Mutoh F-920 Plotter now a Cutter... PROBLEM

[Carbon-Customs]

I have a Mutoh F920 plotter rebuild so its now a cutter with pressure regulator and a knife.

BUT, theres winline software with the cutter and i found that the plotter can emuluate a HP 7585 plotter.

I have Flexisign 7.5 but i cant control where the plotter cuts, its always in the center of the roll.

Any one knows anything about the plotter or how to fix it so i can use it?

Best Regards Kasper Holger
Denmark

[fyffe555]

I have a f-920 and like it.

It is hpgl compatible and can emulate most HP HPGL plotters if you can get the drivers for them. The Plotter is serial connected. Mine came with a db25 pin cable end and a db25 to db9 serial converter cable. Plotter works from any serial port, though either 25 or 9 pin..


Mutoh have native drivers on their website for win98. There are no drivers from Mutoh, compatible drivers from HP or from MS to run hpgl plotters in win2k or XP native so you need a third party driver for xp/2k which means winline.

Winline running in win2k didn't work very well for me using roll paper, but it is the only driver available for hpgl plotters in xp/2k. Limited the size to 36"x48" - ~900x1200mm and didn't like it if you set over that size in the driver.

I use Autocad 2002 in win2k using the autocad Plotter manager to driver the plotter as a HP7586B and it works well. Just a few minor problems when trying to plot 3d models from rhino etc and trying to import them to autocad to plot but that's a file conversion problem

I think Flexisign need a windows driver to be able to drive the cutter, which means Winline if you're on anything but win98. If winline is installed correctly go into the printer driver admin and run a test page and see what happens - if the plotter stays in th ecentral position either the driver's not installed properly, the com port is set wrong or the cable isn't wired correctly.. If it does run a test page properly and the head moves then theres something wrong with flexisign using the winline driver

You need to set up the emulation on the plotter to tell it its running hp emulation too.. match the plotter emulation to the plotter set in winline.

hope that helps

Andrew

[Carbon-Customs]

Hey Andrew, thanks alot for your attention im going mad that this is not working.
Im glad to hear others have an F920

i have trien the winline Drivers but cant use it in flexisign and i want use that program, have also tried signcut and casmate, but none of them could control where to cut on the vinyl.
It just goes to center and the direction is then right and down.

There is some Hewlet packard drivers in flexisign.

7475
7475 absolute
DXL
HPGL
HPGL/2Hyperdriver

It seems it have somekind of contact with the plotter when i use the HPGL driver.

See the screenshot, I can press the "poll size" button and then it tells me how large my piece of vinyl is. (and that is correct)
So they must to talk together?

But if I press the cut button it just jumps to the center of the vinyl without cutting anything and then goes in to local mode.

Im guessing that the problem must be with the setup of the plotter???

In the setup for the Com port its just std. 9600 / 8 / NONE / 1 / Hardware (see screenshot)

The online select on the plotter is RS 2
And in the plotter menu its set for the 758x (small X)

What is your setup?

[fyffe555]

Hi, tried to find my Mutoh manual but I've misplaced it. take these comments for what they're worth;

Mutoh is a HPGL only plotter in HP emulation so you can't try and plot HPGL/2 or DXL files or use HPGL/2 optioned drivers. I'm pretty sure the plotter is HPGL / HP-7585 / HP 7586B compatible ONLY. Not 7475 so that leaves you just the hpgl option in the flexisigns driver list.

I use 9600 baud, 8 data bits, No parity and 1 stop bit but you have to set it in both the com port and the printer setup options.

Winline installed as a native driver as a HP7586B into win2k and apps recognised it. It worked ok with Rhino for example other than roll management. Worked fine on cut sheet. What happens with Flexisign and Winline?

What sounds odd is that it jumps to the center of the vinyl without cutting anything and then goes in to local mode. Local mode isn't good and the pc's no longer in control. I've seen just two causes for this when setting up my plotter. First was the com cable. Make sure the pinouts are right and that the cable you've bought actually carries all the conductors end to end.... Some cables sold as modem cables for example don't have those wires not used in a modem setup - but the plotter does. Don't ask me how I know this!

Second reason is the printer and port have different parity, stop or flow control options set.

good luck..

[Carbon-Customs]

Hey again Fyffe.

I found out that it jumps to local mode if the startpoint of the thing its gonna cut is outside the vinyl.

Flexisign has its own drivers, its not possible to install new ones.

I can only use "desktop printer" in the color printer mode of flexi, but then flexi thinks its a large colorprinter and it still dossent work.

When i go to WORD and type something and i press print with the correct vinyl size and so on typed in it cuts okay exept that it starts in center.

Do you use the RS2 setup in your F920 ?

is there any way to make a complete RESET of the 920 ?

The cable that came with plotter is the original. but i will check it.

[fyffe555]

Ok, so it goes to local if it it thinks its going outside the sheet size? Since its starting in the middle thats likely. I've just tested mine and plotted a dxf larger than the paper size and it doesn't drop to local...

Flexisign cannot use windows drivers? So its directly controlling the plotter through its control of the com port. Flexisign must then have settings to set the com behaviour?

Flexisign has to use the hpgl mode as thats the only std flexi provides thats compatible with the f-920.

No - don't use RS2

My F-920 does a full reset from local mode with the bottem left button of the left switch panel..

My original cabling ends in a 25 pin. Don't have a 25 pin serial on PC so I use a mutoh supplied 25-9 adapter cable to plug it to a 9 pin serial com1. My original cable had to be replaced because some conducters broke at the point the cable enters the strain relief at the back of the chassis. With a broken cable the lotter wouldn't do anything so its not likely your's has this problem.

Final thought; my autocad driver in win2k/xp and the 98 native driver all set the plot origin. If flexisign isn't using a f-920 or HP specific plotter driver maybe the origin isn't being set. if the origin has been set off you can reset it from the right front panel. Wouldn't fix the 'only moving down and right' problem though..

[Brucefour]

I am looking for a good pencil head for a Mutoh f-920
When you converted your plotter did you remake the pencil head?
Alternately I have a plotter for sale a f-920, with all the manuals and lots of extra stuff.
Thanks
Bruce