W&G 335 Walking Foot

[PhilSadler]

Hi All. Just joined Leatherworker and this is my first use. Have just bought a Willcox & Gibbs S355B Walking Foot machine. It looks very similar to a PFAFF 355 and I'm led to believe it is a clone of the PFAFF. I've managed to locate and download a User Manual for the PFAFF but it doesn't answer all my questions. Would anyone know where I may be able to get a User Manual for my Willcox & Gibbs machine?

The machine is mounted on an industrial table and has what I think is a Jack Servo Motor. I can't find a label on the motor but the Control Unit looks the same as those in pictures on Google search. I'm struggling to understand the settings on the unit and how to control speed etc. The Unit label say "SC-400ZB. Energy Saving Brushless Motor". I'd welcome any guidance as to how to operate this unit.

I'm rather old and very dim so simple directions would help.

 

[Uwe]

This video may help if your motor control unit works the same way:

 

Post some pictures of your machine, front, back, and also the model type label. Also pictures of the motor control unit that show model number and control buttons.

You may have to resize the pictures to upload them here. You need to be able to post pictures here to have any hopes of meaningful remote support. 

I suspect the manual for your clone machine is actually written in Chinese, and it’s unlikely to be better or more informative than the original Pfaff 335 manual.  

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Uwe

[Wizcrafts]

I suspect that the machine models you listed a 335, not 355.

[Uwe]

I believe this is the machine we’re taking about, essentially an old casting Pfaff 335 design with a modified feed lever mechanism and set up for binding:

[PhilSadler]

Thanks Uwe. Appreciate you responding so quickly. Your picture and Wizcrafts comments are exactly right - it is a 335 (slip of the typo finger - told you I was dim). Also thanks for the Video link. Mine looks of a similar type, however when I switch on and the system goes through initial scan and I then press 'P' mine comes up with an 'n' rather than a 'v' (attempted to include a picture). If I then press the 'S' button it goes to a 'full' number not decimal and repeated pressing continues to increase the number. Presume this is a speed?

Thanks for info about W&G Manual - agree I'd struggle with the Chinese!! Does anyone do a Manual on the Control Unit?

Thanks so much for your help. Any further ideas would be more than welcome.

Phil

[Uwe]

There’s no manual available online for these motors from what I can tell. 

Contact the people you bought this machine from. They may have a manual and just forgot to give it to you.

In general, with that control box user interface, you press the P button to enter parameter change mode.

Press P again to cycle through available parameters until  it show the parameter you want to adjust. Then pressing the S button shows the current value/setting for that parameter. Pressing S again will cycle through the available settings for that parameter. Pressing P again stores the setting for that parameter. You may need to press P again or just wait a few moments for it to go back to normal sewing mode displaying the P with a twirling circle.

If no manual can be obtained, you may need to create you own manual by exploring the interface: 

1. Press the P button ONCE to enter parameter mode.  Write down what the display shows.

1a.  Press P again repeatedly and write down all the different parameters it cycles through.

2. Then, do the above again but stop for each parameter and repeat the following:

2a. Press the S button ONCE and write down the current setting.

2b. Press S again repeatedly and write down all the possible the settings for that parameter. Make sure you cycle until you see the original setting again that you first wrote down.

Post a picture or a text version of your notes that show all the available parameters and their possible settings. We may be able to deduce which parameter and setting means what.

You’ll spend less time doing this than I spent researching and writing this post.

Also post a picture of the back of the control box that shows the connectors.

 

This video shows somebody else changing settings on a similar motor with the same control box buttons. Perhaps it helps a little.

 

[PhilSadler]

Hi Uwe. Thanks for taking so much time and trouble to support me in my quest.

As promised, have taken a number of photos of the motor and Control connections. I’ve also gone through and noted the various setting on the Control Unit.

When I turn it on it shows the fig 13 just for a couple of seconds, then goes to the P cycle process. Pressing P and S in turn goes through the following parameters;

1^st; P =  n O  / S = 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. right up to 30.  2^nd;  P = n 1  /  S = 0. 1. 0. 1. 0. Recurring.  3^rd;  P = n 2  /  S = As 3^rd  – alternating 0 and 1.  4^th;  P = n3 /  S = as 2^nd & 3^rd - alternating 0 and 1.   5^th; P = n9  / S = starts at 8 then single steps up to 20.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks again. Phil

[Uwe]

My slightly educated guesses here are as follows:

Parameter n0: top motor speed 500rpm - 3,000rpm

Parameter n1: motor rotation direction (clockwise, counter-clockwise) 

Parameter n2: Needle Positioning (NP) enabled/disabled (disabled or ‘“0”  unless NP sensor is installed)

Parameter n3: Needle stop position up/down (only if NP is enabled)

Parameter n9: Motor speed while positioning needle (only if NP is enabled): 800rpm-2,000rpm

 

Based on the above assumptions, I would recommend the following:

- You can safely ignore parameters n2,n3, and n9, since they likely deal with needle positioning operation and you don’t have the required sensor installed. Don’t change those parameters, you will either get an error message or it will have no effect.

- Use parameter n0 to adjust max speed of the motor with pedal all the way down. I’d recommend a setting this parameter to “7”  for 700rpm maximum motor speed to start with. Change as desired.

- If your motor spins in the correct direction now (arrow on belt cover), then you don’t ever need to change parameter n1. Once it’s correct, you don’t have to change it for the life of your machine+motor+table configuration.

- I don’t think the starting speed of your motor is adjustable. It will likely always start spinning at around 300rpm when you press the pedal.

[Uwe]

Also double check your top thread path, it doesn’t look quite right in your picture. This is the correct way to thread the machine:

[PhilSadler]

Once again my Big Thanks Uwe. That is very very helpful and I can now start practicing with my new found machine. I'm sure anyone else with a similar clone 335 who has followed your guidance will also benefit.

Best Regards

Phil