RPM Window won't appear...

So my trusty ShopBot computer bit the dust today. 13 years is a good run, right? :) (motherboard won't post...)

Anyway, I get a replacement machine up with Windows 7x64 and after a lot of scrambling I get the machine to recognize my IUSB24AT RS-485 interface board - it's basically a USB to RS-485 box. It appears as COM5.

When I ran the SBP software, I tried to pick COM5 for the VFD via the RPM tool's configuration screen. It refused to accept "5" for the port # - it never threw a dialog but, it never dismissed the configuration window on "OK" either.

I cancelled out of it and the RPM tool went away. Now, nothing I do will bring up the RPM Tool! I can see the window flash on to the screen for a fraction of a second before it vanishes again.

I'm using SBP v 3.8.50

I NEED my RPM control. :( Help!

Thanks!

g.

I know this is not directly related but I have the control board that goes in the VFD for sale at $125. Complete with wiring and shielded USB cable. Costs $250 new from Shopbot.

Dear G

Have you had a look at the VI command to reset the port number?

Sincerely
Martin

I have not. Does that a) force the rpm tool to accept the port I give it and b) correct the error that makes the dialog only appear for a flash?

tnx.

g.

Dear G

a) and b)
All I can say is; I remember in the dark and distant past we had an issue with 'COMS' and moved from the front USB port to one at the rear. We had to use the VI command to work through the port numbers until we found the one that works (I'm not sure if it needed it - but we rebooted the machine each time).

Let me check some things..

i) Is the machine running without the spindle control dialog?
if yes.. ii) Can you change the spindle speed in a part file with the TR command like TR,20000,1?
iii) Of course you have tried using the TR command at the keyboard!

Anyway others reading may have more to add

Yours sincerely and in good faith
Martin

PS I'm assuming you have done a 'cold' reboot - computer, control box, everything!

Open regedit (click windows start and type 'regedit') and open this key...HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\ShopBot\Virtual Tools\Spindle Control ...delete that folder and then try opening SB3 and the spindle control window again.

Do you have the drivers installed for that IUSB24AT RS-485 interface board? What SB3 version were you running on the old PC? I was using one of those several years ago and don't remember if it worked with SB3 3.8.XX.

Hi Gene,

I may not be understanding your problem, but if your ShopBot is connected on COM5 then the spindle controller will be on a different COM port. You need to find the port that the spindle control is connected to and not try to set it to the same COM port as the ShopBot control card.

Bill

srwtlc had the right idea. Thank you! (There's /zero/ excuse for using a VB6 program in production in 2019. As a professional software developer with 35 years of experience, this makes me angrier that it probably should.)

After deleting the registry folder, my RPM control came back! Unfortunately, it's still not taking the port number as it should and issues no error message, just won't dismiss the form. (BUG!)
Here's a screenshot of the issue:
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/att...id=33126&stc=1
(because the forum software is mis-configured, I'm including a link to the image that's the original, readable size here: https://www.geneb.org/shopbot/rpm-screenshot.png)
As you can see by the device manager listing, COM5 is present, however the RPM configuration screen is refusing to accept it. Is there a "debug" version of SBC available that will give me usable information in solving this problem or do I get to cough up $$$$$ to replace an RS-485 controller that functions perfectly because of a fatal bug in a $20k machine tool's software? (And yes, I'm kind of irritated right now.)

Also, I don't recall what version of SBC I was running on the old machine as it's dead as a post and I haven't had time to image the drive and virtualize it yet.

Thanks.

g.

Update - after being reminded that the application is written in VB6, I tried changing the device to COM2 via Device Manager and it worked perfectly. The "1-16" indication in the dialog box is misleading. It won't see any port higher than 4. (4 is used by the SB control interface).

This really should be noted in the software.

Thanks all.

g.

Hmmm. My spindle uses port 5.

If you first do a TR, then click on the word "RPM" in the window, you get the text edit form up where you can change things. I noticed on your screen shot that the "Start when SB starts" is set to "0". Set it to "1" if you want the RPM window to open automatically.

Just went through a computer refresh for my 3.6.38 software version so it's fresh in my mind.

One thing that was a good idea for me and might be for you too is to go through all the SB setup screens and take pictures of the data. That way you have an independent record of your settings that won't require you to save an SD card, paper printouts or anything else. It took me a few minutes to find them as I did it years ago but they were in my Google Photos online. Great thing to have.