1clo1 4 Posted May 5, 2022 I have the MH 871 MK2 I just replaced the carriage per tech supports recommendation because the carriage was not moving up and down when cutting. after the successful replacement of the carriage, I am still having the same issue. does anyone have any other recommendations besides getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted May 5, 2022 why did you think it was the carriage it's self? That sounds more like a fried z chip. Zapped by static. Hopefully you have the cutter grounded to the stand if you have one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted May 5, 2022 Just now, MZ SKEETER said: why did you think it was the carriage it's self? That sounds more like a fried z chip. Zapped by static. Hopefully you have the cutter grounded to the stand if you have one. Because, as I stated in my post it was the recommendation from tech support after doing some troubleshooting steps. it is grounded and has been since initial purchase to the stand as per the recommended directions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted May 5, 2022 a fried z chip is usually the main problem with MH cutters, blade not going up and down. We see it all the time on here. They are very prone to static. There is a battery test that you can do with a 9 volt battery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted May 5, 2022 27 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said: a fried z chip is usually the main problem with MH cutters, blade not going up and down. We see it all the time on here. They are very prone to static. There is a battery test that you can do with a 9 volt battery. Yes, I did try the 9-volt battery test as directed by tech support, they are the ones that told me the carriage needs to be replaced. when I did the test the carriage moved, even when I ran voltage through the wires it still moved. after this tech support told me that the carriage needed to be replaced. How do I locate the Z Chip? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted May 5, 2022 z chip is on the motherboard. Some places have photos listed on here. There have been several different boards over the years. I don't own a MH, But have read this problem many times on here. You could put z chip in the upper right hand corner search bar, many posts on the subject. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason98058 0 Posted May 5, 2022 3 hours ago, 1clo1 said: I have the MH 871 MK2 I just replaced the carriage per tech supports recommendation because the carriage was not moving up and down when cutting. after the successful replacement of the carriage, I am still having the same issue. does anyone have any other recommendations besides getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one? You probably have a bad motherboard… based on my experience 1 of the 4 ICs overheated and bought 10 ICs from China about $8 then soldered it to the board and it’s working now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason98058 0 Posted May 5, 2022 2 hours ago, 1clo1 said: Yes, I did try the 9-volt battery test as directed by tech support, they are the ones that told me the carriage needs to be replaced. when I did the test the carriage moved, even when I ran voltage through the wires it still moved. after this tech support told me that the carriage needed to be replaced. How do I locate the Z Chip? If you see the motherboard, look for a black heat sink if you take it out you will see 4 of them… to test them… do either freeze test or get a thermal gun much easier or spot temp gun. You will need to de solder then buy new IC very cheap like $8-10$ for 10 pieces solder it to the bad then you will have a working one again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted May 5, 2022 11 hours ago, 1clo1 said: Yes, I did try the 9-volt battery test as directed by tech support, they are the ones that told me the carriage needs to be replaced. when I did the test the carriage moved, even when I ran voltage through the wires it still moved. after this tech support told me that the carriage needed to be replaced. How do I locate the Z Chip? Sounds like you got ahold of a tech guy that didn't actually know what he was doing. If the cutter moved when you applied the battery then there is nothing wrong with the carriage, it's the power getting to the carriage. As Skeeter said, it's most likely the Z-chip, which is nothing more than a simple op-amp IC. On older MH boards this chip is in a socket and easy to replace. Newer boards, it's soldered on. Still replaceable, just not as easy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted May 6, 2022 12 hours ago, darcshadow said: Sounds like you got ahold of a tech guy that didn't actually know what he was doing. If the cutter moved when you applied the battery then there is nothing wrong with the carriage, it's the power getting to the carriage. As Skeeter said, it's most likely the Z-chip, which is nothing more than a simple op-amp IC. On older MH boards this chip is in a socket and easy to replace. Newer boards, it's soldered on. Still replaceable, just not as easy. See, I thought that, I even questioned the tech guy, and he assured me that was the case, I should have known better. where and how do I access the motherboard and Z Chip? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted May 6, 2022 This gets you to the motherboard, https://support.uscutter.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037533472-Replacing-the-MH-MK2-Motherboard The upper right corner is a search bar. Also Google search and youtube videos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted May 6, 2022 19 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said: This gets you to the motherboard, https://support.uscutter.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037533472-Replacing-the-MH-MK2-Motherboard The upper right corner is a search bar. Also Google search and youtube videos. i dont see Z Chips on the replacement part list only the mother board, probably best to just replace the board correct? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted May 6, 2022 No, you would not replace the mother board. It's only like a $5.00 part. You have to get the number off of it and go to an electronics shop and get it. Or order online. UScutter no longer sells them . Unless you want to spend that kind of money for a motherboard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted May 9, 2022 On 5/5/2022 at 10:27 PM, MZ SKEETER said: No, you would not replace the mother board. It's only like a $5.00 part. You have to get the number off of it and go to an electronics shop and get it. Or order online. UScutter no longer sells them . how do I know which one it is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted May 9, 2022 It's an op-amp, look for a small 8 pin chip with 741 on it. Found a photo of an older board, I believe the chip you are looking for is marked U208. Looks like the part number on that one is LM148 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted July 7, 2022 Thanks for all the help this far guys, still at a loss, I replaced what I thought was the chip, still didn't work, replaced the motherboard entirely and it worked for about a min made a funny noise, and didn't work after that, US Cutter replaced the motherboard and it still isn't working, any other ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted July 7, 2022 Getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one sounds like a good option at this point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted July 7, 2022 yeah, I'm considering that I think I may have found the problem, the ground wire on the carriage came off for some reason, I resoldered the wire and it seems to work fine now I will try to cut a project and see how that turns out. I ordered the ground kit that US Cutter offers and drilled a separate hole and removed the paint on the stand to get a better ground and even put 2 ground wires at 2 different places. I am also putting dryer sheets in the vinyl rolls. will keep everyone updated. Thanks for all the assistance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted July 7, 2022 Thanks for keeping us posted. Sounds like you have some serious static management going on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1clo1 4 Posted July 7, 2022 59 minutes ago, haumana said: Thanks for keeping us posted. Sounds like you have some serious static management going on. Possible, but not sure how that would cause the wire on the carriage to come off, but I have cut several projects so far and it seems to be working fine so I hope I resolved the issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted July 7, 2022 Now that you have a working cutter, it will be easier to sell it to someone else. Getting rid of this cutter and getting a better one sounds like a good option at this point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites