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Dropping prints
- Thread starter dj_elite
- Start date
dj_elite
New Member
Two options are checked under the LPT port. EPP and ECP. Those are the only options. Through Flexi transmission buffer is set at 8192. All other boxes in Flexi are unchecked. Boxes to check are "Check port state when sending" or "Use standard LPT driver" with two box options of ECP, EPP, then DMA. The first computer I had this all hooked up to the first time I left this all alone and it worked fine.
On another note, does anyone know what kind of memory this printer uses? I took the chip out and there is nothing on it but a sticker that says 16mb, the chips on the memory say memphis, I cannot find any info on this company. I do know it is a 72 pin EDO Simm. Will any 72 pin EDO simm work?
On another note, does anyone know what kind of memory this printer uses? I took the chip out and there is nothing on it but a sticker that says 16mb, the chips on the memory say memphis, I cannot find any info on this company. I do know it is a 72 pin EDO Simm. Will any 72 pin EDO simm work?
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dj_elite
New Member
So I ordered new memory. Hopefully its the right kind. Well I know all the specs are the same, but I hope it doesn't use specific. From what I found the memory that comes with this is made in Korea and probably garbage since I cant find specs on it. Also as for the parallel port on the printer, it is right off the mainboard. I thought it was a separate card, it is not. So if it is malfunctioning does that mean it is the mainboard? I just had the mainboard replaced about a month ago so I doubt it is that. But I guess you never know with these things
dj_elite
New Member
Installed new memory. Factory was 16mb + on board 8mb for a total of 24mb. I installed two 16mb for a total of 40mb. Ran a large print to see if it works. Printed fine no problem! So I run the exact same print again about 30" x 40" goes 6" and stops printing??? WTF seriously, what could possibly be the problem? Do you guys think the new board GEI installed is no good?
Well I know this thread is a couple months old but did you ever figure out the problem?
Here's my situation.
I have been using a laptop running win 7 x64 with a very old crappy flexiprint SE mutoh 5.0. Anyway, laptop has run this printer fine for over a year, but I want to use a more powerful PC so I built one with the same OS, 16gb of ram, etc etc. I am using a dedicated network card (not onboard) and I am connected directly to printer via network cable tcp/ip. A print will run for about 1-3' and then stop. It doesn't just stop suddenly though, the flexrip changes from "Printing" to "ripping done" - it is like it just stops sending the data, then once the data on the printers memory runs out it stops printing.
I can go back to the laptop and have no issues. I have tried 32 and 64 bit win7, onboard and dedicated network card, etc. I have tried EVERYTHING, but this pc just cant seem to finish a print??? Anyone have any ideas? It might be related to the same issues you are having? Reason I am posting in your thread is because it might not be printer related like you think, seems more computer or software related somehow. No idea, this one has me stumped.
Here's my situation.
I have been using a laptop running win 7 x64 with a very old crappy flexiprint SE mutoh 5.0. Anyway, laptop has run this printer fine for over a year, but I want to use a more powerful PC so I built one with the same OS, 16gb of ram, etc etc. I am using a dedicated network card (not onboard) and I am connected directly to printer via network cable tcp/ip. A print will run for about 1-3' and then stop. It doesn't just stop suddenly though, the flexrip changes from "Printing" to "ripping done" - it is like it just stops sending the data, then once the data on the printers memory runs out it stops printing.
I can go back to the laptop and have no issues. I have tried 32 and 64 bit win7, onboard and dedicated network card, etc. I have tried EVERYTHING, but this pc just cant seem to finish a print??? Anyone have any ideas? It might be related to the same issues you are having? Reason I am posting in your thread is because it might not be printer related like you think, seems more computer or software related somehow. No idea, this one has me stumped.
dj_elite
New Member
Still havent gotten this fixed. I am however running Windows 7 64x. I have talked to RandyA and we have gone over some things and determined it is not my network or network card. I did the same as you and installed a dedicated parallel port from my computer directly to the printer. Still hangs on prints. So annoying have a large format printer that can only print 15" long. Not to mention 1 out of 5 prints will just stop printing right off the bat. I am starting to think you are right with it being windows 7. I wonder if Flexi knows how to fix this problem? Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated. I've had it up to my eyeballs with this printer before this started and now this! I can't even offer my customers anything bigger than 36" x 20"ish which is just absolutely ridiculous!!!!
westpointsigns
New Member
I had that problem when I set up a new printer. I ended up reinstalling the software.
I lost all my preferences but not dropping any prints since....KNOCK ON WOOD.
I lost all my preferences but not dropping any prints since....KNOCK ON WOOD.
300mphGraphics
New Member
Are you clearing out old jobs in production manager after printing? A tech that was remote operating my computer during initial setup saw I had 8 or 9 jobs still in PM and he told me that could create issues
You can save/backup preferences.
dj_elite
New Member
Spent 6 hours getting everything up and running. Printer still hangs!!!! So I guess its not windows 7 after all. It is just this piece of junk printer in which I owe another 1 1/2 years on! Biggest piece of garbage ever. Ive spent more money trying to keep this thing going then to just buy another printer I think! Cant wait until it is paid off, it is then going to meet my friend Mr. Baseball Bat (office space style)......ROLAND FTW!!!!
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You'll have to bear with me here because I know diddly squat about modern printing machines.
I've read & re-read your posts and something keeps nagging away... motion control.
We had a frustrating issue with a CNC router. Turn the machine on, run a small cutting job... happy days. Load up a full sheet of material and then run a big cutting job.... utter freakin nightmare... X axis jumping & grinding or simply flat out refusing to move in ANY direction.
I was utterly convinced that the problem lay with the computer, the software, the PCI motion control card or the data cable.. basically everything this side of the router. After spending hours fiddling around with new cables, reinstalling software the fault was still there.
In desperation I called my mate who fiddles around with printed circuit boards for a living. He traced the problem to a 25 pence component on the X axis drive board. Turns out that this particular component can start to fail and still work perfectly.... as long as you're running small jobs which don't allow the motion control card to reach normal operating temperature it will move the X motor perfectly. As soon as the card is up to normal temperature this component starts going bat $hit.... missed instructions, garbled transmissions etc.
I've worked around CNC cutting machinery for years and it never even crossed my mind that the weird and wonderful problem we had was related to the actual drive circuits. I assumed a motion control drive would either work or not work with no in between.. turns out this isn't the case.
I might be wrong but I think most digital printers use stepper motors & drives which means your drive system is essentially "dumb". When your printers on board computer is processing your print job it fires off commands to move the vinyl through the machine on the X axis & shove the print head across the vinyl in the Y axis. What it doesn't do and can't know is whether or not these commands actually translate into movement. Stepper motors don't send feedback data to the computer so there is just no way for your printer to know that the movement instructions it sends actually translate into physical travel on X & Y.
I noticed you mention that the screen on your computer doesn't freeze or drop out but tells you the job has finished printing... this could be explained by a motion control problem. Your printer is tellling itself to move in X & Y and as far as it's concerned it is moving because the data has been sent. Without servo style feedback it can't check whether or not it is actually moving so it just assumes it is and tells you it's finished the print job once the last line of commands have been executed.
On all our machinery the motion controls are on external cards so they're easy to check.. yours are probably embedded onto the main board which you say is new but might be reconditioned or simply not tested for the motion control side of things. I'd be asking the mainboard supplier some serious questions... has he had this board in the same model of printer and used it to drive X & Y over a distance of say 2.5m? Will he swap the board for a second which you can test? Do you have the old one? If you put it into the printer will the damn thing move properly over long distances on X & Y?
Hope this helps.
dj_elite
New Member
I appreciate your post. It makes total sense what you are saying. Unfortunately the board was replaced by GEI. They took my old board when they put this new (refurb?)one in, kind of like a core charge. Also they only warrantied it for 30 days. My first large print I did about 2 months after it was fixed. I dont print large stuff very often, so when it was first fixed I didnt dawn on me to try a large print. To me it worked, so working was working to me. GEI is also hard to get a hold of. I have left them numerous messages with no return phone calls. This printer has been nothing but a nightmare the last year. Im about to just tell my lease company to come take it and if it hurts my credit score so be it, at this point its just about worth it!
Headhunterx
New Member
Did you ever try a real Network card in this printer yet?