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Hey all, I've got myself an MH Refine 721 cutter that I've had for quite some time & is giving me some issues. To start off with, it worked fine up until a week or two ago when I went to manage my subscription for SignCut. I wanted to see if SignCut 2 would open adobe illustrator files, and because I was impatient, I didn't think it did, so I went back to SignCut 1 (only to later learn you could open them in the 2nd version, so I switched back). The first thing I cut after switching back over went fine. The next couple of cuts, however, did not. It would get about majority of the way through the job and then make a diagonal line through the artwork, essentially ruining it. Some of the cuts didn't even get completed. I think I might have been helped with this issue before and was told it could be a static related issue (?) but it's been a while so I'm not sure. I use a MacBook on High Sierra OS (not sure if that matters or not) and the aforementioned SignCut 2. There will also be occasions in Signcut where I clearly have my outlines created on the artwork from Illustrator, but all that shows up when I open the file in SignCut is a weird black shape. I personally believe the cutter is the issue, but I could be wrong. I don't know. But I'm tired of jacking with it and throwing in the towel on trying to figure it out on my own lol. Anyways, thanks in advance and any help is appreciated!

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Static would be my first guess, and easiest to remedy. Ground the stand that the vinyl rest on. You can either run a grounding wire from the stand to a ground point on the cutter, or to a local ground such as the ground pin on a standard outlet.

Second possible problem is that you're using a mac. The MH cutters are sold as not compatible with macs. I suspect this is more an issue with the cheap usb chipset than anything else. which brings us to the 3rd thing.

Are you using USB or serial? Serial is recommended as the USB-2-Serial chipset built into the MH is cheap junk. If you don't have a true serial connection you can get a tripp-lite adapter. It is the only one known to work every time, all the time.

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Get a cheapie Windoze machine for about $60. and run the cutter with SignBlazer.

Or pop for $300 and pick up a brand-new cool-blue SC2. You'll pay for it on your first job, probably.

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On 12/7/2017 at 4:33 PM, slice&dice said:

Get a cheapie Windoze machine for about $60. and run the cutter with SignBlazer.

Or pop for $300 and pick up a brand-new cool-blue SC2. You'll pay for it on your first job, probably.

Have no clue what you're talking about on that second part lol. Honestly as long as it can keep working on a Mac, that's what I'm gonna try and do. It's much more versatile because I can take the laptop anywhere.

I'll try and upload some pics of that usb that I've been using tomorrow, darcshadow. My cutter resides at a location different from where I live so I'll figure out what you're talking about tomorrow. Because it's a usb, but in the settings in SignCut I believe it said something about serial. Not sure. I'll plug it in tomorrow and check it out. Thanks guys

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jclarke, whazzup?

You said  --  " (The old MH unit) makes a diagonal line through the artwork, essentially ruining it...  I'm tired of jacking with it "

 

My first suggestion was to entirely abandon working with a Mac for cutting, and hook the MH to a Windows computer with a true (native) serial port.

This idea has been proposed countless times in these Forums as a way to eliminate problems encountered commonly with USB emulation. And as has been said above already, the MH is not compatible with a Mac according to US Cutter's specs.

My second suggestion was to entirely abandon the MH and purchase a new USCUTTER machine Model SC2 which was recently introduced. It's baby-blue in color. Or what I call Cool Blue. (the previous SC1 was off-white).

 

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3 hours ago, slice&dice said:

purchase a new USCUTTER machine Model SC2 which was recently introduced. It's baby-blue in color. Or what I call Cool Blue. (the previous SC1 was off-white).

 

This was what I wasn't understanding. Thanks for clearing up. That may be an option. However, I am also about to move so I may just sell what I have and regroup later on when I can afford a PC. 

Attached are some photos of what I've been using. Don't know if that helps or not. I'm gonna do a test run here in a sec and see if it works.

IMG_4311.JPG

IMG_4341.JPG

IMG_8513.JPG

IMG_9726.JPG

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Most other vinyl cutters are Mac compatible..   But this one is a bottom of the barrel vinyl cutter and not Mac compatible. The value cutters have a cheap USB chip set.  They are not TRUE USB,  While some people have no problems using the USB  cable that came with the cutter.  others have nothing but trouble and we highly suggest that you purchase a Tripplite Keyspan Adapter.     Shown here.   Purchase best price. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tripp-Lite-Keyspan-High-Speed-USB-to-Serial-Adapter-PC-Mac-USA-19HS-1-Pack/222076446870?hash=item33b4c9a896:g:hp8AAOSwiiRZgphX

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couple of things - the diagonal line is usually one of 3 things - cut software not being activated will cause it to do that,  static causes such issues and exceeding the very limited memory in a MH also causes such issues --- part of the reason the new sc2 came out with more memory.
lastly the original mh cutters seemed to be less troublesome than the later ones but that particular plotter looks like it was rode hard and put up wet . . . might be time to put it out to pasture

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While this is not actually related to the issue you are having, be aware that your blade holder is NOT correctly seated within the carriage arm.

That barrel of the blade holder needs to be lower down, so it rests against the retainer ring --  there shouldn't be any gap like that, it needs to be flush against the bracket. What sometimes happens is the blade holder itself slips up as the machine is working (from the down contact force). It so happens that you cannot put too much pressure onto the retainer arm (over-tightening the knurled locking knob) because it will literally crack that arm. My solution to this was adding a bit of masking tape onto the barrel of the holder which provides friction/traction and keeps it from slipping back up.

 

As to your original problem, I'm also going along with dakota and darcshadow ---- Static (which is more of a problem on dry winter days).  Just put a dryer sheet into the vinyl cardboard tube.

 

 

 

IMG_4311.JPG.173a13059779ba2e4c926ce039f3cf13.JPG

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3 hours ago, Dakotagrafx said:

couple of things - the diagonal line is usually one of 3 things - cut software not being activated will cause it to do that,  static causes such issues and exceeding the very limited memory in a MH also causes such issues --- part of the reason the new sc2 came out with more memory.
lastly the original mh cutters seemed to be less troublesome than the later ones but that particular plotter looks like it was rode hard and put up wet . . . might be time to put it out to pasture

I bought it used with most of the scratches etc., so I don't know where it had been prior, but since I have had it it has been inside the rest of its life and I'm pretty fragile with my stuff. But I agree, and it's been more trouble than it should be, and at this point I'm probably better off to start over. I've wasted too much vinyl with this one and I can't afford that to keep happening lol. 

Thanks for all the help guys!

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