seventynine

MH721, mind of it's own? included a picture. hopefully an easy fix?

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hi all, i was wondering if you could settle my conundrum, here's the situation i'm having:

IMG_0968.jpg

Four things are happening that i can see:

1. drawing random lines wherever it chooses

2. not drawing lines it's meant to

3.drawing lines it's meant to wherever it wants

4. stopping dead and reporting a "write port error" in flexisign (8.1)

now i've searched the forum and the cry of static and grounded seemed to be my answer, so i cleaned up the grounding points and wired the stand into the plotter and it's not really done anything.

i'm using good quality belkin USB -> serial converter which works fine with another serial device i have (VAG COM), windows 7 64bit, flexi 8.1.

only thing else i can think of is i bought another serial lead to try out but that didn't even work at all  :thumbsup:

my suspicions is that it's a plotter/hardware fault but the seller i bought it off seems to think it's a software fault (trying to get out of sending me a new unit methinks)

any advice you could offer would be a godsend, i'm all out of ideas  :thumbsup:

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First off, I will say that Flexi 8.1 is not even  windows VISTA compatible. So your software may not be working as it should and needs upgraded, or go down to a windows XP operating system.,  Flexi was not windows VISTA compatible until version 8.5. and your trying to run it on even newer windows system. Newest Flexi now is version 8.6.  And that design is probably too detailed for the memory of your machine, running multiples copies like that. my 2c

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I would say communication error between the cutter and usb cable. I use flexi 7.5 and windows 7. But just a usb cable did not work. I had to use the prolific cable that came with the cutter to convert serial to usb. Once I installed the updated prolific drivers, I had no problem at all. But if you unplug the cable to run another device, it will change the com port settings in win 7.

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i forgot to add that it's been running happy as larry for 2 months, been throwing some rediculous jobs at it and it's been fine (1-200 intricate logo's at a time) INCLUDING the design you see above ^^

not sure what changed, i don't think anything. just woke up one morning and it started spacking out.

it's connected to the serial/COM port of the plotter using a known working belkin USB adaptor so i highly doubt it's that. i also tried the prolific drivers but couldn't get it firing so disregarded that almost as soon as i bought the plotter

and dropping down to windows XP seems a little extreme right? could anyone recomend another peice of software i could try with it (freeware/demo etc) just to rule out it being due to flexisign?

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Signblazer is FREE software and can be downloaded right from the Signblazer thread, here in the forum,  at the top of the thread,  darker lettering or from a US Cutter EBAY ad for vinyl cutters.  also,   http://www.sc-x2.com/  has a free week demo.   goodluck.

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just tried signblazer and it's putting random horizontal lines through the test cut. so i think that removes the chance of it being due to the plotter software right?

at least it's one thing ticked off the list. any more ideas?

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Seems like you had been running the cutter for sometime before gounding it. If static got to the head before it was properly grounded, could be a hardware thing...

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surely the static should dissapear as soon as it's grounded? when i whipped the side off it it was grounded to the plug which i would assume sufficient? i can't really see how grounding it to an otherwise insulated stand would improve it but i did it anyway  :thumbsup:

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If static was built up and discharged through the cutter's head, damage may already be done, and no amount of grounding after that point can reverse the damage.

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right. i beleive it to be well grounded from when i purchased it.

i've got another laptop coming next week i've borrowed. it has a COM port on it and running XP, so i'll see if it works from that. if not then i'll be getting it exchanged under warranty.

apart from that is there anything else i can try in the meantime?

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If you're using fix, check the production manager and see if "send arc commands" is checked. If it is, uncheck it. But if you have been using another device with the same cable, I would say that your port settings have changed either in the software, or not set up correct at the cutter. But saying the cutter is grounded just because it has a grounded plug is wrong. Static builds up in the vinyl when it's running and travels from the roll of vinyl _ On the stand_ and travels up the vinyl sending the static through the cutter head.

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If you still suspect a static problem, take the cutter off the stand and put it on the floor, dont ask, just do it, what have you to lose? after having these MH-1351 and MH-721 for the last 3 years I just tried this last night as I couldnt get a cut off to save my life and it was fixed and could cut anything as long as I want.

Wayne

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will try that now mate.

i've checked, checked and rechecked the port settings, even tried changing the baud rate lower (in flexi, on the plotter and in device manager) to no avail

the roll of vinyl does seem really static, so i'm inclined to beleive it's static based. i assume this will still be covered under my warranty if the head has been damaged?

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Send arc commands should be in the production manager under advanced settings. Go to the production manager, the to setup properties for the cutter, then job defaults to the last tab and you should see it.

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if you still are fighting static you need a ESD

we got 3 of them and glad we did it take pos and neg ions and neutralizes them so there isnt more of one than the other on the vinyl -

i didn't believe it at first but first time i picked up a piece of vinyl that had a lot of static on it - it would fold on to itself becouse of the static took the ESD and pointed to the vinyl 3-5 sec the static was gone

so we just got one blowing over the vinyl before it gets to the cutter - that way there is no static built up on the vinyl when it gets to the cutter

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it will not matter - it may help but the problem is the vinyl builds up static as it is moving its just the nature of the beast.

vinyl is an insulator you cant wipe it off you cant ground it out two things you can do is more humidity or get an ionizer

thats all you can do

some of the info i found is -- i could be wrong on polarity - but as the vinyl moves it builds up positive ions on the vinyl and continues till there is no more room for the ions then they will jump to the cutter and start to mess with your cutter

yes grounding the cutter may help the ions that have jumped but not the static problems grounding is a band-aid

i had some really great links but i cant find them now

so an esd will fix it - if your interested i have 2 extra to sell -- new there over $1000 i bought 3 for $300 i can sell them for $50 each

but do some resurch on esd and you will find out the same thing that i found out - there is companies that do nothing but build ion machines for industrial applications - most are plastic glass and electronics

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