Troubleshooting tips #2.

The following is offered as helpful hints to get the best and quickest support when using our ticket system at the iQ web site.

Please save and send your logs with your ticket. This will save a few back and forth communications and lots of time.

Please update to the latest version of the software to continue troubleshooting.

Please fill in all of the identifying information at the top of the ticket. Please describe the issue you are having as completely as possible. "machine going crazy" or "not working" isn't enough information. The more information we have at the outset, the fewer questions we have to ask, and the narrower the focus of the ones we do. Feel free to attach pictures of anything that will help us understand the issue.

If you are having obstructions (with no error messages) this is what I tell everyone as a starting point: The very first thing for you to do is clean your wheels and rails until they are squeaky clean. Please use the Clean Rollers utility with 91% alcohol and QTips until there is no gray remaining on the cotton swabs. This may take a while. Use Windex and paper towels on your rails also until there is no trace of gray. Inspect your machine wheels to clean the grooves very well also. I use both QTips and paper towels with Windex to clean the Edgerider wheels. Examine carefully for imperfections in the rubber on the drive rollers, and look for any threads on the shafts of the rollers, thread sensor, or Edgerider wheels.

Glazing on the drive rollers is the number one cause of obstructions, imagine driving your car on a thin sheet of ice...

After you are certain everything is as clean as possible, run a panto row in Demo Mode. If you experience an obstruction, go to Utilities > Configuration > Motor Control Setup/Test and perform the Auto Setup on both motors. Try again to run a row in panto mode. Repeat above.

If your motors fail to engage - remove a cover of a motor and feel free to include a picture of the top of your motor on your ticket. If you have clear O-rings, and they are yellowed, they are worn and stretched. You can order new ones here, please specify 5" OC: https://www.mcmaster.com/#3044k503/=1cw7gn0 -- they will be shipped quickly, and replacement is similar to replacing a vacuum cleaner belt, which I'm pretty sure most of you have done at some point in your life.

If your machine stops moving, but continues to stitch in place, and the iQ buttons don't work, your tablet has likely lost connection with the dock. This can happen over time due to vibration or long-term movement. Simply remove and redock your tablet, making sure the contacts are making a good connection with their mates on the dock. Inspect the padding on the dock clamps, if worn or peeling, it can be replaced with Mole Skin from the pharmacy. Take steps to reduce the vibration of your machine head, experimenting until you find the "sweet spot" of needle speed, then of course adjust your iQ motor speed/details to get the stitch length you like. If the dock/tablet is tipping forward at the top, adjust it using the yellow thumb screws on the dock bracket so it is tipping toward the back at the top.

I'm sure there are many more things I could include here, but following these few steps may help you get going again on your own, saving you time and frustration. Of course never hesitate to start a ticket to start or continue troubleshooting any problems or issues you may have. Take a moment to check out all of the information here: https://www.intelliquilter.com/iQpedia/ as well. Lots of good stuff to help you.

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Troubleshooting tips #1.

When strange things happen, don’t panic and don’t assume the worst.  More often than not, the problem is caused by something very simple and easily fixed.

These troubleshooting lists start with the simplest and most common cause of the problem. Start with 1 and work down the list. If you get to the end of the list and haven’t solved the problem, copy your logs and post them at the support page of intelliquilter.com adding a brief description of the problem.

Obstruction detected

1.     Look for a true obstruction on the quilt. Is the machine’s foot caught on a bulky seam, an open seam, the edge of the quilt or a long thread? Has the machine moved as far as it can making the throat touch the take up bar or leveller bar?

2.     Look at the back of the quilt – has a long thread caught on the needle plate or a wheel?

3.     Look on the table top – is there something laying across the tracks or the surfaces where the motors run?

4.     Look at the cables at the back of the machine – has one caught on something? It may have caught momentarily on something under your machine. Move your machine by hand and watch the cords.

5.     Look at the take up roller or leveler bar. Is it high enough?  Is the added bulk from Red Snappers or Leadergrips rubbing on the throat of the machine or Y motor?

6.     Check the thread tension – has it suddenly become super tight?

7.     Is the quilt stretched too tightly?

8.     Clean the surfaces where the drive wheels run. If you suspect oil on the surface, first use rubbing alcohol and rub hard, then follow up with Windex.

9.     Look at the sensor wheels – are they running in the correct position? Are they turning?

10.  Look for thread caught around the drive wheels, sensor wheels or your machine’s wheels.

11.  Inspect the drive wheels – has the rubber separated from the hub?

12.  If you routinely have obstruction stops at one place on your table, run the motor auto setup right where the obstruction occurs. To find the auto setup, at the main menu, touch utilities > configuration > motor control setup/test and follow the instructions. There is a video demonstrating the auto set-up on this blog. Look for 'engagement strength' in the side menu.

13. If none of this helps, copy your logs and contact support at intelliquilter.com.

Thread Break

1.     Is the thread break sensor wheel turning in the right direction? It should be turning clockwise. Look at the little arrow on the wheel as you pull the thread.

2.     Has the thread jumped off the wheel?

3.     Is there slack in the thread coming off the cone? If so, use a thread net or place a small piece of batting in the thread guide immediately above the cone to control the thread.

4.     Are you using slick thread that isn’t grabbing the sensor wheel? If so, wind the thread twice around the sensor wheel.

5.     Is the sensor wheel turning freely? Turn it by hand to check.

6.     Disconnect then re-connect the cable at the sensor wheel.

7.     Disconnect then re-connect the cable at the interface board on the docking station.

8.  Use canned air to blow any dust out of both connections.

Demo Mode shows when tablet is on the docking station.

1.     Check that the motors are plugged in. The motors must have power to them before starting up the tablet.

2.     Shut down IQ, remove the tablet then re-dock firmly.

3.     Check the connections on the interface board including the orange relays.  Make sure all connections are fully seated.

4.     With iQ shut down and the power off, look at the connections at the power supply box that’s mounted under the table – are they all secure?

Communication Error flashing at the top of the screen.

1.     Back out to the main menu, select utilities > configuration > interface setup/test > communication test.  You will see which component isn’t communicating and can focus on checking the relevant connections.

2.     Shut iQ down, remove the tablet and re-dock it firmly.

3.     Check that all the connections on the interface board on the docking station are fully seated.

4.     If one of the motors isn’t communicating, after doing the above, remove the cover and check its connections.

5.     Copy your logs, then go to intelliquilter.com and fill out the form on the support page and attach your logs. Give a brief explanation of what you observed.

 Touch screen responsiveness.

1.     If the tablet freezes or can’t get all the way through start up and the screen doesn’t respond to touch, force quit by holding down the ‘on’ button, remove the big battery or batteries and leave it/them out for about 30 minutes then replace it/them.

2.     If the touch screen doesn’t respond with the correct action, it probably needs recalibrating. At the main menu, select utilities > configuration > preferences > touch calibration.  Follow the on screen instructions. If you are wary of doing this, contact your support person, or support at intelliquilter.com.

3. Go to support at intelliquilter.com and describe what's happening.