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Vinyl Systems Specialis 28" GE-721 driver?

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Hey guys - I'm trying to help some friends get their cutter setup (again) in their office. So they were gifted with a Vinyl Systems Specialist 28" GE-721. It was good to go and totally worked before, at this location, with this laptop and setup.

Windows 10
SignMaster CUT 3.5 Basic
USB

Now the cutter isn't even detected by the laptop. I don't think they quite understand that a cutter can be a fickle thing, and they just keep on plugging and unplugging it, depending on where the designated user is sitting. I've tried all the USB port, checked and rechecked Com Port, and there is a means to "auto detect," which I follow all the instructions, but it still does not detect it. I've gone through a myriad of the turning the laptop and cutter on and off in various sequences, but still no dice.

Is there a separate driver that I should be looking for? In the device settings, under the COM & PORTS. Under either/or of the USB ports (SUB-SERIAL CH340 (COM3) & USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM4) that I plug the cutter into, it's telling me "Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer. (Code 45)" 

I'm about to drag this thing into the parking lot and put it out of it's misery and have them buy a cutter that can actually be supported, and did I read right in another post on this forum, that the Vinyl Systems / Vinyl Express Cutters only cut with the SignMaster software it ships with? I can't even find a workaround in SBE for this? Not that I would know which cutter model to even begin choosing in the settings page :(

I tried trolling the manufacture's website, and it's not helpful at all. Any guidance would be super appreciated. Mahalo in advance!

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FTDi driver --->   http://www.uscuttersupport.com/downloads/Drivers/cdm20828_setup_windows.exe

In SignBlazer, you could try the Roland or Copam or LiYu or even the RedSail units. Just choose one and then move to another if it doesn't respond. Yes, you are right, the Specialist machines are dedicated to SignMaster as proprietary software. However, sometimes SBE can run an off-brand unit, ya never know (hundreds of cutters are listed, you might get lucky just choosing down the list at random).

 

 

 

 

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 This cutter has a special proprietary  driver only made for this cutter and  Sign Master software and only will work with Sign Master software.   This cutter is sold at Heat Press Nation   PC only. 

Sign Master Cut or Sign Master Pro (Required Software)

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The SC2 is now being offered at $350. (software included; media catch-basket and stand included)

That's like a dollar a day over the next year.

"I'm about to drag this thing into the parking lot and put it out of it's misery and have them buy a cutter that can actually be supported..."

Yep.

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Thanks guys. I'm not a fan of the bundled software - such a shame that it doesn't play well with SBE, at least I can hit the ground running with that.

Good thing it was a gift for these guys, because I would cringe to know that they spent their money on it - at least someone else footed the bill on that.

I'll be back at their office tomorrow to take another stab at it ... or just stab the machine. When I asked the original purchaser why they bought that machine, his response was, "I don't know, it was cheap." I asked him if he checked out USC before making the purchase, and he said, "Yah, I really like their forum."  I suspect the deciding factor for him was whatever the chargers were for shipping. Short term thinking got him long term issues.

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Wasting time on a cutter that mysteriously craps out is not a good option.

I owned an MH machine that got busted (USB port was damaged when I tripped over the cable one day) and I quickly realized being 'down' would result in my giving up on much more money than a new cutter value.

USCutter shipped me a machine and it was on my doorstep in three days.
 

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Have you tried a different cable? Possible the cable has gone bad if they keep moving it around, and plugging/unplugging it.

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Update: So it was a bad USB cable. UGH!!

I agree, I would've thanked the gifter for a cutter, then sold it as soon as I could to buy something better :D

Unfortunately, not my decision. I just had to try and make what they were given work.

It's working now, but I still hate it. I can't figure out, in the software, how to minimize the space that the it gives the cutter after I reset the origin. When the cut preview window shows up, it already has some buffer space. I've checked and unchecked various boxes to minimize some of it, but there doesn't seem to way to get it to actually drop the blade and start cutting at my designated 0, 0. It just wastes vinyl. Soon I'll start setting the point of origin off the vinyl.

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