POWER UP
When the power is turned on with the main power switch on the back of the machine, a needle positioning cycle is made. Check that there is nothing in the way of the needle before turning on the power.
While the machine is powering up sounds and lights give important setup information:
- ONE BEEP: the motion detector for constant speed is disabled.
- TWO BEEPS: the motion detector for constant speed is enabled.
- FOUR BEEPS WITH FAIL LIGHT FLASHING: the setup memory was lost or corrupted.
NOTE that after the beeps the factory default settings are reloaded and the machine goes into setup mode. - "RUN" LIGHT FLASHING: shows that the light is operational.
DUAL CONTROL
All the controls are active on both sides of the machine, you can make a single stitch, position the needle, operate the thread cutter, turn on/off the channel lock and the laser from both sides. However, when the black start/stop switch is pushed on one side, the controls on the other side will be disabled, with the exception of the black start/stop switch that acts as an emergency stop. The stitching starts in a mode that was set by the dial on the side where the start/stop switch was pushed.
NEEDLE POSITIONER
Hitting the button marked DOWN on the control panel will toggle between up and down needle positions. The light above the button is turned on when the needle is at the down position. The needle will return to the position that was set before starting stitching when the stitching is stopped with the black start/stop switch. If the needle is at the down position when the start switch is pressed, it will be pulled up before the stitching starts. NOTE that you should wait with moving the arm until the pull-up is complete to avoid needle flexing and breakage.
CHANNEL LOCK (if exists)
The button marked CTRL on the control panel toggles between turning the channel lock on and off. The light above the button is turned on when the lock is activated.
DUAL CHANNEL LOCK (if exists)
The first push of the CTRL button turns on the arm lock and the light above the button. Pushing the button again turns off the arm lock and engages the carriage lock. The light above the button flashes. The next push of the button turns off the carriage lock and the light.
THREAD CUTTER (if exists)
The button marked CTRL on the control panel activates the thread cutter. Note that the thread cutter button is disabled during sewing and when the needle is not at the top position.
LASER CONTROL
The button marked LASER on the control panel toggles the laser light on and off. The light above the button is turned on when the laser is on.
SINGLE STITCH
A single stitch can be made by pushing the red switch on the front or rear handle. If the switch is held down, the single stitch will be repeated until the switch is released. NOTE that when the needle positioner is set in the down position, the single stitch is inhibited and a beep will sound when the single stitch switch is pushed.
ACCIDENTAL START PREVENTION
The machine is protected from accidental starts triggered by a noise spike on the power line, or an accidental hit of the start switch. The start switch should be held down for about one sixteenth of a second to start either the constant speed or stitch regulator mode.
CONSTANT SPEED MODE
The constant speed mode is selected when the selector dial is set anywhere between the 1 stitch per second and MAX. speed range at the moment when the black start/stop switch is pushed. NOTE that turning the dial to the stitch regulator side after starting will not switch to the stitch regulator mode, it will keep the 1 stitch per second speed setting instead.
NO-DRAG SLOW SPEED
A unique IntelliStitch feature, the No-Drag Slow Speed eliminates the needle flexing and fabric stretching experienced at extremely slow constant speed settings. When the dial is set between 1 and 10 stitches per second the machine will run in a pulsed mode. Single stitches will be made starting from one stitch per second to 10 stitches per second. Above the 10 stitches per second marker the motor runs continuously, with variable speed, determined by the dial setting.
STITCH REGULATOR MODE
The stitch regulator mode is selected when the selector dial is set anywhere between the B1 and S markers at the moment when the black start/stop switch is pushed. NOTE that turning the dial to the constant speed side after starting will not switch to the constant speed mode, it will keep the shortest regulated stitch length setting instead.
NOTE that although the selector dial is continuous, there are only seven discreet settings in the stitch regulator mode. The notch on the dial should be aligned with the SPI marker lines. If the notch is set, for example, between the 10 and 12 markers, the setting will NOT be 11 SPI, but 10 or 12, depending on which marker is closer to the notch. Similarly, if the notch is set between the stitch regulator and the constant speed scales when the start switch is pushed, no selection will be made and a beep will sound, indicating that the notch on the dial is not at a definite position.
In stitch regulator mode the motor will not start when the start/stop switch is pushed. The green RUN light will be turned on instead, indicating that the machine is "armed". The motor will start when the arm starts moving, and will continue to "fire" stitches according to the preset stitch length until the arm is stopped, or the start/stop switch is pushed again. If the start/stop switch is not pushed, but the arm movement stops, the needle will be pulled up and the machine will stay armed for about 8 seconds and the motor will start again when the arm is moved again. You can exit the stitch regulator mode by pushing the start/stop switch. Then the needle will return where it was set before the stitching started.
BASTING MODE
If the selector dial is at the B1 or B2 setting when the black start/stop switch is pushed, the machine will make 1" or 1/2" long basting stitches. In the basting mode the arm should be moved carefully, watching the flexing of the needle. NOTE that the proper take up lever position is critical in the basting mode, if it is not high enough to release the thread from the hook between stitches, the needle return position should be readjusted.
STIPPLING MODE
When the Stippling Mode ("S" on the dial) is selected, the machine will make about 16 stitches per inch. NOTE that at this very short stitch length the regulation may not be as accurate as at longer stitches, mostly due to the frequent speed and direction changes during stippling.
NEEDLE PULL-UP
In those rare cases in the stitch regulator mode when the needle stays in the fabric when the arm movement abruptly stops, the I/S controller automatically pulls up the needle after about 1/2 second. It is not necessary to wait until the pull-up is complete. The controller will continue stitching when movement is detected during the pull-up.
LONG STITCH INDICATION
The stitch regulator keeps the stitches at the selected length within wide arm movement speed range. However, the stitches will get longer when the arm moving speed approaches the speed limit of the motor. Every time a given stitch gets longer than twice the selected length, the red FAIL light will be turned on and a beep will sound. NOTE that the long stitch indication is turned on not only when the arm movement is way too fast, but when there is a sudden speed or direction change, usually at corners of points of the patterns.
The long stitch beep can be turned on/off by holding the DOWN key down while turning the power on. NOTE that this programming needs to be done only when you want to change the enabling of the long stitch alert beep.
HIGH SPEED REGULATED MODE
In order to minimize long stitches, the controller detects high speed turns at points or corners and keeps the momentum of the motor at these points. As a result, the occurrence of long stitches coming out of points is greatly reduced. It is recommended to use the high speed regulated mode for pantographs and higher speed freehand work.
NOTE that the long stitch elimination works ONLY if the arm movement is fast enough to produce 20 stitches per second (e.g. 2 inches per second at 10 stitches per inch setting), AND you don't hesitate at the points or corners longer than 2/10th of a second. In other words, in the High Speed mode you need to move the arm without too much slow down and hesitation at the points, much like when using the constant speed mode.
PRECISION QUILTING MODE
The Precision Quilting mode was added to the stitch regulator mode to smoothen the needle movements when slow speed quilting is necessary, like when stitching in the ditch, outlining, etc. To start the PQ mode the start/stop switch must be held down until a beep sounds, indicating that the PQ mode is active. The RUN light will flash slowly while the machine is in PQ mode.
NOTE that there is no provision for long stitch reduction in the PQ mode. You need to slow down going in, and gradually accelerate coming out of points or corners.
SPEED SENSITIVE STITCHING
In the PQ mode the controller measures the arm moving speed and increases the speed of the precision stitch needle cycle when acceleration is detected. This feature allows for a moderate arm moving speed increase while still maintains the smooth stitching of the PQ mode.
MOTION DETECTOR FEATURE
A motion detector feature was added to the constant speed mode. When it is enabled, the motor will not start when the start/stop switch is pushed. The green RUN light will be turned on instead, indicating that the machine is "armed". The motor will start when the arm is moved more than 1/16" in any direction, and will run with the preset constant speed, until the arm stops (does not move more than 1/16") for about 1/10 of a second, when the motor stops and the needle is pulled out of the fabric automatically. NOTE that the needle will be pulled UP even if the down position was set before the stitching started. The machine will stay armed for about 8 seconds and the motor will start again when the arm is moved again.
You can stop the motor and exit the motion detector mode by pushing the start/stop switch again. Then the needle will return where it was set before the stitching started.
The motion detector feature can be turned on/off with a simple programming step. Holding the black start/stop switch down while the power turned on to the machine will change the motion detector enabling. NOTE that this programming needs to be done only when you want to change the enabling of the motion detector. The status of the motion detector enable is indicated by sound when the power is turned on: ONE beep indicates that the motion detector disabled, TWO beeps indicate that it is enabled.
NEEDLE JAM DETECTION AND RECOVERY
If there is any minor obstruction against the needle movement (tighter spot in batting, seam under the needle, etc) that would cause the needle to slow down or stop moving, a slightly more powerful pulse will be applied by the motor to move the needle out of the jam. If after four such attempts the needle still does not move, the power will be removed from the motor and the red FAIL light and alarm sound will be turned on. This may be an indication that a bigger problem exists (thread trapped in the bobbin area, needle flexing, etc.), so the power should be turned off and the cause of the jam should be found and eliminated before the machine is turned on again.
SETUP DATA SAFETY
The setup data (motor speed and needle positions) are stored in the memory of the controller. This memory retains the data even if the power is turned off. However, in very rare cases, environmental effects (lightning, power surge) may damage the data. Every time the machine is turned on a data validity test is performed and the machine will go into normal operation only when the setup data are not corrupted. If a data integrity error is detected, four beeps will sound and the machine goes into setup mode with default settings on all setup items.
All the setup items (speeds and needle positions) should be checked, but only those need to be adjusted where the default setting is not acceptable. Turning the power off and on again after the "four beep start" will bring the machine to normal operating mode.
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