mspears 0 Posted March 6, 2012 The machine was working great all morning, then it quit cutting the vinyl. I replaced the carriage, but still no luck. I've adjusted the force, which I always had on 80g, but nothing changes, even if I change it all the way to 200g. I've adjusted the needle, but still nothing. It either barely puts a line on the vinyl or digs in if the needle is all the way down. Is the arm on the carriage supposed to move up and down as it moves from letter to letter? This one doesn't. I didn't pay much attention to the previous carriage I had on there. I really don't think it's the needle not being sharp. Any ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted March 6, 2012 Is your vinyl cutter grounded? It should be.. Sounds like you need a z-chip. It controls the carriage going up and down. http://www.uscutter....H+Series+Cutter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mspears 0 Posted March 6, 2012 It's grounded. I have done nothing to change it from when it was working to when it quit. So maybe I just spent $25 for nothing if a $5 part will fix it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted March 6, 2012 here is how to test Posted 22 July 2010 - 05:46 PM you can submit a ticket to support, also read this from another post We call it the 'Z' axis chip because it is the one responsible for raising and lowering the carriage arm. It's really only the MH cutters that have 'Z' chip issues and typically it's static interference that does them in. If you're having issues with your carriage arm and blade not dropping to your vinyl, or staying dropped and not raising; you'll know if the chip has failed by performing these tests: 1 - Turn the cutter off and unplug it from the wall. Remove the carriage cover (three screws) and get yourself a nine volt battery. You want to touch the terminals of the battery to the two solder points above the carriage motor (or to the copper ribbons). Don't worry about doing this wrong, you can't hurt anything. If you're able to get a good connection you will see the carriage arm "jump" and either raise or lower depending on which terminals you're touching. If you aren't sure if you're getting a good connection, try using a couple paperclips; hold them to the terminals on the battery, and touch them to the solder points. If it does jump, then you know the carriage electro-magnet is good. Now, is power getting from the Motherboard to the motor? step 2. 2 - Plug the cutter back in and turn it on. Pay close attention to the carriage arm; is it up, down, or somewhere in the middle? Turn the machine off. there should be a change; ie: the arm should drop. Then turn the machine on and observe again. ... what you're looking for is the carriage arm to raise and lower with the power switch action. It should move only about an 1/8th of an inch; up with the power on, down with the power off. What this tells us is whether or not we're getting power sent from the motherboard, up the connecting wires to the electro-magnet that raises and lowers the blade arm. If it doesn't move at all after Step 2: You should call technical support and we'll walk you through one last test. You do not have power getting from the mother board to the carriage motor. At this point we can deduce that A) The connecting cable supplying the power has failed or has a bad connection... which is possible but not likely considering the machine. Or The Z chip is toast because of static electricity. If the arm does move up and down with the power switch: it is definitive- your Z chip is toast. If you do call to order another Z chip (which we sell) please, ground the machine before you install it or you risk this happening again. Oh, and FYI: if you put the Z chip in backwards (50/50 chance) you will burn it and potentially ruin the Motherboard as well; so call technical support first. Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mspears 0 Posted March 8, 2012 Got my z chip today. Now, where does it go? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted March 8, 2012 Got my z chip today. Now, where does it go? best just to contact tech support, to walk you thru it. Unless somebody else can give you the answer here, you might have a long wait. Tech support is on Pacific time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mspears 0 Posted March 8, 2012 Figured out where it goes, just have to try to get the old one out. Guess I should've brought a soldering iron with me. I don't see how you pop the old one out as somebody wrote on here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
