Keyboard slow to respond with sb 3.6 software

[ken_rychlik]

I know several people are seeing this issue and I would like to know if anyone fixed the problem on their pc.

I loaded the new 3.6.10 software (but it did the same thing since the 3.6.1 version) and here is the trouble.

I can not do a C2 or any other simple command like I used to with sb 3.5

I have to hit C (then wait a few seconds) then hit 2 for it to take.

I did the firmware update and have an older pc with XP for an operating system.

First if you have the same issue going on please respond and it will help me give a count to shopbot as to the number of folks with the same issue.

Second if you have had this trouble and fixed it please post how you fixed it (without going back to sb5) I already did that a few times and I want to move foreward.

Thanks,

Kenneth

[beacon14]

It's not a few seconds but there is a definite delay after typing the first key before you can type the second key of a two-letter command. If I type the second key too soon the screen goes back to ready mode.

One other thing that bugs me a little about 3.6.xx is that you can no longer use the Escape key to cancel a file when it has a message box waiting for you to press "Enter" or "Cancel". Used to be that the escape key was the same as "cancel". Now it's useless.

[mark_stief]

I,m brand new here but mine also acts just like yours

[Gary Campbell]

I have been reporting issues with either no or slow response from the keyboard or a seeming "loss of focus" on the SB3 software since before the first of the year. Long before the 3.6.1 general release. This was reported in the beta versions around 3.6.1beta teens.

There has also been an issue with a keyboard command not "taking". I have a post or two about this, along with email to TS.
Gary

[magic]

It's slow when you hit the spacebar to stop the file running.

Seems like it waits till the next line, to stop.

[cedars]

I am glad to hear that is an issue in the software. I was begining to think my old lap top was starting to do funny things. I will continue to watch for solution to be posted.

Thanks
Steve

[mitch_prest]

there are similar issues being discussed in troubleshooting... you are not alone....

[mikek]

I have had MANY C2, MX, MY, and MZ instructions ignored also with 3.6.xx. I was not sure about hardware issues. Thanks for posting.

[Ted Hall]

Hi All,

We have been trying to identify where this key stroke issue comes from. It is not happening on any of our computers so it has us scampering around trying to track it down.

If you could send a quick note to tech support about the specifics of your issues, it may help us out. Let us know computer, OS, and so forth. [If you haven't noticed, under >Help there is a "Send Request to Tech Support" feature that makes it easy to send us your settings files to help us track things down.]

PLEASE NOTE! We are talking about Version Sb3.6.10. We have straightened out a couple of related things that were found in earlier 3.6.x versions, so 3.6.10 is the version we are interested in.

If you seem to be having problems, try these two things as a starting point: 1) Do a Utility Reset [UR] to make sure you are starting with default settings for your tool; 2) Reset the toolbar and menu system by: a. right-clicking in the toolbar area > clicking 'Custom' > clicking Reset on the first window > then click the Keyboard tab and click Reset > then click the Options tab and click Reset (this has the secondary effect of showing you some of the new toolbar configuration options in case you had not seen them).

Also, if you use the menu and toolbar customization system to create your own buttons, after you've created the button make sure to edit the title of the button to remove "&(letter)". If you don't rename your button, the toolbar system will be trying to intercept keystrokes in an unexpected way. [You can edit your buttons or existing buttons by right-clicking the menu area, clicking Customize, then right-clicking the button you want to edit.]

The speed of the STOP when you hit the space bar or stop button is a different matter. Over the years, as ShopBots have gotten to moving a lot faster, we have changed the behavior of the space bar somewhat. In the old days, when you hit the space bar, the tool stopped instantly and paused right where it was. If you wanted the tool to make a smoother and more measured stop and pull up out of the material, you hit the "S" key for a "slowed Stop". Those were the days when one did not travel much over 2ips so that an abrupt stop was not a problem. Now, ShopBots are considerably faster and an instantaneous stop would put severe stress on all the hardware. So we have changed the behaviour of the Space Bar so that by default, at any speed over 0.2ips the tool will do a "Slow Stop" in which it decelerates to a stop and pulls up to the Safe Z Height. Because there is about .5" of information buffered in the outboard controller, if you are going relatively slowly, it may appear that there is a delay before the stop. What is happening is that a small distance of buffered movement is executed, then the deceleration ramp starts, the tool stops, and Z pulls up. Depending on where the space bar or Stop button is hit, the tool may actually be into the next move before completing the stop in order to finish the whole Smooth Stop sequence. Of course, if you are moving fast this will all happen pretty quickly and you will probably not notice much of it.

If you don't like this, the threshold for a hard, fast Stop is adjustable. You can set it in [VR] if you would like the stop to be more abrupt at higher speeds. (The stopping behavior of KeyPad moves can be similarly adjusted in [VR]. However, if you just want faster KeyPad ramping, I would just adjust that value before mucking with how hard the stop is.)

Hope this info is useful. Please do send problem reports to Support.

[ken_rychlik]

Do you think running a non usb keyboard may have something to do with this?

I was wondering if any of the pc's shopbot is using for their testing had a ps2 (non usb) keyboard on it ???

I have the ps2 style on my bot keyboard, but the pc I have ordered for it will have usb.

Just a thought.

Kenneth

[ken_rychlik]

Ted, I did all the suggestions and it only accomplished loosing connection. It changed the port and I had to change it back.

It is still ignoring commands about 1/3 of the time.

The new thing that has me concerned is it will take a command and put it in the green box below the command bar, but not run it. If I hit enter again it will usually run.

When I get my other pc online, I am very willing to send you my system so you can duplicate the problem. As long as you have something with prt motors laying around that is.

Kenneth

[Ryan P]

Kenneth,
Can you give me a call?
From what I am reading there is two separate issues here.

1: typing the second letter the command does not take and does not show in the green window. We were able to duplicate this issue early in the Beta versions and made some adjustments and can no longer duplicate. It may be computer timing?

2: Typing the second letter command the command does show in the green box but not executed. Does this happen only when using the keyboard to enter a command or does using the mouse also cause an issue?

Am I correct with the #1 and #2? They both may be related but would be good to keep them separate to help us duplicate or give us some where to look.


We have tried to duplicate the issue with a ps2 keyboard, USB connected, laptops and wireless. With processors ranging for 800Mhz to 2.1Ghz and with OS XP ,Vista and Windows7

[ken_rychlik]

Just an FYI for those following this thread. I mailed off a pc to shopbot that is acking up on a very regular basis. I hope it helps to figure out the issue.

Kenneth

[john_l]

Wow. That's proper attention. Is there any question my next machine will be a Shopbot? Nope. I'm a lifer.

[gerryv]

When I used to teach problem solving, the first thing we did was look for relationships between things that had changed. Without knowing any of the background, what comes to mind is that SB has changed to new drivers and controller. If the newest versions of the SB software are being tested on a machine(s) incorporating these but the fellows having these trouble are using systems with the Gecko drivers, then it may be possible that there's an issue there rather than with the computer or keyboard. Just conjecture but it always comes down to what has changed as it relates to what's different between the problem ones and the no-problem ones, whether a single thing or a combination.