Temporarily disable Efka EPS?

[JSLeathercraft]

Hey all.

I've been toying with the idea of trying my Ferdco Pro 2000 with Efka 1600 Vario DC without the EPS.  Is it as simple as temporarily unplugging the sensor from the controller or will I have to do some crazy re-calibrating if I want to plug it back in?  :-)

~Thanks!

[gottaknow]

I believe if you unplug the synchronizer, you'll get an error code E1. It won't hurt anything, it just won't sew. 

Regards, Eric 

[Uwe]

The EPS is more of control box thing. The DC1600 is really the motor, which is often combined with the AB60D control box. The manual for the AB60D boggles the mind with nearly 300 parameters you can set. I glanced at it hoping to find some position sensor on/off parameter, but no such luck. 

My vintage Viking 6570 still has the best needle position control interface I've seen - a simple three-position switch with Up/Off/Down settings.

[JSLeathercraft]

Uwe - forgot to mention control box is AB60A.

Thanks Eric....do you think it is impossible to use this without the EPS?

 

 

Edited May 16, 2016 by JSLeathercraft

[Uwe]

Looking at the Efka AB60A Manual  it appears you are out of luck. It boils down to "Thou shalt not use this setup without the positioner" unless I'm missing something.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Uwe

[gottaknow]

3 hours ago, JSLeathercraft said:

Uwe - forgot to mention control box is AB60A.

Thanks Eric....do you think it is impossible to use this without the EPS?

 

 

The synchronizer is a critical component in your system. It tells your control box what's going on with your machine head which in turn tells the motor what to do. I have at least 20 different models of control boxes including Efka. None of them have the option of using the machine as if it had a clutch motor. The newer ones will control everything you can think of, but I suppose if you didn't want the control, you'd just use a clutch motor. I have lots of machines where I prefer a clutch. 

What's your reasoning for wanting this ability?

regards, Eric 

[Constabulary]

My rather simple JACK servos have an option for using them with and without NPS. I´m using them without as I´m rather slow sewing and simply don´t need it and they do not work in combination with a speed reducer. Just wanted to have this mentioned..

Edited May 16, 2016 by Constabulary

[gottaknow]

33 minutes ago, Constabulary said:

My rather simple JACK servos have an option for using them with and without NPS. I´m using them without as I´m rather slow sewing and simply don´t need it and they do not work in combination with a speed reducer. Just wanted to this mentioned.

There are times when less is definitely more, no question. For my own use, I prefer a clutch so when I need to freewheel, I can put the motor in neutral and do what I want. It offers the least amount of resistance as well as letting me slip the clutch while applying pressure to the hand wheel. I have noticed in the factory that almost every operator that has sewn their finger did so as the needle positioned down. 

Regards, Eric 

[Constabulary]

Sewing fingers hurts and is not heathy in the long view

[sandyt]

JSLEATHERCRAFT why don't you want to use the eps? Is it because you want the needle to stop wright before it enters the workpeace pherhaps?

If so, is it possible to offset the synchronizer? My old efka stops to high or to low when I turn the synchronizer. The bracket that holds the synchronizer in place is missing. So sometimes I have to re adjust it.

Maybe you could tune it the way you want it to stop.

Sandy. 

Edited May 16, 2016 by sandyt
Forgot something.

[JSLeathercraft]

This is the first industrial machine I have had that has this.  Every other I've had has been clutch as I've just gotten back in to this and the cheap servos weren't an option back then.  So, as some have eluded, it seems foreign to me and I actually feel like I have less control.  LOL.  I have my home machine set to stop needle down (but perfect stitch placement isn't necessary there) so I set this the same but I really feel like I have to really think about things when I am turning or coming to a corner.  I just thought if it was an option to disable I could see if it felt better to me without.  I don't need automation of any type so although I know this is a quality motor/controller, I'm just wondering if I wouldn't feel better with a decent servo coupled with a speed reducer.

Edited May 16, 2016 by JSLeathercraft

[Constabulary]

I have tried a few clutch motors and 2 other servos before I bought my JACK servo motors and combined them with speed reducers minus the included EPS - I´m pleased and I don´t need anything else but it for sure depends on the individual needs. Others may need am EPS / NPS but I don´t.

[mikesc]

Some EFKA EPS systems can be disabled and still use their clutch motor..I know, I have one on my Juki DLU 490-4 ..But it is one of the older EFKA systems..all of the "positioning features" have "on/off" switches on the control box that is part of the clutch motor assembly..You can leave the sensor head on the machine, but if you set all "needle positioning" features , including "automated backstitching" ( both are separate controls ) at the start and end of stitching, and all the "stop with needle up or down" switches to "off"..it sews just like a classical clutch motor..with one advantage..you can still use the pre-set speed controls and the speed variator screw on the EFKA box to run the machine slowly ( about 300 spm )..

The EFKA NPS box type is VARIOSTOP VD552..

I disabled all the NPS setting ( switched everything to "off" ) as soon as I was able to work out what each did..

I know that NPS can be useful in industrial high speed sewing production, but it is just another irritant, and makes for unwanted stitches in unwanted places in a non high speed industrial sewing setting..My Juki DLU 490-4 ( not normally used as a a "leather machine" ) also has automated thread cutting below the bed..or it did..I also removed the power to the solenoid that drives that..and removed the knife assembly, wiper assembly etc..Many thanks to Eric ( gottaknow ) for showing me a link to the operators manual for the machine itself via pm, it has differential upper and lower feed, useful for some things that I do, but without Eric's link it impossible to work out what did what in the settings for the top and bottom feeds..

When the EFKA unit dies ( which Eric says from my description of the noises it makes maybe soon ) I'll be replacing it with a servo motor and a speed reducer..or maybe fit it with the clutch motor from my Singer 211 ( came with it ) and the speed reducer 5:1 that I built which is currently powering that machine..and put the servo motor and another speed reducer on the Singer 211. Neither will have NPS..like Constabulary, I don't need NPS, nor do I need high speed, my machines are mostly for making prototypes which are then sent as samples to be made elsewhere in "production series runs" for us to import back ..<= the crazy reason for the "why" of this, I mentioned already in another post in another thread..

[Trox]

I have the same motor on my DA 267-373 machine, but with an other control box PF-62 AV (it's an old motor now). It's a very smooth running motor, but less power that the new DC 1550 motors. Anyway, should be a switch for the needle stop up or down. I do not think it will run with out the syncronisher, if it runs it will be no speed control on it either. I do not understand why you want to disconnect the synchronizer?? You have stitch by stitch opertunity, you do not want to sew half a stitch? I would recommend the newer stronger Efka DC 1550 (with control box of choice or AB 321) for such a heavy machine. Perhaps that DC 1600 motor struggles a bit on thick materials.  Anyway, I love these Efka motors, it's the best there is on the marked. If you wonder about anything with them you can contact Efka for free (live time) support. They will help you on Skype video call to set up your motor.

Tor

[Katy]

On May 15, 2016 at 6:06 PM, JSLeathercraft said:

Hi,

Hope I'm posting in the right place for this question.  Are there any commercial servo motors with NPS that are built in  and it is  not necessary to have that black thing on the hand wheel?  

I have a Cobra Class 4 I really love and it would really help me to have a needle down stop for all the turns I make. .  I know Steve has the NPS motor that will work on my machine but the esthetics of that black knarly looking attachment to the hand wheel, to make it work is just ugly. I'd rather do without than to have to look at that.  Also I do sew very slow on that machine.

Cheers,

Katy

 

 

On May 15, 2016 at 6:06 PM, JSLeathercraft said:

 

 

Hey all.

I've been toying with the idea of trying my Ferdco Pro 2000 with Efka 1600 Vario DC without the EPS.  Is it as simple as temporarily unplugging the sensor from the controller or will I have to do some crazy re-calibrating if I want to plug it back in?  :-)

~Thanks!