Running Shopbot on a Mac

[Billions]

That's very strange, right? I've never seen that error but I can't claim I have that much experience either. I also run Windows under Parallels, but it's Windows 7.

I'm sure you've likely already tried this, but I wait until Windows (under Parallels 7) is fully started and waiting before I connect my Shobot's USB to my MacBook Pro, forcing it to ask me if I want the newly-inserted USB connected to my Mac, or if I want it connected to the "virtual" PC. At this point I tell it Windows. It asks if I want to remember the choice but I decline, as I find I have no problem with Windows recognizing the Shopbot if I do it like this. On times where I've had it connected before I start Windows under Parallels, the Shopbot is sometimes ignored as Parallels seems to assume it's a peripheral outside the Windows shell.

All wild guessing on my part, but maybe the virtual machine is considering the USB port you've picked "bad" when it's really just some software issue with the Shopbot already being connected when you start your virtual Windows machine in Parallels.


Of course, I'm able to do this as I run my Shopbot off of my laptop, which I put away in a drawer if I'm not shopbotting, but if I wanted the convenience of leaving it totally connected all the time I'd probably grow weary of connecting the USB cable all the time. During heavy usage times, once it's running, I leave it connected and running for a day or two at a time.

[wcsg]

I'm not a PC guy so to speak. But the connector that comes out of my CB is USB short cord. And what I had was a 8' USB cord that was supplied. I have a prt alpha and I have no problem working it off my PC but it is a dying machine.

[srwtlc]

If you look inside your CB, and you see one of these, you need to install the drivers for it.

[wcsg]

Okay, that is what I have connected to my CB. Are the drivers not part of the installation disk that Shopbot gave me?

If not, where do I get these drivers? In my shopbot3/drivers I have a IOGEAR GU232A folder in there along with ShopBotControllerV201

I think the CD was 3.1.1. and I downloaded 3.6.46 from the SB site as current for XP and my machine

[srwtlc]

If you go back to device manager and right click on that USB Serial controller, choose properties, driver tab, update drivers. Choose to get the driver from the hard drive and navigate to that driver folder I mentioned earlier and it should choose the file, but if it doesn't, try SERWPL.INF.

You should not have the SB plugged in when installing the drivers, but can plug it in when done and it say device ready or something like that. After that, when you plug the SB in, it should recognize it and possibly say device ready again. At that point, you should hopefully be able to connect to it.

[wcsg]

Here is what I have in the Device Manager.

If I right Click on Universal Serial Bus controllers all I don't get a driver tab, but I can listed under that. Is there one in particular?

[wcsg]

Okay so here is the update.

In another thread I saw to go into the paralells usb settings. I changed USB-Serial Controller #2 to connect to "Windows XP"

Then in the device Manager it was picking up something but an unknown. That unknown I did what you said, select the driver tab and pointed to the driver folder and now this





So once it showed up I went into the SB software and went through the process of having the software look for a port.




It shows port three as valid now.






But that's as far as I can get. Once it says port 3, and I try to access the virtual mode to live it goes right back to the yellow screen, and once again just says 3 is connected but cannot get past this part.

Getting closer at least.

Any other suggestions?

[srwtlc]

Ok, good, getting closer. Is this the first time that your SB has been accessed by this version of SB software? If so, choose to let it go into preview mode and then try to update the firmware with 'UI' and follow the prompts. If that works and it connects to the control box, you'll need to select the proper default values for you machine. If it doesn't ask, do that with 'UD' and choose to load defaults for the model machine you have.

[wcsg]

HAHA, i'm such a dum dum. Thanks guys...ALOT!!

Have had this just collecting dust in my garage for a little over a year and just now putting it to some use again.

I tried the firmware thing last night but wasn't doing it right. I was loading then when prompted to he next small window, I would play around with it then close it then turn off my CB, then turn it back on. This time I read correctly and turned the box off at the small window then back on and the bars came active. Wala, ON!

But boy a little different than the software i'm used too. Hopefully better.

Is Partworks the new Partwizard? if so is it free or do I have to pay since my machine is old?

Thanks a bunch again guys for your patience my slow mind, that's why this Shopbot forum community is so awesome and why I went with buying the SB so long ago. Active and helpful group of users.

Can't thank you all enough, especially Scott!!

[jerry_stanek]

partswork is different and yes you would have to pay for it. It is the same as vcarve pro from vectric