Need help w/ a 'cat' vinyl cutter and/or Recommend cutter purchase.

[Seanl]

So I have (24") cougar from signwarehouse. By and large it has treated me well. (I use it to cut vinyl spray paint stencils that I sell.)

My only gripe is that I reached a point where my stencils were so intricate that I cannot cut a whole sheet with 1 button click. Signwarehouses' tech support said that I just needed to break it up into 2 panels. Well, ok, not the end of the world. Until now.

I am having to send 5 cut jobs to print out my (complex) stencil sheet (15"x45") and its costing me time (pet peeve).
And, every now and again, the cutter still goes wonky and messes up the smaller panels. Grrr!

1.) So, is it possible to upgrade the ram on these things? (guessing not)

2.) Are there any tricks to keep my cutter from going bonkers and ruining sheets of vinyl.

3.) Recommendations on a better cutter? I only banked $2k last year so I need to be realistic in my future cutter purchase (no $10,000 cutters in my foreseeable future)

(not looking to start a religious war over which cutter is best, just need some names to investigate, etc...)

Thanks gents,

Sean

[Geary]

Get a bigger and better cat. I love my 30" Panther. :thumb: For me, it's Purrrrrrrrrfect. :Big Laugh

~Gear

[PMG]

:thumb: my cats been running hard for 2 years with 0 problems!!!!!

[Jason Davie]

are you cutting using the spooler?

[chopper]

I guess I dont unerstand?
are you plotting bigger than the cutter? or is the file to large for the cutter?
I have a vinyl express cutter that is a 30" and I also have a summa 30" and I have never run a cut job that didnt work, could you please explain in more detail for me if possible thanks, oh what software are you using also? //chopper

[Seanl]

So I am sending a 15" wide by 45" long panel that contains a lot of small detail.

If I send the whole job at once it will get part way through and then at some random point, start zig-zaging over the same section until is shreds the vinyl.
http://tacticalcamo.com/images/pics/la-la-land-example.jpg

It seems like it kills the buffer and sends the plotter into la-la land. (File is larger than the cutter can handle?)

This is the predominant mess-up that i get. But sometimes I will walk into the room and find a diagonal cut that is 5 or 6 feet long from one corner to other (or until it hits the reset buttons on the side of the cutter.)

Software/Hardware specs:
Flexi 7.6 through a keyspan usb-to-24Dsub serial connector to my cougar 24".


Thanks guys!

[Geary]

Time to check your drivers uninstall, install, and reboot. What operating system are you on?

[Replicator]

I agree with Gear . . . Also are you connected through a switch box ? ? ?

[chopper]

My cutter is strictly serial connecton on the vinly express, and usb on the summa, I have heard of problems when going from usb to serial or vise versa,
can you run a streight cable be it usb or serial from the computer to the cutter and see if that corrects the problem? just a thought
//chopper also check the connecting baud rate etc..

[signage]

Sounds like the problem is the usb to serial connector. These work on somethings and not on others, it can be an interrupt conflict or a hand shake conflict. Gerbers have had problems going usb to serial due to the communications between the plotter and the software/hardware.

[Seanl]

Runnin' Xp on laptop (which is why I am going from USB to the serial. (no serial on the LT.)

[stip]

I had this problem with my Lynx until I shut the firewall off on my laptop. It's worth a try.

[Seanl]

I had this problem with my Lynx until I shut the firewall off on my laptop. It's worth a try.


Good tip, but even after turning it off it still does the crazy cutter thing :(