CAMM-1 PNC-1000 illegal Pinchroll Position

[Barry Davis]

I have owned this Roland CAMM-1 since the mid 80's. We only use it for cutting tiny lettering, so it probably only has about 40 hours on it total. I have never had a problem...until now. About 4 times out of 5, I get an error message "Illegal Pinchroll Position".
It looks like the sensor is on the top/back of the blade holder assembly and the metal blade mounted on the pinchroller passes thru the sensor.
On startup of the plotter, the blade holder only goes to the left about 2 inches and stops, giving the error message. I cannot figure out how the plotter thinks the pinchroller is in the wrong position, as it never goes over to let the sensor see the roller. For a while I could turn the plotter off and slide the blade holder over to the left, then turn it on. That way the sensor passed over the pinchroller and "saw" its position. This seemed to work for a while, but now it works only when it wants to.
Help anyone?
ps: called Roland and the only thing that they knew for sure, was that they did not have any parts for that plotter.

 

[geb]

When I was using a camm1 years ago, I had an error message about the pinch roller, where they roll the vinyl through cutter, the roller had moved alittle off the position it was supposed to be in, or on, when cutting vinyl. Move your pinch wheel(S) around to a grooved position on the roller underneath the pinch wheel, maybe that will help your problem.? When they are not holding down the vinyl, they can move alittle.

George

 

[Mosh]

What size material are you running? Is this a 20" or 24" machine?

 

[OldPaint]

PNC-1000,has only ONE movable pinch roller!!!! if you stand in front of the machine, the LEFT PINCH ROLLER, is screwed to that position!!!! if you unloosened the screw, then you need to put it back to its original spot. the pinch roller to the right has 3 places it can contact the grit roller ONLY!!!! 15", 18" & 20". if you are not exactly on one of those, you will get that error. i dont believe 1000 had a sensor. i run one from 1992, till 2001!!!! rock solid plotters. the PNC-1000A had more grit roller exposed, and both pinch rollers could be moved. the PNC-1100 was the BESTEST!!!!! 24" and fast compared to the 1000. i had 2 of them, 1 in the office and 1 in the mobile truck. i now have a CX-300(30"), never knew a plotter could be this quite))))))

 

[Barry Davis]

20"

 

[Barry Davis]

Today it seems that all I have to do is to turn the plotter on and off a few times and it will work properly. Without moving either pinchroller, this looks like it is a firmware problem in the plotter. It could still be a bad connection,

 

[Gabriel]

Bad connection in the cable card, maybe.

 

[round man]

the PNC-1000 has a metal tab that is attached to the pinch wheel roller,...this tab passes thru a sensor on the knife carriage each time the plotter is booted and or when you press the enter button to put it online and reads the size of the media(the distance between the two pinch wheels). If you get a pinch wheel error message this means one of two or three things,...the pinch wheel is in an incorrect position and or there is a bad sensor,....you don't want to know the third one as it means your plotter is fubar. if you continually get an error message you might want to clean the sensor with a cotton swab dampened NOT SOAKED with rubbing alchohol. and check and or realign the pinch wheel to a proper position on the grit wheel as Joe suggests,...

 

[OldPaint]

iam thinking the hold down screw on the left pinch roller is loose or somebody loosened it!!!!
ON THE PNC-1000 THIS IS A STATIONARY PINCH ROLLER and if its moved........YOU WILL GET THAT MESSAGE.

 

[FatCat]

Just before I got my Summa, I had a CX-400. I had to replace the pinch roller sensor ($55) after I started getting errors like that.

*It' a little green circuit board on the back of the cutting head, about 1" x .5" or so with 2 lead wires coming off it that will need to be re-soldered.