Sequins accessory not responding

[Wishes]

Dear Dee,
I can't solve all the other issues because I am not a tech but as far as threading the little bar on needle 16, I can help. When things are working right again go thought the regular thread path for 16. Go to the computer and maintainence as if checking the pressure foot height. Go to botton center. Feed the thread behind the bar and then go back to computer and raise the needle and then thread the needle. Believe me, this will save you a great deal of time spent tryiing to do this will the pressure foot up. Good luck on the rest.
Margaret

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

Hummmm, want me to fly over to Spain and fix the thing.... Of course it might be spendy...

Seriously, the next item I need to know about is what software version you are running? You must have at least level 7.00.056 or above ........

In OS, go into Properties, Maintenance, Information and check your version level.

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

Rod Springer

[Alicante]

Wow, thanks Wishes. My poor eyes are grateful!

Rod, it says I have version 7.00.055 on the cd.

Don't tell me the Spain Distributor for Melco sold me a sequins accessory, with a software version that can't run it. sigh

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

Here is some additional information that is included in the installment procedures for a sequin device......this is the " AOS " 7.00.056 version.....not related to the Design Shop version....

"##########################
Make sure Amaya AOS version 7.00.056, XT RSA 3.74 or later is loaded
Reconnect the power cord and network cable and air supply and verify the sequin head is in the up position and the lock is engaged( if one is there) and apply power to the machine

After machine has initialized, go to the tools menu and select set sequin options
and set the option to one turn the machine off and restart and test sew the machine out"

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Alicante]

Thanks for the instructions. I've written them down. Tommorow when I go back in I'll follow the procedure. Here in Spain we're in the GMT +1 hour time zone.

My OS version must be correct, logically, because I was present when the technicias set up the machine, the air and sequins accessory and did a test sew for thread and then sequins.

[Alicante]

Progress!
I have got #16 threaded properly.

I definitely have OS 7.00.055. I went through the procedure you cite above, but could never finish the step, after changing the 0 to 1, I couldn't "finish", or close the window or do anything, program freeze again. After trying 3 times, and even reinstalling, I just turned off the machine anyway, did another Crtl Alt Del to close the program, and restarted the program and then the machine as if it had set the option.

I left the mechanical break on the sequins head at startup as advised, and heard a "poot" from the sequins head, meaning it had air, so decided to try a test sewout with the heart design. I was able to assign color to #16.
It sewed, but just caught the first sequin, cut it off correctly and kept sewing along without. The sequins ribbon did not move forward another sequin.
So all is not well.

Do I have the the spool threaded properly? Why doesn't it move another sequin forward?

Will the sequins head wait for the threadtree to center itself over the hoop before dropping down into position?
I'm afraid it will bang down into the hoopholder arm as soon as I press start.

Should the sequins head have come back up at the end of the design automatically? It didn't. I had to manually left head using the head up button, kind of scary with the thread cutter so close, but came up fine.

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

Do I have the the spool threaded properly? Why doesn't it move another sequin forward?

Without being able to see what you have done..that is difficult to say...Do you have the instructional video that came with the sequin attachment? Look closely at the pictures and that should tell you a lot...

Will the sequins head wait for the threadtree to center itself over the hoop before dropping down into position?

I am not sure just what you are calling the thread tree but yes the needle case should color change to #16 needle the hoop should move to the first sequin stitch and then the sequin head will or should drop down into position....not before.....

I'm afraid it will bang down into the hoopholder arm as soon as I press start.

If in doubt,manually hold the head and let it down gently until you see that it will no just "bang down", then let it rotate the rest of the way by itself.If the head is rotating down too fast, then adjust the air valves on the air cylinder piston, to regulate the up and down speed. The only purpose the air cylinder has is to raise and lower the head and is easily held up by hand when the sequin head tries to desend. As with anything mechanical, keep your hands clear of any possibility of getting your fingers pinched.

Should the sequins head have come back up at the end of the design automatically? It didn't. I had to manually left head using the head up button, kind of scary with the thread cutter so close, but came up fine.

Yes, the sequin head sould have rotated to the up position at the end of the design, everytime!!

What you are referring to as the "thread cutter", does not cut thread. The close clearance of the head as it rotates down to the silver blade is very close indeed...this silver/crome blade is call the grabber. The thread is cut under the needleplate and then the grabber pulls the cut thread up out of the garment and wedges it into the grabber trabber trap behind the needles.

Dee, on the left side of the thread tree, should be a rectangular gold colored controller. It is about 4 inches long by 1.5 inches wide. it should have 4 small black buttons on it. They are labled, "Up/down", "Forward", "Back" and "Origin."

If you push the "Up/down button, will the head go up and down? Do this without a hoop mounted on the hoop arms......

If you push the "Forward" button will it feed seqins through the head one at a time for each push of the button?

When you push the "Back" button, will it retract the sequins back through the head?

The "origin" button will set the sequin head cogwheel back to its "home" position. Have you pushed this at anytime? If not do so and see if that will help. The cogwheel is what catches the sequins and pulls or feeds the sequins out towards the needle. Make absolutely sure that the spikes on the cog wheel are actually going into the holes in the sequins so it can feed them properly.

Dee, it may be that you have the "original" sequin installment package. The latest upgrade, was a mechanical micro switch and the elimination a an optical sensor. This level needed 7.00.056 to let the machine know when when to activate the sequin head for sewing when it color changed to #16 needle. So your 7.00.055 may be ok for your version....I had forgotten about this change until now...sorry...

If you have a digital camera and could take some pictures of your sequin head from different angles showing the electrical connections, the head in the up and down positions, the controller, etc....it would possibly help me to see what is going on on with you system and identify which installation you do have. If so you can send then to my home e-mail address at the following:

[email protected]

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Alicante]

What Sequins video? I just got 2 cd sets, one 4cd set called Amaya Training CD Set, and one called Design Shop Training CD Set.

Yes, the buttons all work correctly. The head up/down button moves the head go up and down. The forward button moves sequins forward and the backward button retracts the sequins back.

I believe the ribbon is correctly slotted onto the spikes, but will check again. It's something I took time trying to do right.

I have not touched the origin button, will try that.

I will take some pics and send them to you. Thanks alot.

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

There is a Sequin instruction CD that comes with the sequin device now...may not have been available when yours was installed?? Don't know just how old your system is....Contact Melco and see if they will send one over to you...

Sounds like everything seems to be working except the communication to have the machine feed sequins while sewing.....

Rod

[Alicante]

Well, just an update, for anybody curious. A big thanks to Rod and Sharon for their help. Unfortunately, I still cannot set the sequins options in Amaya OS although the accessory responds to buttons commands and #16 needle stitches as if it were doing sequins. The head does not move sequins forward for sewing.

Tech support here are pre-technology age (hammar and grease mechanics) and only offer to copy and paste my email in Spanish describing the symptoms over to Melco in the US.

Fot the time being I have given up on it working. My next step would be to format the computer and reinstall XP and Amaya OS, everything.

[Alicante]

Rod,

Thank for continuing to look into this.
I did just as you suggested in your email.
I setup AOS and DS on my laptop which had not served the system before. I did the configuration and force download. After that, I shut down the machine, switched the Ethernet and dongles back to the Desktop PC, started up the PC and the AOS, then started the AmayaXT machine and did the force download again. I checked the Sequins Option configuration, saw a "1", and did a sequins test design sew out. Eureka!

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

BINGO!!!!!!!!

Now becareful with that little gadget. Always keep the mechanical lock engauged whenever the head is in the up position and not sewing with it. Never do a trace with the head in the down position. Always have the correct hoop size selected and be aware of the reduced sewing fields because of the space that the sequin head uses inside of the hoop sewing area. Failure to follow the rules with this thing will lead to impacting the sequin head with the side of a hoop and ....and.....well...let your imagination run wild....not good, would be an understatement.

Glad we finally found the right combination to get this thing going...we both learned something through this little exercise. I will call and thank my friend, Rob Wood, another 3rd party tech for this tip....

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Alicante]

Ok, I'll keep that lock on when not sewing. I am using a wooden 44x30cm rectangular hoop for doing sequins.
Thanks again.