PDA

View Full Version : Help!



Phyllis Meyer
11-01-2006, 7:23 PM
Hi Everyone,

It's after 6:00, technical service will not be reached until tomorrow, my book says to take a picture of what I have engraved and send it:( My problem is: Distorted Image, Font...it's not what is on the screen. I have a 6 month old Epilog 36EXT, we cleaned the lenses...
This is the first time we had anything like this. Of course I have work to do tonight. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Phyllis

Mike Null
11-01-2006, 7:35 PM
Phyllis:

This doesn't sound like a big problem. Try the following.

1. Reboot the laser.
2. Unplug and reconnect your cable between the computer and the laser.
3. Create a new file like the old one and send it to the laser for engraving.

The reason I'm suggesting these things is that sometimes a corrupted file or a communications interface is the source of the problem.

I am assuming that your table is clear of any obstacles that might interfere with the laser head.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Joe Pelonio
11-01-2006, 7:55 PM
Could be the x-axis sensor strip on the top of the bar, under the metal cover needs cleaning. I use a q-tip and windex. Gets dust and debris on it.


http://www.epiloglaser.com/linear_encoders.htm

Phyllis Meyer
11-01-2006, 8:18 PM
:) Hi guys, just got back from eating supper, that usually solves all problems! I will try both of your suggestions! Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Phyllis

Phyllis Meyer
11-02-2006, 2:46 PM
It's 1:30 in the afternoon and no call yet from Epilog Technical Support. I tried both suggestions and have been cleaning the machine...how long does it usually take for support to call back?

Sincerely,

Phyllis

Joe Pelonio
11-02-2006, 2:48 PM
Depends how busy they are, I've seen it take 10 minutes - 2 hours. Try calling again and maybe you'll be lucky and catch them, if not leave a more frantic message.

Grant McFarland
11-02-2006, 6:58 PM
If the previous suggestions don't help there are a couple other things you could try. 1. Make sure your page size and your piece size in the print properties match. 2. Try a different file or file type to help determine the limits of the problem.

Phyllis Meyer
11-03-2006, 12:57 PM
After several attempts to reach technical support my husband got through at 4:45 yesterday evening. They had us clean everything, take apart everything, stand on our heads to unplug this/that...reboot, and try again and call back after we ran something. Same thing:confused: . Meanwhile, another technical support person calls (this time it's 5:50) and he says: "I'm just looking at the pictures and email you sent this morning". Anyway, he ended up saying that it needs a new MOTOR, STRIP, AND ANOTHER PIECE, and they would of course overnight it...tomorrow (because it's after 6:00 p.m. now). Which means I will not receive it until Monday because of the weekend. We are not happy, we really don't think it's the motor. We don't know a whole lot about lasers but...anyhow, we are down until Monday (my UPS people come anywhere between noon and 8:00 at night). Then we have to take out and install everything! Not happy at all:mad: Machine 5 1/2 months old needing a new motor? Of course we have jobs to complete (planned on working into the wee hours all weekend). Oh well, that's life! Thanks everyone for asking and writing. If anyone else can think of something? All suggestions are taken to heart!

Sincerely,

Phyllis

Joe Pelonio
11-03-2006, 2:12 PM
Phyllis,

Unfortunately with no local techs to come out (which would cost more)
we do have to deal with not only being mechanics, but also trying some different things. It has to be hard for them to diagnose by phone in cases where there could be several causes of the problem.

I replaced my x motor just a month ago, it lasted 2-1/2 years. It started to miss areas when engraving, then froze up. The replacement was free, and included a new bracket with bearing to keep it aligned even under stress. I don't know if that same old version was in your model, but it was a design flaw.

Since you are still on warranty, take whatever new parts you get with a smile :) and be glad you don't have to pay for them. I just hope one of them does the trick.

Oh, and when they send it UPS overnight it's supposed to be deliverd by 10am, my tube arrived this morning at 9:30 though I usually get deliveries at 11.

Ray Mighells
11-03-2006, 2:15 PM
I've had to replace the thin white tape wire that provides power to the circuit board that powers the engraver head twice in 6 months. When it starts to go bad the cutter head gets very erratic. Goes all over the table and forgets where home is. The temporary fix was to swap ends with the cable. That restored operation and kind of proved the fault. It worked until I received the new part. Epilog shipped over-night by USPS Priority and I received delivery on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed, you might get yours tomorrow.

Peck Sidara
11-03-2006, 6:27 PM
After several attempts to reach technical support my husband got through at 4:45 yesterday evening. They had us clean everything, take apart everything, stand on our heads to unplug this/that...reboot, and try again and call back after we ran something. Same thing:confused: . Meanwhile, another technical support person calls (this time it's 5:50) and he says: "I'm just looking at the pictures and email you sent this morning". Anyway, he ended up saying that it needs a new MOTOR, STRIP, AND ANOTHER PIECE, and they would of course overnight it...tomorrow (because it's after 6:00 p.m. now). Which means I will not receive it until Monday because of the weekend. We are not happy, we really don't think it's the motor. We don't know a whole lot about lasers but...anyhow, we are down until Monday (my UPS people come anywhere between noon and 8:00 at night). Then we have to take out and install everything! Not happy at all:mad: Machine 5 1/2 months old needing a new motor? Of course we have jobs to complete (planned on working into the wee hours all weekend). Oh well, that's life! Thanks everyone for asking and writing. If anyone else can think of something? All suggestions are taken to heart!

Sincerely,

Phyllis


Dear Phyllis,

Thank you for choosing Epilog as your choice of laser engraver. I have been reading along and would like to add some additonal comments.

All emails and voicemails come directly to my PC, looking up your info, we have no records of a voicemail but I did see the email that was sent in from your husband. We received the email on Thursday morning and the message was forwarded to Dan. Dan is the tech whom your husband spoke to last evening. Our shipping closes at 4PM, any orders after this time ships the following day for the following day delivery. Unfortunately this day turned out to be Friday which means next day delivery is Monday.
Saturday delivery is a premium, UPS charges significantly more for Saturday than next day service. If saturday is required or needed, there is a charge for this service to the customer. Secondly Saturday delivery is based on your zip code and isn't always available.

I can understand the urgency of getting your machine up and running and for this, we can offer saturday delivery free of charge (based on your zip code) but why was this not addressed to us directly? If this wasn't brought to my attention from a different avenue, I would not have known of the situation and frustration.

Epilog prides our service and support. Our phone message states we will return the call within 2 hours and in 96-98% of time this is very true. Our emails comes second to voicemails and phone calls. We would like to answer emails within the same amount of time but typically our response will be within a few hours or within the same day. If it's an urgent matter, I would recommend following up with a voicemail after the email. Please note response time will be dependent on the particular day, some days there's no hold time, other days it seems impossible to get a hold of us. Trust that we have received your messages or emails and that we're on it. It just takes a little longer sometimes.

Looking at the pictures your husband sent it, I agree with what Dan has diagnosed and am certain the parts we are shipping will fix the machine. Your comment about not believing the motor to be the cause of the problem is opinion and valid but allow us to do our jobs and trust that we know our equipment.

Jeff, our shipper has just informed me that Saturday delivery is available in your area. The parts will be there tomorrow morning, please be available to sign for the package. You will receive instructions for replacing all three parts. Although I don't believe all three parts are defective, we should install all three in one shot just to make sure it takes care of the issue. After installing the parts, clean the x-axis encoder strip using Windex or 409 applied to some Q-tips.

We apologize for the inconvenience and troubles, next time there's an issue with the machine, contact us and we'll make it right. I'll be availabe Monday morning at 8AM if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Peck Sidara
Epilog's Super Tech Support

Phyllis Meyer
11-04-2006, 12:14 PM
Dear Peck,

Thank you for your response! Since you decided to address this situation in an open forum I will also! I appreciate your concern and response and believe it's good for your business to do so! We are a what anyone would call a "Mom & Pop" operation. Our decision to purchase a laser was a big one and our decision to purchase an Epilog was even bigger! We chose your company based on the fact that the salesman came to our home to demonstrate the machine! We did not know a whole lot about one machine vs another. That was probably not so smart on our part, and costs were a big determination also! We almost ordered a machine over the phone sight unseen from another company. The call came from Craig/Brad that they would like the opportunity to demonstrate. We welcomed the idea and ordered our machine before Brad left our home! We were convinced and were very pleased with the events that followed!

We are convinced that we have purchased one of the best machines on the market today! After 5 1/2 months of learning daily what it takes to build a business and operate this machine (with no experience), we feel very comfortable with what our goals are, and the fact that we are achieving them! We actually landed the biggest order to date on November 2nd. Anyone can imagine the excitement we felt to actually know that this could be the turning point in our venture! Then...this happens to the laser at no fault to you, us, or the Techs on the phone. We would never blame anyone for this. It is confusing to talk on the phone with Technical Service and follow each step but we did! We questioned everything (again so new at this)! I will forward the correspondence in a separate message on how many times we did call! I believe the calls are monitered so please check your records on how the final call was done. They explained that the parts would be shipped on Friday because of the late hour on Thursday, we questioned the "Overnight Promise" because that's what we were told from day one if we ever had a problem! The Tech said that Saturday was not even an option in our area because of our zip code. Please check on that because if what you are saying now is correct and we will get deliver on Saturday, then the Tech was mis-informed! So, the "Overnight Delivery" meant we would receive on Monday! That's where frustration set in! This forum has been one of the best parts to our business! There were folks here willing to answer my "help" request when Tech support didn't call! The gentlemen who actually responded (Thank You To All) were right on to what the support folks said! That means a lot to us! My comment about the motor comes with a sincere apology because you do know what you are doing and we don't! I appreciate your response Peck, and fully appreciate the fact that you were reading and were able to figure out through the correspondence that we could have delivery on Saturday (today)! We anxiously await our parts and look forward to being up and running again!

The thought of taking apart this machine is over-whelming and we will follow all instructions to insure the correct installation and results!

We are proud to own an Epilog, we will proudly advertise we own one! We have on this forum when people question which machine to purchase! We were made a promise at the time of purchase that the Technical Support, and Service was top notch! I will trust your decistion on which parts to replace and trust that the promise is true in our time of need! Thank you again for responding!

Sincerely,

Ron & Phyllis Meyer

Phyllis Meyer
11-06-2006, 1:56 PM
Hi Everyone! I thought everyone needed to know that we received our parts before noon on Saturday! I appreciate Peck, Craig, Ian, Dan, and our salesman Brad for responding, and coming through on the promise of next day delivery if anything ever needs replacing! I spoke with Peck this morning and he was checking to see that everything was up and running!

We learned a great deal about how this laser runs (by removing and re-installing parts). My first reaction to the "Motor" needing replacing was actually funny when I saw the motor that came (it's the motor that runs the carriage). I imagined it to be the "Main Motor":) Anyway, I thank all who responded through personal e-mails, and on the forum for your suggestions and help!

Epilog stood by their original promise to us if anything goes wrong, and we appreciate that!

Sincerely,

Ron & Phyllis

Mitchell Andrus
11-06-2006, 4:41 PM
Good news. Glad all went well.

Mitch

David Sabot
11-07-2006, 1:04 AM
I had a similar problem on my Mercury M-25 laser. It was the X axis motor that went. Signwarehouse sent out the wrong motor at first, then they sent the correct one. The ordeal was bitter sweet. I had some jobs to run that had to be put on the side, but the good part was that I learned a lot about my machine, and how to fix it.

Dave Simms
11-13-2006, 2:33 PM
Phyllis, I want you to know that I consider you one of the brightest and most engaging members of this forum. You have so generously given me your hard-earned knowledge of LLCs, Insurance, Accounts Receivables and general engraving. You and I have done most of our communicating via "Private Messages" because I am still in the midst of deciding which laser to purchase and I didn't want to tip my hand to the Industry Reps who all read this board.

I was a bit concerned when I started reading the Epilog Rep's posting on this thread regarding your interaction with them. I am glad that the tone of his message was professional and that he did not cross the line of attempting to defend Epilog Service at your expense. Had that happened, I would have quickly crossed Epilog off my shopping list and gone directly with my other top choice: the Trotec Speedy 300. I must also say that your wonderful writing was so complete that it truly allowed everyone to follow the unfolding story.

I am meeting with Epilog's Northeastern Reps (Bill & Ryan) next week and most of my queries for them come from my reading of the SMC forums and from Phyllis' helpful hints. I have spent about a hundred hours (easy) reading this forum and it is truly invaluable to those of us who are new to the field. [I hope this board remains independent, I thank its owners for not selling out to any of the Laser Companies. I recently joined the many good folks who contribute.]

As for Phyllis: I know she considers herself a "new member" but to me she is the most generous and thoughtful veteran. Phyllis, my interpretation of this thread is that you are pleased with how things turned out with this service call. I invite you to send me a Private Note to confirm that my interpretation is correct - I am so close to a purchase decision that every comment counts.

Thank you to Saw Mill Creek and thank you to Phyllis.

Phyllis Meyer
11-14-2006, 10:30 AM
Dave,

Words cannot express how I feel right now! I thank you for your kind remarks! I still feel that this newbie knows nothing compared to the folks that have been in this business! I can only comment on our struggles and trial and error, and yes triumphs as a new business owner! It is a long road and I do wish you success in deciding on your laser and the direction you will go! You are so wise in taking the time for researching and seeking answers to questions! Newbie with the thought for the day: "Happiness is not wanting what you don't have, but wanting what you do have"! This business is second to my family! The search for the million dollar job will always be there...but family time is worth more! Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Phyllis:)