darcshadow
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Posts posted by darcshadow
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Something else you might want to consider going forward. Once you finalize your design you might consider saving it off/exporting it as an EPS, SVG, or AI file, something that is "standard" among most vector programs so that in the future if you ever do want to or need to change software you will still have access to all your old designs.
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You said you tested removing the 651, how long did you leave it on the wall though? That'd be my only concern with using 651, a year or two down the road you might not be able to remove it without damaging the wall.
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Do you frequently plug and unplug the USB from the plotter? Sounds a little like the USB port on the plotter is starting to fail.
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Programs like to store stuff in the Users/<username>/AppData folder a lot these days and it doesn't always get deleted when a program is uninstalled. Might try looking there to see if there is a log file. It's just a log file though, doesn't have any impact on anything other than a very small amount of disk space.
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It's always amazing how often unplugging and plugging something back in fixes the problem. ha
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That's sort of what I do for bigger jobs. I send the job to the cutter, make sure it gets started well, then leave the room and close the door.
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ah, ok, makes sense now.
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I have not used either of those programs, so my questions may seem obvious, but what exactly do you mean you print from AI then plot from Graphtec?
I would assume the graphtec software would load a standard vector file such as an EPS so in AI you simply save the file as an EPS. Should not be any need to print.
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And if you can't get those to work, node edit and delete all the nodes is an option, although an annoying one to do. Does VM work with raster images as well? An eraser tool seems more of a raster image tool than a vector tool to me.
Never mind, just looked up VM and the eraser tool, apparently it is a node editing tool so does kind of make sense.
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So you got me curious what the file actually looked like. Opened it with a text editor and it appears to be a simple version of gcode which is what CNC and 3D printers use. My assumption is PU is pin up, PD is pin down, and the 2 numbers are coordinates on where to move to. Given this, it would be possible to create software to draw the image the same as the plotter would plot it, a simple program written with MatLab could probably do it. Could be useful for tracking down if a problem is in the coding of the file or the plotter hardware.
Further research shows that it is HP-GL languange. So not sure which came first HP-GL or GCODE but either way they are both basically the same. Also found PA stands for plot absolute.
Here's an interesting write up about HP-GL Language.
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Also, don't confuse vinyl drift with poor tracking. If you load the vinyl in at an angle, it will drift as it goes through the cutter, HOWEVER, so long as the whole piece of vinyl is moving though the cutter at the same rate, which is should, then the tracking will be fine and the cuts will line up. The only "problem" with not getting the vinyl loaded straight is if you have a design that uses the full width of the vinyl, then you need to have things lined up straight to start with to eliminate the drift.
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Regarding your use of contact paper vs vinyl.
I've not dealt with contact paper much, but I would imagine it will wear out a blade faster than vinyl. You can get a 24"x10 yard roll of vinyl for about $30 including shipping. That works out to about $0.003 per square inch. Not sure how large of rolls you're getting from walmart but a quick check on their web page and it looks like most of them come out to a little more than $0.003 per square inch. So other than convince of running down to the store vs ordering online you're not really saving anything. And if you want to stick with local vs web, you might look around town for a sign shop and see if they'll sell you vinyl.
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Just to be clear, you don't need to ground the machine, you need to ground the vinyl, usually accomplished by grounding the stand the vinyl sits on.
Cuts not lining up wouldn't be a static problem, that'd be more of a tracking problem. Not finishing the cuts could be a static problem, could also be a comm problem. Are you using USB or serial? If using USB give serial a try.
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Are you trying to make something long term or short? Short term you could probably just use coroplast or something like it.
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Several on here have a dedicated cutting computer. Often times it's an older computer that still has a comm port and running WinXP and just keep it off the internet.
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14 minutes ago, Wildgoose said:You shouldn't hardly be able to see it.
Isn't that a double negative?
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Seems to me the easiest option would to buy a cheap computer that can be dedicated to the cut/print process.
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The next step, and you can get started on it now, is to learn the software. If you've never worked with vector graphics before it can take some time to wrap your head around vector vs raster graphics. Inkscape is a free, and extremely powerful vector design program. Download it and start playing around with creating designs. Another plus for Inkscape, it can be downloaded in a portable version, meaning you can put it on a thumb drive and run it on any computer without the need for admin rights to install it.
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What do you mean the test cuts look a bit off? A photo would help.
I'm not failure with artcut but I'd go through it and double check all the settings and make sure they are correct for the cutter. The baud rate would be the main thing. If there is a setting regarding the comm protocal, your cutter uses HP-GL.
Other option would be to try different software. Signblazer is free, search the forums, links to it are posted several placed. There are other, newer, free to try software that you can use as well to at least determine if the problem is hardware or software.
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If that is what you were using for the 721 I would expect it to work for the 871. I was using the RedSail RS720C for my MH but I rarely use SB anymore and cut directly from Inkscape using the comm port.
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I don't see anything in the SBD that jumps out at me as being the cause of your problem but the file itself is pretty messy. Looks to me like it was an auto trace that was then never cleaned up. Although I did just look at the EPS, it is a lot cleaner and looks like what I would expect, so it might just be the conversion to SBD that makes it look funny.
Personally i'd go through the EPS file and clean it up. It has several layers and strokes. I'd go through the EPS and flatten it all to a single layer/object and remove all strokes.
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Typo there, should say Null Modem.
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More often then not googling a part number/model number and the word manual will find a downloadable PDF.
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Cuts 90% of artwork then cuts 2 random lines and stops
in MH Series Vinyl Cutters
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Because the problem is so predictable I do not believe static is the issue. And since the only thing that has really changed is the computer upgrade I'd focus there. Do you have another computer you could try, or one you could borrow to try? Have you tried different software? Does it do it even on a really simple design like a square?