singer xl 580 lcd panel not working free sample

There are now several versions of the software for SINGER® Futura™ and AutoPunch available on the market. The most current is version 1.0.0.2. To determine what version of either software you have, you will find this information around the inside rim of the CD at approximately 4 o"clock. Before loading AutoPunch into your computer, check the version and then follow the steps below.

I purchased my Singer Futura XL-550 in September 2014, but only after doing a great deal of research by reading 100’s of pro’s and con’s on the XL-400 and XL-550. The biggest complaint about the Futura was thread problems & breaking needles which I figured was operator error, that they made a mistake and blamed it on the machine. But I started having these problems right away; in the first 10 minutes I had 5 or 6 bird’s nests and that happened while I was just trying out the Futura as a sewing machine. And while trying to embroider something I broke my first needle within 2 minutes and 5 more needles in the first hour. I also had problems with the large hoop. It just would not hold the fabric in place and I was not able to embroider a simple pattern that came with the machine. Also, I would get this error message “wrong size hoop installed” about a minute after I started an embroidery project. After all the research I did, to say I was pissed is putting it mildly. I was ready to take an ax to this “machine” (I won’t write down what I really said about this machine). It turns out that my first assumption about it being operator error was wrong, and I want to APOLOGIZE to everyone that post their problems; the ones that I did not believe. I was feeling like an idiot for buying this piece of junk and that old saying of “if it’s too good to be true” is right, this Singer Futura is a real problem.

Singer at one time stood for QUALITY, but lately Singer’s quality SUCKS. By making their machines oversea in places like Vietnam and others, the new owners of Singer Company appear not care about their quality control because it is not there. And YES, there is a learning curve to all new equipment, but it’s hard to learn how to use the machine when it has so many problems that are clearly out of the operator’s control. The Futura XL-550 sewing abilities are okay, but the embroidery part has problems, and I bought this machine to do embroidery. If the manufacture had tighter quality controls, people would not be having these problems. After trying to get my Futura to work, I found a number of problems with it. And in time I came up with some modifications that I used to repair my Futura. I took each problem one at a time and broke it down, and I was able to find the reason for each problem and then I worked out a solution for each problem.

I found that my Futura was having 5 major problems that had to be worked out if I was ever going to be able to embroider anything. Here are the 5 problems I was having: 1. Birds nest in the bobbin case, 2. Breaking needles, 3. Large hoop problem, 4. Wrong size hoop, and 5. Machine would stop over and over on a new project. These are the problems I was having with my Singer Futura XL-550, now for the modification.

The modification I made to my Singer Futura XL-550 has improved its abilities by eliminating the birds nest in the bobbin holder area and stopped the needles from breaking. And what I had to do to fix the problem with the large hoop. I had to deal with these problems and here is the list of problems and the modifications I made to fix them:

Solution: I filed off about 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch to remove the nick, and I have not had that major bird’s nest problem since then. If you don’t have a file you can use an emery board, the plastic is not that hard.

Update to Problem #1: I had to replace the bobbin holder, the plastic does not hold up; it would last longer if it was made from a stronger, harder plastic or maybe some sort of metal.

Within 1 hour of using the Futura XL-550 embroidery part I broke 6 needles, the first needle was in the first two minutes. What I found was the needle was hitting the edge of the bobbin cover plate. The needle was hitting the edge about 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch above and below the needle slot.

Solution: What I did was to file a small notch into the bobbin cover plate right to the point of impacted. The small notch is only 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch on both sides of the needle slot. After I filed the notches into the cover plate I have not broken one needle. You will need a very small round file to notch the cover plate and it will take a little time to do the job.

Follow up: The notch I filed into the cover plate was not the reason for the nick on the bobbin holder. The nick in the bobbin holder happened within minutes while trying to use the sewing machine setup.

The large hoop was not holding the material while I was running an embroidery design. And believe me I tried everything to get the hoop to hold the material, I even hand stitched the material in the hoop to help the hoop hold the material, but it didn’t work. I used the Futura customer help website to get some help with the large hoop. After waiting on hold for over and hour the person in Customer support gave me the "RUN AROUND" about “are you making sure that the hoop is tight and the material makes a drum sound. Is the notch & grove lined up“ and stuff like that. I told them the hoop was to thin and to flexible to hold the material and that I wanted it replaced. And that only happened after I sent them a picture of the hoop with the material hand stitched into the hoop. They also told me that the hoop replacement they will be sending me is the same as the one that came with my Futura XL-550. Well, after three weeks of waiting the replacement hoop finally showed up. This replacement hoop was not the same, so they lied to me about the replacement hoop. That replacement hoop was about a half an inch longer on the long side and overall was about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thicker then the one that came with the machine. But even with these differences in size the replacement hoop still did not hold the material tight enough; it would slip out just enough to mess up the design.

Solution: The modification I came up with strengthened the inner hoop a great deal. What I did was to epoxy a thin aluminum plate to the bottom of the inner hoop. The plate has to be cut to fit and filed and sanded smooth. Now I have the tools to fabricate this sort of thing and I know not everyone can do this. I"m sorry, but this is the only solution I was able to come up with to strengthen the hoop, I also had to add some anti-slip strips to the inside edge of the hoop (you can get the anti-slip strips at any hardware store, it looks like sandpaper with an adhesive backing) and this helps to hold the material from slipping.

Update to Problem #3: After I made these modifications I still have to keep an eye on the fabric to make sure it does not slip. If the manufacture would place a small steel rod inside the plastic of the inner hoop that would stiffen up the inner hoop and would help to solve this problem.

This problem would come up just after I started to embroider. And it would happen every time; I would turn off the machine and restart it. I would remove the hoop and put it back in, nothing worked. The problem is between the hoop and the switch that the hoop touches when it is installed.

Solution: The problem happens when the hoop is installed, the switch that the hoop touches is not placed at the right spot or the hoop’s small knob that touches the switch is not the right size. I fixed it by placing a piece of duck tape on the hoop’s knob, it was just enough to fix this problem.

Update to Problems #4: The tape is only a quick fix, I have tried some epoxy on the knob to build it up but it did not hold. For now the tape will have to remain as the fix but I will keep trying.

I found that the software is somewhat old and has some problems, but you can work around them. When I made a modification to a project and send it to the machine it would not embroider. It would start up for 10 or 15 seconds then just stop and no matter what I did it would stop over and over.

Solution: Before you try to embroider that project you just modified, you have to save it (use a new name for that modified project). After you have saved it turn off the Futura XL-550 and close down the software. After you do that, restart the Futura machine and the software, you have to do this to clear out any software problems. You can re-open your saved project and send it to the machine. I know it’s a problem to do that every time you make a modification to a design, but it’s the only way I have found to get around this problem.

The Futura XL-550 “OUT OF THE BOX” gets an overall rating of 1 stars, that"s only because Amazon will not let you give a zero star rating. The sewing machine part is okay and gets 3 stars, but the sewing machine is not why I bought this machine in the first place; I bought this Futura for its embroidering abilities and that part gets a minus 1 stars. I know that many of you are having problems with your Futura and YES “OUT OF THE BOX” it should work without any problems. Don’t give up, most of these machine can be fixed with a little work (and YES, Singer should pay for all the shipping to get it fixed), but they won’t do that. But, after I made the modification to my XL-550 I have enjoyed embroidering custom patches for my Karate Studio and making gifts for friends and family. So, after ALL the modifications to my Futura “My Modified Singer Futura XL-550” gets an overall 4 stars, I reduced the score by a half stars because it is a very noisy machine and another half star because you have to watch the Futura throughout the embroidery project. I came up with these fixes to solve the problems I was having, and I hope this helps you.

UPDATE: I found a service manual for my XL-550 online, and believe me you need this service manual. I use my Futura a great deal, so every 3 or 4 months I clean and lubricate it and adjust the X-Y axis points on the embroidery arm and also reset the needle depth point. If you use your machine like I do, you really need to do this servicing. I am not going to waste my time and money to ship my Futura to someone that might fix it. If their quality control is not there (AND IT‘S NOT), can you really trust them to service your machine? I hope the modification I came up with helps you.

I have been using my XL-550 for more then 3.5 years now and I have made many custom patches for the students at the Karate studio and for friends and family. I even embroider the student’s karate belts with their name and belt number along with the studio name. I searched the internet for a belt hoop for my Futura XL-550 but no luck, so I fabricated a belt hoop for my Futura and it works great.

I have one thing to say to the people that own the Singer Company now. If you want people to keep buying your products you need to upgrade your quality control from nothing (which is what you have right now), and make "QUALITY" the companies most important thing you can offer. Bring back the “SINGER QUALITY“, stand by your product; and if a customer that just bought your product is having problems with it "FIX IT FOR FREE". Pay for the shipping (both ways to a repair center) because your company sold that customer a defective product, and STOP giving your customers the old "RUN AROUND".

One last thing for anyone that is thinking about buying a Futura XL-550, you must understand what I"m saying. I use my machine a great deal but there are some things you just can not do with THIS MACHINE. You can not walk away from your machine; "YOU MUST STAY WITH YOUR MACHINE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROJECT". This machine must be watched at all times, you just can"t set up your project start up the machine and come back an hour or two and find a finished project. You have to sit with your machine throughout your project from the every beginning to end. So, if you are looking for a machine that you can set up and then just walk away, "DON"T GET THIS MACHINE".

ENTREDEUX STITCH Useful for decorative stitching on borders and for use in heirloom sewing. The Entredeux stitch is most often sewn with a Wing Needle (SINGER Style 2040) to create holes in the stitch pattern.

Le point entredeux et le plus en costuras antiguas. La puntada “Entre dos” es más souvent cousu à l’aide d’une aiguille aile (Style Singer 2040) comúnmente usada con una aguja “de ala” (Singer estilo pour créer des trous dans le motif du point.

up the fabric in the center of the buttonhole. Be careful not to cut any of the bartack threads. CORDED BUTTONHOLES Spur Saliente Tige spur and pull both ends of the cord forward under the foot and tie off the cord as shown in the illustration. Sew buttonhole so that zigzag stitches cover the cord.

ENFILAGE DU FIL SUPÉRIEUR ENHEBRADO DEL HILO SUPERIOR Reportez-vous aux page 16 - 19. Consulte las página 16 - 19. NOTA : Se recomienda enhebrar antes de transferir los datos. transmettre un dessin à la machine pour la broderie. PLATEAU DE RALLONGE BASE DE EXTENSION 1.

10. AutoPunchTM et fichiers graphiques - 10.-FORMATOS Vector art Y Bitmap art Mode Vectoriel contre Mode Point. Cuando usted elige una imagen, note que hay muchos formatos diferentes. AutoPunch dá los mejores resultados Il y a plusieurs types différents d’images ou de formats de al usar imágenes tipo vector, tales como .wmf.

8. Once point A is entered, the PC screen and machine display will prompt you to enter in points B and C. Follow the same procedures for inputting points B and C. In a case where the three points were input wrong, and they do not form an exact right angle, the software will show the following error message and give you an opportunity to enter the alignment points again.

At this point, you have 3 options from which to choose: OK if no changes are desired, Cancel to cancel the procedure and move back to the Machine Navigator dialogue box, upper and lower designs closer or further away, allowing you to preview how you want your endless embroidery designs to be positioned relative to one another when they stitch out.

Helpful Tips: When embroidering larger or heavier pieces of fabric, it is helpful to support the fabric on a table in front and back of the machine. When working with specialty threads (such as metallic threads) or designs with dense stitch areas, it is recommended that you lower the embroidery speed.

Pour coudre la séquence que vous avez mémorisée, appuyez sur le rhéostat ou sur le bouton de marche/arrêt (Start/Stop). Notez bien que lorsque le bouton Mode de Programme ABC est illuminé en rouge, la séquence que vous avez mémorisée sera cousue et la machine s"arrêtera ensuite. L’information programmée va coudre un cycle et s’arrêtera automatiquement.

Para coser la secuencia que ha ingresado, presione el pedal controlador o el botón de Inicio/Paro. Note por favor que cuando se ilumina el botón ABC Program Mode (Modo de Programa ABC) en rojo, la máquina coserá una secuencia del programa luego se detendrá. La información programada se coserá durante un ciclo y se detendrá...

Instruction hints and tips for the Singer Futura by Jenny’s Sewing Studio is here!I have gathered my best observations and sage wisdom on the Singer Futura embroidery machine and placed it here for you to refer to. I will update the page from time to time as I learn a new technique…yes I am always learning! I hope it helps you have a successful sewing and embroidery experience with the machine. I have enjoyed hours of fun and achieved many embroidery projects and my best advise when having a problem is to stop, look and listen to the machine. It will tell you what is wrong if you are there to listen.

The Futura is a home sewing and embroidery machine. It is not made for industrial use. You can embroider a few designs but running the machine for hours and hours and hours on end will probably end up in a frozen machine in need of service.

More stabilizer does not improve the embroidery. You should be comparing your build up of stabilizer to a light to medium weight denim. Any more than that will break thread and not look right when you finish. Stabilizer choice is essential.

Computer needs: The Futura cannot be used with a tablet. Windows O/S is necessary for the Futura. The software may install on the Surface Pro which is not a traditional tablet.

If the program included with the Futura is on a CD then it must be installed via the CD. You will have to purchase a CD reader if you do not have the drive. Compucon says you cannot move the program to a USB stick. You also must use the Futura that was intended for the software. If you install a more recent software on you computer and plug in an older futura you will loose a lot of the software and option features not intended for the machine you are using. ( some newer Futura now come with the program on a USB.. XL580, XL420)

This tip is from Futura-Support.com – If you need to stop your embroidery in the middle and resume later….You can easily resume where you were stitching if you follow these steps. Before shutting down the machine, be sure to save the design that you were working on. This is important if you can change the size or the position of the design. Take note of which color block that you were working on. Now, you are ready to exit the navigator and shut down the program and the machine. You can remove the hoop from the embroidery unit if you need to, but DO NOT remove the fabric from the hoop. To resume embroidering, turn on the machine, open the program and reattach the hoop if you removed it. Send the design to the machine. Use the double arrow box to the right of the send block box to advance to the color that you were sewing out when you turned off the machine. If you had already started embroidering that color, use the needle up/down touch to move the needle to a few stitches ahead of the place where it last stitched. Thread the machine and start embroidering.

If you want to switch from the small hoop to the large hoop….SINGER® FUTURA™ machines report the hoop attached to the computer only one time, when the SINGER® Futura™ program is started. If there is no hoop attached the program will assume that the large hoop is mounted. So, if a user decides to use a different hoop than the one the machine has detected, it is necessary to change the program’s setting before embroidering. However, there is a correct procedure/sequence to set up the SINGER® Futura™ machines for embroidery. Preparing to embroider out of sequence will cause the computer to display an Error Message if the small hoop is used: The proper way to set up for embroidery on the SINGER® Futura™ machines is as follows:

4. If the Large Hoop is on the SINGER® Futura™ machine, but it is desired to change to the Small Hoop, remove the Large Hoop and replace with Small Hoop. However, before selecting a design, it is necessary to go to the Main Menu and select Tools>Select Hoop, then choose Small Hoop. (The same is true for moving from Small Hoop to Large Hoop, once the program has been opened).

Note: If the machine is turned on with the small hoop already attached, the “Start Button” on the sewing machine will flash red. It will not be possible to proceed unless the machine is turned off, the hoop removed, and then the above steps followed in correct sequence.

* Options for the CE150, 250, 350, SES 2000 will not work in the XL400, SEQS600 or other newer Futura models. 4. The new Quintet has it’s own software package to work with the endless hoop. The endless hoop is not available on any other model at this time.

With a price tag of around $1000, the Singer Futura XL-580 is a high-end sewing and embroidery machine. Although it’s a computerized model and packed with high-end features, the XL-580 is entirely suited to both beginners and more experienced sewers. Not only that but, since it comes with both sewing and embroidery features, it will help you save up on your expenses since you simply need to buy one machine, instead of two different ones. You can also use the machine to work on different types of projects designed for both home and business purposes.

As far as drawbacks are concerned, most users have been satisfied with the machine’s performance. Admittedly enough, a few did have a few complaints about it. For example, one person thought that the tension system was hard to adjust. Another customer also deplored the fact that her sewing and embroidery resulted in several broken needles. This, however, turned out to be an issue with the user’s sewing skills and experience and a quick call to customer care resolved this issue.

The Singer XL-580 is extremely simple to use- which is quite surprising considering its extended range of features. It includes various types of features that will help you easily find your way around the machine while exploring its different options. For example, it is equipped with an automatic needle threader that will enable you to simplify the task at hand: therefore, you only have to touch the backlit LCD screen to automatically inch the thread through the eye of the needle. Similarly, sewers can also swipe their finger across the LCD screen to automatically adjust the machine’s tension setting. The screen can even be used to adjust the needle position and hence use it for appliques, pivoting and other similar stitch placement angles.

To enhance your comfort, it even includes an automatic bobbin thread pick-up feature. This largely simplifies and speeds up the sewing process. The machine comes with a clear cover designed to help users see the bobbin supply, hence allowing you to avoid snags and snares. Users who prefer to do their sewing at night will be thrilled to learn that the work area is equipped with six LED lights to provide you with optimal viewing. Thanks to the multi-hoop capacity, you can create smaller or larger-than-average designs. If you want to personalize your home accents, you can also make the most out of the XL580’s 20 fonts with outline lettering to print large bold letters on just about any type of fabric that you want.

With a heavy-duty metal frame, the Singer Futura XL-580 can easily be used on an everyday basis. Thanks to its wide array of features, it’s great for both embroidery and regular sewing, which makes it an amazing investment. Granted, it can be a bit tricky to be switching from sewing mode to embroidery mode on a regular basis, thus users that already own a good sewing machine might be better served by an embroidery-only model such as the Brother PE770 and the Janome MC300E, though they’re not packed with nearly as many embroidery designs as the XL-580.

At the heart of the a7 IV is a new 33MP BSI-CMOS sensor. This represents a move away from the 24MP chip used by the a7 III and its immediate Panasonic and Nikon rivals. Given that BSI sensors are already widely used in the current generation of cameras, we"re not expecting huge leaps forward in image quality. A slight uptick in detail and comparable low light performance is the most likely thing we can expect, in terms of image quality.

In terms of autofocus, the improvements over the a7 III should be fairly significant, not so much because of the promise to focus in conditions that are one stop darker (–4EV with an F2 lens) but because that camera was one of the last Sonys that didn"t integrate Eye AF into its main AF system, and relied on a much more primitive AF tracking system. The a7 III could detect human eyes, but it couldn"t seamlessly and dependably switch between eye, face and body tracking if you set the camera to focus on a person.

The a7 IV also offers the ability to live stream video over its USB connection using the audio and video standards (UVC/UAC) that are part of the USB standard. This allows a choice of HD or FullHD resolutions with FullHD available at up to 60fps. There"s also a 4K option but this only supports 15 frames per second, which gives a dreadful stop-motion look to the footage. Connection is designed to be as simple as possible, using the Imaging Edge Webcam software for Mac or PC. A connection via smartphone is also possible, though audio may not be available at resolutions above HD (720).

The downside of this added flexibility is that you need to engage HEIF capture before you can engage the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) color/gamma mode, rather than having both settings change to match one another. It"s worth trying, though: images shot in HLG can show much more of the camera"s dynamic range to give a much more lifelike version of your image if viewed with an HDR-capable TV.

This table should make clear that the a7 IV is well specced, but not to the point of standing out from its less expensive rivals. As such, it"s going to be the real-world performance of the AF system, the degree of rolling shutter in its 4K footage, and its ability to maintain its 10fps burst rate for many hundreds of images that will need to set it apart.

More than the ergonomic changes, we"re delighted to see the a7 IV gain the improved menus and expanded touchscreen utilization first seen in the a7S III. The menus now have their section tabs down the left-hand side of the screen, meaning you"re only ever a click or so away from being able to jump between tabs. They"re also touch sensitive, so you may not need to click or nudge anything at all.

The a7 IV uses the same NP-FZ100 battery as the a7 III and other more recent Sony cameras. It"s a usefully hefty unit that, combined with the relatively modest viewfinder res, lets the a7 IV achieve a CIPA battery life rating of 580 shots per charge using the rear screen and 520 shots per charge using the EVF.

As always, these figures are more useful for comparing cameras, rather than getting an idea of exactly how many shots you"ll get (in our experience, getting double the rated number isn"t unusual with a new battery). We tend to find a rating of over 500 shots per charge means not really having to worry about battery life in anything but the most intensive pro sports or wedding shoots.

What"s clearly changed, in the meantime, is the positioning. The original a7 was launched at what was then a record low price for a full-frame camera: $1700, body only. Even taking inflation into account, that"d still be a hair under $2000 in today"s money. The a7 IV"s price is a significant increase over this, and it"s notable that Sony now offers the a7C for more price or size-conscious buyers. This provision of a relatively up-to-date sister model, rather than simply lowering the prices on outdated models is a welcome change. The a7C might not have the improved menus of the a7 IV but it doesn"t feel as unrefined and clunky as the Marks I and II do, by comparison to the latest cameras.

Sony seems very keen to say that the a7 IV has gained many of its improvements from the flagship a1, which we think risks implying a closer connection than actually exists. While it is not untrue that the a7 IV has some features that arrived with the a1, the new camera doesn"t have the Stacked CMOS sensor that provides the brute power underpinning the a1"s performance. In many instances, it"s fairer to point out that the a7 IV"s features are shared with the video-centric a7S III. Still not a bad thing to be able to claim, but perhaps setting more realistic expectations, in terms of how much star quality you expect to rub off on the more mass-market model.

The first thing that should be apparent is that the a7 IV"s 33MP sensor can capture a lot of detail and, as we saw in our real-world samples, JPEG color that"s directly comparable with the best of its peers. The higher pixel count, combined with Sony"s JPEG sharpening makes more of the fine detail than its rivals. Moiré makes an appearance, but it"s not overwhelming, which suggests there is an anti-aliasing filter, but perhaps not an especially aggressive one.

This additional noise can"t solely be blamed on the pixel count, though, since it"s a fraction noisier than some of its higher resolution peers. Overall this is a good, but not ground-breaking, performance with detail capture appearing to be the a7 IV"s strong suit.

Note that you"ll need to turn off Raw capture then select HEIF files, then engage "HLG Still Image" mode if you want this to work. Simply shooting HEIF files and using the HLG picture profile won"t work. Sadly you can"t shoot Raw and HEIF, and there"s no in-camera Raw conversion option to generate an HLG HEIF from any Raws you"ve shot.

Autofocus is such a broad subject, with different subjects requiring different modes and different photographers preferring different approaches, that it"s almost impossible to give a comprehensive and definitive assessment of its performance. We have used the camera in a variety of situations and with different lenses but cannot cover every aspect of the camera"s performance.

The a7 IV makes it very easy to get the face of your chosen subject in focus. But we found a lot of the images it takes are very fractionally front-focused. It"s something that only really becomes noticeable if you use a very wide aperture and look very closely at the results, but it"s not quite as pinpoint accurate as the previous generation of Sony cameras.

If you"ve selected a person in this way the camera will determinedly track that person, even if that person looks away. Even when we placed another person closer to the camera and nearer the middle of the frame, it continued to track our subject, even when they looked completely away and the camera could no longer see their face or eye.

The addition of 60p capture is another step forward for videographers who want to more accurately be able to capture fast motion or to provide some high-res slow-motion footage in a 24, 25 or 30p project. The 60p mode is only available from the Super35/APS-C region of the sensor. There"s a tiny bit of oversampling going on (it"s a 4.6K chunk of the sensor) but it"s not going to be quite as detailed as the full-width footage taken from 7K capture. The APS-C crop, along with the faster shutter speeds you"re likely to use for 60p capture are (unless you can open up your aperture to compensate) going to impose a noise penalty on the 4K/60p output, which is worth being aware of.

The a7 IV"s image quality is extremely good, with excellent levels of detail, extensive dynamic range and attractive JPEG color. However, it"s not significantly improved over its predecessor or its rivals: you"ll get more detail in low ISO situations but this small gain seems to come with slight decreases in dynamic range and high ISO noise performance. The margins are tiny but it"s hard to see a net benefit to the new chip.

Autofocus is powerful and can be very simple to use. For a majority of subjects, you can just point an AF point at your subject (or let the camera choose one), and be confident that the camera will track it and put focus in the right place. We get the sense that it"s not quite as pinpoint accurate as the previous generation of models when it comes to focusing on eyes, but it"s much quicker and easier to use.

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review). Please refrain from using them for any commercial purposes.