Support for Windows XP will expire

[ironsides]

The Support for Windows XP will expire in the near future according to the news I have read and heard.:confused:

All new computers are sold with Win 7.0. When is ShopBot going to get certified for Win 7.0 and get rid of the confounded dropped Comm problems?:mad:

I have read numerous threads about the dropped Comm problems and I have had more than my fair share of them.

Also saying than Win 7.0 will emulate XP is not the solution. Some new computers with Win 7.0 are not equipped to do the emulation.

George D Kelly
Running PRSalpha 48 X 48

[myxpykalix]

I have been using my laptop with windows XP since 2006 on my bot with absolutely no problems. Have you eliminated the possibility that it is a hardware issue as opposed to a software problem?

[ron_moorehead]

I guess the question is will the shopbot software run on windows 7 or not. Has anyone tried it?

[ironsides]

I have been using my laptop with windows XP since 2006 on my bot with absolutely no problems. Have you eliminated the possibility that it is a hardware issue as opposed to a software problem?

I have tried everything that was suggested by SB and the Forum members, except reset the Sun to aim the Solar Flares towards Deep Space.

One thing that I have yet to do open the Spindle Speed Controller box to see if the USB board/line has fallen from the sticky pad mounts and onto something that would cause problems (hard to reach from my wheelchair).

I did however disconnect that USB line from the Hub and that eliminated quite a few problems, but not entirely. Of course with the speed control USB line disconnected I have no software control on the RPM's

George D Kelly

[myxpykalix]

Well it sounds like an issue you have been dealing with for a while and not knowing what suggestions have been offered so far, let me ask this...

Do you have dust collection? If so is it grounded?
Not knowing how your cables are run are you rolling over your communications cables with your chair? It might be a possibility that you have some type of short in your cable?

When i first started out i was getting the same type of problems and i tried everything to figure out if there was some type of pattern to the glitches and only after a lot of help here we figured out it was a static electricity problem in the dust collection.

Some have offered a suggestion of a faster usb hub?

[michael_schwartz]

The computer, a reconditioned dell that I purchased to run my shopbot cost under $150 with a Licensed copy of XP Pro. I did add a USB 2.0 card, and the included keyboard and mouse were junk but for the price it has worked out fine.

I was originally going to build a basic system but the reconditioned dell that came with XP pro, probably only cost about $25 more than an OEM copy of XP itself. The best part is that this all cost about 50% the price of a single copy of Windows 7 ultimate.

I run another copy of XP home via parallels on my macbook. Again It cost nothing since I had it floating around. It runs my Vectric Software just fine, and is fairly lightweight when running alongside mac osx.

I am running windows 7 ultimate 64 bit on my core 2 quad desktop that I built. The Copy of windows alone cost more than the Asus mother board and core 2 processor. I might experiment running the shopbot control software on this system, and report any results.

I will likely stick with XP on my other machines since the cost to upgrade would be prohibitive. At $200-300 per copy its quite expensive.

The computer I run my shopbot with would probably not handle windows 7, so I would probably buy a new computer with windows 7. Same thing goes with my laptop. XP runs fine via parallels, runs my software, and 7 would be too much of a resource hog.

I would hope if shopbot moved towards windows 7 the software would remain compatible with XP.

[frank134]

Hi Guys …
I have told you all that I keep losing my com port and receive com port Errors. So I called Frank and we have gone through everything step by step. What we came up with was, I had replaced my 4 port usb hub which came with my ShopBot with a Belkin Hub. (While having problems with the com I looked up the one that came with the Shopbot and found at it had a very high failure rate). It worked for a little then it went downhill until I couldn’t even find the com port. So Frank advised me that the Belkin hub was not compatible with the control box. So who’s to use? Radio shack had a Gigaware 4 port usb 2 part # 26-160. This has seemed to solve all of my problems. I have run it now for a week and a half. I even took off the ground and the bypass isolation transformer that I installed. So my best guess is that these problems lay between the controller and the computer. I really don’t think this is a grounding problem, which I found hard to believe in the beginning. I just had a very hard time thinking it has to do with noise on the line. I think they have to start looking at the connection between the control and the computer. I hope this help some of you. I wrote this In the trouble form and copy it here. I also the other day took my toshiba windows 7 laptop and cut a file with the shopbot just to see. I had no problems. so window 7 seem to work. There is also more On what I did to stop losing my coom port IN the trouble section.

[srwtlc]

Windows 7 Pro 64 or 32 bit (OEM) on Newegg.com for $140.00. Win 7 64 bit works fine in preview for me. I'm going build a new computer for the Bot and give it a try.

[scottbot]

Hi,
I have a Dell laptop and had XP Pro on it for the last few years. I suffered the lost comm problems at the beginning but haven't had one for well over a year.

I recently reformatted and did a clean install of the full (not the upgrade) 32 bit version of Windows 7. It has been running great and I have not had any problems running my PRS Alpha with it.

Scott

[srwtlc]

I don't know if trying to run the Bot in XP mode (virtualization) under Win 7 would work. Might be interesting to try though, but if it works with just Win 7 why bother.

Also, you can do a clean install of Win 7 with upgrade media if you own a legitimate copy of XP.

http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp

[ironsides]

... let me ask this...

Do you have dust collection? If so is it grounded?
Not knowing how your cables are run are you rolling over your communications cables with your chair? It might be a possibility that you have some type of short in your cable?

...?

Jack,
Yes I have/use a DC while machining.
All cables are behind the SB out of my work area.

Consider this current situation:
1) I am carving seven plaques for a family member.
2) The first cutting file (rough machining with DC on) and is about 90 minutes long. The program seems to go about half way through then stops with a "Comm" message.
3) The second cutting file (finishing with DC on) is 6 hr 40 min long. It runs fine with no "Comm" errors.

The only thing different is that the rough machining process is using more cutting force on the spindle and stepper motors and the amount of dust is greater than on the finishing program.

I have copper wire running through the center of the hose and wrapped around the hose. The copper wires are connected to the DC frame and the SB electrical panel frame.

George Kelly

[seana]

Hey George,
If i read you post correctly then the problem may lay in a ground loop. The ground wire for the DC should not connect to the SB at all keep it isolated to just the DC. Have a Ground wire on the SB and not connected to the DC and i will guess your issues will go away.
My guess is that your getting static electricity from the DC going to the SB.
Still run the copper wire inside the DC hose from the SB (just not touching anything metal) and to a good ground on the DC.

Hope this helps

[ironsides]

Hey Sean A.

Your suggestion may be the root of my problems. I will reconfigure the wires in the next few days and see what happens.

Thanks for the tip.

George D Kelly