Monday, August 16, 2010

This is OUR blog!

I try, in my reply to those that post comments to let each and every one of you know how important your contributions are not only to the success of your fellow die cutter users; but, to how successfully this blog supports them.  I got a great reminder of that just a minute ago when I read this comment.
wolfmax said... Hi

Great blog. Just the sort of info My girlfriend and I needed.

Having just bought one of these for my girlfriend we have come across an issue that i have not found any info about on the web so i was wondering if you had an insight. The issue is the perspex tray insert with the ruler markings on. The instructions say it is a 'Paper Support Insert' and it sits in the tray. But when we tested a piece of 12" x 12" 240g card with the insert in the tray, the card failed to be drawn in properly and the machine made some rather disconcerting noises. Without the insert, the same card worked flawlessly but we did find we couldn't put more than one piece in at a time as the machine pulled more than one through (well at least both the sheets we had in the tray at the same time). So, any idea on what and/or how this insert is to be used?

Thanks in advance.

You remember that "THING" that I held up in my first video and set aside?  I'd COMPLETELY forgotten about having found out what it was!!!  It's called a Paper Support Insert.  And, it fits in the back tray.  And, I suspect that you ARE putting it in correctly.  But, it is possible to put it in 180 degrees off.  Here's an image of it in place.  I was too lazy to remove my macro lens, so not all of it will be in focus.  But, you'll still get the picture.  The important thing is that the square hole in the paper support should fit over the square hole in the tray and the wide end goes into the machine. 

Click image to enlarge

I have tested the tray loading with the only 12" x 12" cardstock that I have, which was DCWV Textured White Core Cardstock.  I loaded 3 sheets into the tray, selected TRAY MODE and it worked very well.

But, Wolfmax, I KNOW the disconcerting noises that you are talking about.  It is the sound that the loading mechanism makes when trying to pull in materials that are just a tad too thick.  So, I don't think the problem is the paper support itself.  It's more likely the thickness of the card stock.  How well does the card stock load through the font of the machine?  Does it still make that downright frightening noise?  If not, then my guess about the thickness is suspect.

But, let's keep chasing down the reason for the behavior you are describing.  I'm in the USA.  So, our paper sizes and thickness might differ from yours. I'm hoping that someone else might check tray loading on their own machine with 240g cardstock.  You've asked a great question and I am so glad that you did so.  Now, all we have to do is wait for someone in our growing community to come to BOTH our rescues.  Thanks, Wolfmax!  And, tell your girlfriend she made a good choice in both the gift and the giver!  :)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi

First let me say I am both honoured and humbled by your inclusion of my comment into your blog.

in answer to your question about the card stock operating manually, we haven't tried manual mode yet but the card works fine in tray mode as long as the suport thingy isn't in the tray and there is only one sheet of card in the tray (we tried with two but both were pulled in at the same time) this last problem may be due to the surface condition of the card not being smooth but I'm also wondering if the eCraft has any friction mechanism (HP laser printer friction rollers in thier paper trays for eg) that prevent multiple paper pickup.
Anyway, what we found last night wasn't a show stopper and we (I say we it's my girlfrineds kit, i'm just curious) are just waiting for the software download instructions to come through to really give it a go.

cheers, and keep up the good work

Tom Meeks said...

All of us are new at this and like the differences between my experiences with that of the Craftwell team using Fun Foam, each of us is going to contribute something to the understanding of the eCraft for our fellow users. I happen to have started a blog. But, without fellow users, like yourself and your girl friend, commenting as you have done, the view from here would be pretty narrow and stale after a while.

And, the proof of that is that you have followed up with another question that I had failed to ask myself concerning the paper handling mechanism of the eCraft.

So, I decided to explore a bit. In the User Manual they show how to clean the eCraft by opening a door on the bottom of the machine. It turns out that it is a great way to see how the paper is handled. ([i]It also revealed some stray pieces of Fun Foam in my case.[/]) Simply unscrew the red screw to open the door.

It appears that the small spring-loaded rollers counter-rotate with the wide rollers at the rear of the machine. It's an elegantly simple and beautifully designed machine inside as well as out. Notice the relationship between the spring action and the direction of the gears.

You'll also see that the primary rollers, at the front of the machine, have a sandpaper like surface. The noise you hear is probably telling us that the paper is reaching those rollers. This is where I hear the sound you describe when loading Fun Foam from the front or something nearing the maximum thickness.

I know eCraft has been following this blog and I'm sure they are equally interested in your experience. Thanks again for helping us expand what we know about the eCraft for everyone! It was fun chasing it down.