OK NEW PROBLEM ARE THESE PCUTS A CONSTANT HEADACHE?

[CREATIVEDESIGN 0]

CHANGED PROGRAM, BAUD, PORT, SPEED, ETC THING CUTS BUT IFTHE SIZE IS LARGE IT STOPS AND READS WAITING OR IT RESETS ITSELF BEFORE A 1/4 OF THE WAY COMPLETE CUTTING BACK TO STARTING POINT.  PCUT 24" I FEEL LIKE I HAVE LEARNED HOW TO REMEDY PROBLEMS MORE THAN MAKE SIGNS.  PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME THEY OWN THIS MACHINE AND IT PRODUCES GREAT SIGNS FOR THEM MINUS THE HEADACHE AND THAT I HAVE A LEMON AND WHEN I SEND IT BACK MY NEW ONE WILL RUN LIKE A DREAM.  I NEED A SCRIPT FOR VALLIUM WITH THIS THING! :D

[gnatt66 0]

i havent had mine forever..but it has worked flawlessly more or less since i've had it. every time something went wrong it was something i did wrong it seems.

does your pc have adequate memory? like a gig of ram or so? it seems like maybe the signal from the pc might be bogged down or something?

[BannerJohn 1,324]

you are right,it is a memory problem usually when this happens. However, teh memory in the cutter is very small. 1mb I think. Hopefully,US Cutter will offer a memory upgrade soon. It seems that this is a common problem.

[kenimes 42]

Some customers have solved this issue by using a new USB cable, if you have not tried that already. Worst case scenario- we may need to replace the cutter.

[suzq 0]

I've been experiencing similar issues since I bought this cutter about 4 months ago.  At this point, I can't consistently cut anything even moderately complex.  Sometimes it'll cut, other times it stops tracing in SignBlazer and if you let it go, it will cut to that point and then move back to the origin, cutting a big slash across the design.  This problem has cost me a lot of money in wasted vinyl and has even kept me from doing some bigger jobs (wall words) which is the main reason I bought this cutter.  I've tried everything from reformatting the computer (brand new Toshiba laptop with 1Gb RAM) to resetting the machine before every cut, to changing USB cable, with no apparent change in the ability to cut a design all the way every time.

Has anybody else been able to figure this one out, or can somebody actually tell me that this machine should be able to cut a phrase with 4 inch letters that is 5 feet long?  I've had many people ask me about this cutter and at this point, my response is "you get what you pay for".  Help...anybody.

[kenimes 42]

If you are using SignBlazer, you need to make sure your job is in the pink workspace area before you cut. You could also try another cut program, like SignCut to see if it does the same.

[BannerJohn 1,324]

when someone says to me 'you get what you pay for' I say to them "you get out of something what you put into it'. I have 2 cutters. One is the Refine $300 and one is a more expensive cutter. Both work equally well and do exactly the same things.

Yes,you get what you pay for,and some people are just snobs. The p-cut has been a very popular cutter in Europe for years. BUT,everything you buy,sometimes you get a bad one. As a computer tech,I can tell you without a doubt, most problems are NOT with hardware.

My brother who is a complete idiot with machinery and computers,had his p-cut cutting 30 minutes out of the box and 6 months later,still cutting with no problems.

A poor workman always blames his tools,as grandma used to say.

But,to be fair...most people don't post when everything goes well...only when something goes wrong. So,the percentage of REALLY defective units might seem higher than it is because of this. It would be nice to know the true figures..how many p-cut and refine buyers NEVER have any problems as opposed to those who do.

Ken and US cutter will bend over backwards to get things right. You won't find that with your high-dollar dealers. I KNOW it from experience.

So,if you have problems,.ask for help. If you think you have a bad unit,ask for a replacement or return it for repair. US cutter (who I do NOT work for) will treat you right.

[kenimes 42]

I've been experiencing similar issues since I bought this cutter about 4 months ago.  At this point, I can't consistently cut anything even moderately complex.  Sometimes it'll cut, other times it stops tracing in SignBlazer and if you let it go, it will cut to that point and then move back to the origin, cutting a big slash across the design.  This problem has cost me a lot of money in wasted vinyl and has even kept me from doing some bigger jobs (wall words) which is the main reason I bought this cutter.  I've tried everything from reformatting the computer (brand new Toshiba laptop with 1Gb RAM) to resetting the machine before every cut, to changing USB cable, with no apparent change in the ability to cut a design all the way every time.

Has anybody else been able to figure this one out, or can somebody actually tell me that this machine should be able to cut a phrase with 4 inch letters that is 5 feet long?  I've had many people ask me about this cutter and at this point, my response is "you get what you pay for".  Help...anybody.

Certainly not cutting the way it should, so we could try replacing a part or replace the unit for you.

[Guest sciondrgn]

Just to add to what Banner said.

Ive owned the 36" pcut since september and once I got the adjustments down just right I get great cuts from the pcut and it works well. Just look at my thread in the show your work. Its over 3 pages now of stuff Ive done. Mine is mainly for hobby so I dont use it heavily but its never let me down!

the PCut and UScutter are great!   :yes:

[Jerry Bonham 1]

Hello,

I have seen this problem a number of times and the cause is often different if the cutter is not faulty.

First of all it is a communication problem.

So you have to determine what is causing this.

Computer

Cable

Cutter.

Computer

Let us assume that you have adequate memory in the computer? Do you? someone else asked this question and i didn't see an answer.

XP needs at least 1 Gb and Vista needs 2Gb.

What have you got in startup?

i have seen sometimes over 50 programs in startup!

Get rid of all of them except virus checkers.

What port are you using?  Some have port 50 or something stupid.  Use Com 1 or 2 in Device manager for the USB port.

It is easy to change.

Do you have Desktop printer?

Some can conflict badly with vinyl cutters.

if you have one turn it off and try cutting.

Also UNPLUG the printer.

If you have XP when was the last time you did a defrag? Do one.  You will be amazed that your computer now runs again like new.

Also some computers have added power management to USB ports.  Get a tech to check and turn off any Power management for USB ports so they NEVER GO to sleep.

There are many other things to check however i don't have enough information from you.

Cable.

Most computer have a few USB ports.

Try each one separately.

NEVER use a hub, powered or otherwise.

Are you using a HUB?

How long is the USB cable?

if it is over 3 metres this may be the problem.

I trust that you don't have two or three joined together?

Also you may need a cable with TWO suppressors due to localized interference.

How many does your cable have?

None?

One?

A suppressor is the funny lump on the cable near the connector.

Cutter

If it is the cutter then there is not much you can do except to talk to Ken.

Hope the above helps.

Jerry from SignBlazer.

[Dragracer 0]

I have had my Pcut going on two months and the only trouble I had was when I got a computer with Vista ,but I think it was just me getting used to Vista.

As for you get what you pay for I'm very happy I didn't have to pay a lot of money for my cutter. I don't think you will get  better service then you do from Uscutter or SignBlazer / or find a forum were people will help out as much as the people here.  :clap:  :thanks:  :woohoo:

This is just my 2 cent's

Jerry I'm using a usb hub and it's working fine.

Kevin

[Jerry Bonham 1]

Hi Kevin,

Just hope it is a powered one!!

Of course hubs can work however if you have communications problems then an un-powered hub is often the cause.

Removing the hub is just one way to remove a potential problem.

Also there are so many known and unknown brands of hubs.

Some work fine, however most do not work at all with vinyl cutters.

Thanks for the praise as well.

So we recommend that you don't use a hub.

Jerry from SignBlazer.

[kenimes 42]

Hi Kevin,

Just hope it is a powered one!!

Of course hubs can work however if you have communications problems then an un-powered hub is often the cause.

Removing the hub is just one way to remove a potential problem.

Also there are so many known and unknown brands of hubs.

Some work fine, however most do not work at all with vinyl cutters.

Thanks for the praise as well.

So we recommend that you don't use a hub.

Jerry from SignBlazer.

Indeed, I have only seen a select few cases where a customer is sucessfully running their cutter through a USB hub. Usually I ask customers to avoid using one, just adds another device to the chain which could cause problems.

[BannerJohn 1,324]

Let me add my 2p worth here... I run my Signblazer software to the Refine on an older computer. 1 ghz of speed, 256 mb of RAM, windows XP. I use an extension USB for a total length of 12 feet.

I have no problems AT ALL and before I got the USB extension I used a hub.

That being said...this computer is used ONLY for cutting on the refine. No other USB devices are attached to it except for the occasional flash drive.

Now to my point: Computers like this can be had all over the place for CHEAP. I have 2 even better than this one that I got for less than $50...one at a pawn shop,one at a yard sale ($15 for that one).Some of you might even have one sitting in a closet,thinking it can't be of use for anything. WRONG!(in fact I use an old 600mhz comp with 128mb ram for a music machine and for listening to podcats on..nothing else.)

If you can get a computer like this...I suggest you do so and dedicate it to cutting. I have 2 cutters and each has its own computer. I have NEVER had any problems. The less you have going on,the better things will be. Cuts down on all sorts of problems including port conflicts.

[SmallSigns 23]

First of all -- I have a PCut 25"  - have only had it for a few months. The first thing I did was swap out the USB cable (heard too many problems with the stock cable). So far I have rum maybe three rolls of vinyl through this thing ( one being reflective) and the only problems I have had have been created by me! The plotter works great - actually better then I expected, after all - you get what you pay for!    My expectations were not set too high at first, but now I would recommend this thing to anyone! I love it.

As far as what Banner is saying about computers -- I agree all the way! I run across old systems here all the time (left behind in storage units) I take them apart, clean them up and set them up as basic units for simple tasks -- one for music, one for a print server, one for video server -- it's fun but the wife gets tired of all these computers laying around. 

I just came up with another one today - I will test it out this weekend - If someone is in the Palmdale, CA. area and needs one let me know (Shipping would be too expensive and defeat the purpose)

[Dragracer 0]

I will be setting up my old puter just for my cutter .

Kevin

[harley121 0]

hELLO,

I'M VERY NEW AT THIS, BUT i ALSO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM; CUTTING WOULD STOP AND "waiting" WOULD APPEAR ON THE SCREEN.  i SWITCHED OVER TO THE COM-PORT CABLE DOING AWAY WITH THE USB CABLE.  SINCE THEN ANY TROUBLES WERE DUR TO ME, NOT THE CUTTER (ie: that dern caps lock)

HOPE THIS HELPS,,,

Bob Rynes

Pro-Etching Services

[Jerry Bonham 1]

I was discussing this problem with one of our SignBlazer programmers.

And learnt something new about USB.

We were talking about the first demonstration of USB by Apple.

They had about 270 USB devices all connected and running at once.

So my question was why can't we do this with modern computers?

Then answer surprised me.

We can if we give up processing power.

Apparently to save money the designers/manufacturers of USB chips for computers decided that it was OK to use the main CPU of your computer to drive the USB chip.

Previously there was a processor in the serial or parallel port chip to do this work.

This is why there is so much stuff on an add-in parallel port card.

I always wondered about that!

So just maybe one of the reasons that some have their jobs quitting on them is that they are doing other work on the computer or perhaps the CPU is overworked?

It is a valid idea however there is no way to check it out.

Just to put in another 2 cents worth.

Jerry from SignBlazer.

[signman911 1]

I have a creation ct630 and am runnig winpc sign it was working perfect

I also use a master xp24 and it was runnig perfect

but now this week  i have ruined more vinyl

then i care to remember, both cuts and half way through  the cutter stops responding

on the creation the lcd screen says waiting, 

on the master the blade goes down and stays down and somtime starts going again

but the blade is down and cuts right through the vinyl

i have tried different cables and a pc and then my laptop

lots of ram 2 gigs in both.  any ideas