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315 i-TECH Users Manual

1. offset too low Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Knife Offset This figure shows the path the pen takes and the path the knife takes at a corner If pen plots have the characteristic of the knife path it is likely that the cutter is in the Cur Mope The Pen path has no offset compensation Change Cut and Draw modes with the Allen Remote Panel program Cut Test Pattern A test pattern is provided to verify cut quality The pattern can be positioned with the joystick buttons when the cutter Load light is on and pause light off Repeat the test as necessary to check blade quality fine tune force offset and blade depth The cutter should produce a test pattern which has accurate corners smooth curves and is easy to weed out The material carrier should be marked lightly and evenly To make the test pattern load material with the LOAD button and then press the TEST button If the corners of the test pattern or lettering have misshaped corners when knife cutting adjust the knife offset using the Allen Remote Panel Program If the blade offset is too high the corners will be extended and the circles will have bumps In that case reduce the knife offset For example if the original offset is 12 and the output shows signs of too much offset try an offset of 10 or less If the blade offset is too low the corners will be rounded and the circles will have nicks In that case try an offset of 14 or more If a go
2. Unpunched Material Turn the cutter on before loading media The cutter will energize the vacuum fan and move the cutting head full right The cutter is now ready for loading media 1 Place roll material on the roll supply and feed the material from the back of the machine and then under the pinch wheels until it is inserted 1 2 feet 30 60 cm A material path diagram follows Position the right edge of the material against the black vinyl front and rear edge guide strip Also visually align the roll of goods with the edge guide NOTE Proper alignment with the guide will give the best results when making long images Position the left pinch wheel at the left edge of the material This pinch wheel should be positioned so that its edge is about 1 4 inch 6 mm in from the edge of the material The material must be at least 3 5 inches wide 9 cm Lower the pinch wheel lever Use the joystick buttons to position the tool to the desired start point Press the LOAD button The 230 measures the material width Y axis and then the material moves back and forth X axis 1 inch 25 mm unless a different Load Length has been set with the Allen Remote Panel program The tool will position to the starting point of the current coordinate system See ORIGIN LOCATION section of this manual To perform a cut test pattern press the TEST button Move the head out of the way by using your joystick buttons and then weed the cut test Make force cha
3. 54 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Diagnostic Descriptions D02 CONFIDENCE TEST This diagnostic checks the plotting functions by means of an internal test pattern The confidence test is an excellent way to test the stand alone functions of the cutter before interfacing it into the CAD CAS system Before turning on the power to do the confidence test it is a good idea to check the movement of the pen carriage Slide the pen carriage completely to the right and then back to the left It should slide consistently throughout the length without binding or rubbing Move the pen carriage between the left and right pinch wheels before turning the power on so that the sensors may be detected correctly Turn the plotter power on and place a sheet of D 22x34 inch or Al 59 4 x 84 1 cm paper in the plotter against the right side edge indicator strip Position the movable pinchwheel as necessary Lower the pinch wheel lever and use the joystick buttons to position the front edge as far back as the sheet will go and still be held by the pinch wheels Place a pen in the pen carriage Press Copy Copy Test Cut in the UNLOAD state The CONFIDENCE TEST will begin and run until completed Wait until the test plot is finished Raise the pinch wheel lever to remove the test plot Registration The confidence test just completed should duplicate the example in this manual The stars in each of the four corners check for registration accur
4. X axis dimension 20 inches Y axis 2 inches less than the media width i e for a media width of 24 inches make the rectangle 22 inches in the Y axis Measure the size of the printed rectangle in both axes Convert the measured dimension to a decimal equivalent i e 19 7 8 19 875 Measure the rectangle drawn by the cutter in both axes Also convert this measurement to a decimal equivalent Next start calibration diagnostic 7 Use the Allen Remote Panel Program and select the Diagnostics Menu Choose Calibrate 07 36 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter 5 Enter calibration correction factors into the diagnostic 7 screen The order of entry is as follows x drawn x measured y drawn y measured In the example below a 20 inch by 20 inch square was used The two x and y DRAWN dimensions are the actual measure ments of the output from the printer In this case the printer is printing exactly 20 inches by 20 inches Your numbers may vary depending on the printer The x and y measured dimensions below are the actual measured dimensions of the cutter s output In this case the cutter is cutting short in the X axis material direction by 1 8 or cutting 19 7 8 instead of 20 Converting that measurement to a decimal gives you 19 875 The Y axis in this example is only off by 5 thousandths of an inch so you would enter the 19 995 If there is no need to change calibration in a particular axis just leave the two numb
5. 34 x 10 x 9 25 inches 86 4 x 25 4 x 23 5 cm 40 Ibs 18 kg Model 230 40 x 10 x 9 25 inches 101 6 x 25 4 x 23 5 cm 42 Ibs 19 kg specifications subject to change without notice HPGL DMPL COMMAND CROSS REFERENCE HPGL COMMAND LANGUAGE SUMMARY aa x coord y coord arc angle chord tol Arc absolute af Advance frame ah Advance half frame ap n Auto pen O off 1 lift 2 auto put away 4 smart pen ar x coord v coord arc angle coord tol Arc relative as acc pen acceleration select bj n Begin Job O VS is cm sec FS 0 8 1 FS1 100 2 VS is mm sec 3 VS is mm sec FS 1 100 also sets the present buffer position as the beginning of a plot for the copy function bijlabel string lt etx gt Buffered label ci radius chord tolerance Draw circle cp spaces lines Move spaces lines from present position cs n Select primary set ct n Chord tolerance mode O degrees 1 deviation dc Digitize clear df Default di run rise Character generator absolute label direction di char pen control x inc y inc Down load char dp Place plotter in digitize mode dr run rise Character generator relative label direction dt n Select label command character terminator fr Frame advance ec cut Enable disable cut line es spaces lines Character generator extra space fs pen force pen Select pen force 1 8 im e mask s mask p mask input mask in Initialize ip p1x pty p
6. Verify tension 46 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Pinch Wheel Maintenance Model 230 Only Pinch wheels are critical to the 230 s material handling performance They should be inspected for wear regularly and cleaned as needed To clean adhesives off the pinch wheels simply use a soft cloth and denatured alcohol In normal use the pinch wheels will need to be replaced in time Also they can be damaged by trying to move them when they are in the down position The 230 vinyl cutter s confidence test diagnostic 02 has registration squares which give a good indication of pinch wheel performance If material does not track well and guide alignment has been verified the pinch wheels may need to be replaced For best tracking results replacement pinch wheels should be installed with the mold gates facing the outside of the machine as indicated in the diagram below front view 4 mold gates front view Left on side of Right pinch wheel pinch wheel pinch wheel 47 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter MEMORY BUFFER UPGRADE PROCEDURE WARNING Before touching anything inside your cutter touch the ground screw or any unpainted metal on the chassis to dissipate static electricity Handle components and cards with care Don t touch the components or contacts on a card Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket The 230 315 uses single in line memory modules SIMMs for its communications buffer The 230 31
7. as an offset of 12 The knife offset can be set from 0 to 100 plotter units If the 230 315 is in the Cur Mope and the CAD CAS package is also providing a swivel knife offset the user will have unsatisfactory cut quality Choose to control knife offset with either the plotter or CAS soft ware While not recommended for CAS offset control use the 230 315 in the Draw Mode Pen Plotting and Wide Marker Draw Mone Pen plotting and wide marker drawing are performed in the Draw Mope Check plots or colorful graphics may be made with either HP Hewlett Packard style roller ball or felt tip pens For best results remove the groove filler strip when plotting For banner making with the wide markers the optional marker holder is required This holder fits in place of the usual tool holder LOAD MATERIAL MODEL 315 The 315 by default will power up in the LOAD state This is indicated by the LOAD light being illuminated It is not necessary to press the load key prior to sending a job top the cutter To load material on a Model 315 first position the cutting head to the center of the sprockets Pivot the retainers away from the material hold downs and open the hold downs Insert the material from the rear of the machine positioning the material onto the sprocket teeth Close the hold downs and pivot the retainers over the hold downs 10 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter LOAD MATERIAL MODEL 230 Right Pinchwheel Alignment
8. variation 4 Test tracking with the joystick buttons for 3 4 feet 1 m Material should not bind at any of the guides Adjust left guides and the supply roll alignment as necessary If left guide discs are moved by the vinyl they may be tightened slightly with a 1 8 hex wrench but should still move by hand The right front and rear guide discs need to be an equal distance from the right side plate for long tracking 13 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Service Loop A service loop is slack in the material coming off the supply roll The plotter needs this slack to main tain accurate cutting and tracking The 230 315 can automatically maintain a service loop when this feature is activated During a service loop material advance the tool is raised and material is advanced This speed reduction during material advance off the supply roll allows fast cutting over long lengths The service is set to default to OFF If you feel it is necessary to activate it the service loop feature is activated from the Set Up Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program by turning the service loop on The service loop feature may be deactivated three ways 1 Turn the Service Loop to off from the Set Up Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program 2 Use the joystick buttons to jog the size of an entire job 3 Set a Media Load Length to the size of an entire job before loading media Example To cut a 10 foot sign without the service loop the user may a
9. Check for correct cable serial plotter cable attached to computer Com 1 or 2 Perform diagnostic 02 Confic functions Copy Copy Test Cut buttons in sequence in Unload starts the Confidence Test Check for Error code Run the Utility Program Check for correct cable Hardwire or XON XOFF protocol for serial plotter cable XON XOFF only for null modem cable Communications parameters on computer s com port must match plotter See Diagnostic 04 9600 n 8 1 is typical Design is larger than available material or CAS CAD frame size information needs to be adjusted to fit machine Turn off fifo buffers at Settings Control Panel System Comm Port Properties Advanced Verify com port settings turn FIFO transmit buffer to lowest setting leave receive buffer at high Verify handshaking set to hardware Confirm 2 way comunication with theAllen Remote Panel program Program displays model number and version on Main Menu screen when 2 way communications are esablished Check for Error code Run the Allen Remote Panel Program SETUP MAIN MENU 38 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Communications Troubleshooting The Allen Remote Panel program confirms 2 way serial communication by displaying the current When the program is properly installed and initiated the screen will display 230 315 firmware revision current position media width loaded and give access to the main set up and diagnostic menus
10. Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter FEATURES Gold Touch Cutting Head The Model 230 features Allen s exclusive Gold Touch Cutting head which allows the user up to 550 grams of cutting pressure There are 2 modes to the force adjustment which can be accessed through the Windows remote panel provided with the cutter These modes are contained in the OPTIONS menu under SETUP in the remote panel program The two modes are listed as FORCE POT RANGE high and low Low is sufficient for most vinyl cutting applications and has a top cutting pressure of 250 grams at 100 on the cutter s force dial High has a top force of 550 grams and is used when cutting heavier materials such as sandblast mask magnetic sheeting etc Modes Of Operation The 230 315 Vinyl Cutter has two modes of operation Cut and Draw These modes may be activated by HPGL command in the sign making software or from the Allen Remote Panel program Flexible Material Type and Size A wide variety of vinyls films papers stencil sandblast mask and banner materials can be handled by the 230 for cutting drawing plotting and banner making The 230 will handle sheets or rolls of material in widths from 3 5 inches 90 The The Model 230 accepts material from 3 5 88 9mm to 30 inches 762 mm in width The 230 automatically detects material width during the Load cycle by Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter sensing the magnets located in the right and left pinch wheel
11. force function is controlled by computer software If no force command is sent the force will be the last one sent since power up If no force command has been sent since power up then the default from Setup 1 will be used The current value and the machine default can be changed in the Allen Remote Panel program s Settings menu For more information see the CAS control section of Software Notes in this manual Joystick Buttons Tool Position Four buttons are arranged in the center of the control panel to move the tool position left right front and back These buttons control the cut start point origin in Load the READY state In the PAUSED state the buttons control the temporary tool position for viewing If the joystick buttons are pressed in PAUSE and then the Pause button is pressed again to return to cutting the tool will return to the correct cutting position Small move tap joystick button Slow MOVE hold jovstick button Fast MOVE LL en tap and then hold jovstick button For a Fast move the longer the button is held after a tap the faster the tool will move However the 19 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter tool will move at a fixed rate when the button of the opposing direction is held at the same time Copy This button allows the contents of the buffer to be replotted Some software packages do not automati cally clear the buffer when a new job is sent To insure that only one job will be cut when the cop
12. grams are applied When the belt is tight and the motor shaft is parallel to the bearing shaft tighten the three Phillips head motor bracket screws Prema ture belt failure will occur if these two shafts are not parallel Verify tension make shafts parallel pulley bracket motor bracket LEFT SIDE 45 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter X Drive Belt The belt which drives the grit wheel X axis is located inside the control panel pod To adjust the tension of this belt it is necessary to reposition the motor 1 Remove the right pod cover 2 Loosen the four motor screws and apply pressure to tighten the belt so that the belt will deflect 1 16 inch at the center when 23 ounces are applied 2 mm when 660 grams are applied Replace belt if damaged or worn 3 When the belt is sufficiently tight tighten the four motor screws 4 Verify belt path and tension 5 Check connectors and replace the pod cover Long Belt The long belt is adjusted using a lead screw located in the right pod To set the long belt s tension L Move the left pinch wheel at least 12 inches 30 cm away from the left side plate black Position the carriage so that the center of the knife is 6 inches from the left side plate black Loosen the locking nut with a 3 8 wrench and adjust the lead screw so that the belt will deflect approximately 1 16 at the center when slight pressure is applied Set the lead screw lock nut
13. jewelry away Cutting Strip from the cutter s moving parts Knife Assembly The knife holder uses a thrust bearing design to ensure proper movement of the knife blade in use Solvents and lubricants should not be used as they will diminish cutting accuracy The knife holder is de signed for use with Allen Datagraph s 45 and 60 degree blades The depth guide allows the user to limit the depth that the knife will cut into a given material The correct setting of the depth guide allows the knife blade to cut only the material and not the backer carrier material Knife Blades New blades slide into the knife assembly to a preset height and are held in magnetically No tools or adjustments are required To remove old blades remove the depth guide from the knife holder assembly and pull the blade out by holding the knife holder with the flat side of the blade facing up Grasp the blade using your forefinger and thumb and pull the blade from the holder Knives for the Allen Datagraph Vinyl Cutters are designed specifically for offset cutting The tip is offset from the center of the shaft so that the blade has a caster action when pulled Blades are available in 45 and 60 degree tip angles The 60 degree is intended thicker materials such as sandblast mask For best cutting results protect the knife tip from damage when not in use by unscrewing the black cap 15 Knife path Pen path v Paths are displaaced for clarity
14. operating conditions it may be necessary to replace parts on your plotter The following parts are available at the factory or from your service representative Plotter parts may vary with model and serial number Contact your service representative for information regarding specific parts and service Have Model Number and Serial Number when you call Tools and Supplies H20 007 H20 008 H20 013 H20 015 H20 023 H20 024 H16 040 1 H21 005 H21 010 H21 025 H21 035 PL 00 02 125 PL 00 02 865 Knife Blade 45 Knife Blade 60 Pen Black Felt Tip Pens Assorted Color Felt Tip pkg of 5 Pen Black Roller Ball Pens Assorted Color Roller Ball pkg of 4 Cutting Strip Hex wrench 5 64 inch Hex wrench 3 32 inch Hex wrench 1 16 inch Hex wrench 1 8 inch Universal Tool Holder Wide Marker Knife Assembly 2 mm Mechanical and Electronic Parts PL 00 00 450 F 052 H19 001 7 H19 002 H19 003 K 205 PL 00 02 060 PL 00 02 115 PL 00 37 222 PL 00 37 219 PL 00 05 400 3 PL 00 05 406 PL 00 05 412 PL 00 05 414 Maintenance Kit Fuse littlefuse 3 amp slo blo 250V Belt long carriage Belt short carriage Belt short gritwheel Reed Switch ASSY pinch wheel ASSY servo motor encoder ASSY grit wheel 220 ASSY gritwheel 224 PCB microprocessor communications PCB computer controlled i o servo PCB motherboard PCB control panel SPECIFICATIONS Media width Model 220 ii sia e nie i 3 5 to 24 inches 9 to 6
15. sec 1to 100 The Up Speed is the speed of the tool movement when the tool is in the up position The up speed range may be set from 1 to 60 cm sec 1 to 100 From the front panel speed control knob the up speed will be equal to the down speed Acceleration is the rate at which a given speed is achieved High acceleration will produce faster cutting when a graphic image has many short vectors line segments The maximum recommended acceleration rate for rolls is 08 because greater rates tend to cause material slippage and tracking problems on roll material The acceleration range may be set from 01 to 16 via the SETTINGS menu The Minimum Angle between vectors at which knife offset compensation rotation is performed If this angle is below the minimum angle no rotation is performed If the angle is at or above the minimum angle then compensation at the current offset value is performed The machine default is 16 The minimum angle range is 1 to 30 The lower the value the more accurate but slower cutting will be The higher the value the less accurate but faster cutting will be This value can be saved in the programmable Set Ups 26 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter WINDOWS XP WINDOWS 2000 DRIVER Note This driver requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP to operate Tested with CorelDRAW Adobe Illustrator SignLab Flexi Sign Gerber Omega AutoCAD 2002 PowerCad Driver Installation instructions Note If you already h
16. the 230 315 can be set for DMPL opera tion See diagnostic 05 Serial RS 232 Interfacing The serial interface is factory preset for 9600 baud no parity 8 bits 1 stop bit but may be altered with diagnostic 04 The 230 315 when used with the supplied plotter cable automatically supports both HARDWARE and XON XOFF software handshaking with the Allen Datagraph plotter cable Alternately a null modem cable available at computer supply stores may be used on the serial port for XON XOFF communications Serial RS 232 Plotter Cables The following configurations will provide proper communications with the 230 and 315 alternate IBM Macintosh IBM IBM 9 Pin Plotter DIN 8 Plotter 25 Pin Plotter 25 Pin Plotter 1 4 5 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 K 7 7 7 4 6 8 7 5 6 20 5 6 6 20 6 5 7 2 20 20 4 20 5 6 20 4 5 6 8 5 7 8 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter OPERATION MODES OF OPERATION The 230 315 has 2 modes of operation for control of its corresponding tools knife and pen Cur Mope is used for knife offset cutting and Draw Mome is used for pen plotting and wide marker drawing The Allen Remote Panel program indicates the current Mope on the Main Menu Knife Cutting Cut Mope Knife offset cutting is performed in the Cur Mope The Cut Mope provides the Orrset a swivel knife needs to cut corners and curves accurately The offset is nominally 0 012 inches 0 3 mm which is expressed
17. 1 cm Model224 EE 3 5 to 28 inches 9 to 71 cm Model 230 EE 3 5 to 34 inches 9 to 86 cm Maximum frame size Model 220 EE 20 inches x 250 feet 50 8 cm x 76 m Model 224 EE 24 inches x 250 feet 61 0 cm x 76 m ele EI 30 inches x 250 feet 76 0 cm x 76m Mediananding EE microgrit with edge guide system Media ypes aucnn vinyls masking Rubylith Tyvek paper Resolution addressable HPGL 0 000984 inch 0 025 mm Resolution mechanical nn nn 0 000120 inch 0 003 mm Endpoint accuracv serres iss 0 009843 inch 0 25 mm or 0 1 of total RepeataDilitv E 0 004 inch 0 10 mm SPORE E 24 in s 60 cm s Force selectable nicioni aaa 40 to 260 grams Plot origin selectable long X long Y center or center rotated 180 Command languages 2 HPGL DMPL are RS 232 C El 512 KB expandable to 8 MB Emulation EE Roland CAMM 1 loline 5000 HP 7585 86 INICFOPLOGESSOF aces e a candace ctans nee Haan es ident tennant eneteey Intel RISC 80960i ALE TEE pivoting carbide tip 45 standard 60 Knife offset selectable 0 to 0 1 inch 2 5 mm Pens NUMDer sur tissa teks a ege gege 1 multipen simulation is selectable Sue felt roller ball or drafting HP Operating temperature nn 32 to 117 F 0 to 40 C Operating NUMICIty cece nanna nanna relative 5 to 95 Physical size and weight Model 220 30 x 10 x 9 25 inches 76 2 x 25 4 x 23 5 cm 35 Ibs 16 kg Model 224
18. 2x p2y Input p1 p2 iw x1 y1 x2 y2 Input clipping window kalangle Set min angle for knife rotate knloffset Set offset from center line of knife Ib label chars lt etx gt Label plot lo n Character generator label origin It pattern length Select line type pattern nr Not ready oa Output actual pen position oc Output commanded pen position od Output digitized point oe Output error of Output factors oh Output hard clip limits oi Output plotter identification ol Output buffered label length 00 Output features op Output p1 p2 os Output status ow Output window palx coord v coordi Plot absolute pb Print buffered label pd x y Pen down pg code Advance page 0 Set X origin to current position pm n Polygon mode instruction prix inc v incl Plot relative pulx yl Pen up ra x coord y coord Rectangle fill absolute ro n Rotate 0 or 90 degrees rr x inc y inc rectangle fill relative sc xmin xmax ymin ymax Scale si width height Absolute character size sl tan angle Character generator slant sm char Symbol mode on off and character selection sp n Select pen sr width height Relative character size st tool Select O draw 1 cut tI tp tn Tick length instruction uc pen control x cor y cor User defined character uv velocity Specify pen up velocity vs velocity pen Specify pen down velocit
19. 3 216 6344 Fax 603 216 6345 Limited Warranty Agreement ALLEN DATAGRAPH VINYL CUTTERS are warranted to be free of defects in both materials and workmanship Should any part of this equipment be defective it will be repaired or replaced at the option of the manufacturer at no charge for parts or factory labor for a period of one 1 year from the date of installation Replacement parts will be billed to the customer or dealer at regular prices and credit will be issued when the defective parts are returned The customer is responsible for freight one way on warranty parts and repairs This warranty is void if 1 the equipment has been damaged by negligence accident or mishan dling or has not been operated in accordance with the procedures described in the operating instructions or 2 the equipment has been altered or repaired by other than an ap proved service station or factory service center or adaptations or accessories have been attached to the equipment which shall have adversely affected the performance safety or reliability of the equipment NO OTHER WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED APPLIES to the equipment Allen Datagraph does not assume any responsibility for consequential damages occasioned by the equipment or inconvenience or interruption in operation In case of unsatisfactory operation Allen Datagraph or its Dealer should be notified immediately Contents Ierger TION SF 1 Description sea aspett a d aa 1 F
20. 5 will accept 1x9 or 1x8 SIMMs with a density of 256KB 1MB or 4MB and a speed rating of 100 ns or faster 80 etc There is provision for two SIMMs in the 230 The 230 will accept mixed density SIMMS but both sockets U1 and U2 located on the micro processor PCB must have SIMMs installed To access the SIMMs follow these steps 1 Remove the stainless steel front cover 2 A personal ground strap connected to earth ground should be used when performing any electronic service to avoid circuit damage caused by electro static discharge 3 Remove the card retaining bracket 4 Remove the microprocessor PCB on the bottom right side SIMMs are in sockets labeled U1 and U2 To remove a SIMM follow these steps 1 Carefully spread the small retention pegs of the SIMM socket apart just far enough for the SIMM to disengage from the socket it should pop up slightly 2 Lift the SIMM away from the socket To install a SIMM follow these steps 1 Locate the cutout area on one corner of the SIMM 2 Hold the SIMM so that the cutout is toward the left of the chassis pin 1 of socket and the SIMM s edge connector aligns with the slot in the center of the SIMM socket 3 Press the SIMM s edge connector firmly into the SIMM socket until it snaps into place You should hear a click as the small retention pegs snap into the holes at each end of the SIMM If you have misaligned or only partially seated the SIMM you will not hear a sh
21. D 38 PEN UP DOWN TEST 2 on demand 62 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter This diagnostic exercises the pen up down hardware and circuitry The display will read 003 and the pen force LED will blink This blinking LED prompts the user to enter the desired force and then press the enter key When the enter button is pressed the pen will lower When the pen lowers its force at bottom will be equal to the force value set by the value entered To restart this diagnostic press any key on the control panel The pen will lift before restarting the test To perform a short pen lift press the UP key D 43 SET FACTORY DEFAULT CUTTER VALUES This diagnostic resets the three custom Set Ups on 230 315 Cutter to the factory values Existing settings will be overwritten Set Up lu 25 3 1 2 3 Mode Cut 1 Cut 2 Draw Cut Cut Draw Down Speed 1 60 40 40 40 Up Speed 1 60 40 40 40 Force 1 100 20 40 40 Offset 1 100 12 12 0 Min Angle 5 30 16 16 0 Acceleration 1 16 4 4 4 CAD Override On Off Off Off Off Load Speed 1 20 20 20 20 Load Length 1 100 inches 1 1 l Load Length L 250 en 3 3 3 Service Loop On Off Off Off Off Coord System LX LY C CR LX LX LX To modify table values see text on Factory and Custom Set ups 63 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D 48 RESET FACTORY DEFAULT X Y and Z AXIS GAINS From the diagnostic menu in the Allen Remote Panel Program press 0 3 4 8 enter When the display flashes D you may type th
22. H window header says now running power up diagnostics and the cutter reinitializes The red LEDs will turn off when the cutter initializes You must first press the LOAD button and allow the cutter go through it s load cycle prior to sending a job to it NOTE For older 230 315 Cutters different versions of firmware are available Using the wrong version may result in machine malfunction or no operation at all Consult the factory with your cutter s model number and serial number to obtain the correct and latest revision for your machine See serial tag below the power switch Unless you machine has had significant upgrades at the factory you may reinstall the firmware that your cutter was supplied with A4 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter MECHANICAL ADJUSTMENTS Belt Tension The 230 315 servo motors use belts to control the material X axis and tool Y axis positions The belt tension and wear should be inspected if cut quality deterio rates To inspect the belts remove the pods by removing four hex head screws 2 on top 2 on bottom Left Pod Y axis Belt The Y axis short belt runs between the Y axis servo motor and a gear assembly To adjust the tension of this belt it is necessary to reposition the motor bracket 1 Loosen the three Phillips head motor bracket screws and apply hand pressure to tighten the belt so that the belt will deflect 0 050 inches at the center when 23 ounces are applied 1 3 mm when 660
23. HISNS1 SIHI vun WIS 0 NO 56 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D03 Set model number Valid 230 3 15 model numbers are 220 224 230 1220 1224 3220 and 3224 Example key sequence to set Machine to Model 230 Function 3 0 3 Enter 2 3 0 Enter Model number 1220 and 1224 are used for machines that do not have a serial number suffix of B D04 Set communication parameters Sets baud rate parity data bits stop bits for RS 232 serial communications Supported baud rates 200 300 600 1200 2400 4800 7200 9600 Supported parities None code 0 Even code 1 Odd code 2 Supported data bits 5 6 7 8 Supported stop bits 1 or 2 Diagnostic 04 will display present values for each parameter and prompt for the four parameters in order baud rate parity data bits stop bits Baud rates are displayed and entered divided by 100 Parity is entered by code Example key sequence to set communication parameters to default settings of 9600 baud no parity 8 data bits 1 stop bit Function 3 0 4 enter lt starts diagnostic gt 9 6 enter 0 enter 8 enter 1 enter 37 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D05 SET FLAG BYTE The flag byte is the sum of the flags you want to set Function Flag Notes Material handling mode flag reserved function 0 normal operation default 1 Expand cut area flag normal margins default 0 reduce margin 0 4 inch 10 mm 2 Plotter hard clip response OH command response
24. MODEL 230 FRICTION FEED MODEL 315 SPROCKET FEED VINYL CUTTERS INTRODUCTION The Allen Datagraph Systems Model 230 and 315 Vinyl Cutters are high performance machines designed for the graphics professional to cut and draw on a wide variety of materials The 230 315 cuts with a swivel knife or draws with various pens and markers The 230 utilizes a precision grit wheel system for positive tracking and movable pinch wheels for handling punched or unpunched materials in standard and nonstandard sizes The Model 315 utilizes precision sprocket assemblies which accept the standard IBM compatible punch pattern as well as universal punch vinyls and Gerber 15 punched vinyl Most of the operational procedures are the same for both the 230 and 315 cutters with the exception of the differences relating to the material transport method and the ability of the 315 to produce pounce patterns with the optional pounce kit available from Allen Datagraph Systems A Model 315 addendum appears at the end of this manual which outlines the different operational procedures relating specifically to the 315 A thumb screw tool holder allows tools to be quickly and easily changed The 230 315 uses HPGL command language for widespread compatibility and emulates the Roland CAMM 1 the Hewlett Packard 758x and DMPL plotters The Allen Remote Panel program provides direct user control of speed force and position as well as having a full gamut of diagnostics Allen
25. Model 230 Only POWER CONNECTION Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter LONG TRACKING GUIDE ASSEMBLY MODEL 230 ONLY The optional Long Tracking Guide System may be attached to your 230 Vinyl Cutter Contact your Allen Datagraph dealer if you want this option A pictorial assembly instruction sheet is provided on the CD ROM in your cutter s accessory kit in Microsoft Word format Tools Required Phillips head screw driver 1 8 and a 3 32 hex wrench Parts In Kit 4 brackets Right Front Left Front Right Rear Left Rear 2 rollers with guide discs and collars 2 rollers without guide discs or collars 8 Phillips screws Assembly 1 Use the 3 32 hex wrench to loosen the right pinchwheel assembly 2 Move both pinchwheel assemblies to the middle of the machine 3 Install 4 brackets with the Phillips screws in the locations indicated on the label Right Front bracket to the right front of the machine etc 4 Install a roller with discs black end to the right in the front of the machine by inserting the rod and collar on the black end of the roller through the keyhole slot on the right front bracket 5 Pull on the rod and collar to retract the left end rod so it will pass through the keyhole on the left front bracket Position both ends of the rod at the bottom of the keyhole slots and release Adjust as necessary by pulling on the right end of the rod 6 Installation of the Rear roller with discs in the same 7 The rol
26. Move Control width 36 000 i oe Origin End Point End ra C Origin ALLEN DATAGRAPH MODEL 3155 PL 03 544 2 35 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter 34 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter 35 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Calibration for Contour Cutting This procedure can be used to improve the accuracy of contour cutting There are 2 plots provided on the CD ROM that came with your 230 315 These files can be sent to the cutter through your Allen Remote Panel by first making sure your cutter s LOAD light is lit then opening the remote panel Next go to ACTION SEND HPGL FILE You should see the files listed in the window that pops up If not these files are found in the folder named Sample in the Allen Datagraph folder located under C Program files Allen Datagraph Sample Simply double click the appropriate file You will be prompted to enter how many copies you want One is sufficient so click OK and the file will be sent For a Model 315 use the file named 315 cal plt For a Model 230 use the file named 20incal plt You may also create your own rectangle using your design software NOTE The printed image and cut image must be of the same dimension to make an accurate calibration correction The following procedure matches the cutter calibration to the color printer calibration so that contour cuts are correct 1 Draw a rectangle of dimensions that are as follows
27. See the Allen Remote Panel program information guide in this manual The Allen Remote Panel uses and tests serial communication only If the Allen Remote Panel does not initialize check the following 1 The serial cable is the one supplied with the Allen Datagraph plotter or is equivalent to the cables diagramed in the back of this book For a null modem cable Xon Xoff software handshaking must be used 2 Confirm that the computer communication port is the one that is indicated on the Allen Remote Panel menu bar item settings communications 3 Confirm that there is not a communications conflict with that serial port 4 You must terminate the Allen Remote Panel program terminate button at lower part of screen before using the same com port to send files from your CAS program or you will get a com conflict message Likewise your com port must be available in order to run the Allen Remote Panel program 5 Ifthe Pause light flickers when the file is sent from the computer but nothing plots normal communications maybe taking place with the plot image outside the hardclip limits of the media loaded Communications Test This test checks the vinyl cutter s serial communications with your PC IBM type Your cutter was shipped with a serial cable as well as a CD ROM which contains firmware the Allen Direct Cut Windows driver Manual and sample files These file are to be used in this test to verify that the cutter and computer ar
28. Vinyl Cutter Speed Control The machine s Speed settings are 1 to 100 Step 1 is the slowest and step 100 is the fastest In the 1 to 100 position the speed is controlled by the knob and computer commands CAS including the Allen Remote Panel program are ignored The speed knob controls up and down speed in unison Changes in the control knob position made during cutting will take effect after up to 200 vectors have been plotted For best results preset the knob before plotting In the CAS position the machine function is controlled by computer software If no speed command is sent the speed will be the last one sent since power up If no speed command has been sent since power up then the default from Setup 1 will be used The current value and the speed default can be changed with the Allen Remote Panel program Up and down speed may be controlled individually in the CAS position For more information see the CAS control section of Software Notes in this manual Force Control The machine s Force settings are 1 to 100 Step 1 is the lightest approximately 10 grams and step 100 is the heaviest 550 grams In the 1 to 100 position the force is controlled by the knob and computer commands CAS including Allen Remote Panel program are ignored Changes in the control knob position made during cutting will take effect almost immediately For best results preset the knob and perform a test cut before plotting In the CAS position the
29. acy Only one line in each star should be seen and all lines of the star should be the same width even though each star was drawn twice once at the start and once at the end of the plot Also three registration boxes are drawn in each corner The outer and inner boxes are drawn at the start of the test The center box is drawn at the end of the test This is a demanding test on the plotter Even minor registration errors will show up in these boxes Line Quality Backlash The next item to check for is line quality The lines on the circles should be smooth and have very little if any jitter 55 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Letter Quality The sequence of letters and numbers should be examined next Again the letter quality should coincide with the quality of the test plot shipped with the plotter Pen Up Down Next check the line patterns in the middle of the test plot This checks the accuracy and adjustment of the pen up and down Each row should be consistent throughout with no pen skipping Check the bottoms of the circles and diamonds for closure Also check the closure of the letters Straight Lines Lay a steel rule against the two calibration lines These lines should have no more than a 0 1 bow e g the middle of the 28 inch line must be less than 28 1000 of an inch from true straight ON D SIZE MYLAR THIS LENGTH SHOULD MEASURE 14 INCHES SIHIN Be Eech OINOHS
30. aper results in an E80 E81 or E37 error when the pen does its initial move If this diagnostic is run and the machine is not recalibrated then plotted line lengths may not be within plotter specifications This diagnostic flashes D when complete Press 9 9 Enter or turn the plotter power off to complete the process D 10 SERVO PCB HARDWARE TEST This test automatically checks the operation of the following circuits on the SERVO PCB Data Bus Address Bus Position Counters Encoder Signal Processor PAL Fail safe Circuits and Power Amplifiers The tests of the Fail safe Circuits and Power Amps are limited to detecting catastrophic failures The test takes about 2 seconds to complete Upon completion D is flashed This same test is performed whenever the plotter performs a power up reset D 12 DAC RAMP TEST WITH POWER AMPS DISABLED This diagnostic is used to observe the operation of the D A converters and the analog gain stage Using an oscilloscope on dac bus pin on U20 a staircase ramp from 32 to 32 volts should be observed Test points VMX and VMY should show zero volts D 13 DAC RAMP TEST WITH POWER AMPS ENABLED AND RELAY OPEN This diagnostic is the same as Diagnostic 12 except that the power amps are enabled With an oscilloscope on test points VMX and VMY the staircase ramp should appear with the voltage range of 32 volts or whatever the 32 power supply voltage levels happen to be The signal will appear clipped at
31. arp click and the retention pegs will not snap cleanly into the holes You can easily remove the SIMM and reinstall it 48 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter ERROR CODES If the internal microprocessor detects an error condition it is reported on the Main Menu of the Allen Remote Panel Program the next time the program is initialized Recommended diagnostic procedures D are listed in the error description Always consult Allen Datagraph Technical support if an error condition occurs Error Description Error Description NONE all panel lights off check PCBs loose in socket E70 motor over current power amp failed fuses on main and power amp PCB 115 230 E71 voice coil over current power amp failed VAC switch in wrong position front panel PCB E72 i t DAC loa failed disconnected loose cable from power supply to Motor over current Oranarog tare motherboard PCB E73 ____ X axis position counter failed D10 14 E09 waiting for first vector to complete E74 ____ Y axis position counter failed D14 E12 buffer overflow communication escape down E75 ___ X axis encoder failed D14 loadable character or polygon buffer E76 Y axis encoder failed D14 E13 ____ too many parameters in the escape command E77 X axis encoder detector failed D14 E14 ____ invalid character in escape command E78 Y axis encoder detector failed D14 E15 ____ escape command not implemented E79 position initialization error either ca
32. ave an older version of the Allen driver installed and you are upgrading to anew version delete the old driver before installing the newer one Reboot your computer and then proceed with the installation of the new driver 1 Run Setup 2 Select start control panel printers and faxes 3 Click on add a printer 4 Click Next 5 Select Local Printer attached to this computer 6 Click Next 7 Select Create a new port Local Port 8 Type in COMx DOS as the name of the port Eg If cutter is attached to coml the name of the port should be COM1 DOS 9 Select com port cutter is attached E g coml 10 Click Have Disk 11 Click Browse 12 Navigate to C Program Files Allen Datagraph Cutter Driver 13 Click Open 14 Click OK 15 Select model number of cutter 16 Click Next 17 Select replace existing driver to upgrade to new version Select keep existing to change model number 18 Click Next 19 Decide if this is your default printer and answer question Yes No 20 Click Next 21 Select sharing for this printer 22 Click Next 23 Do not print a test page 24 Click finish 25 Click Continue anyway 27 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter SOFTWARE NOTES Communications The 230 315 is shipped with the following communication parameters 9600 baud no parity 8 data bits and 1 stop bit See diagnostic 4 if it is necessary to change these values The 230 315 is capable of a speed of 38 400 baud f
33. brackets and will not attempt to move beyond this width The frame length on roll media is not limited by software in the plotter For use without the optional guide system it is suggested that the frame size be limited to 10 feet 3 m The Model 315 is a fixed width cutter and accepts only 15 inch punched material Service Loop The 230 315 Vinyl Cutter is capable of a top speed of 24 in sec 60 cm s Material can not be pulled off a large supply roll accurately at this speed The 230 315 can maintain a service loop of material so that the cutter does not pull off the supply roll during cutting This loop allows higher speed cutting than can normally be attained on drum type plotters The service loop feature may be activated in the Allen Remote Panel if so desired Serviceability The 230 315 use a modular design to provide rapid fault diagnosis and component replacement which insures minimum downtime and replacement cost The 230 315 has extensive built in self test capability to assure continuously high quality output The Allen Remote Panel provides access to the machine s controls and diagnostics Custom Set Ups The 230 has three programmable SET Ups which can be customized for convenient use of a variety of software material and tool combinations Control settings on the cutter are saved in a SET UP and then recalled for simple control of machine parameters Set Up 1 which is the power up default can be set for the most often used
34. configuration Set Ups are accessed through the Windows Control Panel under the SETTINGS menu CAS Mode The 230 315 has front panel control knobs for speed and force The knobs have a CAS Computer Aided Signmaking position which allows the 200 Series s Speed and Force to be controlled remotely by your Signmaking software provided that speed and force settings are available Alternate Coordinate Systems Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The 230 315 offers four coordinate systems for widespread compatibility with CAS Computer Aided Sign making software programs Long X and Long Y coordinate systems are compatible with the cutter drivers for most CAS programs Center Origin and Center Origin rotated 180 coordinate systems are compatible with plotter drivers for the Hewlett Packard 758x OPTIONS Long Tracking Vinyl Guides Model 230 only The Long Tracking Vinyl Guide option enables tracking and cutting of 150 yard 50 m rolls of unpunched vinyls It is adjustable for material widths of 3 5 inches 90 mm to 1 inch 25 mm greater than the model size The guides have limited use for paper and punched vinyls because the edges of these materials are not as strong as unpunched vinyl and therefore can not be edge guided with the same reliable results Vinyl Cradle The vinyl cradle provides a means of handling rolls of material It can be used on a bench top Optional Alignment Sight for Contour Cutting p n PL 00 1 1 500 The Ali
35. ct flag position on the cutting head It displays the knife height on the display The flag is held on to the knife holder by 2 allen screws size xx There are 3 locations the knife holder can be in They are Bottom remove the knife from the holder and press the holder down to the bottom The display should read less than 006 Adjust flag position if necessary Down press the knife down with a knife in the holder The display should read between 024 026 pressing down with a knife in the holder no media present Adjust flag position if necessary Top hold the knife up The display should read 060 or more Check flag position The display should change immediately as you move the knife up or down Check that the flag screws are tight and recheck Bottom and Down D 37 PEN UP DOWN TEST 1 continuous This diagnostic exercises the pen up down hardware and circuitry The display will read D37 and the pen force LED will blink This blinking LED is to prompt the user to enter force 1 100 then press enter As soon as a force is entered the pen will lower and raise repetitively every 400 ms 200 ms to lower and 200 ms to raise When the pen lowers its force when it reaches the bottom will be equal to the force value as set by the particular button pressed To restart this diagnostic while in progress press any key on the keyboard The pen will first lift itself to the raised position then will start again from the beginning
36. d for manufacturing and field service testing 50 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter DIAGNOSTICS MENU To Run Diagnostics select the DIAGNOSTICS drop down menu in the Allen Remote Panel program i ZI Psat ite Our Express El Adobe Pagemaker 65 E JB air Remote Panel ki 56 AM Main Menu The Main Menu is for adjustment of the most often used machine controls The Main Menu is accessed by beginning the Utility program Press the initialize button on the bottom of the window to generate the screen below It is necessary to close the Utility Program to return to normal cutter operation Select File and then Exit from the Window Menu Bar 51 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The Main Menu Main Menu The Settings Menu SetupForm 52 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The Line Sensor Menu Line Sensor Menu d Vi 0 000 Y Sensor Offset 4 to 4 Inches ES X Scan Offset 1 to 1 Inch 0 125 Y Scan Offset 1 to 1 Inch ja 25 X Move between jobs 3t0 3 Inch ES Scan Length 0 01 to 1 Inch 0 250 Scan Yelocity 1 100 mm sec fio X Sensor Size 0 1 to 0 1 Inch 6 015 Y Sensor Size 0 1 to 0 1 Inch bas The Line Sensor Menu is used only when your cutter is equipped with Allen s optional SmartMark optical registration system This menu is used to adjust sensor offsets scan offsets distance between jobs scan length scan velocity and x y sensor sizes Please refer to the Sma
37. d soap and water be used with a soft cloth This solution works well on all painted surfaces CAUTION Do not use any abrasive cleaners as they will cause the paint to blister LUBRICATION Most mechanical parts on the 230 315 will not need lubrication and since oil and grease can attract dirt unnecessary lubrication should be avoided Bearings for the belt drive and gritwheel shaft should be lubricated with light oil every 6 months of heavy use Do not use excessive oil 43 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter FIRMWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE Firmware updates will be available for the 230 from time to time It is sug gested that you check the Allen Datagraph web site Technical Support pages to see if a new version is available The new versions are easily downloaded These updates will either provide additional features as they are implemented or correct a problem in the machine function l If you have a new CD ROM follow the installation procedure Installing the Allen Remote Panel Program in this manual Power on the cutter with the LOAD button pressed and wait for initialization to complete The two red LEDs should remain lit as an indicator that the cutter is ready to receive firmware From the Windows Programs Menu Start Programs go to the Allen Datagagraph folder Choose the Install Flash Cutter Firmware on Com x Where x is the com port 1 or 2 to which the cutter is connected Installation is complete when the DOS TXFLAS
38. dlink Setup Screens 33 CASMATE Setup Screens u ueniesenaie ni 34 Sign Wizard Setup Screen 35 CoEutset piscreen E 35 Calibration for Contour Cutting 36 Troubleshooting 22222022222 een 38 Communications Troubleshooting au 39 Cut Quality Troubleshooting 41 Material Handling Troubleshooting essenzi 42 SOC A ge 43 Cleaning een 43 EENEG 43 Firmware Update Procedure 44 Mechanical Adjustments 45 Memory buffer Upgrade procedure 48 Error Codes ee 49 Re e 50 System Diagram cccccsescceseeeeceseceeeees 66 Replacement Parts ss ssseeeennenezennnzzznni 67 Specifications E 68 HPGL DMPL Command Cross Reference 68 HPGL Command Language Summarv 69
39. e properly connected To run the test make sure the plotter cable supplied with your machine is plugged into the computer serial port and into the vinyl cutter The cable is about 39 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter 25 feet long and has a 9 pin connector on the computer end and a 25 pin connector at the cutter end Make sure both ends are properly secured before beginning this test Begin by turning the cutter on and placing material into the machine Once you have the material inserted into the cutter lower the pinch wheels Model 230 or close the sprocket shoes Model 315 If you have a 230 verify that the material is running straight through the cutter by pressing and holding the top joystick button Pressing the opposing button will retract the material This will bring material forward Observe how the material is tracking If necessary raise the pinch wheels and make adjustments as needed Be sure to retract the material back before pressing the LOAD key Press the LOAD key The cutter will perform it s load cycle Once the LOAD light is illuminated the cutter can receive and cut your file The Model 315is designed to auto load on power up The following 5 5 x 18 inch plot will be produced A0 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Cut Quality Troubleshooting PROBLEM Poor cut quality SYMPTOM Hard to weed vinyl Cut through the vinyl backer REMEDY Check blade for smooth sharp point I
40. e next diagnostic number and press enter or to exit the Allen Remote Panel press the exit diagnostics button and then close the Allen Remote Panel D 49 Z AXIS SETUP DIAGNOSTIC It is necessary to run Diagnostic 34 to verify carriage flag setting before performing this diagnostic Connect a digital voltmeter to TP6 vcoil current and TP8 AGND then Start diagnostic 49 Phase 1 Set Zero Current through coil Use keys 2 4 6 8 to raise or lower the voltmeter reading to 0 VDC Press Enter Phase 2 Set Maximum Force output Read label on carriage for MAX F8 This is 2 times the voltage required to obtain Maximum Force 260 grams Use keys 2 4 6 8 to raise or lower the voltmeter reading to MAX 2 Press Enter Phase 3 Set Minimum Force output Read label on carriage for MIN This is 8 times the voltage required to obtain Minimum Force 10 grams Use keys 2 4 6 8 keys to change the voltmeter reading to MIN 8 Press Enter Phase 4 Set Pen Bottom Remove the knife from the holder and press Enter Phase 5 Set Pen Down Place knife in holder Press Enter Phase 6 Calibrate Speed and Force controls for 1 Set the front panel Force and Speed control knobs to 1 Then press Enter Phase 7 Calibrate Speed and Force controls for 100 Set the front panel Force and Speed control knobs to 100 Then press Enter Phase 8 Balance X and Y Servos Center a 24 x 48 inch 61 x 122 cm sheet of vinyl material in the machine Lower
41. edtUrES eeschte 2 Beete bla 2 ODP IONS seinen d Vinyl Cradle eege 4 Alignment Sight for Contour Cutting 4 Wide Marker Holder aus 4 Memory Upgrade ssccsssssesssssssssssseessssesssssesssssseesasseeessees 4 Installation nn nnnnnnnnnnnnn 5 NS CC OM ise 5 Unpacking The Cutter 5 Standard Accessories cccccceeeeeeeeeeeees 5 Long Tracking Guide assembly 6 Power Connection EE 8 Computer Connection nn nnnennn 9 EIER eelere 10 Modes of Operation cccccccceceeeeeeeees 10 LOA Malen 11 Unpunched Material s eseseeesennezznzznzennzzzznzzznnzzzzznzi 11 Punched Materialsssissssosr eenias eitia 12 E l ta ol 14 Media Load Length 14 i A 15 Plotter EE 17 Wide Marker Holder 17 Control PANG siadsiersccaevorsaarssnsssaubiniercencnnas 18 Load and Pause ccceccecesececseeeceeseeeeeesaeceeseeeeessaneeeeas 18 Speed Control sssrireieirkrsniinerirns nsi 19 Force Control iii issikkar a ses pp 19 Joystick Buttons Tool Position 0 see eesssenennenznnzzni 20 CODY ie A tat A a 20 TES A 20 The 230 315 Allen Remote Panel Program 21 Installing the Allen Remote Panel Program 22 Software NOTES Gegtetessstegg engeggeskkAggegeeeh 28 Ren Lu lte Le 28 ere EE 28 CAS Speed and Force Control 29 Plot Origin Coordinate Systems en 30 Anagraph Design Art Setup Screens sse 31 FlexiSign PRO Setup Screens se eeenennennnni 32 SignLab Ca
42. emote Panel Program insert the CD ROM into the computer If it does not autorun go to START RUN BROWSE Locate your CD ROM drive on your computer double click the Setup Allen Cutter exe icon circled below This will either be a blue and red icon or it could possibly be a zip file which will have a zip file icon In the case of the zip file it must first be unzipped using Winzip or comparable program It can then be extracted to your desktop Once extracted you can double click the Setup Allen Cutter icon The Install shield program will guide you through the rest of the installation When installation is complete a shortcut to the program will be placed on your computer s desktop If for some reason the shortcut is not found there the program may be launched from the Windows Program Menu Start Programs Allen Datagraph Allen Remote Panel NOTE The 230 315 Cutter s serial cable MUST BE CONNECTED TO COM1 or COM2 and the cutter must be ON for the program to function The first time the program is run select the correct port under SETUP COM PORT in the Remote Panel s main screen gt 040728_0627 D Of x Eile Edit View Go Favorites Help e X a a ki Back Forward Up Cut Copy Paste Undo Delete Properties Address 8 o d ALLEN ALLEN HP GL Model 23 Long Trackir 5 objectis 4 39MB 3 My Computer VA Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The 230 315 Cutter s ser
43. ers the same in the drawn and measured boxes No calibration correction will be made if the numbers are the same 6 Once you have made your entries click OK A screen will appear showing the amount of change in each axis Click OK 7 Cut the same rectangle again and verify the measurments to be sure that they match the size of your printed image If not run diagnos tic 07 again CALIBRATE DIAGNOSTIC MENU Bisi X Drawn 20 000 X Measured fi 3 875 Cancel Y Drawn IEN 000 Y Measured fi 9 995 2 0 63 change in x and 0 02 change in y Continue d 37 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM SYMPTOM REMEDY Cutter does Panel lights off fan nothing off Joystick buttons operate but cutter does not respond to computer None of the above Cutter starts cutting and then stops Cutter stops at edge of media Windows 95 98 Windows XP 2000 NT None of the above Cutter plugged in power on Check main fuse in power input panel Relay open restart power Pause light on Press Pause button to select Ready state pause light off Pause light fickers when file is sent Data is being received but is outside the limits of the material loaded Check that design is inside the material width and that plotter plot origin matches the plotter driver in the design software ie cutter needs to be set for center origin with AutoCad etc and or HP7585 plotter emulation
44. for CAS default 0 OH command response for ACAD 4 Arccommand processing arcs processed as arcs 0 arcs processed as line segments 32 Plotter instruction language flag HPGL instruction language default 0 1016 units inch 40 units mm DMPL instruction language 64 1000 units inch See Command Cross Reference Emergency operation mode normal load sequence 0 autoload sequence 512 machine functions without reed switch position sensor on cutting head and bypasses load se quence Examples The key sequence for setting flags to the default total value of 1 for 230 315 Models is Function 3 0 5 Enter 1 Enter This sequence enters diagnos tic 05 Function 3 0 5 Enter and sets normal margins computer aided sign making software CAS OH response HPGL language The next key 1 is the sum of the flag bytes 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Enter completes the sequence To change the default flag total in order to enable the DMPL command lan guage the sum of the flags becomes 65 1 0 0 0 0 64 0 65 58 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D 07 CALIBRATION This diagnostic is used to compute the scaling constants needed to compensate for mechanical inaccuracies These constants are stored in eerom and will subsequently not be altered until this diagnostic is invoked again or diagnostic 08 is run to restore calibration unity constants To use this calibration routine first draw a large rectangle of known dimensions using the CAD CAS softwa
45. g on the type of material and the amount of ink left in the pen A speed of 25 cm s 10 inch sec should produce satisfac tory results on most surfaces If satisfactory results are not produced you may need to slow the speed down replace refill the pen or lightly sand the nib The background material should be smooth paper vinyl or coated TY VEK 17 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter CONTROL PANEL Load and Pause These two buttons and associated lights allow the user to control the machine s operat ing states No lights on LOAD light on PAUSE light on This is the UNLOADED state material is removed or in serted Upon power up the plotter is in this state To go to the Remote state load material and press the Load button This is the READY state material has been loaded programming commands can be received and executed To pause machine operation i e go to the View state press the Pause button This is the view or PAUSED state material has been loaded commands from the computer are received but plotting is suspended The joystick buttons may be used to move material for viewing without affecting the position when plotting is resumed The pinch wheels may be raised and lowered to adjust material tracking To return to cutting i e go to the Remote state press the Pause button again PAUSE blinking Data is being received 18 230 315 Control Panel Allen Datagraph 230 315
46. gnment Sight fits into the 230 315 tool holder and allows for contour cutting of color printed vinyl The cut is controlled by the users s CAS software and typically requires the alignment of the sight with one two or 3 registration marks printed on the vinyl Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter INSTALLATION INSPECTION IMPORTANT Inspect your shipping container for evidence of excessive rough handling that may have caused machine damage If you suspect shipping damage contact ALLEN DATAGRAPH or your sales repre sentative and report the condition immediately Do not discard the shipping container UNPACKING THE CUTTER Remove the packaging material Next remove the plotter chassis by lifting the plotter from each end and place the plotter on a flat surface Remove the remaining parts and accessories from the shipping container and check against the packing list and accessory list below If there is any part shortage please report it immedi ately to ALLEN DATAGRAPH or your Allen Dealer STANDARD ACCESSORIES The following standard accessories are supplied in the 230 Accessory Kit 1 Model 230 CD ROM User Manual Remote Panel DirectCut Windows Driver Firm ware 1 knife holder assembly 1 knife blade 45 degrees 1 9 to 25 serial plotter cable for IBM PC MACINTOSH cable must be ordered separately 1 AC power cord 1 felt tip pen 1 hex wrench kit 2 spare 3 amp slow blow fuses 250 VAC Paper Clamp Installation
47. he starting point of the current coordinate system See ORIGIN LOCATION section of this manual 6 To perform a cut test pattern press the TEST button Make changes as necessary to get correct cutting force and depth Detailed illustrations and explanations of the cut test are found on page 16 To unload material press PAUSE and then LOAD Raise the pinch wheel lever 12 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Top Rollers removable Pinch Wheel SE SCH Gritwheel Front and Rear Rollers with guide discs Vinyl path ES Long Tracking Vinyl Guide System Material Path Long Tracking Vinyl Guide System Optional 230 Only The optional Long Tracking Guide System enables the cutting of full rolls of material wider than 3 5 inches 9 cm Vinyl rolls without sprocket holes are best suited for use in this system Light weight paper and material with too many holes have weak edges and do not work as well The following points should be noted 1 Right front and rear edge guide discs are fixed Left front and rear guide discs are movable by hand All front and rear rollers are removable When reinstalling rollers be sure that the black ends are at the right side of the machine 2 Place vinyl against right front and rear guide discs 3 Adjust the left front and rear guide discs to material edge Left guide discs move with moderate pressure No tools are required Allow approximately 1 16 inch 1 to 2 mm space for material
48. ial cable MUST BE CONNECTED TO COM1 or COM2 for the program to function The first time the program is run select the correct port under SETUP COM PORT below Allen Remote Panel for Allen Datagra ems Vinyl Cutter Astan Bl Adobe PageMaker 65 E Jain Remote Panel BOER sam All machine functions can be controlled from the Remote Panel when the 230 315 is turned on and connected to a serial port provided the cutter and or the computer port are not busy 23 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Main Menu The Main Menu of the Allen Remote Panel is obtained by selecting the SETUP selection on the Allen Remote Panel s initial screen Main Menu The values displayed in the Remote Panel s screens correspond to the machine s operating state and other parameters such as speed force etc If the force and speed knobs are set to CAS Computer Aided Signmaking then the computer controls the values and the Remote Panel can be used to set them Options that are greyed out are unavailable on the 230 315 Vinyl Cutters and should be ignored 24 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The Setup Menu The Setup Menu of the Allen Remote Panel is opened by selecting the Setup button on the program s initial screen and then selecting SETTINGS SetupForm IL o RI l L MOM Loading Set Ups The 230 315 Vinyl Cutter has three factory setups designed for various tool software and material co
49. inyl Cutter Material Handling Troubleshooting PROBLEM Material does not track straight SYMPTOM Material is punched REMEDY Move pinch wheels to unpunched area of material on both left and right side This will require repositioning the right hand pinch wheel Not straight with tracking guide bars removed Not straight with tracking guide bars installed Align media to black edge marks Verify with joystick Ensure that a service loop is present For punched sprocket material refer to item above Inspect pinch wheel quality Replace as necessary Verify with confidence test diagnostic 2 Clean gritwheel with soft bristle brush toothbrush as necessary Inspect pinch wheel orientation for newly installed pinch wheels Small mold gates should be towards outside See Pinch Wheel Maintenance in this book Verify that edges of material are straight and not damaged Verify that the edge guide discs are set no more than 1 16th inch 1 to 2 mm wider than the material Verify that the fixed edge guide discs are at an equal distance from the machine side plate For punched sprocket material refer to item above Material bunches on long tracking guides Verify that the edge guide discs are set no more than 1 16th inch 1 to 2 mm wider than material Material slippage Image elements are shifted in the X axis material direction Clean pinch wheels with denatured a
50. inyl Cutter has four origins to allow flexibility when using various CAD CAS systems The 230 315 is shipped with the Lonc X coordinate system as the default The default must be modified to be compatible with HP 7585 86 plotter drivers which use the CENTER or the CENTER ROTATED 180 coordinate systems Below P1 is tool position when material LOAD is done Lower Right Origin Long X is the 230 315 Default and can be set on the SETUP MENU default Lower Left Origin e Lower Right Origin Long Y ven long X Y Di P2 AN PI ja PI Center Origin SCH Center Rotated 180 ve PI X X P2 y 4 gt A Y lt E gt y i S op X X 30 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Anagraph Design Art Setup Screens ANAgraph Generic Plotter Communication Setup Ea Available C M H P Com 3 P Com 4 Interrupt Ports Baud Rate 9600 E Parity None E Data Bits C7 M8 Stop Bits M1 1 5 2 I Use Timer M Hardware Handshaking F Software Handshaking PDTR DSR MDCD Software XON Char MATS MCTS Software XOFF Char Ok HandShaking Protocol Cancel Use Com 1 instead of Com 2 if appropriate ANAgraph Generic Plotter Command Setup ES Initialize End X V Move Plot Move Cutting Initialization Drawing Initialization Tool Up Reset Home Roll Feed Ro
51. lcohol and a soft cloth Replace as necessary Clean gritwheel with a soft bristle brush toothbrush if the grit is clogged with paper particles at the pinch wheel points For punched sprocket material refer to item above Reduce acceleration and if necessary speed Stripes and designs with long back and forth movement on large material can slip at standard acceleration 42 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter SERVICE CLEANING The regularity with which the plotter needs to be cleaned is dependent on the usage as well as the climate and contaminants in the plotter s environment It is recommended that the following cleaning steps be done at least as often as indicated for each procedure 1 Biweekly Clean the grit wheel surface with a soft bristled brush to remove any media particles that may have built up during plotting Brush the surface of the grit wheel while turning the grit wheel by hand so the entire surface of the grit wheel is cleaned CAUTION Be sure to disconnect the plotter from the power source while cleaning the unit Keeping the grit wheel clean is important so the plotter will hold the media accurately 2 Biweekly Clean the set of polyurethane pinch wheels by using a soft cloth and rubbing alcohol 3 Biweekly The outer surfaces should also be kept clean If neces sary a mild cleaning solution on a damp cloth can be used to gently wipe the surfaces clean It is suggested that a mil
52. lers without discs drop in the front and rear bracket slots 8 Move the pinch wheels back to their original positions Note The black end of all rods should be at the control panel side of the machine Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Front View and Material Path OPTIONAL Long Tracking system shown Rear View and Material Path Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter ELECTRICAL CONNECTION CAUTION ALWAYS USE A HIGH QUALITY SURGE PROTECTOR The vinyl cutter power cord is a three conductor cable that incorporates a safety earth ground connection For the machine to operate safely and correctly the power cord must be plugged into an outlet that has an earth ground contact Never plug the power cord into a two prong outlet by using a 3 2 cord adapter CAUTION Never allow roll or sheet goods to rub on the power cord because the material can cut the cord causing an electrical fire hazard The 230 315 can be configured to operate from either of these power sources 115 VAC 48 66 Hz 230 VAC 48 66 Hz The 230 315 vinyl cutter is normally factory preset for the power requirements of the destination country Always verify power input module setting If the power input setting requires changing use the following instructions to reconfigure the power input module Disconnect the AC power cord from the fuse block on the power input end panel Remove the fuse by prying open the fuse block from the top c Check fuse rati
53. ll Feed Gap Bapu OS PU PR PR SPO41 3410 SP1413 10 Wildcards Number f Escape codes nnn decimal ASCII code Options Switch Options Z Options Ok Cancel 31 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter FlexiSign PRO Setup Screens On the computer keyboard hold the Ctrl key and select the cutter setup icon from the cutting tool palette for the following screen Device Setup Setup Name p Height 23 0000 nones Duplicate Setup Length 96 00000 Inches Pen Up Velocity 40 Pen Down Velocity Device Allen Datagraph B Poll Page Size Poll Page Size will change the value of the Length The Length deter mines the panel size FlexiSIGN will use Communications Settings Transmission Speed Baud BPS 1200 2400 4s00 9600 19200 Stop Bits 61 O1 5 O2 Data Bits O7 68 Parity O Even Odd None Handshaking Hardware XOn XOff None Hardwires DTR ORTS O pco O DsR MICTS Port om W XOn XOff communications may be used on a serial port Com1 etc with a null modem cable Arcs on should be selected on the more plotter options dialog box for greater cutting throughput 32 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter SignLab Cadlink Setup Screens Connect your cutter to your computer turn the cutter on and load material before attempting to set up your software This will aid in establishing communication First b
54. mbina tions A user can modify and save the values of a setup to suit personal preferences SETups are recalled loaded from the Settings Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program See Diagnostic 43 in this manual for the factory default SET UP values Modifving and Saving New Set Ups Set Up 1 whether standard or modified is automaticallv loaded at power up A user mav modifv the speed force or anv feature with the Allen Remote Panel program Changes to a Set Up unless saved will be in effect only until changed from either the Allen Remote Panel program or from CAS software or until the unit is turned off Example 1 If the cutters s normally cuts roll material then the power up default Set Up 1 can be pro grammed to have the service loop on as follows a From the Set up Menu load setting 1 which has the cut mode b Set Service Loop to the new value on c Set the Load Length to a value of 24 inches for example Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Cutter Performance The 230 315 Vinyl Cutter s performance is controlled by many parameters including Force Up Speed Down Speed Load Speed Acceleration and Offset The values of these parameters are determined in the Set Ups and have been optimized for the various tool and material combinations Down Speed Up Speed Acceleration Minimum Angle The Down Speed cut speed is movement when the tool is in the down position The down speed range may be set from 1 to 60 cm
55. ncrease cut force value Verify with cut test pattern Check knife offset Verify with cut test pattern Check that controlled depth knife holder allows a deep enough cut Verify with cut test pattern Decrease force Verify with cut test pattern Adjust controlled depth knife holder so that less blade protrudes Verify with cut test pattern Uneven cut force Objects do not close properly or have nicks at cut start stop point Check that the groove filler is in good condition smooth and evenly installed no waves Check for tool holder freedom of motion up and down by hand when cutter power is turned off Run confidence test with good pen diagnostic 2 Check blade for smooth sharp point Check knife offset Verify with cut test pattern Knife blade holder must be in good working condition Decrease acceleration Check that the cutting strip is in good condition and evenly installed no waves Reduce cut speed value Verify with cut test pattern Increase resolution quality of image output from CAS Check carriage for front to back looseness power off Check cutter belt tension with procedure in this book Gaps in letters after service loop Load speed too high Load speed used during service loop Turn off Service Loop in Set Up Menu See service loop description in this manual for alternatives to automatic service loop 41 Allen Datagraph 230 315 V
56. ng to insure that it matches the new power setting Correct fuse ratings are 250 volt 3 amp slow blow fuse for 115 VAC or 250 volt 1 5 amp slow blow fuses for 230 VAC d Set the voltage jumper as required for the country of operation Reassemble the power module so that the desired operation voltage is visible when installed e Plug in the power cord NOTE If the power switch does not match the power source one of two things will probably happen 1 If the power source is 220 or 240 and the switch is positioned for 115 the AC input fuse will blow when power is applied No other damage to the plotter will occur unless a blown fuse is not replaced with the same type and value or 2 If the power source is 100 or 120 and the switch is positioned for 230 the plotter will not operate and none of the panel lights will illuminate when power is applied The AC Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter COMPUTER CONNECTION System Interfacing The 230 315 Vinyl Cutters use serial communications The serial RS 232 interface is used in the majority of CAD CAS systems and is available on IBM PC and Macintosh computers At this time refer to your CAD CAS software package to determine the interface requirements particular to that package and for the interfac ing requirements to the ALLEN DATAGRAPH vinyl cutter If the ALLEN vinyl cutter is not listed on the software menu refer to requirements for HPGL plotters CAMM 1 or HP 758X series Alternately
57. nges by rotating the FORCE knob left or right as necessary to get the correct cutting depth Detailed illustrations and explanations of the cut test are found on page 16 To unload material press PAUSE and then LOAD Raise the pinch wheel lever 11 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Punched Material Model 230 Turn the cutter on before loading media The cutter will energize the vacuum fan and move the cutting head full right The cutter is now ready for loading media VV 1 Place roll material on the roll supply and feed the material from A the back of the machine and then under the pinch wheels until it is inserted 1 2 feet 30 60 cm Position the right edge of the material against the front and rear edge guide strip Also visually align the roll of goods with the edge guide NOTE Proper alignment with the guides will give the best results when making long images 2 Position the left pinch wheel further in so that the wheel does not run on the holes of the material Move the right pinch wheel sa UN in so that it does not run over the holes of the material Lower the pinch wheel lever 4 Use the joystick buttons to position the tool to the desired start point 5 Press the LOAD button The 230 measures the material width Y axis and then the material moves back and forth X axis 1 inch 25 mm unless a different Load Length has been set with the Allen Remote Panel program The tool will position to t
58. od test pattern cannot be achieved in this manor inspect the knife blade and replace as necessary 16 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Plotter Pens In the Draw Mode the 230 and 315 are high performance drafting plotters capable of producing professional architectural and engineering drawings HP style pens used by the 230 and 315 are available as drafting felt tip and roller ball type Speed and force requirements vary for these pens and a chart is provided for your reference Drafting pens are held in the tool holder block or the wide marker block Pen Type Speed Force Felt tip 40 50 10 20 Roller Ball 40 50 30 50 Drafting 30 40 8 12 Wide Marker Holder Mounting the Optional Marker Holder The marker holder is mounted by first removing the knife tool holder block two hex head screws Install the wide marker holder using the same hex screws Adjust the height of the wide marker in the holder vertically so that it is about 1 8 inch 3mm above the material Wide Marker Drawing Wide marker drawing is done in the Draw mode Align the pen so that rectangular tip is perpendicular to the fill lines of the marker Test a stroke of the pen by pushing TEST If the stroke is not smooth adjust the height or lightly sand the face of the tip Pen speed and proper background material are critical elements to a good plot The suggested range of speed for wide marker pens is from 8 to 30 cm sec 10 to 45 on the Control Panel dependin
59. ollows panel 1 10 20 40 60 80 100 panel cm sec 1 6 12 24 36 48 60 cm sec in sec 0 4 2 5 9 14 19 24 in sec Force The Model 230 315 cutters are equipped with Allen s Gold Touch cutting head which is capable of produc ing a cutting force of up to 550 grams The force is controlled by turning the FORCE control knob on the front panel of the cutter A test cut should be performed prior to sending the job to the cutter This is done by pressing and releasing the TEST CUT button on the front panel of the cutter The approximate control panel force settings are as follows Setting 1 15 25 40 50 65 75 90 100 Grams 10 81 153 225 290 360 425 490 550 Framing Paneling 230 315 users have the choice to output drawings as a series of frames or as one continuous drawing To make a continuous drawing simply set the frame size in the design program to be as large as the entire drawing size For example if a sign is 20 feet long make the drawing size and the frame panel size 20 feet long in the design software For longer lengths framing paneling is recommended The 230 315 requires 3 additional inches 76 mm material length For a 20 foot long cut use at least 20 feet 3 inches of material See the Long Tracking Vinyl Guide System Service Loop and Media Load Length sections of this manual for additional information about long runs 9fmaterial Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Plot Origin Coordinate Systems The 230 315 V
60. or uploading firmware only CAS Guidelines The 230 315 Vinyl Cutter is designed to work with a wide variety of software In general if an Allen Datagraph plotter driver is not provided with your CAD CAS package the machine is compatible with software configured for Roland CAMM 1 and Hewlett Packard 7585 86 HPGL or Ioline DMPL Refer to the following table for software setup guide lines software Driver Normal Origin Notes HP7585 6 MS Windows Center Rotated 180 Set 9600 e 7 1 Set old OH plotter response diagnostic 4 5 Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X HP7585 6 MS Windows Center Use standard media sizes only Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X ARC support on speeds plotting Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X Use Cad override to adjust speed LetterArt Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X May use CAMM driver SignLab Cadlink Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X ARC support on speeds plotting SignPost loline use Allen macros Lower Right Long X Set DMPL on diagnostic 5 add 64 to flag byte Allen Datagraph Lower Right Long X ARC support on speeds plotting 28 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter CAS Speed and Force Control Speed In the CAS position the 230 315 supports Allen Datagraph 800 Series Vinyl Cutter plotter drivers by using the HPGL speed commands for 1 to 60 centimeters per second cm sec The approximate control panel speed in inches and centimeters is as f
61. re of your choice Units of measure are not critical inches cm mm etc work equally well Example 1 Draw a 32 inch wide by 22 inch tall rectangle These are the requested dimensions 2 Measure the rectangle carefully Assume you measure 32 05 and 21 94 These are the actual dimensions 3 Start diagnostic 7 by pressing Function 3 0 7 Enter a b c d The panel will flash 0 asking for the requested X dimension material travel Enter the dimension with the same number of decimal places as the measurement 3 2 0 0 Enter The panel will flash O again asking for the actual X dimen sion Enter the dimension substitute your own actual numbers 3 2 0 5 Enter The panel will flash O asking for the requested Y dimension tool travel Enter the dimension with same number of decimal places as the measurement 2 2 0 0 Enter The panel will flash O again asking for the actual Y dimen sion Enter the dimension substitute your own actual numbers 2 1 9 4 Enter 4 The panel will then flash D Press 9 9 Enter to exit the diagnos tic mode 59 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D 08 STORE UNITY CALIBRATION CONSTANTS IN EEROM RUNNING THIS DIAGNOSTIC WILL ERASE THECALIBRATION CONSTANTS STORED BY DIAGNOSTIC 07 Run this diagnostic when installing a new Micro PCB or when replacing U23 on the Micro PCB This diagnostic also needs to be run if starting Diagnostic 07 or loading p
62. ring up a job on the Signlab layout screen You can also just type a letter or create a shape to verify proper operation From the menu bar select CUT From the DEVICE window select the Allen Datagraph 200 series driver from the drop down menu If you do not see the 200 series driver any Allen Driver will operate your 230 315 cutter Next select the box with 3 small dots in it located next to the DEVICE window The window to the right will appear Set Y page size to be at least 1 inch 25 mm less than the size of the machine width in order to accommodate the pinch wheels Model 230 The 315 should be set to 13 25 Select the Port location This is the port that your cutter is plugged in to on your computer Click the Plotter ID button If you have communica tion the window at the right bottom will appear with your model number and firmware revision level If you do not see this window select another com port and try again 33 few Dptors web Help See et nl 2 Sie SIE 200 4 mal mel 11 ja reg 00000000090000000000000008 00 Selected Driver Ri Datagraph 200 Series Cancel Installed Drivers Port Location a Allen Datagraph 200 Series r Alen Datagraph 800 Gold Touch Alen Datagraph 800 Series T Spool bos TI Allen Datagraph 1000 Series TT Remote Spool GERBER HS GS Plotters i HPGL Standard absolute ee Potter Length 1000 00 E
63. rriage didn t E16 escape command parameter out of limits move or reed switch failed D24 E32 reed switch sensor malfunction D24 Or pinch E80 81 __ excessive position error X axis Y axis This can wheel under carriage too close to side plate Move pinch wheel away from sideplate See D05 Flag byte 512 Emergency mode E36 bad control panel key received D31 E37 bad calibration constants D08 D07 E40 ____ HPGL command parser error E56 RS 232 device overrun E57 RS 232 framing error Plotter communications default for serial A port is 9600 n 8 1 set soft ware to match these parameters or change plotter with D4 E58 RS 232 parity error E59 EEROM check sum error E61 servo timeout Cutter software error or l O servo PCB failure E62 servo motor over current Acceleration too high E63 ____ voice coil over current D49 E65 EPOlatchfailure E66 timeout latch failure E67 ____ voice coil current sensor failure E68 ____ servo motor over current sensor failure E69 EPOlatch or EPO reset failure be caused by speed or acceleration too high jerking material from a heavy roll bad calibration constants power surge servo motor encoder failure D14 O servo PCB failure or relay on motherboard E80 81 may be disabled by set ting the diagnostic 05 flag byte to include Flag byte 512 Emergency mode E82 ____ servo interface bus error E83 ____ unexpected arithme
64. rtMark setup section The Diagnostic Menu The Diagnostic Menu contains several diagnostics to aid in calibrating the cutter calibrating to a printer and also setting up the SmartMark optical sensor if your cutter is so equipped There are also advanced diagnostics not shown which can be run only under supervision of Allen technical support personnel EE alba 07 Cabra te Pints 07 Cairn Sc aen Default Calbroton 03 EO Debug OH FO Debug Dn Ta mm 53 02 03 04 05 07 08 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 24 34 35 36 37 38 43 48 49 58 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Diagnostic Number Listing Table Confidence Plot Test Set Model Number Communications parameter diagnostic Set Flag Byte Calibration of plotter Write unity calibration constants in EEROM SERVO PCB hardware test DAC ramp generator with all analog relays open DAC ramp generator with all analog relays closed and epo relay open X and Y axis encoder test Display last error DAC ramp test with all analog relays closed and epo relay closed Motor encoder verification diagnostic Reed switch sensor test Display ADC input from z axis position sensor hex output Display ADC input from force pot hex output Display ADC input from speed pot hex output Pen up down test 1 continuous Pen up down test 2 on demand Set factory default Set Up parameters Reset factory default X Y and Z axis gain Z axis set up Z axis field set up
65. set a Menia Loap LENGTH of 10 feet 3 inches or b load the standard 2 feet 61 cm and then spool the material with the joystick buttons until the 10 feet 3 inches have been reached With the joystick method the user must return the tool to the cut start position after the desired cut length has been spooled Media Load Length The Menia Loan LENGTH may be set to any size from 1 to 100 inches or from 1 to 254 cm For example with a 48 inch Mepis Loan LENGTH the cutter pulls out 48 inches 122 cm of material For long runs of material tracking can be verified before cutting by setting the Loap LENGTH equal to the entire image output length Alternately tracking may be checked with the joystick buttons A MEDIA Loap LENGTH value may be adjusted for each of SET Ups 1 3 Set the Load Length in either inches or centimeters using the Set Up Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program Load the material as usual The plotter will load the entire MEDIA Loan LENGTH specified If the service loop is on Set up Menu the service loop will not be activated until after the 24 inch distance has been traveled 14 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter LOAD TOOLS Knife s Holder Knife Summary 1 Install knife blade in knife holder 2 Load material 3 Set machine to REMOTE STATE 4 Install knife assembly 5 Set machine to Cur More i 6 Perform test pattern Blade CAUTION Avoid personal injury Keep SCH hands hair clothing and
66. the pinch wheels and press Enter The machine will now move the vinyl and the carriage while measuring speed Power Down Cutter to continue Set front panel Force and Speed control knobs for normal use 64 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter D 58 Z AXIS FIELD SETUP DIAGNOSTIC This diagnostic has the parts of diagnostic 49 necessary for field setup of the Z axis without opening the machine Jr is necessary to run Diagnostic 34 to verify carriage flag setting before performing this diagnostic Phase 4 Set Pen Bottom Remove the knife from the holder and press Enter Phase 5 Set Pen Down Place knife setup tool in holder Press Enter Phase 8 Balance X and Y Servos Center a 24 x 48 inch 61 x 122 cm sheet of vinyl material in the machine Lower the pinch wheels and press Enter The machine will now move the vinyl and the carriage while measuring speed Power Down Cutter to continue 65 SYSTEM DIAGRAM ELECTRONIC CHASSIS PFL 00 09 900 HARNESS PL 00 09 501 COMPUTER CONTROL yQ I VOICE COIL PL 00 02 082 115 220 VAC 50 60 HZ POWER INFUT MODULE 305 298 MOTHER PC BOARD ASSEMLY INCLUDING POWER SUPPLY FL ID O5S 408 PL 00 09 533 N FLEX CABLE MUFFIN FAN ASSY E 219 IMOTOR ENOODER ASSY PL 00 02 115 K AXIS BLOCK DIAGRAM MODEL 724 REPLACEMENT PARTS Under normal
67. those power supply levels D 14 AUTOMATIC ENCODER TEST This test is used to determine whether the optical encoders and associated SERVO 60 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter PCB logic circuits are functioning This test starts automatically about two seconds after the display shows D14 The diagnostic starts by automatically rotating the grit wheel in each direction in order to verify that the X axis encoder works Next the rail carriage will be moved to the right then to the left to verify its encoder If the test is successful the display will return to D14 Otherwise one of the error codes E73 E74 E75 or E76 will be displayed to indicate an encoder or position counter failure To exit Diagnostic 14 hold any key for two seconds Minor encoder errors are normal and will be displayed when diagnostic 14 is run The first digit of the display indicates the axis the error occurred on 0 carriage Y axis and media X axis The second and third digits show the count of the encoder sequence error There should be only one or two errors per pass Example 103 indicates three errors on material movement D 17 MOTOR ENCODER VERIFICATION DIAGNOSTIC This diagnostic can be used to help trouble shoot a malfunctioning cutter After starting the diagnostic from the remote front panel with Function 3 1 7 enter the cutter will display the current speed of the selected motor and the current value being sent to the dac Pressing 1
68. tic fault E84 unexpected constant fault E85 _____ unexpected interrupt E86 ____ unexpected NMI interrupt E87 ____ unexpected machine fault E88 ____ unexpected operation fault E89 unexpected parallel interrupt E90 _____ unexpected protection fault E91 unexpected real arithmetic fault E92 ____ unexpected reserved fault E93 _____ unexpected servo interrupt E94 __ unexpected trace fault E95 _____ unexpected type fault 49 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter DIAGNOSTICS The 230 315 firmware contains a set of resident diagnostics When the 230 315 is powered up it automatically performs a self test program to check all operating parameters If a malfunction is detected the letter E and a two digit error number will be displayed on the Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program The error numbers and the corresponding malfunction descriptions are given in the previous section When an error is displayed and no obvious damage was done to the plotter power off the cutter and repeat the procedure that caused the error display If the error reoccurs the user may push any key on the Diagnostic Menu to enter the diagnostic mode Many errors automatically place the cutter in the diagnostic mode when a key is pressed The user may need to contact the ALLEN DATAGRAPH Service Department The fail safe system is designed to detect failures in the operation of the electro mechanical system in the plotter and to prevent such failures from ca
69. using other damage The plotter contains circuits which continuously monitor power supply voltages and the microprocessor system clock The plotter will go to a hardware reset condition if these are not within normal limits Over current conditions on X and Y axis drive motors and the pen lift and pen force electromagnet voice coil are also monitored An over current condition will cause a relay to open cutting off power amplifiers from the drive motors and voice coil In addition a number of internal sensors are continually checked If any potentially damaging errors are detected the system will cause the fail safe circuits to open the relay and idle the plotter The appropriate error code will appear as mentioned above on the Diag nostic Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program Diagnostic Operation The diagnostics in the 230 315 Plotter exist at several levels a Power On b Continuous hardware and software monitoring c Offline The POWER ON diagnostics are performed at power on or reset of the microprocessor and test the microprocessor memory servo analog and digital hardware and some of the testable sensors After initialization continuous hardware and software check the sensors and fail safe monitors for machine malfunctions If a malfunction is detected an error code is displayed on the Diagnostic Menu of the Allen Remote Panel program the protection relay is opened and the plotter ceases operation OFF LINE testing is use
70. will start the X motor It will then display the speed the motor is going Pressing u will cause the X motor to go in the other direction Pressing s will cause the X motor to stop and the Y motor to start Pressing u will cause the Y motor to go in the other direction If X or Y motor will not move The problem is in the motor drive circuit on the computer controlled I O board or the Mother board motor driver transistors or the motor If X or Y motor moves but does not display a speed then the problem is either the encoder or the speed decoder on the computer controlled I O board D 24 REED SWITCH SENSOR TEST 61 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter This diagnostic tests the integrity of the reed switch sensor which is used to sense left and right pinch wheel locations The display will read D24 for three seconds and then either 000 or 111 depending on whether the magnet on the right pinch wheel has opened or closed this reed switch If the display does not toggle as a result of carriage movement back and forth across the right pinch wheel there is a malfunction with either the reed switch its associated circuitry located on the Internal I O PCB or the interconnections between the two If this diagnostic fails it is possibly that the machine will continue to be operational in the Emergency mode See Diagnostic 05 Flag byte 512 Emergency mode D 34 FLAG MONITOR ADJUSTMENT Z AXIS This diagnostic is used to verify the corre
71. y wa Wait for plotter xt X tick mark yt Y tick mark Escape commands lt esc gt or lt esc gt Y Programmed on lt esc gt or lt esc gt Z Programmed off lt esc gt logical buffer size hand shake status lt esc gt a Output plotter identification lt esc gt b Output bytes remaining in logical buffer lt esc gt e Output extended error code lt esc f frame size load speed Set frame size lt esc gt h data block sizej lenq char ack string Mode 1 lt esc gt i data block size eng char xon ack string Mode lt esc gt j Abort device control instruction lt esc gt k Abort hp gl instruction lt esc gt Output logical buffer size lt esc gt m turn delay Out trig echo term out term out init lt esc gt n delay between characters x off string lt esc gt o Output extended status lt esc gt p n Handshake mode O no 1 xon off 2 enq ack 3 hardwire defaulat auto detect xon xoff or hardwire lt esc gt q n Monitor mode O disable 1 parse 2 reception lt esc gt r Reset lt esc gt s n Output memory size O ram 1 i o buffer 2 polygon 3 downloadable character buffer lt esc gt t i o buffer size polygon buffer size downloadable character buffer size ALLEN Vinyl Cutters 230 315 Vinyl Cutter USER S MANUAL PL 00 40 200 December 2000 www allendatagraph com Allen Datagraph Systems 56 Kendall Pond Road Derry NH 03038 60
72. y button is pressed make sure that only the desired job has been sent to the cutter prior to attemting to copy a job This can be accomplished by pressing pause unload and then load again to reload the cutter Every time the cutter is reloaded the buffer is cleared Test This button performs the cut test pattern to verify blade condition and depth adjustment as well as Force and Offset settings 20 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter The Allen Remote Panel Program The 230 315 has many settings for machine control which are accessed by the Allen Remote Panel program Use the serial cable supplied with the 230 315 and connect it to the Serial port To run the Allen Remote Panel program on a Windows PC follow the installation instructions in the next section of this manual For a non Windows computer or a Windows PC running a communications program other than the Allen Remote Panel program the Allen Remote Panel menus may be accessed with any RS 232 serial communica tions program The following commands have keyboard equivalents as shown The commands esc and control are single keys on the computer keyboard Initialize oo eee esc a esc Terminate esc ESEL A e control c Exit diagnostics control b Machine Control by the Allen Remote Panel program 21 Allen Datagraph 230 315 Vinyl Cutter Installing the Allen Remote Panel Program with Windows 98 XP 2000 To install the Allen R

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