SM and Computer Woes

That's why I have 5 sewing machines! I couldn't stand to be without one that worked.

Betty in WI

What kind of sewing machine is this? Do you mean plugging the peddle into the wall or into the machine? I only ask because I had the same problem with my trusty Viking 6440 work horse........Turned out it was a $26.00 quick fix.

Val

Perhaps this is your chance to work on another hobby for awhile, get some of those UFO tops tied and bound, or try your hand at another block making method. Hand sewing is very soothing. Debra in VA See my quilts at

This is probably too strange to mention, but just for the heck of it, see if your SM likes to be plugged into a different circuit in a different outlet. It just could hopefully be that your outlet and/or circuit have gone goofy instead of the SM. It could happen... and sometimes simply turning the plug over will make a happy connection. We've lived in places where the plumbers and electricians must have traded duties just to add a little variety to their day. Polly

Isn't that how it is...when it rains, it pours! Sorry to hear about the machine problems and hope you are up and 'running' again soon.

-Irene

Awwww, so sorry Charolotte! I feel your pain, I too have dealt with crappy computers and sewing machine problems. Thank goodness for my FW and 301 and the old workhorse Kenmore! They may not do any fancy stitches, but by golly they work well and I can usually fix problems myself. As for my computer, I will work with the darned thing until I can't take it any longer--and I will not buy another Dell until their customer service moves back to the USA for American customers. It may be time to buy a Mac.

rofl, Polly, imagine my brain trying to figure out how you can 'turn' the plug over and still get it in the outlet. it has been 30+yrs since i lived in the usa afterall.

here our plugs are either 3 points, positive, negative and earth or two points but they are set on the angle so you can only get them plugged in one way. thanks for the chuckle, jeanne

I wish. Don't have the room or the money right now. Perhaps some day.

It is a Bernina. The machine itself plugs into the wall, and the foot petal plugs into the machine. If I turn it on with the footpetal already pluged in, it won't work. If I remove it and reinsert it or wait until it is turned on to plug in the petal the machine imediately starts going and doesn't stop!! I'm kind of hoping it is the foot petal gone bad so I can get the one that has the tap to reverse the needle position. Mine doesn't have it, but my machine will work with one that does (test drove one at at retreat). If the petal is bad it gives me an excuse to upgrade.

Thanks Debra. This is what I am doing. I have a cross stitch project that needs completeing that I can spend more time with now. And perhaps it will force me to get those tops tied which I'm not looking forward to. Would be nice to have them done though.

Hadn't thought of that. This is an old house with some strange things done to it. Perhaps the wiring is having a bad day?? One could hope right??? I'll have to try that tomorrow just to make sure it is the machine.

The computer in question is a gateway. I (and DH) swore we'd never own one, but here we are. We are also thinking the next one may just be a Mac instead of another PC.

Most things here in the US have changed to having one prong smaller than the other. I don't know if all new outlets have switched to this too or if you can still buy the ones that have both the same or not. My home is old however and a couple of the outlets are even still the orginal outlet. We are planning to have them changed just as soon as we can afford the electrician. Anyways, if you have an older outlet you can put the plug in anyway you want as long as it is not 3 pronged.

Okay, Charlotte, I wasn't going to make any comments, but you've forced me to it. Go for it! Get a Mac! I'm a long-time Mac user, and I couldn't be happier. The new Macs can run XP and Windows apps at native speed, so you wouldn't even have to replace all of your software right away. If you're doubtful, just check out the forums at the Apple site; they're full of people who are switching or considering the switch.

Charlotte, I'm sorry to hear about your various machines. I know it's frustrating to be without the things we depend upon.

the foot pedal on my machine was acting odd and i took it apart to see what i could see. omg, the amount of dust in there was amazing. who'da'thunk. it was too dusty for the metals to connect and would run on sometimes and other times not do a darn thing at all. once i cleaned the dust out and cleaned the metal she has worked great since. no doubt one day i'll have to do it again but til then i'm happy. jeanne

Fingers crossed that your kitchen and laundry appliances don't find out and join the general strike! (And futuristic thinkers are telling us how great it will be when all the machines in the house can talk to each other!) Roberta in D

"Charlotte Hippen" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:eri863$u3f$ snipped-for-privacy@news.netins.net...

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:38:04 -0600, Charlotte Hippen wrote (in article ):

My Macs usually don't give me any trouble. And best of all Apple's tech support is great. They'll stay on the phone with you until the problem is fixed.

Maureen

Unfortunately it is going to have to wait for awhile. This machine is only about 6 mo. old. I don't see this machine making it as long as my previous machines though. Which is sad, this is the first time we've gotten something more that the lower price range and I'd give anything to have my cheapo no name back even if it is slower and can't run all the software.