Help needed for GoldCut jk1351 windows 10 64bit drivers and software

[KeyzerSoze]

Hi guys, I'll be straight and honest i found this forum while looking for some drivers that would work with a plotter I've just inherited (GoldCut jk1351 - not sure how old but its bloody big) and im finding it hard to get it recognized on windows 10 64bit (this is where i think the problem may lie) laptop up to inkscape or gimp if possible? Its not for anything major just to run some stencils off that I want to do for a school project for my sons class and if I get any good probably some for my sons walls and wardrobes to paint

I have no experience with plotters but looking at it there doesn't seem to be a lot of things to tweak on it but I said something similar about an ikea cabinet I was building last week and now its a spice rack!! Im using gimp to prep images and was looking at using inkscape to create the vector image for cutting and been helped with a link to SCAL for putting that through the plotter so should be OK from there once I get it installed on windows 10.

So that's about it really but small acorns and all that you never know this could be a new hobby that me and my little lad can get into and god knows what we could churn out!

I found this link (http://www.uscuttersupport.com/download ... -Setup.pdf) to get the drivers/how to guide etc but when I try to load them up it just flicks back in between load driver for GoldCut JK series and cant get any further? Not sure if anyone else is using this model type with windows 10 64bit if you are then if you could point me to new drivers it would be much appreciated

So if anyone has any guidance as to drivers/free software to help me get an image from gimp to inkscape (ive not used that yet either but saw a video that said you can do vector files?) I would be really greatful for your help?

Thanks for reading this and hope someone can help me out before the plotter becomes a clothes rack, umbrella stand or bird feeder!

Cheers guys
Keyzer

[KeyzerSoze]

By the way the plotter did do the test cut OK so it seems to be in opertation.

[KeyzerSoze]

Oh and.....

Thanks to Justin, James990 and Webtrekker for taking the time in replying to me on my first post! Cheers guys!

[webtrekker]

... So if anyone has any guidance as to drivers/free software to help me get an image from gimp to inkscape (ive not used that yet either but saw a video that said you can do vector files?) I would be really greatful for your help?

Inkscape has a built-in Tracing routine to help convert bitmap images to vectors. It can be a bit tricky to use though. I prefer to convert my artwork black on white in Photoshop (or Gimp, or any decent image editor) then use VectorMagic to do the conversion to SVG, suitable for loading into SCAL.

https://vectormagic.com/

Sorry, can't help much with your driver problems. :frown:

[KeyzerSoze]

Inkscape has a built-in Tracing routine to help convert bitmap images to vectors. It can be a bit tricky to use though. I prefer to convert my artwork black on white in Photoshop (or Gimp, or any decent image editor) then use VectorMagic to do the conversion to SVG, suitable for loading into SCAL.

https://vectormagic.com/

Sorry, can't help much with your driver problems. :frown:

Excellent!! I'm going to be trying what is suggested and see how I get on! Nice one

You've been a great help without driver info so propa respect Ill get that sorted so I'm not worried I'm getting my hands on a spare win7 laptop to borrow see if that works with the drivers as stated and if so ill probably see of someone has an old laptop that I can wipe and just use basic win 7 setup nothing else and all could be good

Thanks again really appreciate the help!!

Keys

[KeyzerSoze]

Sorted the driver out i had totally forgotten about this check until i found this! It was all about trying to install none digitally signed inf files in windows 10 (also 8) so you lucky people here is the answer! You can revert back once drivers (inf) files and plotter is installed!! Right that's me off and gonna lok aat messing around with this Goliath this weekend now i have it on my windows 10 laptop!

Thanks for reading hope this might help others too
Keys

https://www.howtogeek.com/167723/how-to ... d-drivers/

[RichGosling]

Just in case anyone else is having problems setting up a GoldCut on Windows 10 I thought I'd post my experience here.

I had a second hand JK721 happily running on Windows 7 for a couple of years until recently when the hard drive failed.

So I bought a Dell PC with Windows 10 and that's when I realised I didn't have the CD with the drivers or the cutting software.

So I did a bit of looking around to see if I could run the cutter through Inkscape - the last time I looked when I first set it up on Windows 7 you couldn't.

Now on the latest version of InkScape you can drive the cutter directly from there without thee need for any additional software.

All you have to do is install PySerial so that InkScape can talk to the USB ports.

In a command prompt with admin privileges just type "pip install pyserial" to use the Python installer to grab the necessary files and install them.

I also found that I did not need the original driver for the cutter either as Windows 10 supported it without installing any.

When the cutter was plugged in it showed up in device manager under Ports (Com & LPT) as USB SERIAL CH340 (COM5).

All I had to do then was go into InkScape and go to the Extensions menu >> Export >> Plot... and use these values in the Settings Menu;

Serial port: COM5
Serial baud rate: 9600
Serial byte size: 8 bits
Serial stop bit: 1 bit
Serial Parity: None
Serial flow control: Software (XON/XOFF)
Command language: HPGL

I left everything else as default.

Now all I have to do is prepare my design in InkScape, bring up the Plot... dialogue and click the Apply button and the design is sent to the cutter. No additional software required!

Hope this helps someone.

[KeyzerSoze]

Hi Rich, nice one thanks for the input! That's good to hear that the new version of InkScape can go straight to plotter and that you have tested it and all good! I only got round to having another go at setting my 1351 up again this weekend as been too busy but I had a bit of success getting it going using a 7 day signcut licence and illustrator (it was on my replacement laptop ) and all looked good but couldn't get the settings for the output right and signcut seems to want to cut larger than the image and the setting i set the media too so I left it after a few hours then picked it back up yesterday and for some strange reason signcut is doing the same but now the plotter doesn't even touch the card im testing it on so I runs the cut but the cutter doesn't get near the card?

I checked the blade holder and blade and all moves freely and in correct position but seems like its 1/2 inch away from the cutting surface? Very strange indeed!! I thought I was getting close and just needed to work out why the image from illustrator to signcut to plotter takes on a different size and then that happened

Thanks for the update as that gives me another way to test without time limitations on a licence so nice one