Mdrake2016
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Posts posted by Mdrake2016
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I'm doubting that this is a coincidence but since Monday, my P400 has had the Paper and Ink lights blinking simultaneously (it happens one out of about every 3 times that it tries to park at it's home position), and magenta would clog after about 10 prints (just a 12x2 strip of red is on the design that I've been printing). Surprisingly white has been fine.
Whenever the lights blink, I do hear some type of click when the printhead tries to park itself at home over the capping station.
Yesterday, I ran a nozzle check and most of magenta, and half of all white was bad. Then I ran it again immediately after (without head cleaning) and the nozzles looked perfect. Weird...not sure if this pump assembly thing is causing all of these issues.
Any ideas?
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On 11/7/2021 at 6:50 PM, johnson4 said:
And now my motor is burning out too.
This unfortunately is happening to mine again. It's driving me insane at this point. I had it at 45% the first few days and today I have it at around 60%, and it's now coming to a stop.
So since this machine uses pretty much the same motor as your first machine, what could be causing the motor to burn out like this?
On 11/7/2021 at 6:06 PM, johnson4 said:I’m going to be honest, I really don’t like this 2nd shaker at all. It can’t keep a temperature and overheats, the slapper is so badly aligned it broke the welds when I turned it on, and it has a 3” exhaust port.
the temperature controller it uses sucks compared to the first one I have, even though they are both the same “ model” controller.
ive ordered another controller/relay/ coupler combo, going to whip out the welder and drill and see what I can come up with. Already ordered the 4” adapter.
here’s to another fun week.
Mine actually has a 2" exhaust port. I knew from day 1 it's pretty much useless. I think I'm going to just make a fan ventilator and get it to shoot out of my window or something.
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16 hours ago, johnson4 said:
It does, so I wouldn’t worry about it if the powder comes out like it should.
im extremely happy that you got it fixed, that’s awesome.
the great thing is, in the future, you know the unit inside out basically. Issues should be easily resolved, at least easier. You also have a better converter that can handle the load continuously without issue. 500W was still under powered.
i know I have extra in hand:
extra speed controller
extra relays for both machines
extra temperature controller for both.
extra motors and silicon slapper.( found a 3rpm motor same as the duster on the take up reel, so keeping those in hand for sure).
I don’t know what types of prints you do, but black/white only this thing does 40 prints an hour easily. 20 ish for cmykw. Definitely worth it.
good luck and I wish you much success!
Thanks for all you’re help man. The brush roller has been working fine since 8am this morning. Wondering if I can still use the 12v motors as a backup even though this system uses 24v.
But yea since I took this whole machine apart pretty much, I know where to look if I need to replace something. Finding the replacement parts might be the biggest hassle. I was looking at brushes yesterday but couldn’t find the exact one anywhere.
I bought the speed dials and relays about a month ago but I’m not sure if it’ll work with this machine because neither of us were aware that my machine was different than yours. So if you ever need any of these let me know and I’ll send them over to you if I can’t use them.
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6 hours ago, johnson4 said:
You know something you could do if that’s the issue, drill the holes a bit bigger and add a washer to the bolts( if needed), giving you some wiggle room for adjustments on the motor side.
Either way, I’d love to see/hear how it’s going.
We just finished doing this...had to raise everything about 2mm actually. Now when the brush sits in the tray, it aligns perfectly with the motor before attaching it (I had to always force it down to align it before). I filled it to the top and running it at around 45% with the 15 RPM motor.
I'm pretty confident this has been the issue this whole time since this 15rpm motor that I said "died after about 10 seconds" has been working now for about 20 minutes. I hear a strain but I believe you said yours does that too right?
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We're taking this thing apart again and I think I know what's causing the extra friction. The holes on the motor didn't line up with the holes on the metal tray from the shaker when I put it together. I had to grind it down a bit (less than a millimeter). I'm not sure if this could be the main issue or not.
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8 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
Idk if this helps…
I don't know whats going on with this site...these videos never load.
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6 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
I will order that but I did some further testing just now...
My brother has been trying to help with this and he had me try a few things...basically, I removed the screw that connects the brush to the motor. After I turned the motor on to see what would happen, it began spinning (brush didn't spin of course since I removed the screw). So the motor still works...and it spun like it was brand new. So basically, when the motor is connected to the brush is when it gets stuck and stops.
When putting the new motor in, I did notice that the brush had to be pushed down pretty hard to get it to line up with the motor. So there is A LOT of friction between the brush and the metal tray even without powder in it. With powder in it, it just completely stops.
Does that still sound like a power supply issue to you?
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I opened the panel where the switches are and swapped the wiring on the relays and the speed dials....and the shaker works fine no matter which relay and dial it's connected to.
So at this point, it does look like the only other thing it could be is the power supply.
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On 11/2/2021 at 7:29 PM, johnson4 said:
Cool, hopefully it works out better. I’m working on the two I have and getting them situated so I can retire my DIY cart.
Got it replaced...same issues. Motor dies out after a few seconds. Turn it off and let it rest and then it tries working again for a few seconds and then dies again.
I'm frustrated out of my mind with this thing. I'm going to have to take it apart and find out exactly what I have to replace. Hopefully there are clear model numbers on the parts so I know exactly what to buy.
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On 10/28/2021 at 11:57 AM, johnson4 said:
Yea, internally it’s pretty simple.
2 speed controllers, 2 solid state relays ( 10amp/25amp) one Temperature controller, one power supply.
if it’s not the 500W inverter, the next thing id replace is the internal power supply if the issues are with the shaker and duster. I don’t see the relays or temperature controller causing any issues.
I got the 3000W converter yesterday...used it today and the motor died after about 10 seconds. So I think (I hope) it was just shot from using the 500 watt one previously. I'll have to replce it with my 15RPM one this week and see if the problem is resolved.
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I had this problem with Cadlink. The problem was the film. Not sure exactly what the problem was and why specific software has this issue but I taped about 4 inches of film to the beginning of the sheet and it stopped doing this. Eventually, I switched to different film and I no longer have this issue now.
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6 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
not to point you in the wrong direction, but maybe the converter is overheating, causing power issues. If not, it doesn’t make sense to me either.
I have another motor (the 15rpm one) that I'll replace if this one goes completely dead (since I've had it connected to this 500w transformer the past few weeks) and if that one goes bad, I'll just replace all of the internal parts. That has fix everything if everything is replaced.
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On 10/27/2021 at 12:15 AM, johnson4 said:
Yea, you just need something to guide it onto the roll. I call it “ walking” when the film goes back and forth on the roll, causing the issues make the guides the edge of the roll- boom. Problem solved. Cardboard would probably work well too.
When I make a set for the new mini shaker ( they are different of course) I can send you wood ones as well, or acrylic for a cost if needed.
yea. Most things have simple answers, they just usually aren’t pretty. It’s the first thing I tried and worked fine for me. Maybe there is something else, I don’t know, but that’s what I did to make it stop.
I swear man...I'm going to send some money over to you. You've done a lot to help. Most of what you've explained on this forum, nobody talks about anywhere else. I owe you big time.
The film doesn't wrap too tightly and straight but it at least stays centered.
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59 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
if you are using a 500w converter, your are under powering your machine and overloading your converter. Mixed with possible power limitations at the outlet- lots of problems which can damage the converter, heating elements in the shaker, and even cause a fire.
About this comment...at first thought, I would think if I’m under powering the shaker, then these motors wouldn’t be going bad. But the instability of the converter since I’m overpowering it could still damage the parts from the shaker correct?
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4 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
Would this one be sufficient (only because it arrives tomorrow while the one you found arrives Sunday):
Looks like it just has one less outlet on this compared to the one you found.
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29 minutes ago, johnson4 said:
Turns out I can’t show you an example, I don’t have any inadequate cords or outlets. I’m like 10 feet away from my breaker box. If anything though, running a 500w converter alone would cause issues.
anyway, hopefully you get the point though. I’m using two of these. I found some for $79 on Amazon, and next time will go with those. Ignore the hot glue, the converter outlet clips broke so it kept falling inside. That was my temporary solution.
6 minutes ago, johnson4 said:I also want to point out, your surge protector is only rated for 15 amps for what I can find.
Jesus...I used to understand this stuff way more (used to put together sound systems as a side thing over 10 years ago) and it’s completely been wiped out of my memory...it’s learning from scratch once again and I feel unbelievably idiotic for just buying these things blindly.
I will buy a meter like yours and go with that $80 converter tomorrow and see how it goes. I’m in a shitty house and I’m not sure the outlets are sufficient...it may be worth getting our electrician out here to upgrade some of these things.
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Testing just now...this is what's happening:
1. The 20 amp breaker even when connecting the shaker directly through the converter trips as soon as I flip the switch for the curing and the dusting at the same time. This wasn't happening at all the past few months. When using a 10 or 15 amp outlet, so far it hasn't tripped anything in the large circuit breaker for the house. (forgive me if my terminology is off....I know 0 about electrical stuff)
2. The brush roller is acting like it did before....if adding more than half full of powder, it slows down to a halt. I turn it off and let it rest, and then it starts working again but slowly. I thought it completely died a minute ago but I removed most of the powder, let it rest and now it's been working for the past 15 minutes. It's at full speed, but it's rotating as if it's on half speed.
It just sounds like electrical issues to me....I highly doubt all of these motors are just bad. I bought the Speed controllers you suggested to look at a few pages back, but I'm not sure I can use them in this machine since it's different than the first one you had.
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14 hours ago, johnson4 said:
It sounds like it’s possible, I’ll check and see.
can I ask, what converter are you using and how many watts? Also, is that hooked to a 20 amp outlet?
Just to be detailed, here’s everything I do:This is the converter I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004MPR3XQ/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_track_package_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve had the converter, printer, laptop charger and zebra label printer connected to this power strip (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017VXU6GG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) which connects to a 50ft cord running from my sunroom down to the laundry outlet which is 20 amp...this is the cord I use: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-50ft-12-3-Outdoor-Extension-Cord-657-123050RL6A/302877747?cm_mmc=ecc-_-THD_THANKYOU-_-V1_M1_CA-_-Product_URL&ecc_ord=WG17484343)
I believe I don’t have any other 20 amp outlets which is why I use the long cord.
This past week, this setup has been tripping that outlet (the Reset button on the outlet keeps depressing after a couple minutes of printing). Prior to this week, I had been doing this for about 2 months and I had a Flash dryer connected to the power strip too during that time but never had this tripping issue. So because it keeps tripping now, I connected the power strip to a regular outlet (it MAY be a 10 amp or 15 amp...not completely sure but most are 10 amps in this house because it’s pretty old).
Since connecting to this different outlet, the warning light has been lit on the power strip. So this may be the issue. Today, I’m going to try connecting the shaker alone to the 20 amp outlet and see if that works.
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On 10/14/2021 at 2:00 PM, johnson4 said:
A 12V motor running on 24v will run *theoretically* twice as fast. It’s not linear, but in general. So whatever speed you were getting with the motor you bought, would be faster than rated.
that is true about the higher RPM, this one was originally designed with a 10RPM motor though. That and 24V motors have a wider range of functionality than 12V, at least in my experience. I’m assuming slower is going to be worse, because you mentioned you couldn’t get yours to go fast enough under load. It’s up to you though. With my original shaker 5rpm is almost too much, mine runs better turned down about halfway with the 5rpm motor, so like 2.5rpm. I don’t know with this one since it was originally 10RPM and has smaller holes. That’s going to be up to you and what you think with yours. I haven’t used it yet.
as for the relays, I mentioned after receiving this new one, it doesn’t use mechanical relays, rather solid state relays. So my original shaker takes those Omron relays, but this new one doesn’t.
I think the main issue here is the fact that they look the same, but aren’t even close and originally my version was different than yours. Without photos of your stuff, I was giving you the wrong voltage.
Ok so there's something definitely wrong with the machine, other than the motor. Today, after about 4 hours of printing, the motor stopped. Halfway through, the heater stopped. The other day, the shaker stopped. I had to keep turning it on and off and turning the knobs all the way down, giving it a minute or 2 and then turning it back on to get them started.
Half the time his week, the heater wouldn't turn on on the first attempt.
After the brush roller stopped just now, I turned off the shaker and the curing, and then turned the brush roller back on, it began working, but only after I turned it up to around 75% (I have the 5rpm one on right now).Does this sound like a power supply issue to you?
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9 hours ago, johnson4 said:
I laser cut some guides for the take up roller. Fixed the issue entirely.
Are those circular acrylic things on your second post in this thread the guides? Do they just sit along the sides of the film and that fixed it all?
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On 10/25/2021 at 1:30 PM, johnson4 said:
Yea, I notice this issue too when it’s colder, I turn my fan down a bit as well. The plate does help a lot, but cold air whishing in can make it heat irregular. I would lower my vent speed a bit in the winter if possible.
auto tune is built into the temperature controller, at least it is on mine.
what this does is the controller “learns” it’s environment. Any type of element, or situation can be controlled with the same controller. So I set the fan vent speed, from a cold startup you go into the settings and select auto tune. This teaches the thermostat it’s environment, how quickly it cools, and how to maintain the exact heat. The plates help with this, but would need ran again after adding them. I then tell it to keep the elements on a max of 12 seconds for mine. The heat coming off the coils is WAYY hotter than the set temperature, so if it needs to run for 20 seconds before getting to temperature ( or hitting the stock on time limit) it could be well over 500 degrees right under the element, burning the film. Using 12-13 seconds allows the coils to heat, but not overheat so it cycles more often to prevent film burn.
just look up Rex c-100 auto tune/ manual.
I'll look into this tonight
While I wait for the aluminum plates to arrive....can I ask if you have any tips on keeping the film straight on the take up reel? When the film isn't rolling up straight, it causes a slight bend which travels up to the printer, causing the film to hit that metal bracket and ruin the print. It begins to happen after 20+ prints. I tried measuring everything: keeping the printer, shaker, and film aligned but apparently I have to be absolutely 100% perfect.
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On 10/22/2021 at 4:59 PM, johnson4 said:
The idea is to have a thick plate under it so it absorbs and retains heat- so it heats more evenly. It fixed my issue with that anyway. I went with the one in the photo. I could have went with thicker material, but I’m cheap and luckily it worked for me, lol.
the plate size for mine was- 15”X 14” 7/8” and it just sits under the original. I just messaged and ask for it to be cut.
I'll order the plate (probably ordering 2 and stacking them) and see if this fixes my issue, before I sit down for hours trying to decipher how to do what you said on #4 lol.
I think it does make sense that the heat is being lost. I'm in Illinois and I work in a sunroom...so during the summer it's around 80 degrees in there on average. This past week, it's dropped down much lower so it must be the reason I'm having this issue.
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On 10/20/2021 at 12:08 PM, johnson4 said:
Like this for the sheet metal.
Hmm I thought the metal that came with my machine would be sufficient for heat. Mine has slanted ends, not flat so I would have to completely scrap it if I were to buy new sheet metal. Do you think one like this would be sufficient: https://www.ebay.com/itm/393504388377
I'll have to figure out how to get it cut because my curing area is about 15" x 12", so that's another obstacle.
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It looks like there are going to be a lot of kinks to figure out when buying the cheaper equipment for DTF.
I'm having 2 issues suddenly:
1. About an inch of each side of an A3 size roll doesn't heat up enough. The powder is a bit harder but not cured enough. I looked up at the heating bulbs and it does look like a good amount on the sides just don't heat up. Is there anything I can possibly do about this? At the moment, only about 9 inches in the center of the design cures properly (when the film is centered). I currently have it set at 110 C and each print takes an average of 4 minutes to go through.
2. I'm getting powder sticking to the edges of the film. When heat pressing it, it leaves a square on the shirt and it won't really come off unless I press it longer and multiple times (bad ones don't go away at all). I have the shaker smacking it hard so I'm not sure why this would happen. Anyone experience this?
I'm aware only a few people on here have a shaker but I figure it might help everyone reading about the issues I'm going through.
Anyone with electrical knowledge have any idea how to repair a part of the mini shaker?
in Dryers, Shakers, Ovens and other DTF curing equipment.
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I noticed just today that the powder is not coming through the original holes in the duster. I lifted it while it was working and it was only coming out of the 10ish holes that I drilled. That’s definitely a problem.