# HEAT PRESS SHUTTING ON AND OFF



## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

Hi there, hoping someone can help me. I have an older Gecko heat press Maybe 4 years BUT ONLY USED FOR 1 YEAR. It kees shutting on and off. It will heat up fine then the entire display and power light shuts off and it immediately turns back on almost as if something is loose but checked and see nothing. Any Insight would be appreciated, I can’t really afford a new one at the moment and I’m so stressed over it. I have attached photos of the inside, nothing appears burnt or charred or loose. It doesn’t feel hot at the plug in and i’m not sure what else to look for. Thank You in advance


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## JynxDezyns (Mar 7, 2019)

First thing to check is the earth point, it needs to be clean & firm at both ends. In your photo theres a black wire on the back of the display console, that will be the earth wire, check that at both ends & all the other connections on the back of the console itself, WITH THE MACHINE UNPLUGGED, i'm saying that not because I think you're stupid but because it's an easy mistake to make.


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## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

JynxDezyns said:


> First thing to check is the earth point, it needs to be clean & firm at both ends. In your photo theres a black wire on the back of the display console, that will be the earth wire, check that at both ends & all the other connections on the back of the console itself, WITH THE MACHINE UNPLUGGED, i'm saying that not because I think you're stupid but because it's an easy mistake to make.


Oh that’s ok! I would make that mistake without being reminded. So the black wire leading to the display box make sure its clean correct? The display box with all the red connectors?


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## JynxDezyns (Mar 7, 2019)

You need a clean & firm metal to metal contact at both ends of the wire. You may need to temporarily detach it where it goes to ground at the opposite end to the console to confirm there's a good metal to metal grounding. Yes the box shown top l/h/s of your photo.


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## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

JynxDezyns said:


> You need a clean & firm metal to metal contact at both ends of the wire. You may need to temporarily detach it where it goes to ground at the opposite end to the console to confirm there's a good metal to metal grounding. Yes the box shown top l/h/s of your photo.


Ok I’ll remove the contacts and clean and replace and try again! Will post an update tmw. I appreciate the help so much! Its such a stressor simply because I don’t have funds for a new one laying around at the moment.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

have you checked the actual plug end?

if you have an extra grounded male end it can't hurt to throw it on,
as the factory ends are usually sealed in hard plastic and you can't inspect them

also, have you altered anything, like changed press location, added an extension cord, etc?

it can't hurt to cut off that shrink tube on the red and white wires at the switch and ensure they still have a good mechanical connection to the spade
just seal it with electrical tape when finished

there is a fuse just above where the cord enters the housing that should be checked


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## MadeDesigns (Feb 19, 2013)

If it heats up all the way then shuts off it sounds like electrical over heat. The digital thermostat may be overheating. Try a lower heat temp and see if it stays on. On my older presses, I buy the hix swingman manual thermostat and just attach that to the upper platen with a couple holes drilled on top . It cost me $20 or so to refurbish an old heat press. The main thing to give out on heat presses is the Controller board.
You can also buy new wiring you may have a wire shortage. It's really trial and error. I prefer to turn digital heat presses into manual thermostat presses when it's not worth buying new electronics.


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## MadeDesigns (Feb 19, 2013)

Also, over time electrical wires can get green on the ends. Causing inturuptions in the electrical transfers. Best solution is to buy all new internals. Check heatpressnation for parts. Maybe around $200 you can make it brand new. If its worth it. If its a cheap china just buy a new one.


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## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

MadeDesigns said:


> Also, over time electrical wires can get green on the ends. Causing inturuptions in the electrical transfers. Best solution is to buy all new internals. Check heatpressnation for parts. Maybe around $200 you can make it brand new. If its worth it. If its a cheap china just buy a new one.


Hi thanks


into the T said:


> have you checked the actual plug end?
> 
> if you have an extra grounded male end it can't hurt to throw it on,
> as the factory ends are usually sealed in hard plastic and you can't inspect them
> ...


So here is where we are today! Lol its been a process.

I changed the relay to a new one (exact same specs) heat press no longer shuts off and back on BUT NOW IT DOESN’T STOP HEATING! I set it at 385 and it was all the way to 415 before I **** it down and when I shut it down it STAYED ON! The relay light turned off and the panel but it continued to humm and when I turned it back on it was at 425 so clearly continuing to heat up. I had to turn off the electrical outlet completely with the switch in order to cut power and make it stop. 

Any insight?


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## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

into the T said:


> have you checked the actual plug end?
> 
> if you have an extra grounded male end it can't hurt to throw it on,
> as the factory ends are usually sealed in hard plastic and you can't inspect them
> ...


I havent altered anything or changed locations. It is plugged in as the ONLY appliance or thing being used in the room and on that set of outlets. I don’t no much about electrical stuff but I’m doing my best to repair it since i can’t afford a new one and need it for the holiday season :/


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## Annah (Nov 13, 2020)

MadeDesigns said:


> Also, over time electrical wires can get green on the ends. Causing inturuptions in the electrical transfers. Best solution is to buy all new internals. Check heatpressnation for parts. Maybe around $200 you can make it brand new. If its worth it. If its a cheap china just buy a new one.


Thank you! I’m trying to check the wires but not quite sure how to go about it :/ sorry i’m not super experienced in this area. How would I know what mode timer and wires to buy? I looked on heatpressnation but didnt really see any specs ro go off of.


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## MadeDesigns (Feb 19, 2013)

If all you cables are plugged in and clean , open the top heat plated, disassemble and make sure the thermostat probe is attached onto the platen. Inside the upper platen there is a probe touching the plate and that check the temprature. I has one that was not attached. Personally , I use this on all my old presses . 400 Degree Thermostat it is a cheap fix to all my computer problems , it's an on / off switch and a thermostat in one that sits on the platen and senses the temp from the bottom of it.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

MadeDesigns said:


> Personally , I use this on all my old presses . 400 Degree Thermostat it is a cheap fix to all my computer problems , it's an on / off switch and a thermostat in one that sits on the platen and senses the temp from the bottom of it.


can you show/explain how you bypass the digital controller to this analog controller?
do you just wire right from the fuse?


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Annah said:


> I changed the relay to a new one (exact same specs) heat press no longer shuts off and back on BUT NOW IT DOESN’T STOP HEATING! I set it at 385 and it was all the way to 415 before I **** it down and when I shut it down it STAYED ON! The relay light turned off and the panel but it continued to humm and when I turned it back on it was at 425 so clearly continuing to heat up. I had to turn off the electrical outlet completely with the switch in order to cut power and make it stop.


Nah... This is not possible. You've made a mistake somewhere.
It's clear from the original connections (your picture) that the relay controls the heating element.
If the relay light is not on (meaning the relay is off), then there is no way the power can get to the heating element.
Post a picture of how it is connected now. 
If you can, also post a picture of the relay face as it is connected.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

MadeDesigns said:


> If all you cables are plugged in and clean , open the top heat plated, disassemble and make sure the thermostat probe is attached onto the platen. Inside the upper platen there is a probe touching the plate and that check the temprature. I has one that was not attached. Personally , I use this on all my old presses . 400 Degree Thermostat it is a cheap fix to all my computer problems , it's an on / off switch and a thermostat in one that sits on the platen and senses the temp from the bottom of it.
> View attachment 271765


I was going to say: I bet the old style HIX have something just like that ... then I followed the link 

Just might have to order one of these for my piece-O-poo Chinese press. I've been manually controlling the temp with a toggle switch ever since the controller gave out a month out of warranty. I'll check how evenly my current POP heats, as I'm thinking of doing some sublimation, so a higher standard than I've needed to date.

Thanks for the post!


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

into the T said:


> can you show/explain how you bypass the digital controller to this analog controller?
> do you just wire right from the fuse?


You simply connect the 2 cables from the relay to this thermostat.
You can then throw away the relay, as it becomes useless, and the temperature controller becomes just a temperature display.
It will work... but it's a bit extreme when the issue is just the relay.



NoXid said:


> Just might have to order one of these for my piece-O-poo Chinese press. I've been manually controlling the temp with a toggle switch ever since the controller gave out a month out of warranty. I'll check how evenly my current POP heats, as I'm thinking of doing some sublimation, so a higher standard than I've needed to date.


A new temperature controller + thermocouple will cost the same as this thermostatic switch.
However, the problem Annah has now is that the heat press is getting hot with the toggle switch off.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

TABOB said:


> You simply connect the 2 cables from the relay to this thermostat.
> You can then throw away the relay, as it becomes useless, and the temperature controller becomes just a temperature display.
> It will work... but it's a bit extreme when the issue is just the relay.
> 
> ...


Cool. Any specific suggestions as to what to buy and where? Stuff looked too pricey to bother when I checked a few years back, but obviously I was looking at the wrong stuff, and probably in the wrong place to boot.

As to the OP's SSR, I can't follow the wires in the photo worth a darn, but SSRs can fail such that the power continues to flow through them even if the control circuit is not on. I think the little LED is powered by the low voltage control circuit, not the power circuit, so would not light with the master switch off, even as power continued to flow through the SSR. Assuming poor design (Chinese product, yes?), the unit's power switch probably only interrupts power to the controller, leaving the SSR to burn the place down once it fails into a permanent shorted state.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

NoXid said:


> Any specific suggestions as to what to buy and where? Stuff looked too pricey to bother when I checked a few years back


I cannot guess what you have but here are some examples:

Type 1Type 2













 $20 delivered (source).$20 delivered (source).
You can get them from amazon but they cost double, and they are the same thing.

EDIT: I also found this one ($4 delivered).







That's if you want to throw away all the electronics.
It even acts as an on/off switch, sou can simply connect this between the power cable and the heating element.
Keeping the fuse is of course recommended.



NoXid said:


> As to the OP's SSR, I can't follow the wires in the photo worth a darn, but SSRs can fail such that the power continues to flow through them even if the control circuit is not on.


Correct... but as this is a new relay, I bet the wiring is wrong.


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## MadeDesigns (Feb 19, 2013)

into the T said:


> can you show/explain how you bypass the digital controller to this analog controller?
> do you just wire right from the fuse?


You connect the electric positive/negative, then you sit this flat onto your upper plate ( you must cut a hole into the cover it must touch the actual heat platen) top side w/e . When it gets to the set temp it will stop heating. They offer manuals on their site here is a PDF... What I do is, set to the desired temp then I use a 20am light switch attached to the electric cord to turn it on and off. The thermostat is also the on and off switch and to avoid changing the heat setting I use a 20 amp light switch from home depot. Been using this method for a few years now flawlessly.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

thank you MadeDesigns


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