Translating the manual

[Robin Hewitt]

There's another idea out the window, I don't have the aux socket, it's blanked off. Everything seems to work fine, except it doesn't.

To understand it I took the guards right off and found 2 more gadgets to stop me cycling it with the guards open. A switch and an interlock that physically blocks the platen if all else fails. This machine is seriously paranoid.

It all comes down to one box of tricks with a 12 wire connection that covers most everything and I will need help to buzz it out, I haven't got enough hands.

With the guards off I went around all the bits and pieces figuring out what they do. It's much easier to fix something if you know how it works and the manual is not friendly. Now I understand it everything looks bleedin' obvious.

I was surprised to find the fixed platten isn't fixed at all, which explained why it has pipes connecting to it, it's got grease lines. If it moves before it should, the machine assumes something didn't eject properly and it would be a bad idea to insist.

Next. disassemble the box of tricks, buzz it out to the controller, make sure the guard switches are connected. It has 8 switches going to 12 wires, how hard can it be?