This document may help those doing self installations of iQ. Some of these tests should also be run when the motors have been removed then replaced, or adjusted.
In this post iqdemos.com is referred to, but ofcourse this is iqdemos.com so look at the side menu to find the appropriate video demonstrations.
SELF-INSTALLATION HELP.
Before installing IQ.
Make sure your machine is balanced correctly on the carriage. Each wheel should be making good contact with the tracks. Check that the carriage is perfectly square and that the machine is sitting straight on the carriage.
Also make sure your table is level.
After installing IQ.
1. Clean off the surface of your rails where the drive wheels will run first with rubbing alcohol then with Windex, or something similar. Wipe the rails a couple of times with the Windex and let it air-dry.
2. Plug in the power cord for the motors and the power cord for the tablet. The ac adaptor for the tablet connects to the small jack at the motor power supply (the silver box). When you use the tablet off the machine, this small jack plugs directly into the tablet.
Put the tablet on the machine and start up.
When IQ starts up, you will see a message telling you to move your machine to the front center of the table. You will see this message every time you start up IQ and it’s important to do this.
You’ll also see a message telling you that your IQ isn’t calibrated. For now you can touch the button ‘ignore’. You will be calibrating the machine a little later.
3. Connections Test.
These tests tell you that all the connections are correct. Make sure your machine is powered up before doing these tests.
On the main menu touch Utilities, then Configuration, then Interface Setup/Test.
Touch Communication Test and you should see a row of messages that all say ok.
Touch 'Single Stitch' and your machine should take a single stitch.
Touch 'Start Switch' and the machine should start stitching. NOTE: The speed setting on your machine needs to be higher than 0 for this test to work. If you hear a click but the machine does not start stitching, increase the speed setting and repeat the test. Your machine should not be set for regulated stitching.
Touch Finished.
4. Touch Motor Control Setup/Test.
Go to iqdemos.com and watch the video that demonstrates the Motor Auto Setup. Look in the side menu for that title and to find the blog post.
If the X motor is mounted at the front of the carriage, push the machine as far back as possible when you set the engagement strength for the X motor.
If the X motor is mounted at the back of your carriage, pull the machine as far forward as possible when setting the engagement strength for the X motor.
5. Once you have the motor engagement strengths set, touch finished, then finished again, and then the back arrow to return to the main menu.
Now you need to check that the settings are good for the whole length of the table by running a line pattern in preview. You do not need a quilt on the machine to do this and your machine does not need to be threaded.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
On the main menu, touch Design/Sew Quilt, Start New, then Line Pattern.
Move your machine to one end of your table and touch ok. Move the machine straight to the other end of your table and touch ok. Now move your machine towards the take up bar at a slight angle, when it's as far back as it can go, touch ok. Move your machine towards the front of the table, again at an angle, and when it's as far forwards as possible, touch ok.
Continue in this zigzag fashion back to the end of the table. When you get to the end, touch ok then finished.
Touch Sew Quilt, then follow the instructions and touch the image of the pattern on the screen.
Touch Continue, then touch Preview. The machine will move to the start of the pattern. Touch start and the machine will follow the line pattern but it will not stitch. It should not stop until it gets to the end of the pattern.
If it stops anywhere with an obstruction detected signal you need to check the motor engagement strength at that place. You can simply back out from the preview to the page where you see Utilities as a choice. (You do not need to save the needle position or stitching sequence) Then you can change the engagement strengths.
Return to Sew Quilt and run the line pattern in preview again to make sure that there are no obstruction stops.
For these next tests you need to have a quilt mounted even though you will not be stitching.
6. Calibrate your machine.
Touch Utilities at the main menu, then Measure/Calibrate. Touch the Calibrate button and follow the instructions. There is a video at iqdemos.com showing how to do the calibration. Look for calibration in the side menu at iqdemos.com. This process ensures that IQ measures correctly.
Touch Finished.
7. Change the date and time.
On the page titled Utilities (you should be on that page now having touched finished after calibrating), touch Configuration then Preferences, and touch Date/Time at the top of the list and correct it for your time zone.
When you have set it, touch Finished, then Finished again, then the back button to return to the main menu.
8. Run the drift test pattern.
At the main menu, touch Design/Sew Quilt then Edit/Sew Existing.
Touch the catalog named 'TEST' and touch Drift Test. Do not touch the Supermotor Drift Test
Touch Continue. You may see some pop up windows with question, just answer to no to those questions.
This test is a 12" square. The message says ‘Touch a reference point on the screen'. Touch the small green square at the top left where there is an S and E. It's not right at the corner. Touch Continue and read the on screen directions.
Move your machine to place where you want the S and E to be on your quilt. (S is start and E is end) Make sure the machine will be able to move 12 inches forward without obstruction. Touch OK.
Now touch Sew Quilt and then touch the image of the pattern. It will turn green. Touch Continue.
Touch Preview
Your machine will move to the start of this pattern. Place a piece of masking tape carefully under the needle and drop the needle to make a hole in the tape. Raise the needle. Do not move the machine when you do this.
The Speed setting on the screen should be 1.8 and the Details setting should be 1.4.
Touch the Button showing a gear (Configuration) , next to the button with a ? (Help).
Look at End Point Overlap. It should read 0.00". If it doesn't, touch the button next to End Point Overlap - the words will turn red. Now touch the key pad that has appeared in the ribbon below the image and change the setting to 0.00".
Touch Finished.
Touch Start and the machine will begin to move. It will not stitch because it is in preview.
Do not touch the table or machine whilst the test is running.
We do not stitch this pattern because it is designed to check that the motors are aligned correctly. It will run for just over 8 minutes and when it finishes the needle should be right over the original hole in the tape. If it is more than a sixteenth of an inch away from the hole, you need to check that the motors are perfectly straight.
If the needle ends either to the left or right of the original hole, the X motor needs adjusting. If it ends above or below the original hole, the Y motor needs adjusting. (The X motor runs along the length of the table, the Y motor runs along the carriage)
If this pattern was sewn, the fabric would be drawn up and the needle would not return exactly to the start point.
NOTE: You would not stitch this pattern at this small scale at these speeds.
The Speed and Details settings on the Sew Quilt page determine how fast your machine will move - speed is the general speed and is measured in inches per second. When the machine turns a corner, it needs to slow down slightly and that is what the details setting is for. I generally have the details setting about .2 less than the speed. If you have the difference between the two more than .5, you'll see the red message 'stitch regulation required'. We recommend never using IQ with stitch regulation - this is just a reminder to increase the details setting until the red message disappears.
The stitch length will be determined by how fast you set the needle speed on your machine.
You’ll find a video all about speed and how these settings affect the stitch out quality at iqdemos.com.
I recommend that you explore IQ in demo mode or off the machine for a couple of hours. Plug the ac adaptor into the tablet, set up the little easel and just touch buttons and explore.
Follow the directions and make choices. Always ask your self, “What do I want to do?” then find the answer to that question on the page you are on. Think in small steps. If you can’t see the answer, either touch the finished button or the back arrow to get to another page. If you are puzzled by some of the choices, touch the ‘?’ button for a brief explanation.
Don’t be afraid – there is no place you can get to that you can’t get out of. Simply keep touching the back arrow or finished button and you will end up right back at the main menu.
When you are ready to stitch but don’t know what to do first, try setting up a pantograph and stitch a few rows. There are directions in the ‘How To use Your IQ’ document that is on the thumb drive that came with your iQ if you are unsure, but really all you need to do is read what it says on the screen, follow directions and make choices. I think you’ll be surprised at how easy IQ is to use. If you are puzzled by what you need to do when you advance your quilt, follow the step by step directions in ‘How to use your IQ’.
Don’t forget to watch the relevant videos at iqdemos.com for help too.
Remember, IQ is like a tool box full of tools – some you will use everyday, others you may use only once in a while and that’s o.k. I don’t expect you to use everything - use the tools you need and have fun!
