Tutorial: Using the Brother Cartridge and Cartridge Utility

How to use the Brother Cartridge and Cartridge Utility

A step-by-step description of the process of creating a pattern file on your computer, transferring it onto the Brother Cartridge, and loading it into memory on a Brother electronic knitting machine.

Brother electronic knitting machines came with patterns already loaded into the machine, but also with ways to input patterns. One of those ways was through the use of a physical Cartridge which fit into the console of the knitting machine and could be used to both save patterns from the knitting machine, and to import new patterns into the knitting machine. These cartridges could also be used with the PPD system which connected with a television set, before personal computers were common. This was an improvement over the manual input process, but is quite primitive by modern standards.

A third-party company, IBB electronic engineering, offers a Brother stitch pattern cartridge for knitting machines. This device fits into electronic knitting machines that took the original pattern cartridge, but also can be connected with a computer through a USB port. Interacting with the Brother Cartridge requires the Cartridge Utility software.
The Brother Cartridge has a very basic memory, and uses its own file format. The Cartridge Utility program is used to transfer graphics files into this file format, and then to transfer the file format to and from the Brother Cartridge.

Using the Brother Cartridge and the Cartridge Utility is a two-stage process. One step is to create (or unpack) the simple file in the format (*.BPM = Brother Pattern Memory)  that will fit on the Cartridge. The other step is to transfer this simple file to (or from) the computer and the Cartridge.

Yes, it is arcane and awkward. That's how computing used to be in the day. :) 

I work with an MS Windows computer using Windows 10; I have no experience with using a Macintosh computer to run this.

Overview of the steps

1. Obtain a suitable pattern in a suitable format
2. Use the Cartridge utility to add the pattern to a BPM file (Brother pattern memory)
3. Use the Cartridge utility to write the BPM file onto the physical Brother Cartridge over a USB cable.
4. Take the Brother Cartridge to the Brother electronic knitting machine and transfer the pattern(s) into the memory of the electronic knitting machine.

Step 1. Obtain a suitable pattern in a suitable format

Knitting machines use bitmaps - either 0 or 1 (white versus black). The pattern needs to be some kind of bitmap. Each pixel represents a stitch on the knitting machine. The width of the pattern should be less than the width of your knitting machine - but the knitting machine will repeat it for you, so it can be much smaller.

The Cartridge Utility can add the following file types:

*.PAT DesignaKnit PAT file
*.BPT Brother PaTtern file
*.CST CompuStrick CST file
*.CUT Creation CUT file
*.PCX System 90 PCX file
*.STC Stitch Painter file
*.SBR Stitch Painter Brush file
*.DAT PC10 DAT file

Most of these files are proprietary file formats from commercial software. For example, if you own DesignaKnit, you can use it to make a *.PAT file, and then the Cartridge Utility will allow you to upload it into your knitting machine.

You may also have a *.PAT file provided with a pattern that you could use. 

With Adobe Photoshop, I was able to save an image file as a *.PCX file.

Or you could use a free graphics program, such as GIMP, to create and save a pattern file. GIMP is not for the faint of heart, but it is free. 

Let's say that we have our file, call it: mypattern.pcx

Step 2. Use the Cartridge utility to add the pattern to a BPM file (Brother pattern memory) 

mypattern.pcx

You can do this step without the Brother Cartridge unit connected. The BPM file will be stored on your computer. 

Run the Cartridge Utility program. Here's the opening screen on mine:

I click on the No Port button, because I don't have the device connected and I just want to make a file.

The only choice I have next is 4. Edit. The first three options require me to have the Brother Cartridge connected. When I click on it (or type 4), I get this screen:

In the next screen, I can either open an existing BPM file, or create a new one. I am going to create a new file, MyPattern.BPM. I click on New, and am prompted first to choose which Mode I want.

You can see that you have a choice of 7 different Brother electronic knitting machine models. Yes, different formats for different machines is arcane and awkward. That's the way computing used to be in the old days.

I have a KH-965i, so I will choose number 5. Here's the next screen:

You can see that the file name is Untitled.bpm and the Mode is KH-965. In the centre, there is a list with only one entry, Page 1.

Again, this is arcane and awkward. But that's the way computing used to be in the old days.

Now click on Page 1, and click the Edit button on the top right. Here's what my screen looks like now:

Again, my file name and mode are there as before. The screen says that I have 95% of the space available. The other 5% must already be taken up with file details.

Now I can either Browse, or Add. Browse gives me a way to look at pattern files on my computer, so that I can find the one I want without having to use another program.

I have a file I made on my computer, called checkers.pcx. Using Browse within the Cartridge Utility, it looks like this:

Now I am going to go back to the previous screen, and add it. I click on the Add button, and get this screen:

901  10 x 10 @ 0600, 0014
This is the Index (901) and the pattern information (10 x 10 - 10 pixels by 10 pixels), as well as the memory location. You don't need to know anything about the memory location (it's arcane .... ), but you do want to know what the pattern number is, and it helps to know how big it is.

If I wanted to, I could add additional patterns into the same BPM file, and they would be listed as 902, 903, etc.

The amount of storage space differs by type of knitting machine. It is limited. That's the way computers used to be. (should I patent this phrase, I wonder)

Now I can close the file, and then I want to save it onto my computer. I click on Save As, find the directory where I want to save the file, and type the new file name at the bottom where it says File Name. Here's a screenshot:

I Save the file MyPattern.BPM. 

On the next screen, click on the Exit button, and we are back to the opening User Interface screen, ready to move on to the next step.

Step 3. Use the Cartridge utility to write the BPM file onto the physical Brother Cartridge over a USB cable. 

In this step, we are going to take the MyPattern.BPM file from the computer's hard drive and move it onto the Brother Cartridge. For this step, you need to use the cable that came with the Brother Cartridge to connect it to a USB port on your computer. Once you have done this, the User Interface will now allow all of the options, not just the Edit option.

We click on 2. Write to write the file that we just created onto the Brother Cartridge.


This takes a long time, far longer than seems reasonable for the size of the file. But that's the way computing used to be. Wait until the computer is finished.

Now you are finished at the computer. You can disconnect the Brother Cartridge from the USB port on your computer, and take it with you to your knitting machine.

Step 4. Take the Brother Cartridge to the Brother electronic knitting machine and transfer the pattern(s) into the memory of the electronic knitting machine.

For this step, you can consult your knitting machine manual. I am cutting this short in the interest of getting it out sooner rather than later.  Good luck!

ARS Amoretto Super 8 Excell Knitting Machine

The ARS Amoretto Super 8 Excell Knitting machine is a Japanese made machine with a fascinating needle selection system. I owned one for years, then bought 3 of them brand new in the original plastic still, with pristine manuals. 2 of the three are now in new homes, and I'm keeping the third out of interest. I've scanned the manuals as PDF's. I also have a stash of replacement needles if you need any - ask and you can have some for the price of shipping.

I have the following manuals as PDFs. They are large files, so give them time:

ARS Amoretto ARSKnitter Instruction Manual
ARS Amoretto Knitting Codes
ARS Amoretto Super8 Excell Supplementary Instructions


At the moment the PDFs are hosted on DropBox, but I may move them, so please link to the blog (I will update links here) rather than the file locations.

Passap Duo DM: Should I worry about these bent parts?

There are three adjacent plastic parts (gate channels?) on the back bed of my Duo that are bent. I hope you can see despite the dark picture. I've shown them with the needles pulled forward so you can see the functional effect.

We have a heat gun (way hotter than a hairdrier), and that would probably soften the plastic enough to try to bend them back. Is this much bending going to interfere with function? Is it worth the risk?



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Computers, knitting and knitting machines

Talking about computers and knitting machines gets complicated fairly quickly because we vary in our background and, to be honest, in our level of interest in both computer and knitting machine arcana.

The heyday of machine knitting was the 1980s, which preceded the invasion of computers into our daily lives. So much of the information about how to use computers with knitting machines assumes a fluency with machine knitting, but a very basic and somewhat anxious knowledge about computer technology.

Today there is a new generation of knitters who take computers completely for granted, but have never seen a knitting machine. The way to present information about computer-aided machine knitting to this group needs to be completely revamped.



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Leggings

DD keeps growing up, but not out, so I thought I would make her some leg-warmers to cover the gap between socks and the bottoms of her pants. We'll see if they fit, and if she likes them.



This was a simple non-pattern on my SK155 + ribber bulky knitting machine, with a Bernat Jacquard self-patterning acrylic yarn.

Set up for 1 by 1 rib, 14..14 on back bed, 13..13 on front bed, Circular cast-on at T0/0, [RC000]. Increase from T3 for the first full row, up one dot each row until at T5/5. Knit 20 rows of ribbing [RC020]. Transfer all stitches to main bed, K40R @ T5 [RC060]. Transfer every other stitch back to ribber. K10R @ T5/5. [RC070] Knit 3 circular rows, then transfer back to main bed. K1R at T4 [COL, RC074]. Back stitch bind off with a tapestry needle, then stitch up the side and bury the ends.

PE-1 Backup Battery

Thanks to Lois Stevens, I've got some pictures of what the backup battery inside a PE-1 looks like.







It looks like this is a rechargable NiCad battery made by SANYO, of the type that was used as a backup battery on computer motherboards in the early PC years (1980's). Unfortunately, NiCads need to be recharged from time to time to keep their function. Most PE-1 units that have sat on a shelf for years at a time are likely to have dead batteries inside them.

What does this mean for the average user? First, the backup battery is not required to store patterns on a pattern card. Each pattern card has its own little battery inside it (CR2016 in mine), and so as long as that battery is still working, you can read mylars and keep them on the card.

The backup battery allows you to turn off your knitting machine electronics (which power the PE-1) and retain the working files you are using. Without a working backup battery, you will need to reconstruct those working files if you interrupt your work. That may or may not be enough of a hassle that you want to replace your battery.

If you do want to replace it, it looks like it is fairly readily available. The number you are looking for is N-50SB3, which is 3 N-50SB cells in series with some wire lead connectors. A German supplier who ships through Amazon-UK states that this is no longer being made, but offers a different technology (Nickel metal-hydride, NiMH) as an alternative. Lois found this US source. So it looks like this is a part that is available. Note that these links are from Feb 2011, so you may need to do a current search if you are reading this at a later date. It also looks like these batteries come with the wire tabs ready to put into the circuit board, so it should be a fairly straightforward job for someone with the right tools and skills¹ to remove the old one and put in the new one.

My PE-1 is still almost new, and from what I can tell I will need to break a sticker to get into the unit. So I am not planning to replace the battery before I sell it.

¹ According to DH who is an electronics hobbyist, you need to use a soldering iron and solder that are designed for work on electronics. Electronics solder uses rosin flux; the solder used for stained glass and plumbing uses an acid flux that will damage the board. Also, larger soldering irons are too hot and will also damage circuit boards. So even if you have a soldering iron around for other purposes, you need to take care.