Gerber P2C 600 User manual

Gerber P2C™ 600
User’s Manual
IMPORTANT
Before you begin
Please complete the attached Warranty Registration Card and
return it to Gerber today, or go through the online registration at
http://www.gspinc.com/products/registration/index.html
Failure to register may result in delayed responses to your warranty
and service inquiries

FCC NOTICE
Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when
the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user
will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
RS-232 shielded cables must be used with this unit to ensure compliance with
the Class FCC limits.
This Class digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Notice
NOTICE
Gerber Scientific Products reserves the right to modify the information
contained in this User Manual at any time without prior notice. Unauthorized
copying, modification, distribution or display is prohibited. ll rights reserved. ll
queries, comments or suggestions concerning this and other Gerber manuals
should be directed to:
Gerber Scientific Products
83 Gerber Road
South Windsor, CT 06074 US
860-643-1515
Customer Service: [phone]
Technical Support: 800-828-5406 / 860-644-6971
Fax [phone]
www.gspinc.com
 Copyright 2005, Gerber Scientific International, Inc.

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Table of contents
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
GERBER EDGE, EDGE and Gerber Scientific Products are registered trademarks
and Gerber P2C, GerberGlow, Gerber ImageCast, Gerber HoloGraphix,
Gerber utoMag, GerberMag, LexEdge, EDGE Positive, Gerber ImageCal,
Gerber PermaGrip, Gerber PlastiGraphix, Gerber QU NTUM, Gerber Vision, and
FastFacts are trademarks of Gerber Scientific Products Corporation.
3M, Scotchcal, Scotchlite, Controltac, Comply and Panaflex are trademarks of
the 3M Corporation.
DM/PL and Houston Instrument are trademarks of Summagraphics Corporation.
HP-GL is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company.
IBM PC, IBM PC/XT, and IBM T are trademarks of International Business
Machines Corp.
Macintosh, Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, and Macintosh II are trademarks of
pple Computer.

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Table of contents TOC-i
TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................. P GE
SECTION 1 1-1
1 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1.1. PRODUCT FE TURES .....................................................................................1-1
1.1.2. GERBER P2C 600 USER’ S M NU L .............................................................1-3
1 2 SPECIFICATIONS 1-4
1.2.1. CUTTER ..........................................................................................................1-4
1.2.2. MEDI ...........................................................................................................1-4
1.2.3. KNIFE, PEN, ND POUNCING TOOL ............................................................1-5
1.2.4. INTERF CE ....................................................................................................1-6
1.2.5. FIRMW RE ....................................................................................................1-6
1.2.6. PERFORM NCE ............................................................................................1-6
1.2.7. CERTIFIC TIONS............................................................................................1-7
1.2.8. ENVIRONMENT L .........................................................................................1-7
1.2.9. ELECTRIC L...................................................................................................1-7
1 3 CUTTER ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES 1-8
1 4 POSITIONING THE 600 CUTTER ON A TABLE 1-9
1 5 CUTTER COMPONENTS 1-10
1.5.1 RE R P NEL CONTROLS ............................................................................1-10
1 5 2 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS 1-12
1 6 POWERING UP THE CUTTER 1-14
1.6.1. E RTHING (“GROUNDING”) ......................................................................1-14
1.6.2. POWER-UP PROCEDURE ............................................................................1-15
1 7 LOADING MEDIA 1-16
1.7.1. POSITIONING THE PINCH ROLLERS ............................................................1-16
1.7.2. FEEDING ND POSITIONING MEDI .........................................................1-17
1 8 INSTALLATION OF A KNIFE, PEN OR POUNCING TOOL 1-21
1.8.1. KNIFE INST LL TION ...................................................................................1-21
1.8.2. PEN INST LL TION......................................................................................1-25
1.8.3. INST LL TION OF POUNCING TOOL......................................................1-26
SECTION 2 2-1
2 1 THE CONTROL PANEL 2-1
2.1.1. THE LIQUID CRYST L DISPL Y ......................................................................2-1
2.1.2 THE MENU KEY ..............................................................................................2-2
2.1.3 THE EXIT KEY ................................................................................................2-3
2.1.4 THE V KEY ....................................................................................................2-3

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Table of contents TOC-ii
2.1.5 THE TEST KEY ..................................................................................................2-3
2.1.6 THE JOGGING KEYS...........................................................................................2-3
2 2 COMMON MENU ITEMS 2-4
2.2.1 VELOCITY ......................................................................................................2-4
2.2.2 PEN PRESSURE...............................................................................................2-4
2.2.3 KNIFE PRESSURE ............................................................................................2-4
2.2.4 KNIFE OFFSET.................................................................................................2-5
2.2.5 POUNCING PRESSURE..................................................................................2-5
2.2.6 POUNCING G P ..........................................................................................2-5
2.2.7 USER CONFIGUR TION (“USER CONFIG”)..................................................2-6
2.2.8 RESET .............................................................................................................2-7
2.2.9 RECUT............................................................................................................2-7
2.2.10 LO D ............................................................................................................2-7
2.2.11 LIGN LO D.................................................................................................2-7
2.2.12 SYSTEM SETUP................................................................................................2-7
2 3 SYSTEM SETUP 2-8
2.3.1. CONFIDENCE ...............................................................................................2-9
2.3.2. DIN CUT.........................................................................................................2-9
2.3.3. TOOL .............................................................................................................2-9
2.3.4. FLEX-CUT .......................................................................................................2-9
2.3.5. OVERCUT ....................................................................................................2-10
2.3.6. OPTICUT ......................................................................................................2-11
2.3.7 EMUL TE .....................................................................................................2-11
2.3.8. B UD R TE ..................................................................................................2-12
2.3.9. P RITY .........................................................................................................2-12
2.3.10. RTS/DTR .......................................................................................................2-13
2.3.11. RS 232 TEST..................................................................................................2-13
2.3.12. LIGN MODE..............................................................................................2-13
2.3.13. UTOLO D .................................................................................................2-14
2.3.14. L NGU GE.................................................................................................2-14
2.3.15. MENU UNITS ................................................................................................2-14
2.3.16. ROM REVISION...........................................................................................2-14
2.3.17. MEDI SENSOR...........................................................................................2-15
2.3.18. SENSOR SETUP.............................................................................................2-15
2.3.19. C LIBR TE X/Y............................................................................................2-15
2.3.20. COIL SETUP..................................................................................................2-16
SECTION 3 3-1
3 1 MAINTENANCE & CLEANING 3-1
3.1.1. CLE NING THE DRIVE SYSTEM .....................................................................3-1
3.1.2. CLE NING THE SENSOR ...............................................................................3-2
3 2 OPERATING VOLTAGE 3-1
SECTION 4 4-1

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Table of contents TOC-iii
4 1 INTRODUCTION 4-1
4 2 RS232 INTERFACE NOTES 4-1
4.2.1. SYSTEM SETUP................................................................................................4-1
4.2.2. SERI L INTERF CE CONNECTOR ON THE CUTTER.......................................4-2
4.2.3. V IL BLE SERI L SIGN LS .........................................................................4-2
4 3 USB INTERFACE NOTES 4-3
4.3.1 USB SPECIFIC TIONS ....................................................................................4-3
4.3.2 INST LLING THE USB SOFTW RE ON WINDOWS OPER TING SYSTEM ....4-3
MEDIA CERTIFICATION A-1
GERBER SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTS A-3

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
Table of contents TOC-iv
APPENDIX A:
MEDIA CERTIFICATION................................................................................. -1
ADDRESSES ................................................................................................... -3
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS P GE
1-1 CORRECTLY POSITIONING THE CUTTER ON FL T SURF CE…......……….1-9
1-2 GERBER P2C 600 CUTTER, RE R VIEW........................................................1-10
1-3 GERBER P2C 600 CUTTER, FRONT VIEW......................................................1-12
1-4 GROUND CONNECTION.............................................................................1-15
1-5 MEDI POSITIONING...................................................................................1-17
1-6 FEEDING ROLL MEDI WITH USING FL NGES ........................................... 1-18
1-7 FEEDING ROLL MEDI WITHOUT USING FL NGES .................................... 1-19
1-8 PINCH ROLLER POSITIONING......................................................................1-19
1-9 BL DE INSERTION ........................................................................................1-21
1-10 BL DE LENGTH DJUSTMENT......................................................................1-22
1-11 SETTING KNIFE DEPTH...................................................................................1-22
1-12 KNIFE DEPTH TEST P TTERN ..........................................................................1-23
2-1 GERBER P2C 600, CONTROL P NEL.............................................................2-1
2-2 GERBER P2C 600, M IN MENU.....................................................................2-2
2-3 GERBER P2C 600, SYSTEM SETUP ..................................................................2-8
3-1 CLE NING OF THE FRICTION DRIVE SYSTEM................................................3-2
3-2 POWER ENTRY MODULE................................................................................3-3
LIST OF TABLES P GE
1-1 GERBER P2C 600 CUTTER SPECIFIC TIONS..................................................1-4
1-2 GERBER P2C MEDI SPECIFIC TIONS..........................................................1-4
1-3 GERBER P2C 600 KNIVES, PENS ND POUNCING TOOLS...........................1-5
1-4 GERBER P2C 600 INTERF CE SPECIFIC TIONS............................................1-6
1-5 GERBER P2C 600 FIRMW RE ........................................................................1-6
1-6 GERBER P2C 600 PERFORM NCES..............................................................1-6
1-7 GERBER P2C 600 ENVIRONMENT L SPECIFIC TIONS.................................1-7
1-8 GERBER P2C 600 ELECTRIC L SPECIFIC TIONS ..........................................1-7
1-9 GERBER P2C 600 CCESSORIES ND CONSUM BLES ...............................1-8

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-1
SECTION 1
GENERAL INFORMATION
1 1 INTRODUCTION
Gerber P2C™ 600 cutters have been designed to reproduce computer-
generated graphic images on sheets or rolls of vinyl media. By replacing the
knife with a fiber tip pen, the cutter can also be used to render previews of new
designs on inexpensive paper.
This manual covers the Gerber P2C 600, which can accommodate media
widths from 70mm up to 770mm (2.7" to 30.5").
1 1 1 PRODUCT FEATURES
The following are some of the main features of the Gerber P2C 600 cutters:
• The ability to accommodate various media widths
• n interchangeable pen for producing preview plots of designs on paper
• n interchangeable pouncing tool
• djustable knife pressure and offset settings that are microprocessor-
controlled
• Communication with the host computer via Universal Serial Bus (USB) or
standard serial RS-232-C
• Plug-and-play compatibility for Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT
• n 8-key control panel
• convenient 16-character liquid crystal display (LCD)
• Metric or English units of measurement
• Microprocessor-controlled menu mode that allows for the selection of a
standard start-up configuration

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-2
• wide variety of axial cutting speeds (in metric or English units)
• Up to four separate user configurations that are stored in the non-volatile
memory
• utomatic pull from media roll
• sensor that detects the end of the media
• The ability for the user to reposition the origin
• Concatenation and curve smoothing that result in better cuts
• slitter knife for cutting the finished graphic off the media roll
• Knife depth and offset tests
• n adjustable overcut for easy weeding
• User-selected DM/PL, HP-GL, and HP-GL/2 software protocols
• The ability to recut a graphic multiple times
• n optional stand

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-3
1 1 2 GERBER P2C 600 USER’ S MANUAL
The Gerber P2C 600 User’s Manual contains the following information:
• Complete technical specifications for the Gerber P2C 600 cutters and
compatible media
• complete description of the Gerber P2C 600's main components
•Step-by-step instructions for knife and pen installation and the loading of
media
• Information about control panel operation and how to use it to set the
cutter’s parameters
• Information about the interface cables used to connect the cutter to IBM,
IBM-compatible, Macintosh, and Macintosh-compatible host computers
• Maintenance and cleaning instructions

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-4
1 2 SPECIFICATIONS
1 2 1 CUTTER
P2C 600
MM INCH
HEIGHT 300 11 8
WIDTH 1000 39 4
DEPTH 350 13 8
WEIGHT 15 KG 33 LBS
T BLE 1-1:
Gerber P2C 600 SPECIFIC TIONS
1 2 2 MEDIA
Gerber P2C 600
mm inch
Width Roll 70 to 660 2.8 to 26
Sheet 70 to 770 2.8 to 30.3
Tracking
performance
8m/26 feet max. within
guaranteed specifications*
-8 m/26 feet max. within
guaranteed specifications* for
media less than 750mm (30" wide).
-4m/13 feet max. within
guaranteed specifications** for
media larger than 750 mm (30").
Thickness 0.05 to 0.25
0.8mm with optional
sandblast knife
0.002 to 0.01 0.03 inch with optional
sandblast knife
Max.Cutting/
Plotting area
600mm x 50m. 23.6” x 164 ft.
Minimum
Margins** 25 1
Front margin 18 0.7
Rear margin Sensor on 42 1.7
Sensor off 25 1
* Media lengths larger than 8m (26 feet) can be accommodated, but adherence to
specifications is not guaranteed. Rather, performance will depend on the type and size of the
media used in addition to other parameters not mentioned here.
** For positioning of the pinch rollers (see section 1.7)
T BLE 1-2:
GERBER P2C MEDI SPECIFIC TIONS

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-5
Vinyl Types
Different types of vinyl have been evaluated and tested on Gerber P2C 600
cutters. When using duly certified media, operation in accordance with the
functional specifications of the model is warranted. Contact Gerber before
using uncertified media to ensure performance in compliance with
specifications.
See ppendix for a complete list of duly certified media suitable for friction
drive operation.
Plotting Paper
Bond paper (120g/m² recommended)
1 2 3 KNIFE, PEN, AND POUNCING TOOL
Gerber P2C 600 cutters are shipped with two standard knife blades for vinyl
media and a black fiber tip pen.
Knife Medium Quantity
Standard knife Standard, reflective,
& fluorescent vinyl
types
2 included
Knife for masking stencil Masking stencil &
thick material
Optional
Pen Color Quantity
Fiber tip pen Black 1 included
Pouncing tool Paper Optional
T BLE 1-3:
GERBER P2C KNIVES, PENS, ND POUNCING TOOLS
To order replacement knives, pens, and/or pouncing tools, contact your local
dealer.
The Gerber P2C 600 cutters are only warranted to perform in accordance with
specifications if a genuine Gerber knife, pen or pouncing tool is installed. Do
not replace any of these tools with products from other manufacturers.

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-6
1 2 4 INTERFACE
Communication Standard asynchronous RS-232-C and
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Serial : I/O Port connector DB-9P
Mating connector DB-9S
Byte format 8 data bits, 2 stop bits, no parity
Baud rate 38400, 19200, 9600, 4800, 2400 bps
USB : I/O Port connector USB series “B” receptacle
Mating connector USB series “B” plug
T BLE 1-4:
GERBER P2C 600 INTERF CE SPECIFIC TIONS
1 2 5 FIRMWARE
Language DM/PL, HP-GL (758x emulation), HP-GL/2
Supported character sets Standard SCII
Supported fonts Sans serif (single stroke & medium)
ROM-based plots Confidence plot, DIN plot
T BLE 1-5:
GERBER P2C 600 FIRMW RE
1 2 6 PERFORMANCE
Cutting specifications for 0.05mm (0.002") wax-backed vinyl where the total
media thickness does not exceed 0.25mm (0.010")
Axial speed 50 to 800 mm/s 2 to 32 ips
Default speed 700 mm/s 28 ips
Acceleration Up to 2 G
Addressable resolution 0.025 mm, 0.1 mm 0.001", 0.005"
Default resolution 0.025 mm 0.001"
Mechanical resolution 0.0127 mm 0.0005"
Accuracy 0.2% of move or 0.25 mm,
whichever is greater*
0.2% of move or 0.010",
whichever is greater*
Knife pressure 0 to 400 gr.
Pen pressure 0 to 400 gr.
Pouncing pressure 0 to 250 gr.
*Excludes differences due to media expansion, stretching, etc.
T BLE 1- 6:
GERBER P2C 600 PERFORM NCE

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-7
1 2 7 CERTIFICATIONS
CE-Certification for electrical light industrial environment
FCC Class
Comply with UL1950, CS 950
1 2 8 ENVIRONMENTAL
(Cutter without media)
Operating Temperature 15 to 35° C 59 to 95° F
Storage temperature -30 to 70° C -22 to 158° F
Relative humidity 35 - 85%, non-condensing 35 - 85%, non-condensing
T BLE 1-7:
GERBER P2C 600 ENVIRONMENT L SPECIFIC TIONS
IMPORTANT HINT
The use of dimensionally stable media is essential for obtaining high cut
quality Additionally, media expansion or contraction may occur as a
result of temperature variations
To improve the dimensional stability of media, allow it to acclimate to the
environment in which it will be used for at least 24 hours prior to use
1 2 9 ELECTRICAL
The power entry module detects the line voltage and alternates automatically
between 110V and 230V.
Main Supply: 48-62 Hz, single phase.
Nominal line Min /Max line Fuse
110 V C 88 - 132 V C 2.0 , Slo-Blo
230 V C 176 - 264 V C 2.0 , Slo-Blo
T BLE 1-8:
GERBER P2C 600 ELECTRIC L SPECIFIC TIONS

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-8
1 3 CUTTER ACCESSORIES AND CONSUMABLES
The following accessories and consumables are available for your Gerber P2C
600 cutter:
CD-ROM (manuels + drivers)
Power Supply Cables
Serial Interface Kit
Contents:
- 9 pin to 9 pin cable
- 9 pin to 8 pin DIN conv.
Standard knife
Standard knife holder
Sandblast knife
Sandblast knife holder
Fiber tip pen black
Razor blade & holder
Pouncing tool
T BLE 1-9:
GERBER P2C 600 CCESSORIES ND CONSUM BLES

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-9
1 4 POSITIONING THE 600 CUTTER ON A TABLE
The cutter is equipped with a front media deflection flap. Do not damage this
flap when placing the cutter on a surface. Figure 1-1 illustrates how the cutter
should be positioned on a flat surface with its flap (1) hanging freely over the
edge.
FIG 1-1
CORRECTLY POSITIONING THE CUTTER ON FL T SURF CE

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-10
1 5 CUTTER COMPONENTS
In order to get better acquainted with your Gerber P2C 600 cutter, examine
the following illustrations and read the accompanying descriptions of its
components.
1 5 1 REAR PANEL CONTROLS
Figure 1-2 shows the location of the main components.
FIGURE 1-2:
GERBER P2C 600, RE R VIEW

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-11
1. USB interface: - This interface is based on the standards specified in
Universal Serial Bus Specifications Revision 1.1. USB connectivity can be
used to establish high-speed bi-directional communication serially
between the host computer and the cutter. Use either the USB cable or
the 9-pin serial cable, but not both simultaneously.
2. RS-232-C Port: - This DB-9P connector uses a 9-pin serial cable to establish
bi-directional communication between the cutter and a host computer.
Use either the 9-pin serial cable or the USB cable, but not both
simultaneously.
3. Power ON OFF switch: - This rocker switch sets the cutter’s power to ON or
OFF. To switch the power ON, press the “I” side of the rocker switch. To
switch the power OFF, press the “O” side of the rocker switch.
4. Power Entry Module: - The fuse box and the C power cord receptacle
are located in the power entry module.
The power-up procedure is explained in detail in Section 1.6.
5. Fuse box: - For information about changing the fuse, see Section 4.2.
6. Roll Media Guides: - The two guides keep the media roll in place as the
cutter pulls media from the roll.
7. Media Flanges: - The media flanges ensure proper routing of the media as
it is pulled from the roll.
8. Media Support Roller: - The rotating rollers support the media roll.
9. Alignment Strip: - The rear alignment strip facilitates proper media loading
and should be used in conjunction with the front alignment strip.

Gerber P2C™ 600 User’s Manual
General Information 1-12
1 5 2 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
Figure 1-3 shows the location of the main components.
FIGURE 1-3:
GERBER P2C 600, FRONT VIEW
1. Pinch roller lever: - This lever is used to raise and lower the pinch rollers
during media loading (media loading is discussed in Section 1.7).
2. Media Drive Sleeves: - The media drive sleeves move the media only
when the pinch rollers are in the “down” position.
3. Tool Carriage: - The tool carriage holds the pen, the pouncing tool or the
knife holder.
4. Control Panel: - The control panel consists of 8 keys and can be used to
initiate all cutter activity. Each control panel function is explained in
Section 2.1.
5. Display: - The 16-character display informs the user of the cutter’s current
status as well as any actions that need to be taken.