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Thread: 2001 PRT96 all original - no upgrades - v3.30 control board

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    The Plains, VA
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    22

    Default 2001 PRT96 all original - no upgrades - v3.30 control board

    I have a PRT96 I bought new from SB in April 2001. I have an interested buyer who has s different idea what it is worth than I do. This person has never operated a cnc tool, ShopBot or other, but he has excellent ideas how to use it, he's a great woodworker, and I think he catches on quickly to new concepts.

    He is concerned that the v3.30 control board and serial port with computer running DOS 6.22 (he has no DOS experience either) will become obsolete. He doesn't want to have to design on a windows machine and copy to diskette, and carry it to the control computer and install it, like I have the whole time I have used it. Again he is concerned that diskettes will become obsolete and then he will have to upgrade, or, or... He also doesn't want to use a different computer for design than running the bot.

    Please understand I am not dissing him at all. I like and respect him. I hear his concerns and I think they are valid, at least from his perspective.

    ShopBot tells me that a 4g control board upgrade for $1500 will do away with the serial port and provide USB ports. It will also, as I understand it, include newer stepper drivers and will run on ANY Windows OS. I think this accurately describes the machine and cost of upgrades to make it do things the way he wants it to. I have and will give him what ever help, support, training I can since he is within 25 miles of me.

    I think the machine is worth at least $ 3,500, perhaps as much as $ 5,000. At $ 3,500 with the 4g upgrade that puts it to $ 5,000 and it will be a configuration that he will find acceptable. If he went for the RBK upgrade for $ 2,600 he would, as I understand it, have the latest control software in the sealed box and new servo loop motors. I was told it would be as close to the latest machines out there except it won't have the extruded aluminum gantries and the better braced table (which I think we could brace ourselves).

    Am I as way out of bounds in my thinking as I am verbose? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

    And it someone is interested in this machine, maybe we could talk if this fella decides he doesn't want it, tho I am considering keeping it. I haven't used it much due to Life's little interruptions and now I've gotten fired up having recently set it up and run it...

    Apologies for the tome... Just trying to be comprehensive... Thanks in advance for any thoughts, help.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    houston, texas
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    37

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    I use an even older machine with a 3board. The computer is a win98 machine with the USB patch. I design in photoshop and Corel, import AI files to ArtCamPro then save to Sbp. I'd love to get this machine upgraded but it's working very well right now.
    I'd say a Z upgrade would be as well spent as a board upgrade. Also, concerning upgrades, the Rezurrection for shopbot http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/sho...ntrol-Upgrades

  3. #3
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    Jan 2011
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    The Plains, VA
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    Thanks artbot, for the reply. What/how does the USB patch work? Serial to usb cable/adapter? I think the tower I am using has late *86 processor or early Pentium processor? maybe? Will have to look into that.

    I'm really trying to see how I can get this potential buyer into shopbotting on my PRT with windows and usb ports/connections for as little $ as possible til he gets accustomed to it and decides how to upgrade for better cutting res and speed and better communication between motors and board/computer, etc..

    This is where I appreciate your reply. If you could help me just a little to understand the usb patch, or perhaps where to look for instructions that would be greatly appreciated. Are you doing the design on the win98 machine also? It seems to me like I upgraded to a new tower in 2010 to have a faster/better graphics machine to design in, then just copied .sbp files to diskette and took it into the shop and put it in the PC running DOS. Still works for me today. But I understand the buyers desire to run design and sb control in one xp machine. Sounds like you may have some knowledge that might help me, please?

    And if you would be willing to hazard a guess or guidance as to whether I am asking waaaay to much for this older machine? What would be a reasonable value, keeping in mind the upgrade amounts to get this machine to more like this potential buyer would be comfortable with and also considering it runs flawlessly now. Or you have apperently worked around that issue with usb patch.

    THis 2001 PRT comes with x1, x2 y, z, aux inputs/outputs v3.30 control board, contol box. Porter Cable 3-1/4HP router. ZZero Plate, proximity/limit switches, digitizing probe with extra 3 or 4 diameter probes from Bud Olsen (I think that's right) PW2, Mega Vector Art Collection and CD, and I'm probably forgetting something but its relative insignificant.

    THanks for any more guidance you may have for me.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Lakin KS
    Posts
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    Knothead, (cool name by the way )I recently bought a 2001 PRT9648 that was (as far as I know) just like it came from SB. Here's a picture of the board.



    I'm running a Win 7 machine. There is a cable that runs from the board to the computer that goes from Serial to USB. I recently had the board rebuilt (to the tune of $550). Now as far as price, I think you are in the ballpark. I paid $4000 for mine (in October) knowing I was going to put $1000 - $1500 into it. (which I did). The guy I bought from threw in an extra router motor that needed rebuilt (which I did), a bunch of bits, and , mine came with a big vacuum for the table hold down system.



    So if you are at $3500 I think you may be in the ballpark.
    Tom Bachman,
    Drafting/Woodworking Instructor RETIRED!
    Lakin, Kansas

    2001 PRT4896
    https://i.imgur.com/xWEFfDk.jpg

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Jasper, TX
    Posts
    536

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    I think I purchased my 2001 PRT in Dec of 2001. It was in dos mode when I purchased. I don't remember how but I was able to change to windows very easily. I think Shopbot tech support helped me with that.

  6. #6
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    The Plains, VA
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    Thanks dmidkiff, It's hard to get closer to my machine than yours. I have found SB support to be great. I will talk to them. Thanks for the thoughts.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

  7. #7
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    Jan 2011
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    The Plains, VA
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    Thanks Tom,

    Yeah I figured knothead was more user-friendly than lunkhead, which is likely more accurate... If/as you get to know me you will see how fitting it is... Using a magnifying glass it looks like your board is a v2.04, but I can't really read it well. I can see the white sticker with 5 digits a dash and 5 more digits, but can't read it either. Can you see which version your board is? Is that the board that you had rebuilt for $550? Was it not performing properly? Sounds like the big ticket added value that your machine has over mine is the vacuum hold down. I know when I bought my PRT 2 about $ 7,000 new, vacuum hold down would have doubled the price. So far I've done okay with several methods of mechanical hold-down depending on what i'm cutting - haven't really missed vac hd. But can see how it could really boost productivity. Figure I can do that myself as time/money allow if I continue to use this machine...

    The cable you speak of, are you saying there's serial connector (9 pin?) on one end of cable plugged into the serial port on the SB control box and the other end is USB that plugs into the computer tower? We bought a cable with 9 pin serial on one end and usb on the other, plugged the serial end into sb control box - usb into tower, and we weren't able to get that to communicate between tower (WinXP OS - not sure what processor etc.) and control box... need to discus with SB support and/or other computer tech, looking closely at why it doesn't work...

    Thanks for your reply and any thoughts or info to add from this point are still very much appreciated. Invaluable to me.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    houston, texas
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    My design computer is on the opposite side of my property. I get all my file work done on current age PC, then drop the files on a USB drive. Win98 machines can be finicky.. work for years then die. I'd make sure to use a very common tower that has
    very available parts. Old cheesy HP's are the best. Dells tend to have propitiatory power supplies and stuff. Not good. Also, you can run Win98 on more modern Win7 style PCs but for some reason it's hard on them and they die early. Once read a techy explain this to me, info since deleted from my brain. As for price $4500 or $4000 is great if not low. A shopbot can make the right person a lot of money and if that person is cash low, then getting to work/profit is a lot more important than price.

  9. #9
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    Jan 2011
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    The Plains, VA
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    Thanks again for staying engaged here so far, artbot. I have no issue at all with the same approach. Design on a faster higher memory machine, toolpath it, and dump the small .sbp file(s) on diskette and take to the DOS machine (no USB ports) and start cuttin'.

    All good info and I appreciate the heads up what to do and not do/look for in older machines/OSes.

    The tower I'm running the DOS on and is connected to the sb control box by 9 pin serial cable is a 80486 machine from '95 or so, built in my hometown with off the shelf components as many have done over the years (used to call them PC clones I think). I also have an old Gateway that I think is P2 or 3. I want to keep the Gateway in case I need it and use the *486 to run the .sbp files from since it has done so admirably for so long.

    Tom Bachman suggested he uses a Win7 machine and "there is a cable that runs from the board to the computer that goes from Serial to USB. I recently had the board rebuilt (to the tune of $550). Now as far as price, I think you are in the ballpark."
    I'm wondering if that is a simple 9 pin serial to usb cable, like I discuss using below. I will ask him.

    We tried a generic cable with 9Pin Serial connection on 1 end, connected to the serial port on the sb control box and USB on the other end, connected his XP machine's USB port and couldn't get the XP machine to talk to the control box. ShopBot Control Module says it can't connect.

    I have a USB external diskette drive that works on other computers, but we couldn't get his XP machine to copy the .sbp file from PW2 to the diskette drive. So with his XP machine not communicating with the USB diskette drive or the serial port on the control box, I wonder if there is an issue with the USB port on his machine. I have a Dell Latitude laptop with Win7.1 on it that only recognizes a card reader plugged into the USB ports, but won't recognize 2 different external hard drives that i have used a number of times on the laptop before... Sometimes it doesn't recognize the USB diskette drive either but I am able to get around that using the device manager...

    If I can overcome the USB port issue on his XP machine, so that he can copy .sbp files to diskette and put it on the DOS machine, OR can get the WinXP machine (which has USB ports) to connect to the sb control box with serial port to talk with each other, he can design on PW2 on that computer and run the shopbot with it also then he will meet me in the middle between my price and his offer, and we both move forward.

    It seems we are so close, but so far away in some ways. There must be a way to accomplish this and I think you are on the verge of filling in the last puzzle pieces with/for me if you are willing.

    When you say you run a Win98 machine with the USB patch, what are you referring to? Is that the ticket to being able to connect his Windows XP machine with usb ports to the control box which has the 9 pin serial port? Is the generic serial to usb cable not the correct "patch" between usb and 9 pin serial?

    I also think I read or heard that the older control boards like ours can only communicate with 32 bit OS. Win XP was put out in both 32 and 64 bit versions I think. Is 32 bit key here also? We can ascertain whether his machine has 32 bit or 64 no problem I think.

    I have found new install discs with key codes for Win95 for $40 and Win98 for $70 on amazon. I'd be willing to go that route if that's what I need to do. Also, just for yuks, I have a re-install disc from a Dell laptop that had Vista on it. That's a 32 bit OS, I believe... Could that work?

    Again I go on and on, apparently suffering deeply from paralysis by analysis... Thanks for hanging in there with me... ...if you choose to.

    No matter what, thanks a million for hanging in there this far. I don't care what everyone else is saying about you, I think you are allright.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    The Plains, VA
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    Tom, where you said: "I'm running a Win 7 machine. There is a cable that runs from the board to the computer that goes from Serial to USB. I recently had the board rebuilt (to the tune of $550). Now as far as price, I think you are in the ballpark."

    Is that a simple cable with 9 pin serial on one end and usb on the other? We tried one of them from his XP machine to the serial port in the sb control box and the ShopBot Control Module said it can't connect. That's just not playing nice IMHO.

    And what was your board rebuild about. Did SB do it? Rebuilt but not upgraded?

    BTW: This morning I replied to your reply but I must not have hit the reply on your post. Somehow it ended up down below this a few slots... What version is your control board? I couldn't quite read it in the pic you pasted (which is a great pic BTW) looks like v2.04? maybe?

    Thanks much.

    “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” - Francis Bacon - I have also seen it attributed to Horace Walpole...

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