kgg

I finally, after a long wait I got my new TSC-441 clone fresh off the boat. I drove 300 km (~185 miles) each way and that took about 8 hours today to bring the new toy home. I could have had it shipped at a cost of about $250 - $300 CAD or spend less then $50 CAD in gas and use my little Honda Fit which gets between 55 - 60 miles per US gallon. For my needs as I have dogs I went with a standard table top and 3 K-legs rather then a pedestal stand for stability. The top I will cut a semi-circular section out under the arm similar to what is normally done on the LS-1341 tables. The center of the machine will rest over the middle K-leg. The servo motor is a 800 watt with a 45mm pulley so with the motor running at 100 rpm the hand-wheel should be around 28 rpm without a speed reducer. kgg

With some of the generic / no name / unbranded equipment like for servo motors the information isn't included other then the very basic. Technical information like how many coils the motor is constructed with or the torque rating probably will be non existent. kgg

We all have to start somewhere and as your needs / wants / ability changes you will probably either replace or add another machine. Being new to this venture or should I say addition I would get the 550 watt servo motor and not bother with getting the speed reducer for now. My reasoning is that I think you will find that just changing to a servo motor from a clutch motor you will be able to control the sewing speed fairly easily. The advantage is that you will very quickly figure out the sewing ability of the machine without the worry of over torquing the machines internals because of the additional torque (punching power) that the speed reducer will give you. Try some simple sample items in fabric and then leather. Give yourself a month to figure out the basics and quirks of your machine. Figure out how thick of what materials the machine can handle, best thread size to needle combination in different material of different thicknesses and what type of accessories that would make your projects easier like presser feet, binding / folding attachments etc. If after a month you are still struggling with the sewing speed and not what the machine can punch through then add a speed reducer. If you are unable to sew certain projects chances are the machines internal parts weren't designed to handle them and forcing the machine to do so by adding a speed reducer then nasty / expensive repairs are probably going to happen. The 750 watt servo motor I think is more suited to the upper end of machines in the upholstery class like the Juki DNU-1508 (and clones) and the 441 class machines like Juki TSC-441 (and clones). kgg

I agree that is a decent price. kgg

What is the price for a 550 watt servo motor? I can see going with a 750 watt if their is only a few dollars in the difference but for your machine which appears to be very similar to the Juki DU-1181n a 550 watt should be able to do the job nicely. kgg

I like the KISS solution. Cheap, simple, effective and functional. kgg

I think the slight difference between actual vs the program is the program numbers are based on the inside diameter of the pulley rather then the outside dimensions. I did edit my previous post to show I assumed a 85 mm diameter hand-wheel pulley. kgg

Excellent information, thanks for sharing. kgg

The main stress will be caused by putting too thick / tough /sticky of material under the presser foot. I am going to go on the bases your machine is rated for 2000 stitches per minute (spm) in lighter thickness material. If you exceed what the machine is rated for ( sewing capability or speed ) then chances are you are going to have a problem and bust something. The speed reducer will provide both slower speed and more torque ( punching power ). The torque if you exceed the limits of your machine mostly in thickness and type of material being sewn that is when nasty things are going to happen. Keep in mind you do not have a safety clutch on the sewing machine to prevent the bottom end of the sewing machine from being damaged. Speed reducers are like a double edged sword, providing slower more controllable sewing speeds and with that you get more available torque which can damage the sewing machine internals if not cautious. Depending on the servo motor you purchase the minimum startup speed rating will be probably be 200 or 300 rpm's with a maximum speed rating of 3000 to 5000 rpm's With a 45mm small pulley installed on the motor and a speed reducer with a large 150mm pulley and a smaller 50 mm pulley here is what you can expect as far as needle speed goes. So you can see for doing thinner items you will never come close to exceeding the speed rating of the machine but be cautious on how thick and type of material you plan on putting under the presser foot because of the addition torque available. These sewing speeds would probably drive an experienced production person nuts at how slow they are. These are based on a hand-wheel pulley size of 85mm. Motor speed (rpm ) setting --------------------------------------- Needle speed (SPM) 200 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------35 300 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------53 400 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------71 500 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------88 600 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------106 700 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------124 800 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------141 900 rpm ------------------------------------------------------------------------159 1000 rpm ----------------------------------------------------------------------176 2000 rpm ----------------------------------------------------------------------353 3000 rpm ----------------------------------------------------------------------529

That would be you least expensive option if you are going to pay a labor rate for someone to install it. To keep your labor cost down have the technician do the full install all at the same time. It will involve i) removing the old motor with a new servo motor ii) removal of the factory 75 mm pulley on the servo with a smaller 45mm pulley iii) installing a speed reducer and iv) installing the two new pulley belts, one belt from the 45mm pulley to the large pulley on the speed reducer and one belt from the small pulley on the speed reducer to the hand-wheel pulley on the sewing machine. This is not a difficult task but does involve removing the sewing machine from the table and tipping the sewing machine table over so the old clutch motor which is heavy probably around 25kg or so can be more easily and safety lifted off the bottom of the table top. Even the new servo is probably going to weigh around 10 kg. This would be the cheapest option by far. Waiting for the parts to arrive is probably going to take awhile due to shipping to your location. Once you have the parts you are probably looking at a couple / three hours of work to remove the old motor, install the new servo motor and speed reducer. It would be much easier and safer if you have someone to help with the heavy clumsy lifting. Once the motor and speed reducer are installed all is left is getting the right size of belts to install on the pulleys. kgg

Just add to where you can get a speed reducer try this ad from shipping Aliexpress with free shipping at least in Canada for $132 CAD or $95 USD: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000197134740.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.ae3c56a6cHtxUt&algo_pvid=a20d7b50-a60c-4f0a-a64b-b06e04f3efa6&algo_exp_id=a20d7b50-a60c-4f0a-a64b-b06e04f3efa6-1&pdp_npi=3%40dis!CAD!132.5!132.5!!!!!%40212279a216882265354643948d07dc!10000000748215314!sea!CA!4496536814&curPageLogUid=EJDtaB85Xh7b Yes reduction pulleys can be a real rabbit hole but that site saves a lot of time rather then having to do the math. It is a great site for those who what to build their owe speed reducer and save a few dollars. The bottom speed can vary so much depending on the supplier / manufacturer where some can do less bottom end startup while others are even higher. With the electronic controlled servo it has I believe more to do with the number of coils in the motor. For the bottom end startup I would take a 550 watt 12 coil like the Reliable SewQuiet 6000SM 12-Coil Servomotor ( https://reliablecorporation.com/products/sewquiet-6000sm-servomotor ) over a 750 watt 6 coil any day and maybe a 750 watt 9 coil. The Reliable Sewquiet is $199 CAD ( $150 USD ) which is the same as the Sailrite Workhorse at $300 CAD( $225 USD), don't know who copied who first. kgg

Yes this is another way to reduce speed. This method does have it limitations as you can only reduce the motor pulley so much and it will be dependent on the minimum bending radius of the pulley you are using. A lot of servo motors come with a 75 mm pulley on them. If I'm not mistake the pulley part of your hand-wheel wheel on your sewing machine is about 85 mm. With the servo motors speed set to 100 rpm's. 1) The speed of the hand-wheel will be approximately 88 rpm 2) Reduce the motors pulley-wheel down to 45 mm the end result with the speed of the hand-wheel will be approximately 53 rpm Another alternative is to install a larger hand-wheel say a 150mm. i) If you increase the existing hand-wheel pulley size from 85 mm to 150 mm without changing the motor pulley (75mm) the speed of the hand-wheel will be reduced to 50 rpm. ii) If you increase the existing hand-wheel to 150 mm and reduce the motor pulley to 45 mm the speed of the hand-wheel will be reduced to 30 rpm. kgg

I would download manual for the Highlead GC0618. I have included the three for the Juki DU-1181n and see which manual seems to be the one for your machine. No such thing as a stupid question. Maybe it's just me but I don't really see the need of installing a needle positioner on any of my machines for my needs. My new machine that will arrive shortly is coming with a brushless servo motor and needle positioner. The needle positioner will not be installed and will remain in the box. A speed reducer will then be installed as I would rather have better stitch by stitch control. Beside that for my stuff I don't like the idea of the machine telling me where the needle is supposed to be when I release the go pedal, that would just frustrate me to no end. At present I use brush servo motors on all my machines and only time will tell if I keep the brushless servo installed on the new machine. The more electronics the greater the potential for more problems. The difference between a clutch motor and either a brush or brushless servo motor is like night and day. The servo motors only run when give hit the go pedal where as the clutch motors roar to life the moment you turn the power switch on. The clutch motors are inherently noisy while the servo motors are almost silent. kgg Juki_1181n_instruction_7K.pdf DU-1181 eng manual.pdf Juki 1181N parts.pdf

Here is a good reference chart for needle size to thread size. https://www.tolindsewmach.com/thread-chart.html Note sometimes you have to move up a needle size in thick / tough / sticky material. The M20 thread size is equal to V138 (Tex 135). I would recommend using at least a #22 needle and if you find you are having stitch problems particularly in the multi layers you may have to move up a size or two. If the hole that needle makes isn't large enough the loop that the hook needs to catch will not be properly formed material so you get skipped stitches or stitches that are not constant. Depending on the faux leather you may have to use a leather needle to cut through rather then a fabric needle that punches through and separates the fibers of the material. I am going to assume you are using the 135 x 17 (DP17) needle system for fabric so a leather needle would be 135 x 16 (DP16). I would ask your neighbor if they know what brand the machine is or if they have still have the manual I would have like to see more coils but 9 coils is a good middle of the road servo motor. As for installing this style of servo motor, brushless, getting the synchronizer to work with a speed reduced is probably not going to work. In a lot of cases you can get either i) really slow sewing speeds with stitch by stitch ability and extra torque for punching power by using a speed reducer OR ii) slower sewing speed with less torque and needle synchronizing for the needle up or down positioning. I am going to assume your machine has very similar sewing abilities as my Juki DU 1181n which is a light weight walking foot and the only reason I would consider adding a speed reducer is to get better low speed control. My rough rule of thumb is adding a speed reducer for more slow speed, stitch by stitch, control is a good idea but, but to add a speed reducer just to get more punching power, no. I figure I'm using the wrong class of machine for the work and something is going to twist or break under full load and torque. As far as the needle positioning it is a I think a personal preference based on the what works best for them, some people love it and others not so much. The cost to me seems really steep. 350 EUR would be ~ $500 CAD or $380 USD. kgg

Another alternative would be a foot lift rather then a knee lift. This would ensure you are not pressing down on the " go faster " pedal while at the same time lifting the presser foot up with your knee. Use a heavy gauge wire / rod to connect to the hole in the end of the lifting mechanism on the rear of the machine and extending below the the table / pan. At that end of the wire/rod make a loop in the wire / rod and connect a chain or wire. The other of the chain / wire then would be connected to a pedal alongside the existing pedal. kgg

Not really, the sewing speed is going to depend the motor controller (analog vs electronic), whether it is coupled with a speed reducer and of course the operator. If you purchase a electronic controlled motor it is mainly going to depend on how many coils the motor was constructed with where the more coils gives better speed control and torque. A lot of the cheaper electronic controlled servo's have 6 coils while the better ones have 12 coils which is usually reflected in the cost also some of the cheaper ones have a minimum start speed so they maybe a be jerky. If you want / need that stitch by stitch ability you really need to invest in a speed reducer like @chrisash suggested. For the machine in the photo's a 550 watt will work just fine but if the cost difference between a 550 and 750 watt is minimal and like @chrisash suggested get the 750 watt. From the looks of the machine in the photo it doesn't look like a Highlead GC0618 even through it has a tag that says GC0618. The whole from end is closer to that of a Juki DU 1181N rather then the Highlead GC0618. Base on the tension assembly I would consider the one in the photo to be a lighter duty machine with lesser sewing needle size availability, thickness capabilities thread size selection and probably a walking foot rather then a compound feed where the needle just moves up and down with no front to rear movement. What are you planning on sewing and with what size of needle and thread? kgg

Shock'n pretty. kgg

Both machines share basically the same sewing ability and seem to be able to accommodate the same accessories but: i) The main difference of the new Artisan, if I'm not mistaken, it has a 12" arm while the Cobra has a 16.5" which is the size the Juki TSC-441 that the clones have copied. Certain parts for odd size arms may down the road become a problem. ii) The next difference how torque is achieved. The Artisan gets it torque by increasing the size of the hand-wheel while the Cobra has speed reducer mounted under the table. iii) Foot peddle operation of the Artisan is done by mounting the motors power sending unit directly to the foot peddle which in my opinion is a location more prone to getting damaged. The Cobra uses a more standard arrangement. iv) Speed control and motor electronics as well as the motor are mounted to the top of the table top while the Cobra uses the standard configuration of under the table mounting. On thin / soft items either machine would have to be dumbed down or require the installation of a modified needle plate/feed dog as previously mentioned by @dikman. kgg

If I'm not mistaken your machine has a safety clutch, has it tripped and have you reset it? kgg

My take is i) The PFAFF is a brand name while the Typical is a clone. ii) the PFAFF info I have seen The "H" indicates the lift of the pressor foot where H1 and H2 are 7 mm and use the 134 needle system, H3 are 11 mm and use the 134-35needle system while the H4 has a 14 mm lift and use the 190 needle system. The "L" indicates it is rated for leather versus "S" is for fabric. iii) Parts and accessories for the PFAFF's in general are expensive and for some models not readily available. iv) The PFAFF thread capacity is generally limited to V92 for the older machines and the new model limited is limited to V69 I wouldn't personally purchase either as both are going to severely limited not only the thread size but the thickness that can be sew. What are you planning on sewing maybe a better way to approach choosing a machine?? What country are you located in. kgg

Why??? Just use the Juki manuals. If I am not mistaken your machine is a clone of the Juki LS-1340 series of machines. Here is a couple of real manuals for you to look at. The question is why is your machine having a timing problem? What thread to needle combination are you using in how thick of material? kgg Juki LS-1340&42 Servcie Manual.pdf ls1340.pdf

The Chinese companies can make decent quality items but that will depend on the specification they are asked to build the item to. I have gotten presser feet as well as other items that where at both ends of the spectrum. Some items end up in the garbage bin. Keep in mind PFAFF is now owned by a Chinese company, SVP. Is their quality the same as before 2006???? kgg

Sorry to hear of your experience. kgg

That is a very nicely done paint job and love the color. Only you can say it is too much work but here are a three video's which may help. i) Feed dog cam how you set the height and replace the yolk over the cam --- fairly simple Singer 111W155 feed dog lifting cam and fork ----- ii) This is for a Consew 226r which for your Singer should be very similar if not the same. Check out the 6:53 minute part of the video. Consew 226r Large Bobbin conversion Juki LU-563 ----- iii) For your stitch length problems this video explains how the stitch length works. It is for a 111W155 which is the same as the 111W153. Note if the main shaft has a lot of movement from front to back you should check and see if a set screw hasn't backed off or you have a bad shaft bushing. If the stitch length mechanism is worn out replacing it means the whole bottom end needs to come apart. I would consider that to be a ugly job. Youtube would allow me to embed the video. Singer 111W155 Stitch Length Selector ----https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsbquYazHx0 kgg

Does it have a tight spot without the drive belt installed on the machine? Before I would attempt replacing things I would give the internals a really good oil bath and flush with some synthetic transmission oil combined with some light synthetic oil to penetrate deep in all the bushings surfaces and bearings. Looks like a nice color for the paint job. kgg