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catldavis

Copam 2500 not advancing the vinyl

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Hello All,

 

I have a Copam 2500 that has been working fine on Oracal. I put some Easyweed in and tried to cut a test cut. At first it did okay. However, as I was trying to get the speed, pressure and offset correct it quit advancing the vinyl. It now won't advance the vinyl when I try to measure, perform a test cut or a regular cut. Anyone have any idea what may be wrong?

 

Thanks,

 

Adam 

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What you are saying is the GRIT ROLLERS are failing to spin?

 

Does it seem like the motor is attempting to spin it?

Or you don't get any response whatsoever?

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They don't attempt to spin at all. It's like they are somehow turned off.

did you check the belt or make sure there is not some obstruction causing them not to turn?  Make sure all set screws are tight on them..

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Okay, took off the side cover and the belt is fine: 

 

004_zps12e35aad.jpg

 

I can rotate the grit rollers by turning the belt by hand without any issues.

 

It's like the cutter isn't telling the vinyl to advance. Is there a way to advance the vinyl with the keypad? Or, maybe the head isn't "seeing" the vinyl so it's not advancing it? Could that be possible even when I try a test cut on the keypad? 

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Now i'm wondering if it isn't the motor that runs the grit rollers:

 

007_zps91770b73.jpg

 

There are four wires running in to the motor. Does anyone know the color scheme for the wires and what voltage they are?:

 

008_zpsc271ac0e.jpg

 

My thoughts are maybe to splice the wires to see if there is any input coming in to the motor when the cutter is activated. If there is, see if I can get the motor to spin with an external voltage. It's interesting, when the cutter is off the rollers spin freely; when I turn the cutter on, the rollers are tight and hard to rotate. Anyone have any thoughts?  

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Your troubleshooting process is on the right track.

 

That motor might have failed.

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or the mb is telling it to stay in place and not advance - it would lock in place until commanded when powered on normally - I would call usc support Monday for some troubleshooting

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Thanks slice&dice and dakotagrafx. I will call support tomorrow to see if they can assist. I'm torn between the two option you discussed, the motherboard not telling it to engage and the motor being bad. I'll return and report. 

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I can't remember in all my years a motor going bad . . .  it is possible but I think the odds are staggering against it

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My guess is the blade was too deep and cut into the plastic carrier sheet. The extra load caused an issue with the motor or motherboard.

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You asked: "Is there a way to advance the vinyl with the keypad?" I dont know the Copam, but try and get to an Origin or X / Y menu on the cutter--you then can use arrows on the keypad to either move the cutting head, or the grit rollers.

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Okay, spoke to support and the verdict is........bad motherboard. He had my change the head motor controller on the motherboard with the grit roller controller and the grit rollers stayed on and the head motor would not work. Pretty clever solution. So the questions become 1) is this cutter worth investing $160 in for a new motherboard or should I just buy a more durable unit (I don't use this for a living, just as a hobby) and if it is worth investing money in, 2) should I buy the motherboard with an USB port (my machine doesn't currently have one) and modify the casing with a Dremel tool (I do pretty well with a Dremel) so I have the USB option?

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I can't remember in all my years a motor going bad . . .  it is possible but I think the odds are staggering against it

 

 

Well, indeed this particular motor did not fail.

 

In answer to the question about the replacement MB being worthwhile, I would say yes, and also yes to the USB option (and modify the end cover).

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$150 is indeed stiff for a motherboard. I'm thinking about trying to repair the existing motherboard. I contacted support but they couldn't provide me a schematic of the motherboard. What are the chances of finding one? 

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If you decide to diy I would look for burned MOSFETs and bulging capacitors. I have fixed several high performance rc cars. The speed controllers would burn out frequently due to heat buildup. I have never needed to open up my cutter so I don't know if this information is entirely relevant.

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Thanks KYSIGN, I've looked for bulging capacitors but none were apparent. Not sure how to check for a burnt MOSFET but I'll look it up. Thanks for the advice. 

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