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Contour Cutting Setup

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cmwyke

New Member
Hey All,
Having some major issues. I guess to start with my cutter isn't actually the graphtec, we cheaped out and got a SignWarehouse Vinyl Express Q series, but it's supposedly the same thing pretty much.

We bought it used as well, and apparently it didn't come with the ARMS device within it. Well, we bought the ARMS device from Sign Warehouse, and installed it ourselves, not a real hard job.

Following the directions given to us, it attempts to lead us into a setup menu by turning the machine on while holding the test and enter buttons. Then it says to press menu, and hit next until you get to the option of ARMS OPTION. That option doesn't exist for us in the menu. It's supposed to give you the option of enabling or disabling the ARMS OPTION.

Well, we decided to try contour cutting anyway, and the ARMS OPTION acts like it is enabled. We can contour cut, but it's not correctly aligned. Following the instructions in the manual for Adjusting the Sensor Offset, we printed out the crosshairs and starting aligning it. Thought we were getting somewhere, but then noticed that each time it was cutting pretty much a different shape. The image we were trying to cut was just an oval, one time it would cut an oval 4.5" wide, next time it would be 4.25" wide.

I'm lost and confused at this point as to what could be the problem. Any and ALL help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
AUTO-FX

AUTO-FX

New Member
Troll around the SW website - there is all kinds of info there.
If you bought the ARMS from SW, give them a call. If you get the right guy on the phone, I'm sure you'll get good CS.
Do a search here, too, and you may find some info.
This plotter you bought is actually not such a "cheaped out" plotter.
Both my Q100's had the ARMS already, so I'm not much technical help for you, sorry.
 
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Stealth Ryder

New Member
Welcome from the Great State of Texas...

Have you considered the SW website/Tech Support... There are directions there to install and setup the machine for Contour Cutting... A little light reading will take you a long way in your endevour...
 
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cmwyke

New Member
I read the directions, called sign warehouse and all that. I was hoping someone had a similar issue and new a fix for it.

Sign warehouse says they have absolutely no clue, but would start with replacing the motherboard. I hate to replace the main board on it on just a whim of what the guy thinks he'd start with.

Not to mention the cost of talking to them, whether they help or not....kind of ridiculous.
 
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cmwyke

New Member
The problem is he doesn't know that the motherboard is bad. He charged $100 dollars to tell me he's never heard of the problem and as such has no clue how to fix it. After complaining that he charged us to tell us nothing, then he told us that we could try buying a new motherboard and see if that fixes the problem.

I'd like to see a bit more certainty before buying a $600+ part that may or may not have anything to do with our current problem. I'm not saying he's wrong, or that it wouldn't fix the problem, it's just not very reassuring when someone tells you they have no clue, and then comes up with an expensive part after some prodding.
 
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cmwyke

New Member
The current switch settings are 1 and 2 on. They had us turn 2 and 4 on to reset the motherboard. What settings are you saying they should be?
 
Bradster941

Bradster941

New Member
I have no idea what a "MH721" plotter is according to your Profile.

Your profile shows no printer, so maybe it is time to update your profile.
 
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cmwyke

New Member
Bradster941 said:
I have no idea what a "MH721" plotter is according to your Profile.

Your profile shows no printer, so maybe it is time to update your profile.
Click to expand...

I will do that. I signed up on this forum quite some time ago, I would swear I had even posted a couple of times, but apparently not lol.
 
Bradster941

Bradster941

New Member
If it is a Q 100, I will take the side off mine to give you the dip switch settings.
I just don't know at this point what you have.

SW is less than adequate in my experience all around in both cutters and printers and money spent as well as original customer agreement and commitment.
 
Jim Doggett

Jim Doggett

New Member
cmwyke said:
The problem is he doesn't know that the motherboard is bad. He charged $100 dollars to tell me he's never heard of the problem and as such has no clue how to fix it. After complaining that he charged us to tell us nothing, then he told us that we could try buying a new motherboard and see if that fixes the problem.

I'd like to see a bit more certainty before buying a $600+ part that may or may not have anything to do with our current problem. I'm not saying he's wrong, or that it wouldn't fix the problem, it's just not very reassuring when someone tells you they have no clue, and then comes up with an expensive part after some prodding.
Click to expand...

Hi cmwyke,

Sorry about the uncertainty; over-the-phone is always a bit of guesswork to resolve problems, essentially through a process of elimination. Please hang in there and we'll get you running as fast as we can.

As for the $100 charge that's simply way too much. The correct fee is $29, and it's incident-based. In short, it's good until we get the problem resolved. So let me know via a PM who charged you the $100 and I'll make sure you're remunerated for the amount you were over-charged.

Best Regards,
 
Jim Doggett

Jim Doggett

New Member
Bradster941 said:
SW is less than adequate in my experience all around in both cutters and printers and money spent as well as original customer agreement and commitment.
Click to expand...

Hi Bradster,

I'd like to think we're more than adequate, especially in the quality and value we're able to offer vis a vis private-label agreements with makers of what we consider the finest equipment and software in its category. We're a big company with lots of leverage, which we pass onto our customers. And we enable our suppliers to do huge volumes, which improves their efficiencies through greatly increased economy-of-scale. Everyone wins, economically.

And we support our equipment and software, I believe, better than anyone. We have our own in-house factory-certified techs, available 7 days a week. We have online training videos, and a support knowledgebase that's unsurpassed, and often used by users of Flexi, Graphtec and Mutoh who did not buy from us, but come to our site because it's the only thing like it in the industry.

But thinking we're better than merely adequate, is inadequate by default. We gotta be better. So please let me know what if anything I can do to resolve issues you've yet to be satisfied were resolved to an adequate degree.

Thanks,
 
Bradster941

Bradster941

New Member
These are the settings on mine and verified on another members Q 100


Note you are reading 1 through 8 from the bottom up and looking at the dip switches head on, the "ON" position is to the left.

Hope this helps.


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cmwyke

New Member
Thanks Bradster, it would appear that I was wrong in what my settings were, they are already set like yours. I guess that's not it.
 
Jim Doggett

Jim Doggett

New Member
Hi cmwyke,

My guess would be firmware, based on this:

"Then it says to press menu, and hit next until you get to the option of ARMS OPTION. That option doesn't exist for us in the menu. It's supposed to give you the option of enabling or disabling the ARMS OPTION ... Well, we decided to try contour cutting anyway"

Call our support folks at 800.699.1783 and I think you'll have better luck than trial and error based on potential issues with an installed ARMS, which trying "anyway" probably will not ever work if it's not fully installed in the OPTIONS. I have the info on the PPI (support you bought) and will PM you on that, as well as what I've learned about what you were charged.

Best Regards,
 
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