Vermonster

I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut...and a plotter :)

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There is a piece of plastic that is floating around there.  I would guess that it's a spacer that holds the grit roller in place.  The entire grit roller assembly on the left side moves about 1/4 inch in addition to spinning... looks pretty broken to me.

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Oddly enough, it looked pretty good for UPS :P

I've got the spacer back in where it goes, and it's rolling fine now... HOWEVER, I see nothing in there that would prevent it from sliding out of the whole back towards the belt side of the machine and doing this again.  In fact, I tested this and it easily slid back out of place.  Assumably there was either something in there, or it was plastic welded into place or was molded plastic that broke loose?  Other side looks to have the same design, and seems intact.  It almost looks like a horse shoe shaped piece of plastic...or something??

It's rolling ok now, but I don't need that slipping out during a vinyl job.  Can you give me a buzz so we can go over this?

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does the horse shoe shaped bit look like this:

C-clip_drawing.gif

if so,that is a shaft collar and is in fact used to keep spools in place.

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It is more shapped like the top 1/2 of a stop sign... IS the part you have below Metal?  I see what looks to be that inside which is metal.  THe piece I'm talking about is black plastic

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sounds like what is missing on yours is a regular 'c' clip which probably goes on the inside of the spacer and grips the shaft. If this is the case, they can be had at any hardware store. In the absence of that, I have taken a good heavy rubber band and wrapped it tight around the shaft to keep something from slipping.Works surprizingly well.

Of course the clip might be down inside the machine somewhere. If it wasn't properly seated at the factory,it can just pop out.

I can't really describe what it is but if you've ever put a universal joint into an old car,you know what it is. They come in all sizes.

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Actually I DO know the part you're talking about.  I've replaced several U-Joints.  How do you think I keep this PIG on the road.   :P  LMAO...

On a U Joint, the clip actually fits inside of the lip on the knuckle, where as this would have to fit around the shaft I'd think.  I dunno..once you get to parts THAT small, I get kinda eh.... 

I'm assuming the belt 'pulley' would have to come off by way of the set screw in there to really get in there and see how it would stay locked into place but I'd kinda like to get an official "US CUTTER" stance on this brand new piece of equipment... It's out of the box yanno...

post-2505-12986524874421_thumb.jpg

post-2505-12986524902586_thumb.jpg

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I am glad to know that someone besides me knows what I'm talking about. Most of the time, I don't even know what I"m talking about.

I have faith in you.

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LMAO...

I did get the plotter cutting.  I'm just worried about that piece coming back out again as there is really nothing holding it in that well... 

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well, I'm sure Mr Ken will ship you whatever it takes first thing Monday....probably too late out there now....hopefully it will hold up long enough for you to get the job done for the weekend. As my old freind Burl used to say...you gotta hold your mouth right.

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My Grandfather used to say that about casting a fishing pole  :P

Some issues I see right off the bat are

-  Tracking (could be related to grit roller issue)

-  Not closing cuts very well- Need to investigate blade offset settings

I will give some credit where credit is due.  I've owned Roland, Seiki and now US Cutter.  Obviously, Roland is in a different class.  The Seiki is more comparable in price, but I found the Refine to be put together better than the Seiki.  It's stand was almost identical but has a glossier coating that looks a little better in my opinion, but that's just an Out of the Box observation thus far...

Way too early to tell...

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it took me about a year to get the tracking thing right....it can be off just a TINY bit...a fraction of a fraction...and track 1/2 inch off over a 20" cut. Feed the vinyl back and forth til it tracks as straight as possible. I don't think it is possible to get it perfect every time with a friction feed machine...too many variables.

AS for the not closing cuts...you are right on the money...probably just a blade offset issue.

I have a 4 year old Seiki that runs like a champ...use it every day. From time to time,mostly in cold weather,it makes a loud racket but a good slap on the top left of it clears it up. One of these days I'm gonna take it apart and see what the problem is.

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Make sure the carriage wheels are sitting ON the tracks.

As for the broken clip.....I will have to take a unit apart and see if this can be replaced. I guess continue cutting for now, and we'll hope it holds up. I am sure it can be replaced if you feel comfortable doing so. Or we could have you ship the unit back and swap it for a new unit.

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We spoke via phone earlier today, but for those who might be watching this thread..

I had already pushed up on the carriage and it was not off of its track.  It appears to have been a blade offset issue

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Ken,

Just wanted to find out what was going on with my cutter?  I've had it since Friday of Last week and don't know where we stand yet on the broken part...

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Yeah, it would be nice to have a working plotter :thumbsup:

In the event it can't be easily repaired, or I'm not comfortable making the repairs, I'm assuming you guys will want the plotter back and won't send a replacement until you get it back.

How does the return shipping work to you guys?  I'm assuming you pay for shipping...back to you and back to me?

How long will it take.  I've already had this for 5 days, going on 6 now not working properly and it's starting to get drug out more than I would like.  I'm currently NOT using the machine... The piece keeps coming out and screwing up the cuts and it's getting quite aggrevating, not to mention wasting material and time. 

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I am here until about 4pm PST, which is about 7pm your time.

I have a Refine torn apart, and it was not too difficult to get to that little plastic bracket. Just needed to remove the bottom panel, loosen some screws for the feed roller brackets inside the unit, then remove the right side casing, take off the feed roller belt, and slide the feed roller out enough to access the bracket. Seems to clip on the bearing of the feed roller, so maybe yours broke? Either way, I have a new clip I would be happy to get out to you ASAP.

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In the picture I posted, you can actually see the bearing, so I assume so. 

What's the other option if I'm not up for hacking into this thing?  Sounds like I'm going to have to really take this thing all apart to do all of this...

Also, can you post a picture or diagram that shows this piece?

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Happy Anniversary Plotter  :thumbsup:

It's been a week... Ken, can you please call me at the number you called me at last time?

Thanks

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Just spoke to you on the phone and I am trying to do what I can to get this resolved for you to your satisfaction.

:thumbsup:

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