Gerber Venting....

[MarkH42]

I just made my second most frustrating purchase ever from Gerber. (That is if you don't count the $70.00 I pay every time I call to ask for tips on how to use their equipment.) The $100 bomb-sight for my envision 375 will always be the most furstrating, but here is number 2. Our old computer just went out, so I ordered a new Windows 8 PC, with the 25-pin and serial ports so we could use our Edge 2 and Envision 375. But they don't work. If you comb the Gerber website, you will find where they explain that ports ordered from anyone but them will not work. BUT, they have a solution. They will sell you an adapter cable that will resolve the issue. How much for the cable? $39?, $49?.....surely not more than that? Wrong - $99.00 buys you one cable to connect the Edge 2. For another $99 you can hook up your Envision 375 also! So, $200 and I'll be in business!

I am convinced their management sits in a room and says "our software is quickly becoming a dinosaur and our R&D department can't keep pace with the industry. How do we maximize revenue this year? Let's really stick it to those remaining few loyal customers we have and get as much as we possible can from therm. Yes, that may alienate some of them, but we'll worry about that next year."

I have never seen a company so seemingly unappreciative of their customers. I am moving to Flexi as quickly as I can and transitioning away from Gerber. Someone may keep them in business beyond 2014, but it won't be me.

 

[Malkin]

I have each of those AND one for our 48" Odyssey.

:-\

 

[Caitlin]

I hear ya......BUT - do you have any complaints about their equipment? We run an Edge 2, GS15+ and HS15+ , and they're built like tanks.

Agreed... we had a technician stop by a while ago while he was in town setting up a printer somewhere else because we were having issues with our GS15+ jumping off mid-letter and he said there were a few fairly significant things loose or shifted after 7-8 years of constant use and the thing was still running solid other than that issue. I haven't had another problem with it since.

 

[MarkH42]

I will agree that the machines themselves are well built. But their markup on basic parts is outrageous. And even if their vinyl and foils were anywhere close to being competitive (they aren't), it takes forever for our distributor to get them to us. I am in business and I don't begrudge any business charging a fair price for their goods and services. But Gerber is a joke in this industry for this reason. I started my conversation with our distributor by saying "I'm getting ready to order something from Gerber and I'm not happy about it". He laughed and replied with "yeah, I hear that a lot." They aren't even pleasant on the phone, which might help soften the blow as they are quoting prices for the $129.00 rubber belt. With seemingly so little goodwill built up in the industry, when given a suitable option to move eslewhere, I'm betting most Gerber customers will take that option. I didn't develop this impression based on one phone call. This came slowly, after dozens of conversations and transactions. The management of this company takes us for granted and that is crystal clear.

 

[Malkin]

.... This seems to work well for us with the exception of one infuriating problem - the XP computer loses connectivity to the network ALL THE TIME...which can only be repaired by rebooting the main computer that all the files are on.

VERY frustrating to say the least, I sure wish I could find a workaround or solution.

Exact same problem here. We have 1 XP machine (the RIP) and I have to reboot the main server machine (Win7) 2 or 3 times a week so the XP machine can connect. I think it runs into a limit of how much data can be fed to it.

One of those things where finding the solution takes more time than dealing with the workaround. Please let me know if you ever happen to find it...

 

[Caitlin]

Yikes, that sounds awful.

We got a new production computer last summer and I'm running my FX and plotter through Windows 7 but I guess now that I think of it, we did have to get new cords for it but we left all that up to the tech guy who built the computer because I am not very good with cables and the like.

 

[Caitlin]

Right - but when we got the new computer we were still running Edge 1 I recall now. (bad memory)

And of course then that cable is probably now sitting somewhere since the FX came with new cables...

 

[gabagoo]

My Edge LE and envision are connected to a comp running win2000 for fear of a change will upset my apple cart. There are days this comp is so slow at opening the smallest of gad files, but the equipment still runs like a charm.... The edge LE has to be close to 20 years old with never any real issues besides cleaning dust out of it and reinserting the boards.... Both my shocks are shot, but I just use a bungee cord to hold it open...I am to afraid to ask what it would cost to replace them.

I bought my last bombsite from Advantage some years back and it was only $35.00. I also buy my teflon cutting strips for my Graphtec cutter from them as they are about $20 or $30 as opposed to a supplier less than 300 metres from my front door that wants $60.

ha!!

 

[J Hill Designs]

I think you can get the shocks at napa.

 

[Browner]

^^ Take one of the shocks off and bring it to your nearest Napa parts store to match up with what they've got. They're about $15 each.


(jhill beat me to it)

 

[gabagoo]

^^ Take one of the shocks off and bring it to your nearest Napa parts store to match up with what they've got. They're about $15 each.


(jhill beat me to it)

and from a Gerber dealer? _______!!!! Please fill in outrageous price lol

 

[S11930]

ok im listening to the rants. 1. i would not have gone to windows 8. windows xp or 7 are much more stable for our work. You dont need serial ports or parrell ports i dont know about the edge but you can go to microcenter and change your serial cables to usb. i have gerber 5.0 w/envision 375 , engravelab 9.0 quality1 24x24 table either tcpip or usb and flexi 10.0 with roland plotter and cutter. I dont have any of the problems you have.

 

[royster13]

This discussion reminds me of what most folks think about clients that pay more attention to what something costs versus what it can make them....If Gerber can get away with it, so be it....

 

[Marlene]

you could have posted here and gotten your answer to what was needed before buying a new computer and also when problems came up. Fred is a Gerber wizard and Tony from Gerber is a memeber here. we have had Gerber equipment and software since the 80's. our 4B got replaced just because we wanted to, it still was running and went to a new sign shop home where I'm willing to bet it still is running. we bought a HS Plu 15 and it is going on 20 years old and the only problem I had with it got solved with a post here on the site and a simple cleaning. our Edge 2 is pretty old too and run great. it had service once in all the years we've had it. it never breaks down, it never messes up, it always works when I need it.

 

[Bill Modzel]

I'm running MacImprint which hasn't been upgraded since 03. It runs on Illustrator 10 on an old G4 Mac but at least both it and my GsXplus are USB connected. It runs like a champ with nary a glitch. Just finished printing $1,200 worth of LexEdge on it.
Other than maybe picking up a used Edge 2 I wouldn't change my setup for anything. It handles all that I can throw at it.

 

[omgsideburns]

You're using an old printer. Those are the hoops you jump through to keep it running, am I right? I've broken a gerber bomb site before but some CA glue fixed it. The napa shocks work and fit perfectly, but they aren't the same part so yeah, you're going to pay more to gerber. That's how it works.

I don't understand the complaints about price rape. Most of them are single purchase items, not consumables. From another well known printer manufacturer I've been quoted over $6000 (or was it $8k) for a power supply that only needs a $250 board replaced (still available, new!), or $1600 for a vacuum pump assembly when the part that is broken is a vacuum actuated switch that can be had for around $8 online (exact same part that's in the unit). Or a $1200 trolley because a $4 bearing needs to be replaced. When I'm being told to throw away a big expensive piece of equipment and replace it when one little piece is messed up, that's when I become a tad irritated.

At least I'm not the one footing the bill when problems arise.

 

[SightLine]

Just changed the machine that drives our Edge LE to a newer Dell OptiPlex 780. Business class desktop so it does have a real parallel and serial port. Loaded Windows 7 x64, made sure to set the LPT port to ECP mode in BIOS first, then in Windows Device Manager set it to use an interrupt. Then loaded FlexiSign Pro. Connected it up, added it to Production Manager and it works perfect. Also nothing special about the cable, actually it's an HP branded parallel cable from an older printer. On the last computer we had, we did have it connected via a USB>Parallel cable, some generic one and it worked fine on that too. I will say that on the USB cable though, it was VERY finicky about the USB controller on the computers motherboard. Anything else on the same channel and it would freak out and give data error messages on the Edge.

Key points and what works best.
A true business class computer that has a real parallel port. (add on cards will be hit and miss as well as USB to Parallel adapters) Many true business class computers still come with real parallel and serial ports as well as legacy keyboard and mouse ports. Very very few home user class computers have these anymore.
Make sure the port is enabled in the computers BIOS and set to ECP mode and DMA (if the BIOS gives that option).
In Windows check the LPT port in Device Manager and tell it to also use DMA and/or an interrupt (if it gives those options).

 

[CanuckSigns]

I hear ya......BUT - do you have any complaints about their equipment? We run an Edge 2, GS15+ and HS15+ , and they're built like tanks.

I think it's more the conflict between old equipment and new software/operating systems that is the issue....an issue I know far too well.

We've got all our computers running 64 bit Win7....with the exception of ONE computer which we had to keep with XP just so we can run the edge and gerber plotters. This seems to work well for us with the exception of one infuriating problem - the XP computer loses connectivity to the network ALL THE TIME...which can only be repaired by rebooting the main computer that all the files are on.

VERY frustrating to say the least, I sure wish I could find a workaround or solution.

EXACT same issues here, all computers in the shop run Win 7, with the exception of the computer that runs our edge 2 and envision, it's a refurbished pentium 4 from tiger direct running xp, cost me about $100, it's all I could find with an on-board Serial and Parallel port (hint the pci add on cards are extremely hit or miss with the edge)

Our XP computer will loose connection with the file server about once every 2 weeks or so, I've also found that I have to reboot the server to fix it. I wonder if you set the xp computer to ping the server every so often if that would keep the connection alive?

 

[signage]

By the way the FX is ethernet!

 

[Jase]

Original shocks aren't that expensive from Gerber, we had a pleasant surprise. Parts for machines are but then when you buy a specialised machine they will be. We have just had to replace one of the boards on our envision $2200 (£950) just for the part but it is well worth it. The only money I have had to spend on the machine in 15 years, hopefully we will get another 15-20 years out of it. This machine runs 24/7 practically, we are so impressed with the range that we have backup HS15's as well just in case.