DTF mini shaker powdering and curing issues

[johnson4]

3 hours ago, Jason said:

This forum has helped with troubleshooting on setting up a Mini DTG powder shaker. The main issue I'm having is the temperature setting. I've gone as low as setting it to 80 and it still is burning the film.  Do I just continue to lower the temperature until the powder melts correctlynwitbout burning or doesn't his seem very wrong?  My DTF is based off an L1800 and a full 13x17 inch print takes a solid 25 - 30 minutes. Is that the issue that maybe it's feeding too slow so myntemp needs lowered?

[johnson4]

3 hours ago, Jason said:

This forum has helped with troubleshooting on setting up a Mini DTG powder shaker. The main issue I'm having is the temperature setting. I've gone as low as setting it to 80 and it still is burning the film.  Do I just continue to lower the temperature until the powder melts correctlynwitbout burning or doesn't his seem very wrong?  My DTF is based off an L1800 and a full 13x17 inch print takes a solid 25 - 30 minutes. Is that the issue that maybe it's feeding too slow so myntemp needs lowered?

A properly tuned shaker will NOT do that and should not do that. it should be able to sit for 15-60 minutes without moving. 
 

One of mine runs at 69C, another at 112C, it just depends on your setup. 

 

 

[Donna]

I have a mini shaker oven that the powder paddle isn't turning. I have used it for 2 weeks. Sent message to seller and of course they are in China and it is 24 hours difference

so it takes a couple of days to try what they want me to do. They think that the location card is not properly installed but did not tell me where this card is located. Does anyone on here know? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Ricavee]

So I was wondering if anybody has had an issue with the shaker not heating up at all? It was working fine yesterday and re arranged my office moving the shaker and when I plugged it back in, it just doesn’t wanna heat at all??? It turns on just won’t heat

[Ricavee]

On 3/31/2022 at 10:37 AM, johnson4 said:

No worries. 

Where is the relay located ?

[Ricavee]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:13 AM, Donna said:

I have a mini shaker oven that the powder paddle isn't turning. I have used it for 2 weeks. Sent message to seller and of course they are in China and it is 24 hours difference

so it takes a couple of days to try what they want me to do. They think that the location card is not properly installed but did not tell me where this card is located. Does anyone on here know? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Donna did you fix this issue ? Mine just started doing this same 

[johnson4]

33 minutes ago, Ricavee said:

So I was wondering if anybody has had an issue with the shaker not heating up at all? It was working fine yesterday and re arranged my office moving the shaker and when I plugged it back in, it just doesn’t wanna heat at all??? It turns on just won’t heat

If it’s the correct voltage going into the machine and the temperature screen works, it’s likely a relay. If it were the bulbs I doubt all would be broken at once. 

[Ricavee]

6 hours ago, johnson4 said:

If it’s the correct voltage going into the machine and the temperature screen works, it’s likely a relay. If it were the bulbs I doubt all would be broken at once. 

How do I know which relay it is ?

[johnson4]

4 hours ago, Ricavee said:

How do I know which relay it is ?

Do you have a photo?

[johnson4]

Unplug the machine, take off the silver cover with buttons and send a photo of that inside. 
 

 

[Ricavee]

40 minutes ago, johnson4 said:

Unplug the machine, take off the silver cover with buttons and send a photo of that inside. 
 

 

Here you go 

[johnson4]

45 minutes ago, Ricavee said:

Here you go 

IMG_3853.MOV

The relay on the bottom is for your take-up roller. The relay on the top/right is for the heater bulbs. 

 

There is a red light on both of them. The red light indicates it's receiving a signal and that everything else is working when powered on. If no power is going to the bulbs, and bulbs appear intact and the wire inside appears solid and that relay's red light is on when powered on, then it's likely the relay. 

 

I can't tell from the photo, but does the top/right relay say 15A? Replacement can be bigger. Usually I do 40A, doesn't hurt anything and doesn't strain the relay. This is the maximum ampacity that can flow through the relay before failure. Chinese stuff, that rating is usually overexaggerated. Doing 40A ensures it's far away from it's maximum limit which usually extends service life. 

Here is a link for a replacement: 

 

https://www.amazon.com/SSR-40DA-3-32VDC-Output-24-480VAC-Plastic/dp/B08GPB7N2T/ref=sxts_rp_s_a_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.3432eb1a-1558-4445-9430-9bb3e7f7b9b7%3Aamzn1.sym.3432eb1a-1558-4445-9430-9bb3e7f7b9b7&crid=3DBY84ZZPKGW8&cv_ct_cx=SSR&keywords=SSR&pd_rd_i=B08GPB7N2T&pd_rd_r=7b082041-d4dd-48ba-acc7-d5b2a07712b2&pd_rd_w=3KGAX&pd_rd_wg=pis09&pf_rd_p=3432eb1a-1558-4445-9430-9bb3e7f7b9b7&pf_rd_r=J99NR27A6B1DJDB4QZQA&qid=1687872519&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=ssr%2Caps%2C219&sr=1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e

 

You can easily test if relay is bad, but I do not know your skill level and it can be dangerous. These relays fail often, usually in the "on" position but not always. 

 

The way these are wired is with 2 hot wires if it's a 220V device. One wire is connected to power continuously on the other side of the bulbs, which you don't see here. 

The relay breaks the other side( the two wires in the top) to turn them on/off. This is how it normally works with something like a household light switch as well except with a neutral instead of a hot.

One wire in the top of the relay is ALWAYS on when plugged in. The other wire goes to the bulbs. On the relay on top, the white wire on the right, that's to the bulbs. The red wire on the left on the top, is the other hot for the bulbs. BOTH wires can hurt you when plugged in. 

 

Without a return path(neutral for 120V systems) or the oscillation of the other 120V hot leg, it won't work, so if the relay has failed there is no path for the other side of the bulbs power to cause them to work.  With that said, if you have a 120V/220V voltmeter you can test the relay output or use other " unsafe" methods to test the fuction bypassing the relay to test the other components of the unit to know if the relay is bad. 

 

You could also just replace the relay, as that is likely the problem if you are using the proper input power source for the shaker. 

[johnson4]

Here is the same brand SSR, not that it matters but it's there: 

 

https://www.amazon.com/MYSWEETY-SSR-40DA-Single-Semi-Conductor-24-380V/dp/B073B4R4LS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3DBY84ZZPKGW8&keywords=SSR&qid=1687873782&sprefix=ssr%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-4

 

If you read some of the more serious reviews, it doesn't look like these are good quality. The first link I sent, I've used several times and work well. 

Edited June 27, 2023 by johnson4

[amybennett]

On 2/23/2022 at 2:37 PM, johnson4 said:

Is this on a mini shaker? IF so, See if the sensor has a green/red light on it. If it does, clean the face of the sensor. If not, Check your relay for the take up motor. 

Hey, I'm new to DTF, but currently having this exact same issue and can't seem to find any solutions.  my sensor light stays green, it never changes to red.  but my roll just continuously rolls and pulls it too fast as the other posted mentioned.  Any suggestions? 

[johnson4]

5 hours ago, amybennett said:

Hey, I'm new to DTF, but currently having this exact same issue and can't seem to find any solutions.  my sensor light stays green, it never changes to red.  but my roll just continuously rolls and pulls it too fast as the other posted mentioned.  Any suggestions? 

The post above your question has the information you need. 

[amybennett]

16 hours ago, johnson4 said:

The post above your question has the information you need. 

Okay, thank you.. I read thru them all, And checked what I knew how to check, I'll read thru them again and try and do some more research.. Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy when it comes to checking and messing with wiring and such, but I'll try and research some more. Thanks

 

[johnson4]

2 hours ago, amybennett said:

Okay, thank you.. I read thru them all, And checked what I knew how to check, I'll read thru them again and try and do some more research.. Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy when it comes to checking and messing with wiring and such, but I'll try and research some more. Thanks

 

No worries, I hope it helps some. There are only 3 things that could cause that. The sensor, The Relay, or the timer if it has one. If you open it and the relay has a red light on( with the heater off) then that means the sensor needs adjusted/replaced/cleaned. IF the relay is not with red light, then that means the relay has failed " on" and relay should be replaced. 

I've had both happen, several times. The machines can be expensive, but the parts they are made from generally are not, even some of the $6,000 shakers take $3-5 relays that fail, or suffer from a design flaw. It's all basically " DIY" even if you buy the machines outright, unless you buy something like a Mimaki for 30K+

Edited September 20, 2023 by johnson4