HP Smart Tank 7001 has flickering scanner.

[PerezHCDA]

When this printer sits idle the scanner light source flashes on & off every second.

Is this normal behavior or do i have another lemon? This printer is less than one day old.

The device will scan and it will print.

However after it is finished the scanner returns to home position and pulses on every second.

This happens with the platten up or down.

It is rather annoying and can be seen with the platen down, especially in a dark room.

If this is a "feature" then introduce me to the engineer who made this poor decision.

This cannot be good for the lightsource and it is definitely a waste of power and scanner longevity.

It has the latest firmware. It happens whenther it is connected to a PC or not. Printer has been hard-reset and problem persists. If your answer is "This is normal behavior" then please explain why.

[Kumar0307]

@PerezHCDA, Welcome to the HP Support Community! I’m here to help.

I understand the scanner light is pulsating. Make sure it is the scanner bulb.

Keep the glass and the back of the lid clean. The scanner interprets anything it detects on the glass as part of the image.

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

If the issue persists, get a replacement printer from the place where you bought it, or please reach out to the HP Technical Support team in your region regarding the service/replacement options for your printer. 

You may create a case on the website to obtain a case number if required. Kindly watch this video to know how.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click on the YES button to reply that the response was helpful and/or to say “Thank You”.

Have a great day! 

[PerezHCDA]

The cleanliness of the platen or glass is not an issue.

Like I said in my original post, this printer is only hours old, just unpacked from the box.

There is nothing to note on the glass or platen. It is absolutely clean.

I have performed a complete "hard-reset" with an HP phone rep.

This did not resolve the problem. It only further aggravated me because I had to go through the entire wireless setup again.

The instant the machine was sitting idle it began to do this ridiculous imager flash.

Here is what I think is going on.

If I am correct on this then this is an absolute atrocity of design and this product needs to be returned for a refund on this premise alone. After all, this is an ink jet that approaches $400 and has a limited feature set to begin with!

There is a tiny white plastic block on the platen that falls into a notch near the edge of the platen glass.

I think the block is being detected by the imager every second to see if the platen cover has been lifted.

If the imager does not see this tiny block it then proceeds to light up the backlit buttons.

This machine has very few buttons.  The buttons only light after the platen is lifted. 

If an engineer thought this was a brilliant idea to save 6 cents by eliminating an actual switch (ie hall effect or physical) then shame on HP. Why do this at all for 3 or 4 buttons? 

I have been advised to send this back to HP by the phone rep BUT I am only afraid that the replacement will do the exact same thing! This is why I would like another owner of this product to verify this operation. Can someone look into this for me please. Also the machine is brand new and filled up with an entire set of fresh ink bottles. I can only imagine that as this unit is being shipped back all of that ink is going to find itself leaking out of the printer and all over the place.

[Kumar0307]

@PerezHCDA

You may wait until an owner of the same model printer responds here or get a replacement printer. I'm sure the replacement printer will work fine

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

[PerezHCDA]

So I think I gave ample opportunity for an HP agent to give me a real answer to my problem.

I must begin my transition to another product. My window of opportunity to return this product to Amazon for a refund may be closing. I honestly gave HP a fair shot. They failed. I truly beleive this whole incident is a result of someone at HP trying to save a few cents and making bad design choices.

I have now repacked this device and it will be making its way back to where ever it came from. I am washing my hands of it.

I already have my eye on a different device of the same class. However it won't be an HP product. 

This is a telling sign of what is going on at HP. This is my 3rd incident with new HP products in less than 3 months. I currently have a very expensive Z-Workstation sitting in my office, waiting weeks for a failed motherboard replacement.   I have a new Spectre laptop which has done the most unusual things and has already had to be completely wiped at the hands of another HP phone support call. I am over the HP honeymoon.