How do you "digitize" so the machine automatically slows.

[Sparklesbyshell]

Is there a way (other than by color) to program within Design Shop Pro+ to select a certain number of stitches or type of stitches that when the machine gets to it the machine speed slows to a certain speed?

Thanks!

[Rod or Sharon]

Well, yes and no......

In Design shop you can set up the colors, i.e., add color breaks in the lettering or design where ever you want or need them to be. There is no other function in Design Shop that deals with the actual machine operation. Design Shop only deals with the creation of the stitch file and all of it's complexities.

Amaya OS on the other hand allows the operator some flexibility in how you want certain things to happen. Thread feeds, column feeds, material thickness and presser foot variation, run fill speeds, machine speed and many more but the one that applies to this question is "Settings by Color." This one allows you to custom tailor each individual needle by color to do what you need it to do. You can set up individual needles to run on auto-actifeed or standard, change the minimum column width settings, run fill speed settings, slow down or speed up the machine for that needle....it is just a great little tool. I don't believe it is used enough.....more people should try it.....

Rod Springer
Melco Tech & trainer

[Sparklesbyshell]

Thanks for the reply! We've used the settings by color/needle in OS with success, but that's not quite what I'm looking for as it slows the entire color, not just certain sections.

An example of what we're trying to achieve would be what happens during the AMPASS test design. When the speed is set to 1200 SPM, and no special settings by color/needle are applied, if the machine encounters a column of a certain length, it seems to automatically slow down to account for the longer distance needed between stitch points. A few of the designs we have purchased had this feature, but everything we have digitized ourselves has not. If we have a 50 or 75 pnt satin, the machine tries to whip through it at 1200 SPM, which in turn rips the thread in a heartbeat. Is there something we're missing in the digitizing process?

Thanks,

Eric - Second half of Sparklesbyshell (Husband/Machine Operator/Digitizing QC [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[signman]

The Amaya automatically sets its own speed, as it goes through fill and columns. Very rarely will it 'stay' on the high speed you set.
If you are having problems like you mentioned, you can change the speed 'on the fly' with the keypad-drop it down 100 spm at a time and watch. Once the breaks stop, that's the optimum speed for that material/design. I have very rarely seen our Amaya run constantly at one speed-even some items I set at 1400...it only hits that on a long satin border, or a large fill area. It isn't set in the design-unless you use 'sew by color' and manually enter speeds for each needle/color. It is built into the operating system itself.
Not being a computer geek, that's the best way I can explain it as a tech told me.

[Sparklesbyshell]

If it is strictly controlled by OS, is there a setting/option that turns this on or off? I'm wondering if I might have changed it without realizing...

The part that doesn't make sense is that my wife purchased a design from an online source (can't remember where at the moment), and when we ran the design without touching a thing, the machine reacted exactly as you described - Slowing automatically in certain areas of fills and columns. After I opened the design in Design Shop, converted the expanded data to wireframe for a bit of editing, the design now runs full out at whatever speed is set.

Eric

[Rod or Sharon]

Eric,
That is because, when you make that conversion from Expanded to wireframe, you completely change the dynamics of the digitized design. This is a reason not to convert an entire design file from Expanded to wireframe unless there is no other way. Only convert those elements that need editing or go into the expanded editing mode to make changes.

Create an irregular shaped complex fill, save it in Expanded scale and then reopen that file and convert it to wireframe and see just how many bits and pieces that conversion process has now broken that fill up into.....

Rod Springer
Melco Tech & Trainer

[Rod or Sharon]

Eric,
That is because, when you make that conversion from Expanded to wireframe, you completely change the dynamics of the digitized design. This is a reason not to convert an entire design file from Expanded to wireframe unless there is no other way. Only convert those elements that need editing or go into the expanded editing mode to make changes.

Create an irregular shaped complex fill, save it in Expanded scale and then reopen that file and convert it to wireframe and see just how many bits and pieces that conversion process has now broken that fill up into.....

Rod Springer
Melco Tech & Trainer

[Sparklesbyshell]

Thanks for the info. That would explain what I'm seeing. The features where I converted to wireframe are the ones causing me fits. Is there such a thing as converting back to expanded?

Eric

[Rod or Sharon]

No, not the way you are thinking. Yes you can resave a converted design as an Expanded but than another conversion takes place....

The only way to insure that you can get back to where you started is to save the unchanged original file and work off of a duplicate of that file. If you have converted but not saved the changes you have made, you can always click on the "Undo" button and backtrack. But once saved, I am not aware of a way to re-convert back to the original starting point.

Rod Springer
Melco Tech & Trainer