Why are we dealing with this - please embed the computer

[cwho]

Hi,

Ok, this is a bit of a moan, but I am not a hater. We have a shopbot since we bought our first in the late 90's, I think, when it was made of unistrut and clamps. Love the brand, not currently loving our machine. .


We just did another upgrade to our latest shobot to put in a new interface card. We try to keep the machine up to date and we also thought that it was time to retire WinXP. WOW, what a BAD move. Every other upgrade from Shopbot has been great but this one is Terrible.

Should have stuck with "if it aint broke dont fix it."

Communications errors. Grounding issues, Crashes and freezes

Having always obtained A++ service from Shobot and having read the forums I called. Ugh. I got a "screen reader" who told me to run the computer as Admin, disconnect it from the network, remove all virus protection and don' t let it update. Wow, 2015 guys... and you are telling me that best practice is that my mill should not be on the network. Perhaps I am supposed to run my files back on a floppy? If I wanted all that I could have stayed with XP.

So my question is, why are we dealing with this? Please Shopbot, embed the computer with the next upgrade. You can get a nice Raspberry Pi 2 for $50 or a similar embeded controller, reduce the communications link to .25" and go back to having a machine that "just works" .

Thanks.

I guess I should stop complaining and start stringing what was a working machine with Green grounding wire and buying USB sticks to ferry files...

[jerry_stanek]

What brand of computer are you trying to use.

[bleeth]

All new computers should have all automatic and/or background running services disabled.
No screen saver or sleep mode enabled.
Standard method is Black Viper it.
Ok to be hooked onto network in house so you can access your SB files on your design computer/server unit, assuming you are going through a protected router.
I'm also hooked to the internet but never go on it from that station except when updating SB software, which isn't much!

[Brady Watson]

What brand of computer are you trying to use.

X2. Some are known to have inferior USB hardware. Fine for browsing the net...but not up to par with running a robot. BIG difference.

Not sure why you needed to upgrade XP unless you have a newer version of design software. I've got XP on one of my machines & it runs the latest card/SB3 just fine.

Please list computer brand/model, installed RAM, Operating system, what color USB you are plugged into & what version of SB3 you are running. Is this a 4G or RBK control box?

-B

[David Iannone]

I feel your pain. I have been bringing my old PRT up to date. 4g board was when my comm errors started. I will always own Shopbot. I wish they would sell the control cpu in the package too.

At this time I have contacted Gray Campbell to build me a custom control CPU for my bot. I only use control CPU to control Bot. No Design software, I shuffle a usb thumb drive from office to machine to cut.

Dave

[tlempicke]

The problem is really with Microslop. I am running an Apple Mac with Bootcamp and Windows 8 in order to use Aspire. Great combo! My Mac runs for years at a time with no issues. Apple upgrades it on a regular basis at no charge, or if a new operating system comes along it costs about $29, so no big deal there. A cheapie Lenovo (I think) runs the Bot and I never, ever have issues. When you can buy a laptop for under $500 and never have problems why have a custom computer built up?

From the 1980's up until 2006 I spent hundreds of hours building up computers and then trying to get them to run. I fought with Windows registration and anti piracy schemes for hours proving to them that the software I had just bought was really mine to use. Finally my son in law (An IT professional) took me by the hand and led me into the light. l have never looked back and my blood pressure has never been better.

[bill.young]

Have you guys been following the FabMo development?

https://handibot.com/forum/read.php?1,746,746

[cwho]

Hello


>jerry- What brand of computer are you trying to use.
It is a Dell - Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93 Ghz. 4 Gig RAM, Windows 7 64 bit.

>bleeth - Black Viper it.
Thanks for that link. I will do this. We do also lock down most features on the computers that control our machines (3d printers, laser, shopbot) but I have typically done this by NOT allowing admin rights.

>Brady - upgrade XP -
yep, bad idea I suppose. The 2nd or 3rd set of fans were starting to go. Rather than emergency scrounge together another xp box when the current one died I thought I would do a "planned upgrade..."
>computer brand/model
Dell OPtiplex 775, Core 2 Duo, 2.93 Ghz
>installed RAM
4 Gb
>Operating system
Win 7 64 bit
> what color USB you are plugged into
Black
> what version of SB3 you are running.
Version 3.8.26.
> Is this a 4G or RBK control box?
I don't know - It is a large welded aluminum box with Vextra ASD3011 motor drivers. The Shobbot mother board is PN - 001003-01.
The software About says that:
Control Box Serial # = PRSA11xxx..
Control Box firmware is 2.18
Port 4
Speed 5:0
OS = 2; 6.01

The machine is a PRT Alpha 48 x 94 with a PRS Z upgrade. We just purchased the new comm daughter board from Shopbot in Jan.


Many thanks to all for your thoughts

[cwho]

>The problem is really with Microslop.

Yes, I completely agree although I don't think that Mac is really the solution either particularly if you then layer microsoft on top of it. It is great your solution works but layer on layer does not see robust.

The problem is taking a general purpose operating system that has bloated in order to solve many disparate demands and trying to force it do a specific task that demands tight synchronous communications. As others point out, the solution to this is to turn off one thing after another until you get a system that is stable.

The solution to me is to start with a clean operating system and just put in the features that you need to run the bot and talk to a network. In the past this was really not practical to do this and it probably would have added thousands to the price of the machine. (custom board development, LOTS of programming)/ However, it seems to me that times have changed. Microprocessor boards complete with communications, I/O, monitor support, networking, OS and Development environment are cheap.

Bill - No had not seen it. YES, EXACTLY. It looks like things are going in the right direction with the Handibot. I hope it percolates through to the main product line. Just let me plug a USB keyboard/mouse and monitor into my GenX Shopbot and allow it to connect wirelessly to my Samba server....

Thanks
Charles

[jerry_stanek]

your problem is the Dell I can not run mine with a Dell 755 it will crash every time. I am running mine off an old HP DC5700 core 2 pentium never had a lost com with it. Before that I was running an HP single core pentium and again never had a problem with lost com errors. The only reason I had to change was the mother board died on it. I have tried to run it with a Dell 8400, 340 and the 755 and none of them would run it without com errors. Do a search and see all the problems that others have had trying to use Dell computers. It has to do with their USB ports.