Release Notes and Installation Instructions for AMAYA OS 2004 Version Release

Transcription

1 January, 2004 Release Notes and Installation Instructions for AMAYA OS 2004 Version Release Important! This document contains information about AMAYA OS Version , Release that may not be included in the manual. Release consists of RSA 1.93 and CSA Software Changes in this Release Three AMAYA OS dongle product levels now exist: AMAYA OS SE, AMAYA OS Flex, and AMAYA OS Flex Plus. All three of these dongle levels use the same AMAYA OS interface and offer the same operational functionality. The difference between the dongle levels is related to the machine configuration options they provide. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select AMAYA OS->AMAYA OS Dongle Product Levels for descriptions of these levels). AMAYA OS now generates reports that provide statistical information on various aspects of AMAYA operation. To generate these reports, select Tools->Reports. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select Tools Menu->Reports for detailed information on AMAYA OS reports.) AMAYA OS now provides an Operator Login function. The Operator Login function provides a way to restrict user privileges. This function also allows operator logins and activity to be logged by the AMAYA OS reports function. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select AMAYA OS->Tools Menu->Operator Login for more information.) Several changes have been made to the AMAYA OS Maintenance Step-throughs (some maintenance points have changed, procedures have been streamlined, and intervals have been adjusted). In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select Maintenance->Lubrication for more information. If you are running both AMAYA OS 2004 and DesignShop 2004, a toolbar button now provides a direct link from AMAYA OS to DesignShop. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select AMAYA OS->Frequently Used AMAYA OS Functions->Editing a Design for more information.) AMAYA OS now supports USB dongles. In Design View, AMAYA OS now allows the user to step thru colors and turn colors on / off just as DesignShop does. Design sew time can now be saved in OFM files. Design Sew Time can be viewed via the Job Info tab. Element outlines now show when scaling, rotating, and moving elements in Design View. In the hoop name list in the Hoop Manager, hoop information can now be displayed in English or Metric units Rev. B 1 of 6

2 Users can now hide hoops in the hoop list drop-down menu in the Hoop Manager. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select Tools Menu->Hoop Manager for more information.) When a design is loaded and users select Auto Select Hoop in the hoop selection pull-down menu, AMAYA OS will automatically select the smallest hoop that fits the loaded design. The relationship between the Settings by Color feature and the Use Settings from Design setting has changed. Whenever a design is loaded and Use Settings from Design is turned off, machine settings stored in the design will be ignored; this includes Settings by Color. If Settings by Color is turned on after Use Settings from Design is turned off, Settings by Color settings will be restored (if previously saved with the design). In the Design View, the Stitch Processing tab is now available, allowing users to adjust densities at the expanded stitch level. Polling of machines continues even if AMAYA OS does not have focus. When an event such as a thread break occurs, the AMAYA OS icon in the Windows task bar will flash. Power Fail Recovery has been implemented for AMAYA OS. (In the AMAYA Operator HTML Help Table of Contents, select Getting Started->Powering Up the AMAYA for more information.) Known Problems Users may encounter broken links between the AMAYA HTML Help systems. If this occurs, users should run all new available Microsoft Critical Updates, and this should fix the problem. To do this, go to Click the Windows link under Product Families, then click the Updates link. If a user creates a design containing only vector elements (contains no stitches) and then sends this design to AMAYA OS, AMAYA OS will crash. Users should make sure all designs sent to AMAYA OS contain stitches. If a design is loaded with hoops turned off, and the design is opened from the Temp directory, hoops will be turned on. Minimum System Requirements PC with a Pentium III or higher processor (Pentium III 800 MHz or higher recommended) If you plan on installing AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same PC, a Pentium III 850 MHz or higher is recommended. (Please see the AMAYA OS environment section for more information on running AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer). Microsoft Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2000 operating system If you plan on installing AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer, either Windows 2000 or Windows XP is highly recommended. (Please see the AMAYA OS environment section for more information on running AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer). Note: Non-western languages (such as Polish, Czech, Japanese and Russian) require Windows 2000 or Windows XP. 128MB of RAM recommended XGA video adapter and monitor configured for 1024x768 resolution or higher, video driver set to High Color or better for Windows 98 / Millennium; color or higher for Windows XP Rev. B 2 of 6

3 Home, Windows XP Professional and Windows If you want to change the settings of your screen resolution, please click on the Start button of your Windows taskbar, followed by a click on Help. Do a search for display, resolution. USB or Parallel port for AMAYA OS security dongle CD-ROM drive (required for AMAYA OS installation, 16X is recommended) Two or three button mouse (3 button mouse preferred) Internet Explorer 5.1 or greater Ethernet adapter (SMC1244TX is recommended) 10 Megabit Ethernet Hard drive: 10 Gigabyte Incompatible Hardware External USB floppy drives are not compatible with AMAYA OS. If you connect an external floppy drive to your AMAYA PC, your operating system may crash and the floppy drive will become useless for all applications. AMAYA OS Environment To optimize your AMAYA system, it is recommended that you install AMAYA OS on a dedicated PC. That is, the PC on which AMAYA OS is installed should not be used to run any other software applications (with the exception of DesignShop, see the following bullet point). Important: You can install and run AMAYA OS and DesignShop on the same computer. However, for optimum performance of both of these programs, the guidelines listed below should be followed. 1. The minimum system requirements for both programs must be met. Also, either Windows 2000 or Windows XP and a Pentium III 850 MHz or higher processor are highly recommended. 2. It is recommended that you install AMAYA OS/DesignShop on a dedicated PC. That is, the PC on which AMAYA OS/DesignShop are installed should not be used to run any other software applications. 3. ENS should not be installed on the AMAYA OS/DesignShop PC. 4. On the AMAYA OS/DesignShop PC, when running AMAYA OS, avoid performing hardwareintensive tasks such as scanning. Also, it is recommended that extensive digitizing be performed on a different PC. AMAYA OS and the AMAYA system should not be installed on a high-traffic office network or on a peer to peer network (connecting 2 computers together) using only one Ethernet PCB in the AMAYA computer. If the PC that runs AMAYA OS needs to be connected to an office network, it is recommended that a separate Ethernet card be installed for this purpose. The AMAYA network should be configured to use 1 Ethernet PCB and the networking (Peer to Peer or office network) should be configured to use the other Ethernet PCB. Only one AMAYA OS server can be installed per machine network - for safety reasons Melco does not allow the ability to run multiple AMAYA OS systems in the same machine network. Melco recommends using a line stabilizer with the AMAYA machine(s) in order to protect the machine(s) from power surges, etc. The line stabilizer provides minimum protection. In areas of known poor power supply or brown-outs, Melco recommends using a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Rev. B 3 of 6

4 Installing AMAYA OS Please note that you must have Local Adminstrator rights on the PC on which you wish to install and run AMAYA OS. If you are installing a USB dongle, please see the installation instructions accompanying the dongle. The AMAYA OS parallel dongle must be attached to an available parallel port of the computer before installing the AMAYA OS program. If a parallel port dongle is already installed on the computer, attach the AMAYA OS dongle to the back of the existing dongle(s). Failure to do so may cause these programs to not operate correctly. The general rule of thumb for stacking dongles is to connect the newest to oldest, with the oldest connected to the computer. To install the AMAYA OS software, insert the AMAYA OS disc into your CD ROM drive. The Setup program should start automatically. If the Setup program does not start automatically, click on START/RUN and type D:\SETUP (where D: is the drive letter of the CD ROM drive) and click on OK. After installing AMAYA OS, complete the following steps to configure your machine(s) for the first time. 1. Turn off all AMAYA machines. 2. Open AMAYA OS. 3. Select Tools->Options, then click the Ethernet tab. You will need to do two things in this tab. First, make sure the Ethernet adapter/card that is connected to your machine(s) is selected (leftclick to select). Then turn on Force Download (left-click in checkbox). 4. Select Configuration->Machine Config Wizard to start the configuration wizard. 5. The configuration wizard will guide you through the steps required to configure your machine(s). 6. After you complete the configuration wizard, AMAYA OS will open, and your AMAYA system will be configured as you have set it up. Please note that at initial startup, a maintenance timer dialog (or dialogs) may appear on your screen. It is recommended that you perform the maintenance step-throughs for any dialogs that appear; this will allow AMAYA OS to reset the timer when you have completed the step-throughs. Important: For power fail recovery to function correctly, Force Download will need to be turned off after the initial start-up has been completed successfully. General Notes It is recommended that users view the AMAYA tutorial videos, which are easily accessed by selecting Help->Multimedia in AMAYA OS. These videos provide helpful instructions on all aspects of the AMAYA machine. When powering up your machine(s), it is recommended that you start AMAYA OS before turning on your machine(s) Rev. B 4 of 6

5 Please note that all AMAYAs that are connected to the same PC should be turned on whenever you reconfigure your machines. If one of your machines was turned off during your last configuration, you must reconfigure when you turn on that machine. If you load a design to an AMAYA from DesignShop (using Machine->Load Design) while the machine is running, the design will be sent to the Pending folder for the appropriate cluster. You should always check the presser foot height before sewing a design. If you set the presser foot height over a bare (unsewn) section of the fabric, set the presser foot so that it is very close to but is not touching the fabric (leave a gap between the fabric and the presser foot that is roughly equal to the thickness of the thread). You can adjust presser foot height at any point in the design as long as the machine is stopped and the current needle is taken to lowest needle depth. For instructions on adjusting presser foot height, see the AMAYA Operator s Manual, Presser Foot Height Adjustment. After threading a needle, do not pull the thread too tightly into the thread retainer spring located at the bottom of the needlecase cover. Too much tension in the thread can affect the thread break detection system. It is recommended that you do not use sideless bobbins in your machine(s); sideless bobbins may affect the Out of Bobbin detection system. While a hoop is in use on the AMAYA, the hoop settings for this hoop should not be changed (in the Hoop Manager). Tips and Hints AMAYA OS Release Notes Thread Breaks/False Thread Breaks Real and false thread breaks are a recurring issue in the embroidery industry. If you encounter too many thread breaks with the AMAYA machine, Melco recommends that you do the following: a.) Review your material thickness settings (remember: one embroidery point is equal to the thickness of one sheet of paper, thus, picture the default thickness of 3 points as 3 layers of paper). See the AMAYA Operator s Manual, Adjusting Material Thickness, for more information. b.) If you are encountering too many real AND too many false thread or bobbin breaks (loose stitches), you may need to reduce the material thickness setting because too much thread is being fed into the system. See the AMAYA Operator s Manual, Adjusting Material Thickness, for more information. c.) When encountering too many real thread breaks but NO false thread breaks (tight stitches), you may need to increase the material thickness setting because not enough thread is being fed into the system. See the AMAYA Operator s Manual, Adjusting Material Thickness, for more information. d.) If you have set the material thickness correctly and you still encounter too many thread breaks, you may have problems with extremely short stitches in the design. These short stitches can be removed by adjusting the Design Filter settings. Adjusting the new default setting of After 1 Short to After 0 Short will filter ALL stitches of 4 points or less from the design. e.) If the machine is sewing well and you experience bobbin thread breaks only (no upper thread breaks), you may want to turn off the Bobbin Detection function Rev. B 5 of 6

6 If you are still experiencing thread break problems, Melco recommends that you perform a sew test. To do this, complete the following steps: 1.) Load the AMAYA test design named AMPASS06E.EXP. This file is located in the AMAYA Test Designs directory (usually Program Files\Melco Embroidery Systems\AMAYA\Test Designs). 2.) In AMAYA OS, set material thickness to 3 points. 3.) Set the maximum machine speed to 1200spm (stitches per minute), if you are using Polyester thread. If you are using Rayon thread, you might consider lowering the maximum speed slightly. 4.) Hoop two layers of backing on a 30 x 44cm or larger hoop. 5.) Check the upper thread paths (that the machine is threaded correctly, thread is under thread feed rollers, there is no thread wrapped around the tops of the thread cones). 6.) Insert the bobbin, with the bobbin tension set so that when you gently bounce the bobbin case - holding the thread with your fingers - it should drop 2-4 inches / mm. 7.) Trace the design. 8.) Press the Start button to sew the design. 9.) Observe machine performance. You should see very few problems. Contact Information For questions involving service issues, please contact Melco s Service Department: Tel: Service@Melco.com WWW: Rev. B 6 of 6