mkc

Keep us posted! Machine problems are always frustrating, but when you get it solved and post about it, you'll help any number of folks who have the same issue in the future.

Wish I had the same machine so I could offer more help/look to see what might be happening - I'm an engineer and I love solving problems since it helps me learn more about each machine.

Michelle

OhCanada

I've broken more than a few needles doing this as well - but I do love my straight stitch plate.

GrandmaNewt

Sorry to hear that you have had this problem Patricia I was ready to order my DX7 right around the time I read your post. I did search the internet and all of the reviews (very few) that I could find and did not find anyone else having this problem, so I went ahead and ordered my machine. I have had it for about a week now. The first thing I did when the machine arrived was test the straight stich slide plate. Mine is working perfectly and I have used it often in the past week. I am loving my new DX7 and hope you get your problem resloved so you can use yours soon!

Patricia Drew

Sorry to say that this problem is still not resolved. Juki Home in Florida have given me a great big "runaround" ! I took the machine in to the local Juki vendor. They are mainly specialists in industrial machines, but they said they would have a look. They called back the next day to say that the small spring under the throat plate is missing. This seemed weird to me as I had checked that spring before taking the machine in, and it was very much in place. Anyway, apparently there is no such spring available in North America, and they had to order it from Japan. Still waiting.

Geri B

Spring from Japan! Really, one would think that would be a piece that would be in their little bag of tricks......and suspicious that it's not there, when you saw it there before.......very sorry for your frustration...I personally would be furious!

Patricia Drew

Well, I'm not happy, that's for sure. Considering asking for my money back. Don't think that would work though, as I purchased the machine in March.

mkc

There is a tiny spring on the back of the Janome 7700 APC plate and I believe that is the weak link in that machine as well. If you have your machine back you might take your plate to a Janome dealer and see if it's the same mechanism. If so, the Janome plate will run you about $45 IIRC (to cannabalize for that spring; I don't think it's a direct replacement plate) and you'll be back in business faster.

Michelle

Patricia Drew

Thanks for the suggestion, Michelle. It might come to that ... I must say though that I don't know if I would feel comfortable playing around on the back of the throat plate. Such tiny parts ...

I too remember seeing something about the spring on that particular Janome model being fragile.

I'll be following up with the local vendor this morning. He still has my machine. Will keep you posted.

Thanks for your interest.

singerbabe

Patricia, I just bought my Juki QVP2000 six weeks ago, and during a quilting retreat the sensor apparently wouldn't let me go back to the wider hole on the plate, so I only had the five stitches that the motherboard will allow with the sensor on. I searched and found that you had the same problem too. Did you get it resolved, hopefully easily? I tried unplugging the machine hoping that the program would reset. I did see that little black spring on the back of the plate, and I haven't been switching it back and forth much since I do mostly piecing on the machine. Thanks for any help you can give me!

Patricia Drew

Hi Singerbabe, Yes the problem was finally resolved. The spring assembly ordered from Japan finally arrived one day before the vendor closed for a two-week summer vacation! I got the machine back the second week in August.

That little spring is quite fragile. When you remove the throat plate to clean the bobbin area, you have to be very careful and check that the little lever is in the "regular hole" (large hole) position. I think that was probably the source of my problem. If the lever is in the straight-stitch position when you remove the plate, it can damage the spring, which in turn (I think) controls the sensor.

The vendor put a small dot of paint on the lever and also on the throat plate to help remind me to align the paint dots before removing the throat plate!

If your vendor/dealer is close by, they can probably check whether this is your problem, and order the part for you. I hope you have a vendor close by. Mine is about an hour away, in downtown Montreal, and I didn't want to take the machine in unless I had to. Finally my son took it in on his way to work.

I had also contacted Juki Home directly via the Product Support function on their website. However, I got awful "customer service" from them. After about six weeks, I got an email full of apologies from a Manager. Apparently they are having problems keeping up with their Domestic machine market, and service is lagging behind. They are supposedly working on it.

Do let me know how you get on with your problem. If it is the little spring, hopefully it will be available in the U.S. and they won't have to order from Japan!

On the bright side, I love the machine. I use it a lot for decorative stitches on crazy quilt blocks, for piecing of course, and also quilting on smaller projects. I love that I can adjust the height of the quilting foot! Also love the stitch in the ditch foot.

Hope to hear from you soon.