Disclaimers • • • • • • • • • • • Warranty The converter box will not read manufacturers’ alphabet memory cards. All designs must fit inside the sewing hoop capabilities of your machine. Reducing the design to fit inside your hoop may affect the sewability. Some designs may have stitches that can not be read correctly into the converter box. The converter box can not warrant the quality of third party digitizers.
II Mini Amazing Box II Limited Warranty 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. All parts other than connector pins are warranted to be free from defects for a period of one year and will be at the manufacturer's option, replaced or repaired at no charge to you, the consumer, for a period of one year from date of original purchase, provided said parts or machine are returned, and transportation prepaid. There is no charge for covered parts or labor when a converter box is returned within 90 days of the original purchase.
Warranty 7. 8. 9. 10. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. This warranty is in effect provided the converter box is used only for normal household sewing purposes and not commercial use, and given reasonably good care.
IV Mini Amazing Box II . 11. This warranty is nontransferable and extends only to the original purchaser when new and when purchased from a duly authorized dealer. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties. The manufacturer is not responsible for any representation, expressed or implied other than those contained herein. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
Warranty IMPORTANT INFORMATION: REGULATIONS Federal Communications Commission Compliance Notice (for U.S.A. only) This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
VI Mini Amazing Box II Important - About the Interface Cable This equipment has been certified to comply with FCC standards, which are applied to the U.S.A. only. A shielded interface cable should be used according to FCC 15.27 (C) Caution Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer or local sales distributor could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Table of Contents Table of Contents Disclaimers Limited Warranty Support FCC Table of Contents I II IV V VII Introduction Why Choose The Mini Amazing Box II Terms Used in This Manual Icons Used in This Book 1 Installation Accessory Page Computer Requirements Hardware Installation Troubleshooting Software Installation Start Program 5 6 6 7 9 12 14 File Formats File Formats 15 16 Quick Start General Operation Read Load 19 20 21 23 2 2 3 VII
VIII Mini Amazing Box II Table of Contents (cont) Delete Write Save Using Designs with Software 25 25 26 29 Main Screen Design Screen Dialog Box Read GNC Files Zip Files Load Card Save Write Card Delete Options Exit Sewing Field Index 31 33 34 34 37 37 38 41 43 49 49 48 49 Color Editor Drop Down Menu File View Options Help Tool Bar Main Tool Bar Color Bar Status Bar 51 52 51 62 63 67 66 69 71 73
Introduction About This Manual The Mini Amazing Box II gives you the unique ability to convert your favorite design from one format to another, the ability to use designs from disks, CDs and the Internet and to save designs from memory cards to writable media such as your computer’s hard drive. This manual is filled with information about how to use the program, and includes many time-saving tips that will make you more productive, efficient and effective with your embroidery projects.
2 Mini Amazing Box II easy-to-use features allowing you to work directly with Smart Sizer Gold, Lettering Pro, Size Express, Fast Fills, Click ‘N Stitch, Embroidery Links and Color Editor. With these seven products, you can resize, edit, add lettering, add pattern fills, add icon borders and colorize your designs.
Time S aving Reme mber This icon indicates helpful tips that enable you to better understand how the software works. This icon provides information that will save you time in your day-to-day use of the software and in some cases the use of your computer. Technic This icon is placed next to sections of this manual you should not forget. Pay close attention to anything with this icon. It may come in handy later. This icon explains technical components in the use of the program and computer.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 4 Mini Amazing Box II
Installation Items Found in this Section: A B C D E Section4Install.pmd.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 6 Mini Amazing Box II Accessory Page Included with The Mini Amazing Box II: 1 Mini Amazing Box II 1 Rewritable Memory Card 1 Instruction manual 1 Mini Amazing Box II Software on CD-ROM Including Color Editor & Adober® Reader® 1 USB Cable Options: Additional Rewritable Memory Cards Smart Sizer Gold - editing software Lettering Pro - text program Size Express - resizing software Fast Fills - pattern fill software Click ‘N St
Installation Turn OFF computer. 1 2 Plug flat end of USB cable into USB port. This port may be in the front or back of your machine. 3 Plug square end of your USB cable into the back of your Mini Amazing Box II. Turn ON computer. 5 The first screen you see will say “Found New Hardware Wizard.” With “Install Automatically” selected, simply insert your installation CD into the drive and click “Next.” Section4Install.pmd.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 8 Mini Amazing Box II 7 Windows will search for the best driver for the Mini- Amazing Box II. 8 Once Windows locates the driver on the Mini Amazing Box II CD, it will start to install. 9. The Microsoft Windows Logo testing screen will appear. Click “Continue Anyway” 10 Finally, select “Finish.” Your driver installation is complete, and you are ready to install your Mini Amazing Box II software. Section4Install.pmd.
Troubleshooting Figure 1 Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats If you use Windows 2000, Millennium Edition (ME), or XP, you will see an icon (Figure 1) appear at the bottom right corner of your screen (near the clock). When unplugging your Mini Amazing Box II, you must first double-click this icon, select the “USB Conversion Box Plus,” and then click “Stop.” It is now safe to unplug your Mini Amazing Box II.
Mini Amazing Box II FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 10 Microsoft's Logo compatibility testing is put in place to ensure that users do not incur problems with equipment manufacturers' products. While The Mini Amazing Box II is in the process of gaining "formal" Microsoft approval, it has been tested for use under the Windows XP operating system and is Windows XP compatible.
Installation 11 Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats FAQs If you get a message on your screen saying, “No COM port...” this usually means the USB driver is not installed correctly. Follow the following steps to reinstall the driver. 1. Unplug the USB cable from the computer while it is on. 2. Turn off your computer. 3. Plug the USB cable back into the computer. 4. Turn on the computer. 5. A Mircrosoft message stating, “New hardware found,” appears. 6.
12 Mini Amazing Box II Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction Software Installation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. From the Windows desktop close all open programs. Place The Mini Amazing Box II CD in the CD-ROM drive. From the Windows desktop, click on the Start button. Click on the Run button. At the Run prompt you will need to type the letter of your CD-ROM Drive followed by Setup.
6. Click Next. Figure Inst-2 8. 9 Read license agreement. Click I accept the terms in the license agreement. Click Next. Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats 7. Figure Inst-3 8. Click Install. FAQs Figure Inst-4 9. Click Finish. Figure Inst-5 Section4Install.pmd.
14 Mini Amazing Box II FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction Start Program Follow the steps below in order to run The Mini Amazing Box II. To start the program: 1. Go to Start. 2. Click on Programs. 3. Click on Great Notions. 4. Click on Mini Amazing Box II. Mini Amazing Box II appears on your screen as shown in Figure Inst-6. Your Mini Amazing Box II and software is properly installed and is ready to use.
File Formats
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 16 Mini Amazing Box II File Formats File Formats are designs on your hard drive, floppy or CD-ROM that The Mini Amazing Box II will read. There are many different file formats the Mini Amazing Box II will open. You will find them listed below. GNC (*.gnc) A “GNC” file is a scalable format used with Amazing Designs software. This format enables you to enlarge or reduce the size of the design using Smart Sizer Gold.
File Formats 17 A “JEF” file is an expanded file format that works with the Janome 10000 machine. PCS (*.pcs) A “PCS” file is an expanded file format that works with Pfaff PC-Designer V2.0 (PC), and Pfaff PC-Designer V2.1 (PC) software. PES (*.pes) A “PES” file is an expanded file format that works with Baby Lock Palette, Bernina Wizard and Brother PE-Design software. SEW (*.
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II mber Reme Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 18 An expanded format is any format that will not regenerate new stitches when resized. This means that if you reduce an expanded design, the stitch count does not change. The same number of stitches are present in a smaller area, which could result in thread or needle breakage that may damage to your garment.
Quick Start Items Found in this Section: General Operation A Read B Load C Delete D Write E Save F Using Compatible Software
20 Mini Amazing Box II FAQs 1. Make sure The Mini Amazing Box II has power. To do this, simply verify the green light on the front of The Mini Amazing Box II is on. Warning 2. Open the Mini Amazing Box II program by double-clicking on the icon. Make sure you have only opened the program one time. When you double click the icon, it takes a few seconds for the program to open.
Read Tip Tip The Read function lets you select a design from a floppy disk, CD, or your hard drive. The Mini Amazing Box II software is conversion software. This means that you can “read” CSD, DST, PES, HUS, JEF, SEW, SHV, XXX and PCS file extensions into this software. The Read function also reads zipped files without you having to unzip them first. The GNC format is found on the Amazing Designs disk collections.
22 Mini Amazing Box II Reme Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction mber Remember, the box is a design file transfer system for finished file sewing formats. You cannot read .bmp, .jpg, or any kind of clip art into this program. There is no digitizing software included. For autodigitizing capability, see your dealer about Click ‘n Stitch Xtra from Amazing Designs. Click the Read button, and the standard “Open” window appears (Figure QS-2).
The Load function is what enables you to take designs from memory cards into the software and write them back to a card for any supported embroidery machine. 1. Simply insert the preprogrammed memory card into the appropriate slot (See Figure QS-3 on the next page) in the box and the Load button will highlight. 2. Click the Load button and type the number of the desired design and click OK to load that design. You can also view all the designs on the memory card by clicking Browse.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 24 Mini Amazing Box II Figure QS-3 1 Left Card Slot The card slot for Pfaff, Janome 10000 and Bernina-Artista Cards. 2 Right Card Slot The card slot for Baby Lock, Bernina-Deco, Brother, Simplicity, Viking #1+, Rose, and 605 Cards. 3 Red Light The red light informs you The Mini Amazing Box II is either reading or writing a card. 4 Green Light The green light informs you The Mini Amazing Box II is ON.
The Delete button is used to remove a design from any of the 6 squares on the screen. Click the design you want to delete then click the Delete button and the design disappears. Write Once you have up to 6 designs on your screen then you are ready to insert your rewritable memory card into the appropriate slot on the Mini Amazing Box II and write the designs to the rewritable card for sewing. See Figure QS-3 for which slots cards are assigned to. 1. Click one of the 3 buttons below “Write Card.
FAQs Warning Warnin g Mini Amazing Box II Only one card in the box at a time! Do not remove your card while the red light is on. mber Reme Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 26 You will see a status bar with numbers counting up “Writing block….”. There is no specific number at which the transfer will stop. You must wait until the status bar is no longer on the screen to remove your card.
Using a standard Windows® interface, you will be given the opportunity to select the directory location where the files will be stored. You may also create a new directory, if you wish, by clicking on the ‘New Folder’ button. Figure QS-5 Click inside the dialog box beside the word ‘Name’ and type the name of your new directory. Highlight the name of the selected or new directory.
Mini Amazing Box II You will be prompted to enter a prefix that will be included in the file names. Enter a name that is related to the design theme and click “OK’. Figure QS-7 Figure QS-8 A message appears that tells you copying of the entire card is about to begin. Click ‘OK’. Figure QS-9 During writing, a Status Box shows the progress, as in Figure QS-9. When complete, a message appears stating that the designs have been successfully copied, Figure QS-10.
Quick Start 29 Reme mber Your Smart Sizer Gold can be used to delete portions of a design by color segment, rotate, mirror, copy paste and perform other manipulations to designs that have been copied from cards. However, when resizing designs from cards, Smart Sizer Gold will not change the stitch count. Size Express software from Amazing Designs will change the stitch count when resizing designs copied from cards.
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II Example: To send a design from the Main Screen into Color Editor: 1. Open Color Editor and maximize. 2. Double click on the desired design on the Main Screen, and this design will automatically be transferred into Color Editor (Figure QS-11). 3. Once in Color Editor, recolor the design by clicking on the color chips below the design. 4. To send design back to The Mini Amazing Box II, click File/Save.
Main Screen In this section of the manual, all the features on the Main Screen are explained.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 32 Mini Amazing Box II Main Screen Figure MS-2 A B C D E F G H I Design Screen Dialog Box Read Load Save Write Delete Options Exit
Main Screen When using The Mini Amazing Box II, you are able to place up to six designs onto a card at one time, depending on the size, stitch count and/or number of color changes in the design. The six boxes, as shown in Figure MS-3 will display the sequence of the designs selected before writing to a card.
34 Mini Amazing Box II FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction B Dialog Box When moving your mouse over the different features in the program, information about that feature will be displayed in the Dialog Box. C Read Click the Read button or the File/Open dropdown menu to open the “Open” window as shown below in Figure MS-4. Using the down arrow to the right of the “Look in” box, find the directory or drive in which your designs are stored.
Figure MS-5 With the “Browse” function open, there are several things to note. In the “Sort By” function, you can sort your designs by name or extension. Click on the menu arrow under “Directory,” for the listing of sub-directories in your computer. Select the directory and the designs will automatically load onto the window as shown in Figure MS-5. Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction Another feature in the “Open” window is “Browse.
36 Mini Amazing Box II FAQs This icon will take you to the previous page of designs. This icon will take you back one design. This icon will take you forward one design. This icon will take you to the next page of designs. This icon will take you to your last design. After selecting a design, click on OK to load the design to screen. Click the Cancel button to close the window.
PCS: Pfaff PC-Designer V2.0 & V2.1 PC (*.pcs) Files will be split at 16 colors PEC: Baby Lock Palette/Bernina Wizard/Brother PE-Design (*.pec) PES: Baby Lock/Bernina Deco/Brother/ Simplicity, White (*.pes, *.pec) SEW: Elna/Janome (*.sew) SHV: Viking Designer series XXX: Singer (*.xxx) GNC Files GNC formatted designs will automatically resize if necessary to fit the sewing field to which you are writing. The GNC format is only found on Amazing Designs disk collections.
38 Mini Amazing Box II Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction Select the zipped file that you want to take a design from and click Open. The name only of the file is displayed, as there is no “browse by icon” feature for zipped files. The “Zip Directory” opens, displaying the designs within that zip file as shown in Figure MS-6a. Figure MS-6a Select the desired file and click Open to load it, or click Cancel to close the window and return to the “Main Screen.
Left Card Slot The card slot for Pfaff, Janome 10000 and Bernina-Artista Cards. 2 Right Card Slot The card slot for Baby Lock, Bernina-Deco, Brother, Simplicity, Viking #1+, Rose, and 605 Cards. Remember to remove the pre-programmed memory card from the Mini Amazing Box II and replace with the rewritable card before clicking “Write.” Click the Load button or the File/Load dropdown menu and the “Read Design” dialog box will appear as shown below in Figure MS-7.
40 Mini Amazing Box II 2 3 Figure MS-7a 4 Type in the design number of the single design you wish to load if you know the numbered position of the design. After typing in the design number, click OK and the desired design will load into one of the six selection boxes. If you do not know the number of the design, click Browse and all the designs on the card will be displayed. The “Browse” function is further explained on the next page. Cancel will close the “Load” functions.
E Save The Save function enables you to copy designs from memory cards to your hard drive or other writable media. Designs that have been copied can be edited, resized and otherwise modified in the same ways that you would modify any design on your computer. After clicking on the Save button, a screen appears that allows you to select the directory where the designs from the card will be saved. Figure MS-7b You may also create a new directory, if you wish, by clicking on the ‘New Folder’ button.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 42 Mini Amazing Box II If you chose to create a new directory, click inside the dialog box beside the word ‘Name’ and type the name of your new directory. Highlight the name of the selected or new directory. You will be prompted to enter a prefix that will be included in the file names. For example, if you enter Grandmother, the files will be named Grandmother01 and so on.
Be sure that you select a unique prefix when copying multiple cards to the same directory location to avoid overwriting previously copied designs. F Write The Mini Amazing Box II has the capability of loading and writing designs from one memory card directly to another type of memory card. You must have the appropriate writable card to be able to write designs for your machine. Listed below are the writable card formats and their appropriate slots in The Mini Amazing Box II.
Mini Amazing Box II Reme mber Pfaff, Artista and Janome 10000 all use the same slot in The Mini Amazing Box II, but the Janome 10000 rewritable card is different from the Pfaff and Artista card. This means you cannot write a Pfaff or Artista file to a Janome 10000 card and vice versa. Reme mber When saving from an Artista card, the files will be exported with the extension .exp.
If you do not see your machine model you can select a different machine by the same manufacturer with the same single sewing field parameters. You can select from the list provided at the end of this section. You can set each “Write” button to reflect your personal machine. If you own more than one model you can set the buttons accordingly. Once you set the “Write” button to a certain machine it will remain set until you change it.
Mini Amazing Box II Warning Figure MS-8a Do not remove your card while the red light is on! When the Mini Amazing Box II has written the designs to the card, it will display a “Success” window (Figure MS-8b). You are now ready to take the card to your machine and sew! Figure MS-8b Reme mber Warning FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 46 This software will not split designs for multiposition hoops.
47 Some machines require designs to split into multiple files depending on the number of colors and stitch count. If your design doesn’t appear to have sewn out completely, then you may need to select the next file on the card to complete your design. Ex. Pfaff PCS format splits at 16 colors or 14,000 stitches. Reme mber G Delete The Delete button gives you the ability to remove a design before writing to the card.
Mini Amazing Box II Scroll through the list until you find your machine and select it. Click OK to accept it or Cancel to close the window. The machine information will now replace the word “Unknown” on the “Write” buttons on the “Main Screen.” You can set all 3 buttons to your machine types or leave the other 2 as “Unknown.” Figure MS-9a Tip If you do not see your machine model you can select a different machine by the same manufacturer with the same single sewing field parameters.
Memory card driven machines Maximum Single Sewing Field By Machine Machine Hoop Size File Baby Lock ESI/ESI2 Baby Lock EM1/EM2/eac/BL60E Bernina Deco 500/600 Simplicity SE1/SE2/SE3 Brother PE150/100/200/300S/7500 White W3300 100 x 100 100 x 100 100 x 100 100 x 100 100 x 100 100 x 100 PES,PEC PES,PEC PES,PEC PES,PEC PES,PEC PES,PEC Baby Lock ESE/ESE2/Ellure Brother 8200/8500/6500 130 x 180 130 x 180 PES,PEC PES,PEC Baby Lock Ellageo 1/2/3 Brother ULT/2002D 160 x 260 160 x 260 PES,PEC PES,PEC Bern
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 50 Mini Amazing Box II Memory card driven machines Maximum Single Sewing Field By Machine (cont.) Machine Hoop Size File Janome 10000 140 x 200 JEF Pfaff 7570/7560 115 x 120 PCS Viking Rose/1+/Iris 100 x 100 HUS *********** Single sewing fields listed for current model machines even though The Mini Amazing Box II may not be capable of saving to some of the larger sewing fields at this time.
Color Editor In this section, all the features of the Color Editor software are explained. Figure CE-1 Color Editor is a separate program provided with The Mini Amazing Box II for the purpose of changing a design’s color information.
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II Drop-Down Menus Immediately below the title bar is the drop-down menu. This contains all the commands for Color Editor. Figure CE-2 Drop-Downs You will find four Drop-Down Menus: File View Options Help Tip Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 52 For information on bringing a design directly from the Mini Amazing Box II Main Screen into Color Editor, see the last page of the QuickStart chapter.
Open (Ctrl+O) Click File, then Open to select a design. Figure CE-3 Open This displays the “Open” window along with your default folder or directory setting as shown above in Figure CE-3. FigureCE-3a Click on the down arrow to the right of the “Look in” box to show the list of sub-directories on your computer as shown in Figure CE-3a. Select the folder that contains your designs.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 54 Mini Amazing Box II When you click on a file, the file name will appear in the field box to the right of “File name” as shown in Figure CE-3b. Figure CE-3b To the right of “Files of type” you can choose what type of embroidery format you wish to open. Figure CE-3c Supported file formats include: GNC: GN Scalable (*.gnc) HUS: Viking DOS Customizer/ Customizer 95 (*.
Across the top of the main screen is the title bar. It will display the file name of the design you have opened. If you are working in a new file, and it has not yet been saved, it will display “Untitled” as the file name. Click the Cancel button, to cancel the “Open” command. Save (Ctrl+S) Tip Click File, then Save to save changes to an existing file. The “Save” command saves your document under the same name, replacing the previous version.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 56 Mini Amazing Box II Save As Click File, then Save As to name your design and save it to the desired folder. Figure CE-4 Save As The “Save As” window in Figure CE-4, functions the same way as the “Open” window. Click on the down arrow to the right of the “Save in” box to select the desired folder. Type the name of the design in “File name” as shown in figure CE-4a.
The “Save As” feature will only allow you to save the file within the same format it was opened, with the exception of GNC. If a design is opened in GNC, it can be saved in HUS, CSD, PES, SEW, JEF, PCS, XXX, EXP and DST. If the design was sent from The Mini Amazing Box II, it can only be saved back to The Mini Amazing Box II. After typing the name of the design in “File name” shown in Figure CE-4a, click the Save button and the design will be saved.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 58 Mini Amazing Box II Print (Ctrl+P) Click File, then Print to print a copy of your design. Not only will the design print out, but it will also show the file name, the stitching size, the number of stitches and the number of colors. Print Preview Click File, then Print Preview to display on the screen how the printed page will appear (Figure CE-5).
Figure CE-5a On the right side of the screen (Figure CE-5a), you will notice the file name, the size of design in millimeters and inches, stitch count, number of colors and the order the colors are to be sewn out. Click the Print button to print the instruction sheet to your printer. Click the Next Page button to display the instructions from the second page. The Prev Page button will take you back to the previous page (if applicable).
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 60 Mini Amazing Box II Figure CE-5b Click the One Page button to bring the “Print Preview” screen back to one page as shown in Figure CE-5c. Figure CE-5c Click the Zoom In button to zoom in as shown in Figure CE-5a. Click the Zoom Out button to zoom out as shown in Figure CE-5c. Click the Close button to close the “Print Preview” screen.
Click File, then Print Setup to bring up the print setup dialog box as shown in Figure CE-6. Figure CE-6 Technic al Stuff You will be able to change the type of printer, properties, paper size and orientation within print setup. Exit Tip Click File, then Exit to close Color Editor. If you have not saved your work, you will be asked to do so.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 62 Mini Amazing Box II VIEW Menu Toolbar Figure CE-7 (Top of Screen) Click View, then Main Toolbar to add or remove the “Main Toolbar” options from the screen. A checkmark denotes the toolbar is active. The “Toolbar” is the row of icons found at the top of the screen. As a default, they are always selected “On”.
Hoop Size Click Options, then Hoop Size to select the brand of machine and hoop size as shown in Figure CE-9. Tip Figure CE-9 The workspace grid will increase or decrease in size to show the work area available for that particular machine and hoop size. Each square of the grid equals 10 millimeters by 10 millimeters. (10mm X 10mm). The design you select must fit within the work space.
64 Density Settings Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction (for GNC Designs Only) Click Options, then Density Settings to bring up the dialog box in Figure CE-10. Density Settings only work with GNC designs. Figure CE-10 In Figure CE-10 you will find two ways to adjust the density of the embroidery pattern, “Adjust stitch density” by percentage or by “Thread Weights.
Click on OK to make the appropriate changes to the design, depending on the density settings you select. Reme mber GNC format is the only format in which you can change the density. The GNC format is only found on Amazing Designs Disk Collections. Click on Cancel to close the density settings command without making any changes to your design. Preferences Click Options, then Preferences to bring up the dialog box in Figure CE-11 .
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II Figure CE-11a Figure CE-11a shows the setting for Viking/ Husqvarna machines. This option will split the design at every 12th color change. mber Reme Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 66 When a design is split, the file name will be renamed with an A, B, C etc. at the end of the file. For example; if you have a design named 16044.GNC and this design has 13 color changes in it, the file will be saved as 16044_A.HUS and 16044_B.HUS.
Figure CE-11c is the setting for Pfaff PCS. The first option will make PCS files 100% compatible Pfaff PCS. The second option will split the design at every 16th color change. Reme mber When a design is split, the file name will be renamed with an A, B, C etc. at the end of the file name. For example: you have a design named 16044.GNC and this design has 18 color changes in it, when you save it to Pfaff PCS, the file will be saved as 16044_A.PCS and 16044_B.PCS. Click OK to apply selected preferences.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 68 Mini Amazing Box II Tool Bars This section describes how to use the three tool bars in Figure CE-12 through CE-14.
Open Icon (Ctrl+O) Click the Open icon to open a design file as discussed in the “File Menu” section. Save Icon (Ctrl+S) Click the Save icon to save changes to an existing file. The “Save” command saves your document under the same name with which it was last saved or opened, replacing the previous version. Tip When you finish using Color Editor, save your work before you close it.
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II Hoop Size Icon Click the Hoop Size icon to bring up the dialog box to select a machine and hoop size. See the “Options Menu” section for more information. Reme mber Each square of the grid equals 10 millimeters by 10 millimeters. (10mm X 10mm) The design you select must fit within this work space. Density Settings Icon Click on the Density Settings icon to adjust the density settings as discussed in the “Options Menu” section.
Figure CE-15 The “Color Bar” enables you to change the colors of the design on the screen. Reme mber The “Color Bar” will only show the number of boxes that have color changes within a design. Figure CE-16 After clicking on one of the boxes shown in Figure CE-15 the “Select Color” box will appear as shown in Figure CE-16. Figure CE-16a By clicking on the color you wish to change, the name of the color will appear in the “New Color / Change To” box as shown in Figure CE-16a.
FAQs Mini Amazing Box II Figure CE-16b There are five color palettes available to select colors. Default = 64 colors Baby Lock/Bernina/Brother= 64 colors Husqvarna/Viking = 29 colors Elna/Janome/New Home = 78 colors Pfaff = 16 colors Click on OK to change the selected color to its new color. Click on Cancel to close the color select function without changes.
Figure CE-17 The “Status Bar” provides information about four important items. 1. Size 2. Position from center. 3. Stitch Count 4. Number of Colors Figure CE-17a “Sz:” displays the size of the designs placed on the work space. Figure CE-17b “Pos:” displays the position of the designs placed on the work space relative to the center. Figure CE-17c “St:” displays the stitch count of the designs placed on the work space.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 74 Mini Amazing Box II
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 76 Mini Amazing Box II Frequently Asked Questions Question: Answer: What is a design transfer system? It is a memory card writing system that takes designs from your hard drive, floppy drive or CD and writes them to a memory card to fit your embroidery machine. Now, with this new version, you can also save designs from a memory card to the hard drive of your computer or other writable media.
Question: Answer: What does digitized mean? This is the term for a stitch file. It means that the clip art or picture now has stitches to it. Question: Answer: What does “single sewing field” refer to? Each embroidery machine has a maximum area that may be embroidered at one time. This would be considered the machine’s single sewing field. For example, the Simplicity SE3 or Brother PE150 both have a 100x100mm or 4x4” single sewing field.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 78 Mini Amazing Box II Question: Answer: Question: Answer: How do I keep my Mini Amazing Box II Software up-to-date? The Amazing Designs Web site (http://www.amazingdesigns.com) will post periodic software updates for download. To see which version of the software you have installed, click “Help” on the menu bar and select “About.
Answer: Question: Answer: I have followed the “No Com port” instructions and did not receive the “New Hardware found” message; my software still does not work. There may be other hardware conflicts preventing Windows from recognizing the Mini Amazing Box. Please contact Technical Support for further assistance. Why does the design save to more than one file? Some manufacturers have color or stitch limitations for each file.
FAQs Color Editor Main Screen Quick Start File Formats Installation Introduction 80 Mini Amazing Box II