Hi David,
Yes, it has a computer interface. Provo Craft distributes certain software
to connect to the machine, modify certain patterns and upgrade the firmware.
Their software cannot, however, be used to cut custom patterns - they prefer
that you buy their $60 cartridges and use only the patterns on them.
Sure-Cuts-a-Lot is made by Craft Edge and can be found here:
http://www.craftedge.com/index.html They must have found some vulnerability in the Cricut firmware, because SCAL
only works with certain firmware versions.
Larger patterns do tend to get skewed in one dimension. Like I said,
though, it could very well be an artifact of changing file types so much.
It could also be a bug in SCAL or the Cricut firmware.
I'm fairly certain Cricuts use stepper motors. They do exhibit the
characteristic hum of stepper motors, and servos motors would undoubtedly
raise the cost significantly. Nonetheless, the device can cut fairly
complex patterns quickly (< 15 minutes for the most complex patterns I've
cut).
I've got to mention that I'm not the one to discover the technique of using
a Cricut to cut solder past stencils. I found this Instructable which
prompted me to begin my own experimentation:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Create_Solder_Paste_Stencils_with_Cricut/ Regards,
Paul Symansky
w: www.paulsymansky.com
w: www.symtechlabs.com
"Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]