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Thread: Oh noes....

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Marietta GA
    Posts
    486

    Default Oh noes....

    I've been running my old PRT with an XP computer, an old Dell I had laying around. (I keep it off the network when I don't need it to be)
    It's been a good setup for years and years.
    Saturday she finally died.
    I grabbed an old Windows 7 laptop off the pile of discards and loaded it up with SB3...
    After some futzing around and reading up on Brady's notes about Win7 I got things up and running. Everything seemed fine.
    I was cutting some plywood, and I heard a loud bang. I thought maybe I had broken the 1/4" bit I was cutting with, but then I see the machine had stopped moving. After shutting down the router I saw the bit was fine.

    Now I can't seem to get my laptop to talk to the control box.
    I even tried with a different laptop, but nothing.

    I get a "Shopbot seems present" message when I start SB3, but it won't find the control box.
    When I turn the control box on, I get a clunk, and the gantry is solid.
    I can't update the firmware, nothing.
    Any thoughts?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Hobby-Tronics, Chiloquin Oregon
    Posts
    1,356

    Default

    You might try swapping out the USB cable if its the one from the XP machine. My second computer was very sensitive to what USB cable I had hooked up. I finally used the old cable from a USB hub to the Bot and a new cable as input to the hub from the computer. On control computer #3 I just have a regular USB cable hooked up. It just seems to me after being on this forum for a few years that the ShopBot 'black box' is very sensitive to having a good USB connection. Just a thought. Russ
    AKA: Da Train Guy

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Hampton Roads, VA
    Posts
    1,128

    Default

    Although. I have a PRS, I recall that issue being resolved for me when I grounded the machine to the shop ground with its own strap. I'd try Russ's option first though.
    "Once a person moves away from the computer and CNC some of the most important work begins." ~Joe Crumley

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Marietta GA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by khaos View Post
    Although. I have a PRS, I recall that issue being resolved for me when I grounded the machine to the shop ground with its own strap. I'd try Russ's option first though.
    That would be an interesting development considering I've never ever had any grounding issues with this machine, and it's in it's 4th location.

    I haven't had a chance to look into any of this, but maybe this weekend I'll crack open the control box, do visual inspection of the board and look into swapping that USB cable...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Marietta GA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    Opened the control box tonight.
    I see nothing out of the ordinary in there.
    The green light on the little control board lights when it's plugged in to a USB port and turned on, I did swap in a new usb cable BTW, and the computer knows it's plugged in, it makes the sound when I switch the control box on. I can go to device manager and see a shopbot in the ports (com & LPT) section, and I can see a shopbot in the usb things.
    But SB3 will not find it.
    Anybody?

    specs:
    2004ish PRT with a 4g controller update. It has a 201 control board. I had it actually running and cutting on a Dell Win7 laptop when all this fun began (see above), so I know in some form or fashion it could.

    Steps tried:
    I tried a different laptop HP Win7.
    I tried 4 or five different versions of the SB3 software.
    Different USB printer cable.
    Visual Inspection.
    Read and read again troubleshooting in help, and on the forum.

    Is the 201 control card fubar'ed ?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Marietta GA
    Posts
    486

    Default

    Tom at shopbot helped me troubleshoot my control box problem.
    Looks like my PC power supply is dead.
    I can't get a 250w replacement over the weekend, but I can get a 400w replacement.
    I did email Tom asking him if I could use a higher wattage power supply, but thought I'd ask if anybody here might know?
    I don't know why I couldn't use a higher wattage PS, but don't want to take any chances.

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