Gerber Signmaker 4B parts and fonts WANTED

[Dan Hurtubise]

Hi Guys,

I was recently given a Gerber Signmaker 4b. It has 6 fonts, but I was hoping someone had a Cadlink Fastboard for sale, or possibly a few font modules for sale?

I'm only using it to make some simple vinyl reproductions, labels, and super simple stuff - I'm not a sign guy in any way.... just wanna make good use of this tool.

Also, has anyone ever converted one of these to an Arduino, or Raspberry PI???

Thanks for your time,

 

[Broome Signs]

HI
We stll have over 100 fonts
2x fast boards
2x digitaizing tablets
2x apple design stations
x2 4b cutters
x2 base units that use to power the system 48 CNC
cost around £360,000.00 bak in the 80;s
make me an offer we cant refuse

the old scanner and wize PC may still be knockiing about

 

[kcollinsdesign]

Somebody who has a need to cut sprocket fed 15" vinyl (municipality for reflective traffic and safety signs, for example) will have a use for your old plotters. They can fetch $300.00 or so if in working order. Fonts maybe $10 or so, but will be tedious to sell individually. The boards that link the plotter to a pc will be hard to find, but they are out there. They are a pain to solder in and even more of a pain to get to work. Don't plan on getting any tech support!

If you just want to do simple, fun projects around the house, I would just sell all that stuff and buy a Cricut. They are small, inexpensive, and easy and fun to use.

 

[Dan Hurtubise]

HI
We stll have over 100 fonts
2x fast boards
2x digitaizing tablets
2x apple design stations
x2 4b cutters
x2 base units that use to power the system 48 CNC
cost around £360,000.00 bak in the 80;s
make me an offer we cant refuse

the old scanner and wize PC may still be knockiing about

Thank you for the offer, but all of that is way too much for me. I was just hoping to get a bit more functionality out of this old beast, without spending too much. It works fine for basic stuff, but would of been nice to convert it to an arduino/Rasp PI, which could tell the cutter to cut anything.

 

[Dan Hurtubise]

Somebody who has a need to cut sprocket fed 15" vinyl (municipality for reflective traffic and safety signs, for example) will have a use for your old plotters. They can fetch $300.00 or so if in working order. Fonts maybe $10 or so, but will be tedious to sell individually. The boards that link the plotter to a pc will be hard to find, but they are out there. They are a pain to solder in and even more of a pain to get to work. Don't plan on getting any tech support!

If you just want to do simple, fun projects around the house, I would just sell all that stuff and buy a Cricut. They are small, inexpensive, and easy and fun to use.

The thing is, I got a ton of Vinyl with this cutter, and am unsure of what CRICUT model to upgrade to, in order to use this vinyl!? Maybe you could direct me to a CRICUT model that can use 15" vinyl???

 

[James Burke]

Call the plotter doctor for the LMK card and fonts. They carry both.

Every once in a while, you can find these on ebay, but you'll have to wait and watch. I sold my LMK last summer on ebay and it went for just shy of $300.


JB

 

[kcollinsdesign]

The thing is, I got a ton of Vinyl with this cutter, and am unsure of what CRICUT model to upgrade to, in order to use this vinyl!? Maybe you could direct me to a CRICUT model that can use 15" vinyl???

The Cricuts use 12" x 24" sheets. You can cut them out yourself. The newest top of the line Cricut "Maker" is $370.00 and has a lot of cool features, but if you only want to cut vinyl there are cheaper options starting at a little over $100.00.

 

[Dan Hurtubise]

Call the plotter doctor for the LMK card and fonts. They carry both.

Every once in a while, you can find these on ebay, but you'll have to wait and watch. I sold my LMK last summer on ebay and it went for just shy of $300.


JB

You are absolutely correct, the plotter doctor has the LMK card - at 290$, and a ton of font modules at 35$ each, or 5 for 25$ each or something. It's a little disappointing to see the LMK card so high, given that I saw a completed listing on Ebay for 50$ for the same card and cables. Even if I found one tho, someone mentioned I would have a bit of hard time soldering it to the main board. I took electronics technology in college, so I'm not too afraid of that endeavor, but having the pinout of where to solder it is more important - something I don't think comes with the LMK card.

 

[Dan Hurtubise]

The Cricuts use 12" x 24" sheets. You can cut them out yourself. The newest top of the line Cricut "Maker" is $370.00 and has a lot of cool features, but if you only want to cut vinyl there are cheaper options starting at a little over $100.00.

So essentially, I could use my vinyl, if I pre-cut it to 12 x 15 or so - but would still need to go back to the signmaker for anything longer than 24" - such as a banner. It's too bad there isn't a more elegant solution to switch to, in order to make good use of the vinyl I got.

 

[James Burke]

You are absolutely correct, the plotter doctor has the LMK card - at 290$, and a ton of font modules at 35$ each, or 5 for 25$ each or something. It's a little disappointing to see the LMK card so high, given that I saw a completed listing on Ebay for 50$ for the same card and cables. Even if I found one tho, someone mentioned I would have a bit of hard time soldering it to the main board. I took electronics technology in college, so I'm not too afraid of that endeavor, but having the pinout of where to solder it is more important - something I don't think comes with the LMK card.

I've installed a couple of LMK cards. They're entirely plug and play....no soldering needed on the 4B.


JB

 

[kcollinsdesign]

I installed some link cards in my 4a plotters back in the early '90s. Definitely NOT plug and play! Maybe the CadLink cards were, but what would you attach the communication cable to and how do you get power to it? The cards I used needed a separate board with a special tap for the power supply along with additional grounding. I ended up installing an adapter for the comm cable. The power supply was tapped direct, and I had to add a fan to keep it from overheating. Worked great though. Make sure you ground everything first, there's some scary caps in there.

 

[James Burke]

Definitely NOT plug and play! Maybe the CadLink cards were...

Yep, they were CadLink cards...I didn't realize there was a difference. Everything was plug-in...no soldering.


JB

 

[netsol]

i still run a job on my smc4a from time to time

you drive the lmk with a 9 pin serial port. its been years since i saw the documentation, though. calling it plug and play would be misleading...

certainly no soldering, however

 

[Timothy-SLATEMASON]

Are you still needing accessories for the 4B? ...I have everything you need. Let me know, Thanks!

 

[Dan Hurtubise]

Yes sir, if you have a cadlink board and a few don’t modules, at A good price, I would be willing to buy them off you.

 

[netsol]

we have 2 54" rolands, 3 epsons, 3 gerber edges, 2 hs15 plotters, but i still use my original smc4 from 1992, it has sentimental value

i have 2 "spares" 4b's in a storage unit, that should have lmk cards with them. not sure about cadlink
i will look this weekend