Originally Posted by jtapp9
The 503 will probably run fine for me but have to get manuals for them in order to know where to set things for the cams
Unless you are into beauty pictures, you won't miss that top door at all (gets in the way of business... LOL) Trade the motor & winder from the 500 to the 503 and have a good machine. (You can find that info in the service manual)
To work the cams - set the lever on the right all the way on the left. Set the lever on the left in the middle. Drop the cam in. Don't try to put one in or out unless it is set that way. When you work the cam you can set that right lever on any of the widths. Then your stitch length can be any length you like.
Troubles I have seen: If the stitch length is too long it looks like a really odd straight stitch instead of a decorative stitch. So simple. A friend uses a 403 (works the same) One day she emailed and said hers wouldn't sew a straight stitch down the middle. So we tracked it down. She had the right lever set clear to the right but no cam. Once she got it all the way to 0 it worked in the middle again.
The 500 & cams: Using the cams works the same for the 503 & the 500 - lever at 0 to drop or remove the cam - then what ever width you please and what ever stitch length you like.
Design knobs on the 500: There is a guide for the design knobs on the hinge top cover. You can't control the width as much on the decorative stitches though - the design actually can change by setting the lever on the right in a different position - it tells that on the lid. Take some time and thoroughly READ the lid - then read it again any time you need to use it. It took me a while to get it.... That info is in the 500 manual but I figured it out from the lid + trial and lots of error. The lid is handier than looking it up in the manual all the time.