Added November 2006. Does your Apex machine 'jump' see possible cause / solution at base of page.
There are quite a few versions of the Apex controller, and both of mine are the same AMC Series 1, so some of the following may or may not apply to other models.
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I strongly suspect that this controller has a fan which is too small, I have heat problems in our summer, which are probably 'chilly' compared to some southern areas in the USA. If you take the top cover off, and you try to remove the filter, which is down the right hand side, you will find that you cannot actually do it, unless the controller comes to bits, poor design. If I do get a hot day, and one controller is unavoidably in direct sunlight, then I remove the top cover completely and put a fan on the window sill aimed at the machine. I know of other users who have the same problem, so if you live in a hot part of the USA and do not have air con, then be warned
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One controller did have problems with drive boards, and I eventually located the original supplier, NEE Electronics in Gateshead UK, they was down to his last few and sold me three (which I am hanging on to) he confirms that excess heat is a killer for the drive boards and other electronics inside this controller in general.
I had a power pack blow out due to a power surge - yes I know, it should have been power and spike protected - it is now ! - and decided to get a local electronics engineer out to have a look rather than send it back to Newing Hall. He took one look, said it was a standard item, easily located and fitted, so that was a relief, and a smallish bill.
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| I have had the following problem occur about 5 times in 8 years. The display on the controller starts to get faint, and fainter, eventually you send a job and nothing happens. Dead - nothing. Solution, fairly easy this one. Take of the cover, remove every fuse, give a good scrape with fairly rough emery, re-assemble, and all is well. Incidentally, some of the fuses inside the controller are very exact specification and not stock items. I went to a local electrical supplier and he managed to match the correct originals as spares. So if one does blow, I have the exact replacement ready |
Other than mentioned above, I have found them to be good controllers, the oldest one is now 12 years old, so any small problem has to put in that context. I find the software very good, I deliberately choose version 1.12.08 which is probably about four years old, but it works for me - if it aint broke, don't fix it I say. I read reviews in the ARA and EJ about other controllers, but as yet have no desire to change. I think engravers get used to own software and tend to stick with it, rather than take on a new learning curve from another manufacturer, even though it will be windows based.
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One controller has a habit of jumping partway through a job, which obviously makes a waster of the item. The movement is not great, perhaps only a mm or so, but you can hear the sound as it happens. In my particular circumstance, it is not a problem as the item is just re-polished, for others it might be more more serious. I tried everything I know to eradicate the fault, but as it is very spasmodic, and random, it is almost impossible to trace. One day I had an electronics engineer in my shop, I explained the problem, he looked inside the controller, took out a drive board, frowned, tut tutted and just said 'dust'....Now my workshop is pretty clean, but in spite of that (and the poor fan) it obviously does suck in dust. He said it can just cause all kinds of problems of the type I had been having. I gave it a really good blast with clean compressed air and it has not given a hicup or a murmour since. The jury is out and I am holding my breath, I will update toward the end of the year. This was late August, so two trouble free months on a machine that works all day.
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