SOLO Label Printer Repair: 1 COM Port Fault, Solved
When a label printer stops talking to its keyboard mid-run, a food producer has a real problem. McGorum’s Catering in Leicester make chilled food, and they run a SOLO labelling system: the standalone keyboard-driven setup that lets staff print date and ingredient labels on demand, straight from a keyboard, with no PC involved. They print by direct thermal, which suits short-life chilled labels well. One of their printers had gone quiet. It would not respond to a single command and needed a SOLO label printer repair.
What McGorum’s Was Dealing With
McGorum’s had already done the sensible first checks. They suspected the KP-200 keyboard, so we supplied a replacement and they tested it locally. No change. The printer still ignored everything the keyboard sent it.
That ruled the keyboard out, but it raised a sharper question. Both keyboards, the original and the new one, worked perfectly on their second SOLO printer. So the fault had to sit inside the printer itself, not the keyboard and not the cable. Clearly they needed a SOLO printer repair.
At that point they asked us to take a proper look, and we had the unit returned to us.
The Diagnosis: How to deliver on the SOLO Label Printer Repair
The SOLO label printer repair was for a TSC TC200 that had been flashed with SOLO firmware, which is what lets the KP-200 keyboard drive it in the first place. On the bench, the symptom was clear and consistent. Neither keyboard could get a response out of it, yet both worked on the sister machine. The printer powered up and ran its own self-tests happily, but it was deaf to anything arriving over the serial connection.
That pointed squarely at the COM port. The serial interface was no longer reading incoming commands, so the keyboard might as well have been unplugged. A failed COM port on an integrated control board usually means one thing: a new board. On a discontinued model, that is rarely a simple order.
Where the SOLO Label Printer Repair Got Interesting
This is where twenty years of not throwing things away pays off. We keep a small store of printers we have previously tried and failed to fully repair, usually machines with a broken plastic part or a worn mechanism that stopped us from returning them to service. We keep them for exactly this reason: salvage.
In the store sat a SOLOised TSC TTP-245C, an older model built on the same core chassis with the same control architecture.
It had come to us from a chemicals manufacturer who ran thermal transfer printing, and it had been retired because its ribbon drive had failed: a small mechanical part with no replacement available from the manufacturer.
None of that touched the control board, which was in perfect health. And since McGorum’s print using direct thermal labels, a dead ribbon drive was of no consequence to them anyway.
We lifted the board out of the TTP-245C and fitted it to McGorum’s TC200 to enact this solo label printer repair. The swap worked first time. With a known-good board handling the serial interface, the printer read the keyboard exactly as it should. Both keyboards, in fact.
The Result
McGorum’s got their printer back, fully working, for a nominal fee covering the work done. No new hardware to buy, no long wait on a discontinued part, and reduced disruption to their labelling once it was back on site. If a fault like this recurs, they know where to send it, and they can reach the technical team on 01332 864895.
I had an amazing experience working with Positive ID Labelling, especially Natalie. The labels were absolutely brilliant quality and exceeded my expectations. Natalie was fantastic throughout the whole process. Communication was amazing from start to finish. She was so helpful, guided me through everything, and made the whole experience stress free and enjoyable. She was also genuinely funny and a pleasure to work with, which made everything even better. I’ll definitely be working with Natalie again on future projects and would highly recommend Positive ID Labelling to anyone looking for high-quality labels and excellent customer service.
We’ve had a great experience working with this supplier, especially with Natalie - she is always very responsive, professional, and friendly. The pricing is highly competitive and the sales service has been excellent from start to finish. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to improve the account and invoice management process. It would be really helpful if there were a system for clients to easily track their past orders and invoices in one place. Overall, very pleased with the service and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
Ive used Positive ID Labelling Ltd for all our egg box labels for many years now. Natalie is always above and beyond helpful and the service is exceptionally fast and efficient.
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The team are brilliant and the product was excellent quality and exactly what I wanted. Natalie is amazing as are her colleagues. Will definitely be a returning customer. Thank you
Why Our Approach Matters
Plenty of suppliers would have quoted a replacement printer and left it there. That is the easy sale. We would rather solve the actual problem, because a customer who gets the right outcome tends to stay a customer. It is also why we support the SOLO labelling systems and thermal printing equipment we supply long after the sale, and why we keep a shelf of salvage parts most people would have skipped.
If you run a SOLO system, a thermal label printer, or you rely on thermal ribbons and something has stopped working the way it should, it is worth a conversation before you replace anything. Chances are we have seen the fault before.
Call us on 01332 864895 or send the details through our enquiry form. Tell us what the printer is doing, and we will tell you honestly whether it is a fix or a replacement. Either way, you get a straight answer.
