illmattic86

Designs Having Lines Cut Through Them

Recommended Posts

Hello all, I'm hoping to get some help here. I have been having a major issue as of late with my cutter randomly cutting lines through my jobs and not finishing them. It does not seem to be a static issue and I am not sure its a memory issue either, considering I was able to cut large files multiple times previous to this week without issue. I used to have this problem before I grounded my machine and added the tripplite, but its been working great since those additions until recently.

Current Setup

SC Cutter (bought in 2016? Ive had it for awhile)

2010/11 Macbook Pro 15in (Mac OS 10.9)

SCAL 3 Pro (registered and activated)

Tripplite keyspan adapter with NULL cable (bought in 2021)

Grounded with wiring and with the little anti-static cord (tried de humidifier and dryer sheets too)

Machine is on wood

I make sure to shut it off in between cuts and am only cutting sections of vinyl. Not using rolls on the rollers.

Tested pen tool and had same problem with the lines being cut

I tried reducing nodes both in illustrator and in SCAL

 

I ended up buying SCAL 5 Pro (registered and activated) for my newer iMac (Catalina 10.15) to see if that made a difference and it did not. It cuts a couple pieces of the design and then goes haywire and cuts some more of the design and then it thinks its done just as it did on my macbook. Just really stumped here and hoping to get some help if possible.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

have you tried changing your USB cable?

how far (or long) is your laptop from your cutter?

are you using a USB hub?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have not changed my usb cable. Still using the one that came with the Tripplite. Since its not old, I didnt think anything of it. My serial cable is about 7' and its the one that came with my cutter. I changed to a new serial cable that is longer as well and still got the same results. I am not using a USB hub either. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Motherboard. They do fail.

(not sure how you can replace that, USCUTTER no longer carries it).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I found the mother boards on ebay for the Chinese counterpart of the SC but they are around $120-$150. That's obviously cheaper then upgrading to a new machine, but wondering if I should use the opportunity to go to servo Titan...hmmmm

Just perplexing because it worked and then it didnt. I can still cut small jobs with it, but once going to a larger job its just freaks out. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Going to a Servo TITAN is a big leap forward in quality, and also expensive.

You'll be gambling on the $100 cost of the replacement MB, it may not even solve the issue, just guessing.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I bought another Tripplite and that did not solve it. At this point I will probably have to just try a motherboard. 

 

I will note that is seems when I start cutting with SCAL, the load bar for the cut goes really slow. I want to to say it went a bit faster before but it probably didnt. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So I have been cutting things here and there over past two months and it definitely seems like a memory issue. Weird it worked great for a year with the Keyspan and big jobs and all of a sudden it just cant do it anymore. If I go ahead and replace the motherboard and IO board, I will be at about $150 invested and might not fix anything. Or I can take that money and put it towards upgrading. So with that being said, should I upgrade to the SC2 which has more memory as a selling point? or spend more for a Titan or Titan3 Servo? I would like to stay around the SC2 budget, but if either of the Titan's are far superior and worth the added cost, I would be willing to save up more for those. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

  Titan 2 is the bottom of the servo cutters, Servo is always better than a stepper.  It all depends on what your needs are. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Has your computer done an update lately? Have you tried a different computer?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have two different computers, a 2010 macbook (no update for a long time but I did just update all the drivers to hopefully fix the issue) and I have a 2020 imac. It has problems cutting regardless of computer hooked up. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

  In 6 years you should have gotten your monies worth out of it.  If it is in your budget upgrade to a servo and go on with life.  Time is money. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you have access to a PC, desktop or laptop, or have a friend with a laptop. I would download and install SignBlazer Elements. It's an good program that's a bit antiquated, but it's the 'go to' for testing when there are issues. At this point, it really won't cost you anything but some time and effort.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now