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singer_knit_machine [2019-12-26 22:03] – created cicelypsinger_knit_machine [2020-04-10 15:27] (current) cicelyp
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 ==== About the machine ==== ==== About the machine ====
  
-The knitting machine is a Singer Magic Memory somethingorother. Do not be put off by the weird pink colour... this machine is fun and a bit complicated!+The knitting machine is a Singer Magic Memory KE-1200. Do not be put off by the weird pink colour... this machine is fun and a bit complicated!
  
-It has a standard needle bed with 200 needles. 2-colour patterns etc can be obtained using the punched cards or using the buttons below where the punched cards are fed in. Patterns can be a maximum of a 12-stitch wide repeat.+Theoretically you can programme 2-colour patterns with a 12 stitch wide repeat using the punched cardsor by selecting the buttons below where the punched cards are fed in. However this mechanism is prone to selecting the wrong needles, which will cause glitches in your pattern.
  
-The machine is not yet working perfectly OK. It is working well enough to knit something in a plain colour, or stripes (so long as you have the right tension settings for your yarn). It is not yet working properly when knitting patterns using the punched cards or buttons.+You can still use the machine as you would a regular manual knitting machine. It has a standard needle bed with 200 needles.
  
 ==== If you want to try out the machine ==== ==== If you want to try out the machine ====
  
-The following yarn/tension combinations should produce plain stocking stitch with no faults. All yarns are in the drawer of knitting machine accessories (3rd drawer down under the Wera screwdrivers):+There should be a really useful box somewhere which contains instruction books and some accessories for the machine.
  
-  * Red yarn (DK weight I thinkfrom West Yorkshire Spinners '100% Wensleydale Gems'): Set tension dial to max (above 10) and yarn feed dial to 3. This produced gauge of 22sts and 32 rows over 10cm. +When getting set up, it is important to set the correct tensions for the thickness of yarn you are using. The thickest yarn the machine seems happy with is DK weight, and even this can sometimes produce bad results. Better to use lighter weight yarn. Some yarns have been tested on the machine, with the following results:
-  * White brushed thermal (slightly fluffy) DK weight: Same settings as red yarn aboveGauge not measured. +
-  * Self striping rainbow yarn (this is West Yorkshire Spinners 4-ply): Cast on successfully with tension dial on 5, but became a bit tight 12 rows later, so changed up to 8, which was fine. Yarn feed dial was set to 5 the whole time. This produced a gauge of about 28sts and 37 rows over 10cm.+
  
-==== Further debugging ====+  * West Yorkshire Spinners 100% Wensleydale Gems: Set tension dial to max (above 10) and yarn feed dial to 3. This produced a gauge of 22 stitches and 32 rows over 10cm. 
 +  * West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply: Cast on successfully with tension dial on 5, but became a bit tight 12 rows later, so changed up to 8, which was fine. Yarn feed dial was set to 5 the whole time. This produced a gauge of about 28 stitches and 37 rows over 10cm. 
 +  * Katia Panama cotton: Set tension dial to max and yarn feed dial to 3. This produced a gauge of 26 stitches and 30 rows over 10cm. Is prone to not fully completing the knit on a couple of needles at either side of the work on the first few rows, so you may need to manually check and rectify. This is probably because the tension is still a bit too high even on the lowest setting.
  
-So far the following errors have been observed when trying 2-colour patterns...+It also comes with an additional carriage for doing lace, but this has not been tried yet.
  
-  * The same errors tend to occur whether a punched card or selection via buttons is used. When moving pins by hand on the bed, errors do not occur (i.e. it's not the carriage at fault). +==== The problem with the punched card mechanism ====
-  * Errors tend to consist of the contrast colour being knit when it should be the main colour instead. This is presumably because the pins have been pushed forward into position D instead of remaining at position B. +
-  * Errors tend to occur at the same place in each repeat of the pattern across the bed (it has only been tested over 3 or 4 repeats of the pattern across the bed though). +
-  * It looks like sometimes a pin to the left of a correctly selected pin comes along for the ride, but this could just be a co-incidence. +
  
-==== What maybe needs looked at next... ==== +Needle selection errors occur when using either punched card or selection buttonsWhen moving pins by hand on the bed, errors do not occur (i.e. it's not the carriage at fault)The solenoids engage correctly so it's not likely to be them either. The mis-selection seems to be caused by the 12 plates that run along the back of the needle bed (that push pins forward via raised tab) - these stick together when they lift up and therefore push pins forward when they are not supposed to. The machine has been disassembled, cleaned and lubricated but the problem remains.
- +
-Look inside the machine as the pattern errors are happening to see what might be causing them e.glook to see that solenoids are correctly selected, and if so, see which tabs on the 12 plates that run along the back are pushing pins forward? There (still) might be tiny amount of misalignment that is causing tabs to lift up and push pins forward when they shouldn't.+
  
 ==== Future hacking ==== ==== Future hacking ====
  
-It would be nice to be rid of the 12 stitch repeat constraint and instead have every needle individually controllable. This would require hacking, perhaps (servos, cams?). Ideas are welcome. It is possible to buy electronic knitting machines that bypass this constraint and are known to be hackable, but these are 100s of £££ (although if people fancied a pledge...). +It would be nice to be rid of the 12 stitch repeat constraint, and the fault needle selection mechanism, and instead have every needle individually controllable. This would require hacking, perhaps (servos, cams?). It is possible to buy electronic knitting machines that bypass this constraint and are known to be hackable, but these are 100s of £££.
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singer_knit_machine.txt · Last modified: 2020-04-10 15:27 by cicelyp

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