PFAFF PFILES: Transferring Designs to a Creative 7500 or 2100 Series Machine

One of the most common PFAFF-related questions I see is "how can I transfer designs from a computer to my 7500 /2100 series machine?" I have created a list of ways for how this can be acheived. If any readers have other recommendations, please leave a comment below or email me.

Creative 7560/7562/7570

Method 1: Third Party Card Readers

I will begin with the easiest and likely to be the most successful method -- the Vikant Ultimate Box II and the Vikant Ultimate Card III. The Ultimate Box II will work with Windows 10, and Vikant advertises it will also work with Macs (with the addition of extra software). You can read all about the Ultimate Box II here -- be sure to read the FAQ.  I have never personally used this, but I often see people praising it.

There is also the Amazing Box by Amazing Designs, which I believe it more or less the same thing, although it seems to be discontinued, and I am not sure how well it works with Windows 10.

 

Method 2: Serial Transfer Cable

The PFAFF serial transfer cable (#820004-096) plugs into the Creative Designer input on the machine, and the other end plugs into a serial RS232 connection on the computer. This bypasses the need for a memory card. I am not sure if USB adaptors work for this. If so, cheap $15 adapters will likely not work as they do not produce enough voltage for large amounts of data to transfer, which results in no connection. This cable works for the PC Designer software (there were several versions of this software for both Mac and Windows), but I am not sure if it will work with any other software. These are rare and expensive, and will likely only work with a computer from the 1990s unless you can get compatible software to work with a modern operating system.

Method 3: Creative Card Station

The PFAFF Creative Card Station (not to be confused with the 2100 series Creative Card Station II/Smart Card Station), also requires a serial RS232 port on your computer -- I am also not sure if a USB adaptor will work. I think the Creative Card Station might also work with PC Designer software, and I know it works with 3D File Assistant (but not 4D or 5D). Creative Card Stations occasionally pop up on eBay and in the Facebook Marketplace, and are less expensive than the transfer cable.

Creative 2140/2144/2170

Method 1: Third Party Card Readers

I'll start with this as many people have both the a 7570/7562/7560 and a 2140/2144/2170, and this works with both -- the Vikant Ultimate Box II. See "Method 1" above for information.

Method 2: PC Card Transfer Cable

PC Card transfer cable (serial version).

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There are two versions of this transfer cable:

• Serial RS232 (#9233031591000)
• USB (#820498-096)

The card plugs into the machine, while the other end plugs into the computer. This will work with 3D/4D/5D File Assistant to transfer designs -- 5D works the best with Windows 10. Regarding the RS232 version, a serial-to-USB adapter WILL work, but again, it must be a quality adapter or else a connection will not be made between the machine and the computer.

Method 3: 3D Creative Card Station II/4D Smart Card Station

PFAFF 4D Smart Card Station (#820802-096), originally called 3D Creative Card Station II (#820488-096), plugs into any Windows machine via USB. It has two ports -- a smart card slot (for the 2124 & 2134), and a PC card slot for 7500 and 2100 series PC cards. It will accept both the purple Creative Fantasy memory  cards, and the red & white memory cards for the 2100 series. It works well with 5D File Assistant for transferring designs. The box says it only reads 7500 series cards, but it will indeed write to the purple Creative Fantasy cards (which formats them for the 2140/2144/2170, and will not work in 7500 series machines).

The smart card slot in the Creative Card Station II/Smart Card Station works with the Creative 2124 and 2134 machines.

Creative 2124/2134 Smart Card

Memory Card Types

7570/7562/7560 Creative Card (#92-030 012-00/000)

7500 series Creative Card.

There are two versions of this card, which look identical except the first version has two switches/actuators rather than one. The extra one is for the battery. Older PC cards used batteries, so if you have one of these that no longer work, chances are the battery needs to be replaced. 

Insert from a Creative Fantasy memory card (Version 1), 

explaining how to change the battery.

2140/2144/2170 Creative Card

2140/2144/2170 Creative Card.

This is a 4MB card for the 2140/2144/2170 machines. I am not sure if these can be formatted to use in 7500 series machines.

Memory Card Compatibility

It should be noted that the 2140/2144/2170 machines are backwards compatible. In other words, they can read 7500 series cards, and can even write to them, but they have their own formatting system that the 7500 series cannot read. For example, a blank 7500 series Creative Card can be used in both 7500 and 2100 machines. However, if you save data to one using a 2100 series machine, a 7500 series machine can no longer read it, and the card will have to be formatted for it to again work with a 7500 series machine.

Third-Party Memory Cards

Aside from third-party companies such as Vikant and Amazing Designs, it is also possible to use generic blank PC cards, although I cannot confirm which specific brands and specifications work.

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A generic PC card.

Final Note

If you come across one of the cards in the photo below, please know it is not a blank memory card, but rather a firmware upgrade card for the 2140/2144/2170 machines. It cannot be formatted to use as a memory card.

PFAFF PFLASHBACK: The History of PFAFF -- Ownership Changes Part II (1993-2000)

This installation of PFAFF PFLASHBACK is part two of the popular History & Ownership Changes article that I wrote several months ago. Covering the years 1993-2000, it actually predates the time period covered in the last article. This is a rather bizarre and convoluted story, but clears up the many rumors of why PFAFF went bankrupt in late 1999, and why it was sold a few months later to Viking in April 2000.

1993-2000

In 1993, 72% of G.M. Pfaff AG (PFAFF) was sold to Hong Kong-based company Semi-Tech Global Ltd. for $73 million (USD). Semi-Tech Global was controlled by a Chinese-Canadian businessman named James Ting, who was one of Hong Kong's most successful businessmen at the time, accumulating a large empire worth five billion dollars. Semi-Tech Corp. (based in Ontario, Canada) owned Semi-Tech Global, along with various electronic companies including Singer N.V. (Singer), which was purchased in 1989 and rebranded. 

In 1997, Ting had Singer purchase PFAFF from sister company Semi-Tech Global (which now owned 81% of PFAFF) for $150 million. The other 19% remained on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. This seemed like an odd acquisition because Singer was not doing well financially, and in the prior year PFAFF generated $448 million in sales. Clearly something was not right.

The black sheep of the PFAFF 7500 series -- the creative 7560. Originally designed for Singer during the mid-1990s while both companies were owned by related companies. This model was eventually released under the PFAFF brand for unknown reasons. It has no IDT dual feed and is different in appearance than the other 7500 series models. Later released was a limited-edition 7562 model which included the IDT dual feed.

In September 1999, both PFAFF and Singer filed for bankruptcy within days of each other. PFAFF's bankruptcy was partially due to Singer's debt. The Ontario-based Semi-Tech Corp., which owned around 50% of Singer's common stock, had filed for Chapter 11 protection one week prior. The company claimed Semi-Tech's bankruptcy was unrelated to that of PFAFF and Singer, but it was apparent all was not well within the group controlled by Ting.

Around this same time, multiple companies operated by Ting, including Singer and PFAFF, were all injected into a company called Grande Holdings. This company was also owned and operated by James Ting; along with Christopher & Stanley Ho (also of Hong Kong's wealthiest businessmen at the time). None of the shareholders or banks were notified, a highly illegal act that wasn't realized by the courts until many years later. As it turns out, there were bad bonds, bad behavior, and hundreds of millions of dollars had been stolen from Canadian shareholders. Vast sums of money went missing from the various companies owned by the Semi-Tech Corp. -- about $2 billion total in cash and assets.

The bankruptcy of Singer, PFAFF and the Semi-Tech Corp resulted in the collapse of Ting's empire. In 2000, with hundreds of millions (if not billions) in cash and assets still on hand, he was on the run and wanted in Canada, United States, and Hong Kong. He was eventually arrested in 2003 while getting off a plane in Macau, and imprisoned in 2005 on two counts of false accounting related to the fictitious purchase of a company called MicroMain Systems. He was released one year later following errors in the prosecution's case. Ting has not been seen since, with his whereabouts being unknown to this day.

It should be noted that in terms of product quality and production, amazingly nothing seemed to have changed at PFAFF despite all of the drama happening behind the scenes. Machines were still made in Germany and assembled in the Czech Republic by Zetina (these machines have "Made in Germany" on the serial plates). The quality during this era was very high. In fact, this time period is arguably when the best computerized models were produced, such as the 7550 and 7570; both of which are still highly sought-after models that have retained extremely steady values in the used sewing machine market.

Aftermath

Because PFAFF was essentially bankrupted due to a money laundering scheme by James Ting, Viking were able to quickly purchase the company, likely for a very small amount of money. Viking and PFAFF were then sold to the equity firm Kohlberg & Co. in 2006 to form SVP Worldwide (reuniting PFAFF and Singer), and in 2018 SVP was sold to another equity firm, Ares Management. 

So there you have it, some arcane PFAFF history showing the dark side of the sewing world!

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