Dexter F3: the controller's memory check failed
F3 on Dexter T-Series controls means a memory checksum or parameter value is wrong.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Controls and power
- Commercial controls and board repair
- Source: Dexter
Book a visit
Three short steps, about a minute.
or call (844) 571-4566
Loading appointment form…
The appointment form couldn’t load. Please try again.
What F3
actually means.
F3 on Dexter T-Series controls means a memory checksum or parameter value is wrong. The machine stops and turns off all outputs. Dexter's steps are a soft reset with the white button on the controller and, if that fails, a new controller board.
Dexter commercial appliance display · also shown as MEMORY ERROR
What to do when F3 shows on the commercial applianceKind of codeControls and power
The controller itself is reporting trouble, or the supply behind it is: a display with dead segments, a keypad that stopped responding after steam or degreaser got behind it, relays that stick, stored recipes or cycles that vanished overnight, a blown control fuse, or one leg of a three-phase feed missing so half the heat or the pump is gone. A full power cycle at the breaker, done as the manual describes, clears a passing glitch; a code that returns, a scorched smell or any sign of moisture behind the panel means the breaker stays off, and that is a visit.
Usually leads toCommercial controls and board repair
Controllers, touch panels, relays, contactors and interlocks tested, and replaced only when the evidence says so.
Shows up asCommercial Appliance Error Code on a Combi, Fryer, Dish Machine or Laundry Display
A commercial appliance error code appears as letters or numbers on a combi, fryer, reach-in controller, dish machine or laundry machine display, or as a flashing light or an alarm tone.
MakeDexter
A Dexter call in a laundromat is often set for opening time, before customers load the row and every pocket of the room is in use.
SourceDexter common troubleshooting and error code reference for T-Series vended front-loads (Part 8533, 9/19)
Dexter T-Series vended front-load machines (T-300 through T-1450) covered by Dexter's 2019 troubleshooting reference; the drive codes come from the variable frequency drive these models use.
Before you book,
in this order.
Each step comes from Dexter's own guidance for F3 on its commercial appliances. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.
Note the drive light before powering down.
Power the machine off for three minutes, then back on, since the drive needs that long to reset.
Book a visit if F3 persists; the soft reset button and board are inside the control area.
Still there?
It usually turns into commercial controls and board repair. Book with the code and the model number.
What not to do
F3 is not a water or motor problem; it lives in the controller's memory. It is also not COMM ERROR 1, which is a communication problem on the board.
What you may
notice with it.
The commercial appliance problem F3 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the commercial appliance before anyone is booked.
All problems
Where F3 usually leads
Commercial controls and board repair.
Dexter
commercial appliances.
A Dexter call in a laundromat is often set for opening time, before customers load the row and every pocket of the room is in use.
Dexter commercial appliance repairMore Dexter codes
All 15 Dexter codesControls and power on other makes
In Dexter's own words
Memory error in the controller. The memory checksum is wrong or a parameter value is out of range.
Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Dexter T-Series vended front-load machines (T-300 through T-1450) covered by Dexter's 2019 troubleshooting reference; the drive codes come from the variable frequency drive these models use.
Dexter F3 commercial appliance repair,
where we come out.
The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions
about F3.
Can I clear F3 myself?
What causes a memory error on a Dexter?
Will my vend prices be lost after F3 on a Dexter?
Why wait three minutes to power a Dexter back on?
Back to your everyday
Still showing F3?
A booking with a code goes further when it has the code as shown, the model and serial from the data plate, and a word on whether the unit still holds temperature, heats, rinses or spins. With those three, the office can match the likely part to your unit the same day.