marcuso

Are you using USB? have you set the baud rate to 4800?

One simple thing to check: Is everyone that is having problems using the CT630 HPGL driver rather than just the standard CT630 driver? I believe you should be using the HPGL driver.

This is clearly a problem that we need to address. Although there have been some occasional problems with USB cables, I don't think that USB cables are causing the issue. It is probably a buffer issue which is related to the USB to serial converter chip. We haven't been able to reproduce the issue, so we need your help. I am making it a top priority. For those of you having problems, please attach the file that you are having problems cutting. Please also include the following details: Cutter Model Cutting Speed Setting on Cutter Version of SignBlazer Version of FTDI driver Whether the problem is consistent? If possible, do a few runs without the blade and time them to see if you are getting a consistent point at which the problem occurs.

HtsNstr21, your PCUT probably doesn't have a serial connector. Are you having the same problem? If so, please attach the file that you are having problems with and explain what percentage of the time you are having problems.

JimmieD, Can you please tell me, which driver does this adapter use? Is it Prolific?

Try increasing the down force (pressure) and let us know the results.

Yes it will. You should select the Refine MH721 driver.

Hey Everybody, I just finished up a transition of our forums to a new server. We are growing so much that we actually got a notice from our webhost that says they are going to shut us down in 1 month because our server resource usage is too high. Good thing we were already in the process of moving to a new webhost. So far I love them, and I expect our community members to love them too, as we have had a HUGE increase in speed! Anyways, a few things have changed. Logins will now be handled exclusively by the forum, so there will be no more logging in through the main page. The SMF site is down at the moment, so I cannot install the old Pn-Pn theme that we had been using.... I have not had a chance to thoroughly test the new server, so I hereby am promoting all our users to honorary beta testers. If you find a problem, head on over to our new support site at http://support.uscutter.com or send me a PM. Thanks for your help! - Marcus

Good idea. Sorry I didn't get to this one sooner....

You are exactly right except for one thing. You will use the buttons on the keyboard to align the laser rather than the control panel on the cutter. You will be able to align very percisely this way.

ollitrop and bigmac, This is almost certainly a knife offset issue. Try doubling the knife offset and see what the result is (it should overcut at this point).

I am not quite picturing your problem. But one thing to consider: the material width is actually measured by the outermost pinch rollers rather than than measuring the material itself. Are the ouhermost pinch rollers being used on the edges of the vinyl?

StickyGrafix, The Refine MH-721 and the PCUT are completely different machines using different components from different manufacturers. The Creation machines are the better machine of the two. The Creation machines that we sell now are different than the machines that were sold years ago. Sign Warehouse does not sell as many machines as we sell, so if you bought a Creation from them a couple years ago, you probably bought a machine that was manufactured up to five years ago before Creation was split into two companies. The machines we sell now are definitely a step up form the Refines. That said, you will most likely be very happy with your Refine as it is a solid vinyl cutter as well. - Marcus

That is definitely a problem. I think it is a hardware issue that may need to be fixed under warranty. That said, I would like you to try something. Just to see if is a static issue, use a spray bottle and spray a fine spray of water on the bed of the cutter as well as your cutting material. If you are in a dry place that should allow static to discharge more easily. It is not a final solution, but just one possible cause that I would like to rule out.

Sorry, it was my fault. The default settings for this bulliten board deleted attached files after a certain amount of time. After I noticed this was happening, I changed the settings so that attached files would not be deleted. It was not intentional....

Here is the verdict on pricing: For SignBlazer Elements locked to machines that we sell (current and future), initial pricing will be $70 (subject to change). If you purchased a machine from USCutter before, we will probably offer special pricing of $60 (also subject to change). Download the trial from this link: http://blazertech.net/downloads/elements/USCutter/SBEforUSCutterSetup.exe Learning guide: http://www.blazertech.net/downloads/LearnGde.zip Come back and let us know what you think.

Bridge uses machines manufactured by the same factory, Redsail does not. I admit that Redsail machines are electronically superior to the Refine machines, but they are inferior to the creation machines. Most machines uses some version of the DMPL / HPGL command set, so that is why you can often times have drivers that work for both.

I think there are printer drivers that will work with most HPGL compliant vinyl cutters. Printer drivers usually don't work well with vinyl cutting due to issues with offset, etc, but they are fine for drawing. If you want to spend some time looking, I suggest you download drivers from Roland and try using them attached via serial and parallel. I will try to get a more definite answer from Copam in the mean time.

Once you remove the sidecap, the installation of the 4MB chip should be pretty self explanatory. I suggest that you do some tests with the 1MB chip before you install the 4MB chip. I don't think the 4MB chip will offer you any benefit. As far as registration marks go, you should be able to basic contour cuts with manual registration mark setting. I have seen some instructions floating around, but I will have to dig them up.... As far as spare parts go, I wouldn't worry about the machine having issues. We have plenty of spare parts on hand, so don't worry about it until the time comes and then we would be happy to give you directions over the phone. We simply don't have the resources to make repair manuals at the time - there are currently other priorities. As far as the fabric cutting strip goes, make sure your blade is exposed just enough to barely cut through the material. It should always cut over one path, so you shouldn't need to replace the material. I have some of the material available, but we have actually never had a request for it, and I assume it is because it does not wear out. With regard to the extra copy of Signcut, I don't think you can add another 3 years. You can contact Signcut to ask. If the software is still sealed, you can send it back to us for a refund.

Using 2 vs 3 pinch rollers is something that I considered carefully. The fan design is much better than most other models that I have seen, and it is much larger and stronger. I am almost positive that it is sufficient to hold almost all material flat (without having had feedback from our users). Because it uses suction rather than additional rollers to maintain flatness, you don't have to have a third pinch roller making roller marks in the middle of your material. The machines have always been sold with 2 rollers (and to my knowledge never with 3), and they are highly regarded (having sold probably 50,000 units) in other markets, so I would not worry. That said, if anyone is concerned, I will commit to selling additional pinch rollers for $15 for the time being, at least until we get further feedback from our customers on these machines.

BS Filter on: PS- Thanks for the praise BannerJohn, but Marcus is my mentor boss and has taught me well thrown me to the lions. Without him, I would be blind. He also signs my paychecks.

Ken (the technical contact) went in for surgery this week this week. I believe he will be back today. I am unfortunately in China dealing with manufacturers, so I am unable to offer phone support. That said, we do not have the resources to hand-hold every new customer through the process of cutting vinyl. If you don't feel that you can find online resources to find your way (and there are plenty), I suggest that you go to a local sign shop and see if you can pay someone for an hour or two of training. Of courese, we are happy to assist you getting your machine interfacing with the software, but for forum posts, you will get more help if you start a new topic rather than responding to an announcement.

Yes, both the PCUT and the Refine machines use a continuous grit roller. The Copam has appropriately spaced rollers that allow it to cut almost any size material.

I am sorry for the problem. That is unusual on a new unit (sometimes we replace the strip while refurbishing, and this can happen). The best thing to do is buy 1/4" (or similar sized) double sided tape, and pull up the strip and re-apply.

The Refine cutters come with an FTDI and not Prolific chipset. The above quote was probably referring to using a Copam with Mac OS X. The Keyspan adapter offers no functional advantage, and in fact, we have tested both the FTDI and the Prolific chipset, and both work with Mac OS X. The problem is that the drivers for both the FTDI and the Prolific chipset are very basic on Mac OS X and they have no settings dialog. This makes it difficult to diagnose issues. Even more difficult is the fact that if you install the wrong (outdated) driver, you need to delete it before installing the right driver, and the only way to un-install it is to manually delete files. My tech has little Mac experience, and I am unable to walk everybody through OS X installations, so using the Keyspan adapter (which is much easier to install) has been a simple and fast fix. Most of the above details only apply to the Copam machine which comes with a Prolific cable (the FTDI chipset that is installed in the Refine machine is a bit easier to deal with).