WIC - Waste Ink Counter Reset

A free, research‑driven waste‑ink counter tool over SNMP
No credits. No paywall. Your printer
Cause No-one should have to continue to pay for something they bought once.

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Overview

WIC Reset communicates with Epson printers that expose the EPSON‑CTRL interface via SNMP, allowing you to:

• Perform a quick reset using the EPSON‑CTRL rw command.
• Perform a permanent EEPROM reset to a target used % you choose (e.g., 10%).
• Read common EEPROM counter pairs and compute estimated usage %.
• Refresh maintenance thresholds to typical values.
• Auto‑discover printers via mDNS/Bonjour (optional).
• Parse WIC logs to extract working read passwords, write keys, and observed OIDs.
• Decode @BDC ST2 printer status frames into readable fields.

The app is a single‑window Tkinter GUI designed for clarity, logging, and repeatable maintenance.

⚠️ Responsibility: Writing EEPROM is powerful. Always service or route waste ink before lowering counters. You accept all risk.

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Download

• Windows one‑file executable: see Releases.
• Source: this repository. Run with Python 3.11+ and required dependencies.

Verify download (recommended)

# PowerShell
Get-FileHash .\WIC.exe -Algorithm SHA256

Compare the hash with the value published in the release notes.

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Features

• Quick Reset (rw) — Sends a reset using the printer serial’s SHA‑1 hash.
• Permanent EEPROM Reset to Target % — Writes the EEPROM counters so the printer reports your chosen post‑reset usage percentage.
• Waste Counter Read‑back — Reads typical 16‑bit pairs and prints raw + % using a configurable divider.
• Threshold Refresh — Bytes 46, 47, 60, 61 → value 94 (configurable toggle).
• Key Detection — Tries common read passwords and a widely‑observed write key.
• WIC Log Import — Pulls passwords, write keys, and OID addresses from application.log.
• Zeroconf Scan — Finds Epson printers advertising _ipp._tcp / _printer._tcp (requires zeroconf).
• ST2 Status Decode — Fetch and parse @BDC ST2 to show status, errors, serial, and ink info.
• Verbose Log + Save — Export a JSON‑structured session log for audits or sharing.

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How it works

Open WIC Reset builds EPSON‑CTRL OIDs and talks over SNMP using PySNMP v3 asyncio HLAPI.

Core OIDs

• EPSON‑CTRL base: 1.3.6.1.4.1.1248.1.2.2.44.1.1.2.1
• Printer serial (Printer‑MIB): 1.3.6.1.2.1.43.5.1.1.17.1
• @BDC ST2 status: 1.3.6.1.4.1.1248.1.2.2.1.1.1.4.1

EEPROM sub‑blocks

Tag	Meaning
124.124.7.0	Read tag (`		`, len 7)
124.124.16.0	Write tag (`		`, len 16)
65.190.160	Read block A
66.189.33	Write block B

Common counter pairs

Pair	Notes
24.0 + 25.0	16‑bit LE
28.0 + 29.0	16‑bit LE
20.0 + 21.0	16‑bit LE
22.0 + 23.0	16‑bit LE

Typical thresholds

Address	Value
46	94
47	94
60	94
61	94

A divider converts raw counter values to approximate percent: percent ≈ raw / divider. A sensible default is 62.06 when a model‑specific value is unknown.

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Supported models / presets

The app includes a few presets and a generic fallback. If your model isn’t listed, import a WIC log or try Detect keys.

Family / Model	Preset fields
WF‑7525 / 7520 / 7510 / PX‑047A	Known password, common write key, divider ≈ 196.5, mapped writes (20–34, thresholds).
EcoTank / WF / XP (generic)	Common pairs and thresholds, default divider, key detection or WIC log import.

Contributions with verified address maps are welcome.

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Quick start (Windows)

1. Download WIC.exe from Releases.
2. Ensure the printer and PC are on the same LAN. SNMP must be reachable on port 161.
3. Run the app. If Windows asks, allow network access on Private networks.
4. Click Scan to discover printers, or enter the IP manually.
5. Click Identify to verify communication and apply a preset.
6. Use Read waste counters to confirm current values.
7. Choose Reset (rw quick) or Permanent EEPROM reset to %.
8. Power‑cycle the printer after a successful reset (OFF 10 s → ON).

mDNS / Zeroconf (Scan)

If Scan logs “Zeroconf not installed; enter IP manually”, rebuild with zeroconf bundled (see Build). Also ensure UDP 5353 is allowed by your firewall and that the printer advertises _ipp._tcp or _printer._tcp.

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Build from source

Python environment

pip install pysnmp zeroconf orjson

orjson is optional; the app falls back to stdlib json.

Run the GUI:

python WIC.py

PyInstaller (recommended)

Simple one‑file GUI build:

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --icon WIC.ico WIC.py

Include discovery and SNMP stacks explicitly (more robust):

pyinstaller ^
  --onefile --windowed ^
  --name WIC ^
  --icon WIC.ico ^
  --hidden-import=zeroconf --hidden-import=ifaddr ^
  --collect-submodules zeroconf ^
  --collect-submodules ifaddr ^
  --collect-submodules pysnmp ^
  --collect-submodules pyasn1 ^
  --collect-submodules pysnmp.hlapi.v3arch.asyncio ^
  WIC.py

.spec template

A curated .spec is provided below. Save as WIC.spec and build with pyinstaller WIC.spec.

# WIC.spec
from PyInstaller.utils.hooks import collect_submodules
pkgs = [
    'zeroconf', 'ifaddr',
    'pysnmp', 'pyasn1', 'pysnmp.hlapi.v3arch.asyncio',
]
hidden = []
for p in pkgs:
    hidden += collect_submodules(p)

a = Analysis(
    ['WIC.py'],
    pathex=[],
    binaries=[],
    datas=[('WIC.ico', 'WIC.ico', 'DATA')],
    hiddenimports=hidden,
    hookspath=[],
    hooksconfig={},
    excludes=['orjson'],  # optional
    noarchive=False,
)
pyz = PYZ(a.pure, a.zipped_data)
exe = EXE(
    pyz, a.scripts, a.binaries, a.zipfiles, a.datas,
    [], name='WIC', icon='WIC.ico', console=False,
)

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Troubleshooting

Scan says Zeroconf not installed

• Rebuild with zeroconf and ifaddr bundled (see PyInstaller command above).
• Allow UDP 5353 inbound/outbound. Private network profile recommended.
• mDNS typically does not cross subnets/VLANs without a reflector.

No response to rw

• Some firmware ignores soft resets. Use Permanent EEPROM reset with proper keys.

Reads return no data

• Wrong EEPROM read password or wrong OIDs. Load a WIC log or try Detect keys.

Writes fail

• Wrong write key, wrong address map, or blocked firmware. Verify community string; try a model‑specific preset. Power‑cycle and retry.

ST2 empty or odd

• Not all models expose every tag. Still useful for serial and basic state.

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Safety, Warranty, and Ethics

• Service first. Ensure pads are replaced or a waste tank is installed before lowering counters.
• At your own risk. EEPROM writes can brick printers if misused.
• Compliance is yours. Know your local regulations and warranty terms.

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Contributing

Pull requests with verified model maps, dividers, and decoded ST2 tags are welcome. Please include logs and brief justification.

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Acknowledgements

• The open‑source Python ecosystem: PySNMP, zeroconf, pyasn1, Tkinter.
• Community research into EPSON‑CTRL OIDs and public log analysis that informed presets and address pairs.

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License

This project is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE.