So my wife mentioned to me that our little, handheld Dymo Letratag label printer was stuck claiming a "Tape Jam" error. She and I both looked at it, no tape to be seen jammed. I poked around online a bit for any advice, all of which I found said "remove jammed tape" (and, sometimes, "clean the head and roller with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol"). I went ahead and cleaned it with the cotton swab, which it probably needed anyway, but no dice: "Tape Jam". So I tried to manually move the roller with my finger., wondering if the gears were bound in a position that the motor couldn't turn them, triggering the "Tape Jam" error: it wouldn't budge. Now these consumer-grade label printers are not expensive. These companies appear to make their money selling the thermal label "tape" cartridges (like printer ink cartridges or razor blades). So to throw this away and go buy another for $15 or $20 isn't a big deal. But I like a challenge...
I went ahead and grabbed a small screw driver, removed the 4 AA batteries, and dug in. After getting every screw I could find out, the motor driving the roller was still pinned in a fairly-inaccessible spot (between the plastic housing and circuit board). But I could see that the motor uses a worm gear to drive the roller (which explains why I couldn't move the roller manually with my finger!). I could not physically reach the worm gear (which ruled out me manually turning it with my finger), but I could clearly see it.
After a moment of consideration, I grabbed 2 AAs, wired in series, and two lengths of wire. I connected one end of each wire to a battery, and then momentarily touched the other ends of the wires to the motor contacts (which were barely accessible to me). The motor turned!
I (carefully) slapped the whole thing back together, and it was back to working fine! Assuming the problem was "bound gears", I wonder if I had replaced all 4 AA batteries with fresh ones if the device would have given the motor enough power to "break" the bind... I'll try that next time!
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nice blog. Pinak Industries are design and manufacturing of distinct categories of gears.
ReplyDeleteWorm Gear.
So I was about to disassemble my unit as you did, then I say your note about maybe changing the batteries first...IT WORKED!! Thanks
Deletehave tried your way. i bought with the product with AC adaptor... its stuck... so i tried your concept by putting 2 battery and plus at the same time. IT WORKS!!!
ReplyDeleteLabel jams and tape jams are very rare. Any damage to a printer, which is out of warranty, will be handled as a non-warranty repair.
ReplyDeleteDymo LetraTag
Thank you, I think I will try with non-rechargeable batteries instead ... :-)
ReplyDeleteWow gotta be honest I didn't think this this would work but as original poster mentioned they are cheap devices so didn't have much to lose. I tired all the suggestions Dymo suggested cleaning, new batteries, power supply & new tape nothing. I didn't bother take the whole thing apart just the back of the unit to gain access to the internals. Two batteries connected directly to where the motor is soldered to the PCB (you can see the red wire from the motor to the PCB the black wire is just behind it). Motor ran fine. Put it back together and worked like a charm. Brilliant! Thank You.
ReplyDeleteI ran into this same tape jam problem with my Dymo LetraTag. I couldn't get the screws out to get a look at the inside. But I did replace all four batteries with new ones, then gently banged the side of my label maker on my desk. Turned it back on, and it printed the next label I tried. I know, it was a primitive attempt but at least it worked! :) Thank you for this info though, it was helpful!
ReplyDeleteGently banging worked for me as well! Thx.
DeleteBanging worked for me too!
DeleteSame here!
DeleteBanging worked! Thanks!
DeleteIt actually worked .. like seriously I spent 2 days figuring it!
DeleteThis worked for me too after trying everything else. Though I had to bang it harder than "gently"
DeleteThank you for this lol...I was trying to move the gear and nothing would get that error away...I banged my dymo a few times and I'm good to go haha
Deletesame here, gently banging the device on the table worked.
DeleteBanging the side against a counter worked for me! Same batteries that were giving the tape jam error as well.
DeleteGave it a couple good whacks with my hand and it worked. Thank you :D
DeleteSame tape jam error. Replaced batteries. Nothing. Banged it a couple times on the counter as suggested by you all. Voila!
DeleteFresh batteries didn't work so tried the banging which i read on here, used the side of the filing cabinet to bang the side of the unit against, now works.
DeleteI've come to report that in 2023...gentle tapping still works. Thanks!!!
DeleteSame "Tape Jam" error with no Tape Jam in sight...Same solution as Christy...somewhat fresher batteries (boosted from toothbrushes) and a gentle tap on the desk "loosened" things right up.
ReplyDeletereinstalled the batteries and it worked for me. thanks!
ReplyDeleteReplaced the batteries and banged it on the desk; back in business.
ReplyDeleteI decided just to hit the dang thing on the floor, it worked LOL! Didn't even need fresh batteries.
ReplyDeleteDesk tap. #winning! Haven't used my label maker in probably six months. Picked it up and PAPER JAM! Thank the lord for this thread tonight!
ReplyDeleteIt works. Took the cover off and tried the suggestion above (ie. 2 AAA in series and connect to the motor) and the labeller is working. I am impressed!!!!
ReplyDeleteSmack it hard against the palm of your hand. Works every time.
ReplyDeleteYep, it also helps to give a firm slap on the back of the device!
ReplyDeleteI use it very regularly with all sorts of 'stuttering' devices.
If you're lucky, it works. No technical expertise required! ;)
Just finished taking mine apart. The motor is held on by some pretty dodgy glue. When it fails either from dropping it or time the motor falls out of alignment pretty easy. Its a pain to take apart but just pull all the screws and you can get to the motor. I used tape but if you have hot glue that would probably be better. Reattach the motor and shes good to go.
ReplyDeleteBanged it hard about five times and it woke from the dead. Tried all kinds of other cures, but this thing needs a wake up call to work!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all the advice I tried giving my permanently bogus tape jammed beast a good hard thump. It awoke from the dead but the letters were stretched to 5 times the correct size. I gave it an even harder thump and it started working properly. Possibly a life lesson?
ReplyDeleteAnother success with the "give it a few hits" solution. Works like a charm!
ReplyDeleteOMG I DO THE SAME WOW NOW IT WORKS
DeleteThis solution hasn't worked the couple times I've tried, also tried the "primitive" way with my hand, the table, floor, and a hammer. Nothing has worked so I guess I'll go buy another haha
ReplyDeleteI have a 160 and it uses the b2 labels.
ReplyDeleteNever seen a dumber design, has a roll of almost like carbon paper inside. That rolls above the label that comes out.
I have had to Return 2 units because the print head fuses the carbon paper to the label. And if the carbon paper tears it's toast.
I highly recommend not to buy any of the units with b2 cartilages.
I bit of WD40 applied with a cotton bud plus a bit of gentle and then not-so-gentle knocking got it going
ReplyDeleteKnocking against desk worked great.
ReplyDeleteFINALLY tried banging it on the floor a couple of times. Worked great.
ReplyDeleteholy canolli! I am not usually of the "bang it on the ground to make it work" camp, but in this case it totally worked. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have four rechargable AAA batteries and two older Duracell batteries. I'll try replacing the older ones. I don't think I've ever been so frustrating with a $20 product in my life lol
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was very frustrating. I was at the point of removing the case to see if I could get to the motor. I will try fresh batteries before using it to hammer the floor.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was very frustrating. I was at the point of removing the case to see if I could get to the motor. I will try fresh batteries before using it to hammer the floor.
ReplyDeleteBanging the labelmaker is not the best way to solve the problem. It will move the gears and motor somewhat which will make it run, but there's a big chance of breaking some of the screw-studs that holds the labelmaker together. The best suggestion still is the one by Jerremy Windeyer, connecting a battery of 3-5V (2 or 3 AA or AAA's) to the motor terminals (mo- and mo+) on the pcb, this will start the motor just enough to make the gears get moving again. I did this with a 5V lab power supply and it did the trick without any damage. However do no apply more than 5V because that is the working voltage of the motor.
ReplyDeletelol.. read all of dymo's forums where it tells me to unscrew, open all the machine, replace the tape........ wasted 2 hours. came to this forum and after 3 seconds of banging, it's working
ReplyDelete7 Years later and "banging it on the desk" still works. Amazing advances in technology! <<< sarcasm {SMH}
ReplyDeleteYeah so its 12/26/19. I slapped the crap out if on the back up top and at the bottom. Cut it on and it printed lol. Low Battery message did come across as well...
ReplyDeleteWhen the Letratag shows messages such as "paper jam", it really means its batteries need replacing. I also discovered that all batteries must be of the same brand otherwise it won't work.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't suggest hitting or bashing the printer because it looks pretty flimsy.
PS I have a Dymo Letratag LT-100T.
DeleteGot the paper jam message and a strange noise when trying to print. I opened the device and it was easy to find the problem. The electrical motor is supposed to be fixed with glue, which had come off.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this thread! I hadn't used ours for a couple years and it had a paper jam error even though there was no jam. I banged it on the ground a couple times and it worked!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhoever suggested banging the back is a legend! I made a label to remind me for next time and stuck it across the front!
ReplyDeleteI’m having the same issue as of this morning. The motor wasn’t turning even when applying the 3V as suggested here. I suspected one of the diodes near the motor power connector to have gone bad. Replaced it, and was at least back to the motor now turning pretty freely. Alas, the tape jam message persisted. Reset the machine, but no dice either. I connected wires to the motor to check if the machine was at least trying to juice the motor. No, it doesn’t at all in my case. But here’s the real question. Where’s the sensor to tell the machine that there’s a jam, i.e. that the motor isn’t turning? I haven’t figured that out. There doesn’t even seem to be any smarts about the presence of a tape. I’m baffled. About to throw this piece of junk out. Hadn’t used it more than a dozen times over three years.
ReplyDeleteI’m using an external benchtop power supply, by the way, so no batteries involved.
DeleteBuy a Brother. DYMO did the same as everyone mentions here. My boyfriend bought the DYMO without me knowing and I bought a Brother label maker. Opened DYMO, tape jam message, spent all morning trying all the above and then some. I opened up the Brother and am happily printing labels with absolutely no issue. Sending DYMO back. Buy a Brother and no banging, cursing, taking stuff apart.
ReplyDelete