Support Page

IF YOUR UNIT IS NOT PUMPING OR MAKES CLICKING SOUNDS, MAKE SURE YOUR BELT CONNECTION TO THE BASE IS SECURE AND THERE ARE NO BENT PINS!

The purpose of this page is to provide support for the StoreBound LLC / Dash Variant of the PancakeBot. StoreBound LLC. was the former licensee of PancakeBot LLC. and no longer supports the product.

Check out the FA (Frequent Annoyances) or WTHJH (What The Heck Just Happened) support below.

Please note (and we are putting this in bold letters because we want you to know it is important), the inventor of PancakeBot supports the right to fix your own stuff you bought however, don’t be stupid and hurt yourself because you plugged something in when you weren’t suppossed to (this is not ElectroBoom). Do everything you’re supposed to do, unplug things, wear safety glasses, pull your hair back etc. and all that jazz. If you don’t know what you’re doing, find an expert.

That concludes our public service announcement.

If you lack the patience to go through all the FA or WTHJH below, then just send us an email at support at (the URL on top). Jane, Michael, Lily, Maia, Charlie, Runi, or Miguel should be able to answer you back as soon as they can.

Your email should include the model number, which can be found underneath the unit, a detailed description of the problem, a phone number (if you wish to be contacted by phone), and any pictures of the problem that may help us trouble shoot it. Seriously, don’t send us an email like, “My bot doesn’t work, what do I do?” I mean seriously, put some muscle into trying to figure out what’s wrong. Help us, help you, help us, help you.

The support area is always getting updated but is divided into areas based on what might not be working. Here you go, and good luck.

BTW, don’t get batter in your pneumatic HOSE! When you do! Stop it, remove it rinse it out!

Printing

Problem: PancakeBot Only Prints Dots
1. Bottle is not getting enough pressure. This is due to one of two things:
  1. Pressure is too low (increase pressure by rotating dial clockwise to a higher number)
  2. Pneumatic system is clogged and needs to be inspected and cleaned. (See below)
Problem: Gantry moves in only one direction
Problem: Bottle does not move, but gantry does
Problem: Bottle leaks batter around bottom neck
1. Check to see if your seal is installed
2. Check to see if your seal is installed correctly. The seal has two little ears on it, the ears go up.
Problem: Batter comes out too slow
1. Batter is very thick. Thin it out by adding milk or water, one teaspoon at a time, and remixing.
2. Pressure is too low. Increase pressure by rotating dial clockwise to a higher number.
Problem: Batter comes out too fast
1. Batter is too thin, thicken it up by adding flour or more dry pancake mix to it. Run it through sieve before putting it back in the bottle.
2. Pressure is too high. Decrease the pressure by rotating the dial counter clockwise to a lower number.
Problem: There is a clump at the beginning of every line printed.
1. This is due to the pancakebot staying in its start position too long before it begins to draw the line. Change the Start Wait Time in the Export window from Pancake Painter. A good rule of thumb is 500 milliseconds for runny batter, 1250 milliseconds for thicker batter.
Problem: There are gaps in my prints
Problem: The fill has gaps in it.
Problem: The batter comes out very slow even when pressure setting is high
1. The air in the bottle is leaking too fast, make sure you have the seals on the top installed correctly.
2. The air in the bottle is leaking too fast, check the vacuum hose connection.
3. The tip is clogged because it has slowly cooked while over the griddle. Remove the bottle and clean the tip with one of those fancy tooth pick brushes. Reinstall nd print.
Problem: PancakeBot Moves Very Slow
1. Increase the speed of the print by pressing the UP/DOWN arrows on the control panel.
Problem: PancakeBot Speed cannot be changed with the control panel.
1. Your firmware is out of date. You need to update your firmware. Visit PancakeBot.com/pbfw to learn how to do that.

Clogged Valves

The PancakeBot uses a pneumatic (containing or operated by air or gas under pressure) system to control the batter flow.

If you get batter in the system, it will stop the airflow and could damage the system permanently.
If you should have issues with this, most likely on PancakeBot 1.0 variants, you can attempt, at your own risk, to clean the system out.
As a note, we do support the right to fix, and so we provide these instructions for you so you can try to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

Luckily, the parts can be removed and cleaned, and disinfected.
Step 1: The first step is to photograph the assembly from the top so you can remember the layout configuration.
Step 2: The second step is to carefully disassemble the tubing by taking gently tugging and wiggling off the posts.You’ll have to rinse out the tubing by first, soaking it in warm water with a few drops of green soap, then using a plastic syringe (dental syringes work great), force water through each of the tubes.Once the tubes are rinsed, soak them in a mixture of 2 part vinegar, to 1 part water. Your vinegar should have no more than 10% acetic acid in it.This will disinfect the tubing.

Step 3: Vacuum Pump and Valves (If needed). For the vacuum pump and valves, you will have to disassemble those also (usually you only need to disassemble one valve that is connected to the tube with the batter).There is a small spring and metal rod in that valve. You will need to remove those carefully by removing the small screws on the cover. The vacuum pump has long screws on it that need to be carefully removed to clean out the plastic pump housing.Once you remove those, clean them with warm soapy water and then disinfect with bleach.

The ratio for the bleach to water is 1 teaspoon bleach to one cup of water. Remember, don’t mix any of the chemicals together such as bleach or vinegar. Once done, with disinfecting, re assemble per the picture you took and test.

PancakeBot Base

Problem: Base Unit does not turn on.
Solution 1: The red power light is an indicator that the unit is plugged in. Once the unit is turned on, the power light will no longer glow, and the PancakeBot is ready to print.
Solution 2: If the red power light glows, but the unit does not power on after the power button is pressed, there may be an issue with the power board. Contact support@PancakeBot.com for further assistance.
Problem: SD Card is not detected
Solution: Insure SD Card is under 32 Gigs. Insure SD card is formated to FAT32.
Problem: Files on SD Card not detected
Solution: PancakeBot reads files with the .GCODE extension, i.e. “Spirals.GCODE.” or “Spiral.gcode”. Pancake Painter Files are not readable by the PancakeBot. i.e. “Spirals.pbp” will not be visible on the LCD screen of the PancakeBot.
Problem: Gantry makes clicking sound when it reaches the end stop.
Solution: Pull the gantry back and make sure the gantry notch clicks the shiny metal tab.
Problem: Bottle Holder makes clicking sound when it reaches endstop
Problem: Unit Turns on but Gantry Does not move.
Problem: Gantry moves in only one direction

Griddle

Problem:Thermostat Stops working on Griddle (EU Units)
Problem: Pancake color is not evenly distributed
Broken/Missing/Griddle
1. The griddle for this variant of the PancakeBot is not very special. It’s just a plain old griddle similar to the big griddles found on the market.
  The main difference is the footing on the base of the PancakeBot. In order to use other griddles, you have to modify (AT YOUR OWN RISK) the base unit of the PancakeBot. Here’s the hack (yes, this is a hack. If you are not good with razor blades, get an expert to help you).
  Since the original griddles are no longer being manufactured by StoreBound, you will have to modify the base of the PancakeBot Unit at your own risk, and use a Presto Griddle or any griddle that will fit on the bottom. (BTW, Presto doesn’t give us any money for sharing this link with you. Heck, they didn’t even want to give us a coupon for our customers when we asked for it.)
  The only difference between the StoreBound Unit at and the Presto Griddle is the foot position and Presto’s Griddle feet will not fit properly into the base.
  At your own risk, you will have to modify the base of your unit by scoring the bottom edges of the tabs on the control panel side and along the longer side that does not have the belt, with a hobby knife or equal, and then snap the tabs off with pliers. It should break off clean and you can slide your presto griddle in there. Make sure to clean or sand down any sharp pieces that jut out for your safety.

(Notice how we keep telling you to perform this at your own risk?)

Recipe/Batter

Recipe
1. Problem: Color is spotty on Pancake
  1. You probably used butter. Don’t use butter unless you want spotty pancakes.
1. Problem: Pancakes are not very fluffy
  1. You probably forgot to put in the baking powder or your batter was made the night before. If you make the batter the night before, hold off on the baking powder till a few minutes before you make pancakes. You should not have to run it through the sieve as the backing powder does not cause the batter to clump.
2. Problem: I added color but color turns brown.
  1. Great! You’ve now learned about that Maillard Reaction or the Caramalization! To keep the original food coloring, keep the temperature under 140 °C (280 °F).

Card Reading

Problem: I don’t see any of my files, just three dots
Solution 1: Ensure you have uploaded files with extensions ending in .gcode, not .pbp. .pbp files are for Pancake Painter.
Solution 2: Press the Play (horizontal arrow button) and then the down arrow button to see your files.
Solution 3: Your SD card must be less than 32 Gigs
Solution 4: Your SD card must be formatted to FAT 32.
Problem: I see my files but nothing prints.
Solution 1: The .gcode file may not have any information on it due to an issue with the export from Pancake Painter. Remove the SD card, insert the SD card into your computer, and open the file you are trying to print. When you are asked what program to open it with, use a text editing software like Notepad (windows) or Text Editor on Mac.
Problem: My files are correct but I still don’t see my files!
Solution 1: Most likely you have uploaded the .pbp file, and not the .gcode file exported from Pancake Painter.
Problem: My SD Card gets stuck and I have to use my fingernails to pull it out.
Solution 1: The spring mechanism is most likely damaged. Send and email to support@pancakebot.com for further assistance.

Software Installation

Software Use

Download the software at Github.com/PancakeBot