Bad Stitches in X-Axis

I recently got a text from a longarmer who could not figure out why her machine (Avante with Pro-Stitcher) would often have bad stitches (about ¼” when the setting was on 11 SPI).

I asked her to send me pictures of the problem stitches (see picture 1). After zooming in it was clear the bad stitches happened when the machine was moving in the left-to-right direction – the X-axis in longarm terminology. (X-axis is Left-to-Right; Y-axis is Front-to-Rear).

Typically when you see an issue in only one axis it is a problem related to the encode for the affected axis. Common problems include:

·       Rubber tire has come off the encoder

·       Encoder is out of position and not making constant contact with the carriage or Frame

·       Encoder cable unplugged or not plugged in completely

·       Broken encoder cable

In this case the problem was the one in bold – the X-axis encoder (on rear of carriage for the Handi Quilter Avante) signal cable had partially come unplugged. The longarm re-seated the connector and she was back in business.

For other tech tips on encoders use the search box at the top right of each page and enter “encoder”.

Quilt on!

Do you have questions on this topic or another you are interested in?