering it also bad. With the power on, the printer becomes a chip eater.
To get around this, always introduce new chips to a corrupted system with the power off. This is
done by, pulling the plug on the printer. When the printer front panel power light is off, there is still
power going to the circuit boards and memory. So, the power plug and the USB, and Parallel
cables have to be disconnected. All of the cables send in some power to the printer, strange, but
true. OK, so you have all power sources disconnected and the cartridges are parked in the right
hand position.
Use a small screw driver or pencil and flip the carriage lock lever down. It is under the cartridge
holder and usually has a white tip on it. Not hard to find. You can also move the big gear on the far
left to unlock the carriage. With the carriage unlocked, pull the cartridges to the left so you can
get them out. Change the chips or put in new cartridges what ever is best. If you are going to
change chips, follow our instructions. If you are putting cartridges in, instead of the CFS carts, you
must reinstall the cartridge hold down clamps. Once you have the cartridges secure, and down all
the way. You can push the cartridges to the far right, to the parked position. Plug in the USB or
Parallel cables, then plug the power cord back in the wall, and turn on the printer power.
Let the printer finish its short dance. When done the red, out of ink light should be off. If it is not,
then it is either something wrong with the printer or another bad chip. Two bad chips in a row is
rare. However, they are very sensitive to static discharge. Always ground your self before touching
a chip.
If you are certain you have a good chip and the red light is still on, there are only two
explanations. One is the that the cartridges are not seated properly. In other words, the 7 small
contact points in the printer are not touching the 7 pads on the chips. Either the cartridge is not
down all the way or it is shifted right or left. The other possibility is that one of the contacts in the
printer is bent or damaged. PUTTING A CARTRIDGE WITHOUT A CHIP INTO THE PRINTER WILL
BEND THE CONTACTS. If you have ever done this, it is game over for the printer. If you are still
under warranty, Epson is usually pretty good about replacing the printer. Just tell them it will not
recognize new cartridges. It is not a good idea to volunteer extra information about your continuous
flow experiences.
If there is a true out of ink condition existing on your printer, then the F-16 will reset it. Follow the
directions.
If you need some new chips, we will provide them, no charge, to solve problems.
Remember this. A bad chip is almost always created by not having the cartridges seated properly
or by the cartridges rising up, just slightly, due to a loose fit, or due to the tubes tugging on them
because there is not enough slack.
What should I do with the F-16 when I am not using it ?
If you are running your printer with a USB cable and you have the F-16 connected to the parallel
connector on the back of the printer, then keep the power turned on to the F-16 and keep it attached
to your printer. It will be ready to use when you need it.
If you have more than one printer of the same model number that you use the F-16 on, then you can
disconnect the F-16 from the printer and unplug the power. This will make it available for any
of your printers.
If you don't like looking at the red power light on the F-16 and you want to shut off the power,
this is okay, but you should also disconnect the cable between the printer and the F-16.
If you have your F-16 connected with an A-B switch. Keep the F-16 plugged in for convenience. Or,
if you want it off, disconnect the power and the DB-25 cable to the F-16.
There is some power that comes through the printer cable. The voltage and current capability is
not high enough to operate the F-16. So if you are going to turn off the power to the F-16, always
disconnect the printer cable attached to the back of the F-16.
Will the F-16 work on other printers too ?
The F-16 supports the following printers... Epson C60, 780, 820, 870, 890, 1270, 1280, 1290 and
2000P. It will not work on any other printers, even if they are similar, like the 810 or C50. We
will be adding more printers to our supported list in the future. Right now we are working on the
C80, 7600, 9600, 2200 and 950 printers.
Furthermore, once you configure your F-16 to operate with one of the printer models above, then from
that time on, the F-16 is dedicated to that model of printer. It will work on all printers of that
same model number. In the next question we show you how to erase the configuration settings so
you can use it on a different model and avoid the full $45 for a new one.
Can the F-16 be re-programmed to work on a different model printer ?
Yes. There is a way to erase the configuration information from the F-16 so it can be used on one of
the other supported model printers (C60, 780, 820, 870, 890, 1270, 1280, 1290). For example,
if you had a 1270 and then bought a 1280, you do not have to buy a new F-16. Here is how to do it.
To erase the current configuration on the F-16, power it up, then attach it via the parallel cable to
a non-Epson printer. This could be an HP printer, Lexmark printer or Canon printer.
With the printer power on, the F-16 power on and the parallel interface cable attached, hold in
the EXECUTE button on the F-16 until the STATUS light comes on, then let go of the button. That
will erase the configuration information. Now you can take it to your new printer (must be on the
supported list; C60, 780, 820, 870, 890, 1270, 1280, 1290) and start from the beginning per the
F-16 instruction manual. After the
F-16 is configured on the new printer, it is ready to use.
If you have problems on the unsupported printer, make sure that just the READY light is on
the F-16 before you push the button. Check you parallel cable connections, and make sure the
unsupported printer is on and idle.
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