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Pad Zero v0.2.0 - now with a window

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@Damnitbran Damnitbran released this 12 Aug 16:33
· 41 commits to main since this release
v0.2.0
df2aa08

Just want it working? Download PadZero.zip

Unzip it, double-click PadZero.exe, a window opens. Done. No install, no
Python, nothing to set up. A short README is in the zip too.

The zip is there because Chrome and Edge make you click through several
warnings to download a bare .exe. If your browser doesn't mind, plain
PadZero.exe is right there as well.

(padzero-cli.exe is the same tool for the command line. If you're not sure
you want it, you don't.)

Pad Zero now has a window. Double-click and go, no command line needed.

New here? Read the Quick start guide. It
assumes you know nothing technical and takes about five minutes.

Read this first

This does not empty your waste ink pads. It resets the counter that
tracks them. The ink is still in the foam. If the pads are genuinely
saturated, a reset means the printer keeps pumping ink into full foam and
eventually it weeps out of the bottom.

Reset to get printing again, then replace the pad or fit a waste tank. Put
something absorbent under the printer meanwhile.

Download

File Who it's for
PadZero.zip Everyone. Unzip, double-click. Avoids browser warnings. 13.4 MB
PadZero.exe Same program, no zip. 13.6 MB
padzero-cli.exe Command line, for people who want one. 10.6 MB

No installer, no Python, nothing to set up.

PadZero.zip      127F017F73FBA399F9468C8103CE0E25617B0ABFB5CACD5680BACA2A091F8E89
PadZero.exe      C49DED3AFCCF15F89C4E5AF2A58EDA035F8148D34EA3BA28E770C8339D0C22F4
padzero-cli.exe  F36E51ED972FDEF975837220EA6E4DD7E2D5A83C8025F848CA34ECFF8D1E2290

Verify before running:

certutil -hashfile PadZero.exe SHA256

Windows will warn you. The binaries are unsigned, and resetting counters
is exactly what antivirus heuristics look for. You'll see "Windows protected
your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway. Or check the hash above. Or
build it yourself from source.

Before and after

After a reset, both the window and the CLI show what each counter was and
what it is now, so you can see it worked rather than taking it on trust:

main_waste             :  79.85%  ->    0.00%
borderless_waste       :  79.98%  ->    0.00%
third_waste            :  80.00%  ->    0.00%

Models that report raw values instead of percentages mark the addresses that
changed:

Platen pad counters    : 28:0  47:0  50:0  51:0  55:94  252:25->0  253:0

What's new in this release

  • Window front end. Coloured status (green / amber / red), a plain
    English verdict, a bar per counter, and one button.
  • Troubleshooting built in. If no printer is found, the window shows the
    two things that are almost always responsible, with instructions, rather
    than an error message.
  • Automatic backup before any change, in both the window and the CLI.
  • Technical details are hidden by default behind a panel that starts
    closed. Key groups and EEPROM addresses are there when you want them.
  • Quick start guide written for people who have never heard of an EEPROM.
  • CLI renamed to padzero-cli.exe so it can't be confused with the window
    version.

Two things that cause most failures

  1. Install Epson's own printer driver. Windows' generic driver is enough
    to print but not enough to talk to the printer. Without it, this and every
    other reset tool will say it can't find your printer.
  2. Plug USB into the printer's USB port, not LINE or EXT, which are
    the fax telephone jacks.

Don't accept firmware updates while you're on Epson's site. Epson has
shipped firmware that permanently blocks resets, and it can't be rolled back.

Verified hardware

Model Key group Coverage Status
ET-4800 0x364A exact reset verified 79.85% to 0.00%
ET-4810 0x574B approx detected, read, write path verified
ET-2800 0x364A exact reported working by a user

1,423 Epson models can be reset. Check yours in
COVERAGE.md.

Listed is not the same as verified: only the three above have been confirmed
on real hardware. If yours works, please open an issue and it moves up. If it
reports coverage: none, click Save a backup and attach the file.

Safety

Unknown models are read-only with no override. A full backup is written
before any change. Every write is read back and verified. The CLI defaults to
a dry run.

Credits

Standing on reinkpy,
epson_print_conf, and
ReInk.

AGPL-3.0-or-later. Not affiliated with Seiko Epson Corporation.

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