machine just stops

[fourstate]

My big red is having a problem where when you start a embroidery job it will run for a few seconds then stop with the needle down and disconect from the os. , no errors.
thanks

[Laughing Palm]

OMG, mine is doing the EXACT SAME THING! What's going on??

[cjk]

My xt is doing the same thing!!! Ugh!

[levelbest]

Ok, don't want to say this with certainty but I have a feeling one of your motors is going - especially in the Red. The original reds were fitted with a Z motor that was underpowered and had a tendency to fail. Anyway, we had it fail in one of our three Reds and I replaced it myself. The other two have worked fine and never had an issue. Biggest thing I remember was the star washers and their orientation. It was a while back.

Same exact symptoms as you describe. Now XT wise, I have no idea, but if it's a big red, I'd almost put money on a motor failing.

[ March 25, 2013, 04:07 PM: Message edited by: levelbest ]

[fourstate]

can i test the motor with an voltage meter?

[levelbest]

Hey Fourstate:

Hoping someone like Rod or Hugo will chime in to answer that. I just remember our issue was happening with such frequency in the end, it was clear it was the motor.

Once replaced, the issue went away.

John

[doug]

Yes you can test with a volt meter, 3.65±10%Ω. The green is the ground, check all the others, they should be consistent. Have you smelt a burning at all?

[fourstate]

no smells or funny sounds

[Laughing Palm]

I spoke with Rod at length about this (Thanks, Rod!) and he seemed to agree that it was the Z-Drive motor that is failing on the old Big Red machines. Apparently, the XT units would experience similar symptoms.

One telling symptom is that you will see this more often when stitching with the CAP frame (as opposed to stitching flats), because of the increased stress on the Z-Drive motor when stitching caps.

I have ordered a new Z-Drive motor and will have it installed, and we'll see what happens. If this issue is of interest to you, stay tuned...!!

By the way, an interesting side note:

Z-Drive motors come in 2 varieties. One is for the older machines, and a newer version for the more recent models. There is a $1000.00 price difference between them!! Yes, ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR DIFFERENCE! The newer ones cost around $300, while the older ones cost around $1300. The local technician I spoke with said he can use the newer ones in the older machines, but it would require a little "chassis work" to make them fit, but would be worth the savings. I had to agree, so we'll see...

Cheers (for now)

[levelbest]

WOW! That is a huge difference. I guess it's an inventory issue.

Let us know how you make out and take pictures of what you have to do Chassis wise - we can post them here for others who then can learn from your experiences!

Otherwise, it wasn't a huge deal on the swap out of the motor as I recall.

BTW, when our motor went - there wasn't any burning smells. We just noticed that the machine started failing exactly as you described.

LOL - fixed my error above. Should have known it was the Z motor. Didn't have my axis right but I did know what it was

[Rod or Sharon]

The newer Z motors are stronger than the older ones. They are longer (lengthwise) than the older versions, therefore the chassis does have to be aughered out or a hole cut out to make sure the encoder on the motor does not or cannot touch the casting in anyway. I have had to perform this surgery a couple of times and it is time consuming......

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[fourstate]

im getting 1.1 on the z motor and 3.4 on the x motor
thanks

[fourstate]

new motor did the trick
thanks