Ricoma RCM-1201PT: HELP

I have a Ricoma RCM-1201PT and am having a very hard time producing a quality product. I am currently in the process of talking with the manufacturer and the software designer about the problems but would love for any input with anyone with similar problems. The tension has been one of my biggest issues. I been getting help from those i work with and we would love for any advice. Also the actual software is causing me problems as it is not doing what I would expect it to be able to do. I am basically looking for all the written or video information I can get on the machine and any tips anyone has to offer.

shellyky's picture

i'm not familiar with that brand specifically but what tension problems are you having? loopy top thread or? have you ran "h" tests on all of the colors to figure out if the bobbin or the top thread is your tension problem? is it on all threads or just some, etc... do you have a tension gauge? sometimes you can use that to get the reading on a "good" sewing color and make the rest match that one to get to a starting point for dialing it in. i also dont know if your machine uses hat and flat needle plates, but if you're using a hat plate on a flat piece, youre going to get loopy looking results when in reality your tension is fine you just need to switch plates.

shellyky wrote:
I also dont know if your machine uses hat and flat needle plates, but if you're using a hat plate on a flat piece, youre going to get loopy looking results when in reality your tension is fine you just need to switch plates.

This one gets A LOT of people, especially on older machines. Tajima had a run in with this issue back in the early 2000's (wow, weird to say that) with their early model "universal needle plates"

Is there any way you could post a few pic's of what you mean? It would definitely help us help you :)