DoryJM Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Couple things I've noticed lately 1) When I'm warming my machine up in the morning, it doesn't seem to be running smoothly; 2) When the machine is stopped, it will make a popping noise and the needle will drop into the fabric; and 3) Most frustrating: As I'm quilting along in SR mode, it will suddenly shut off the SR and stop stitching. I have a Millie. Anyone have any ideas the cause/causes for these issues?? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Dory, it sounds like an electrical short somewhere. Check that your grounding washers (on the front and back handles) are making good contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Dory, You may have more than one thing going on. First check motor brushes, which can make the machine sound "rough" at start up if they are getting worn. Here's a file to help: motor brush replacement instructions.pdf And a video: http://apqs.com/instructional-videos/?vid=q1zoiLjJ3K4 As for the machine shutting off, check that you have grounding hardware installed if you have M &M wheels. This document explains that: Grounding hardware installation.doc Lastly, the "banging" down can be caused by incomplete grounding, or a part called a "crydom relay". Its job is to regulate the incoming power to the machine and release it consistently like a gate. However, if something goes wrong with it, a bit of extra power can leak through, causing the needle to suddenly jump down into the fabric. Start with the first two items and then keep an eye on the needle banging, and call us directly if it continues. That part is something you can easily install if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted December 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 Thanks, Barb and Dawn. The screws holding my handles in place in front were very loose. I've tightened them and the SR seems to be working correctly now. I will be quilting most of tomorrow; so will watch these videos and see if there are more things I can do to make everything work correctly. I love that I can fix these things myself and am not at the mercy of sending the machine back--especially since I don't have the box anymore!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 I'm baaack..... So I tightened the screws holding the handlebars; this worked somewhat. Then the popping of the needle down into the fabric when the machine wasn't actually sewing began again. Next step: Motor Brushes. Measured them and ordered new ones. They arrived, I installed them and began quilting. Things were going swimmingly...at first. Now the popping has begun again and the machine has shut the S/R off once. Although I don't have the M&M wheels installed (I do have Edgeriders), I followed the link on Dawn's page about grounding. Not sure if that was the correct page as it seems to be addressing the installation of new handlebars. Of course, I'm probably not reading that correctly. Once again I'm hear to ask...anyone else with this problem. Dawn, is there anything else I can do?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epprog Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 I need to know if you have resolved the problem of the needle "banging" down. My machine is doing the same thing and I have even torn a small hole in a customer's quilt because of this! Cher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 Cher Call Amy first thing in the morning and get this fixed. We had this problem a few years ago and in our case is turned out to be the grounding issue. The dry winter air and newly developed M&M wheels at the time seemed to be the start of the issue. APQS developed a grounding kit and no problems since. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.