Newbie needs help with new alpha

[waltie]

i need some i can call today, that can help me

[Brady Watson]

What are you having a problem with, Ray?

-Brady

[fleinbach]

Be glad to help.

[waltie]

can"t get the connection betwee the control box & the computer

[Brady Watson]

Ray,
Read the 1st paragraph of this: http://www.shopbottools.com/files/OwnersManual/2_1ComputerRequirements.pdf

You need a standard DB9 serial cable to link the control box to the computer. If your computer doesn't have a serial port on it, then you can use USB on your computer...provided that you buy a USB to serial adapter. Don't buy a Belkin brand...because they don't work very well.

Or...do you have them linked already and you are still having problems. Please give us a detailed description of what is going on.

-Brady

[waltie]

done all that, I think it is a problem with the control box. Hard to explain here

[bill.young]

Hey Ray,

The Alpha tools are new enough that you ought to call ShopBot tech support for problems with getting a new tool up and running. They check the support phone number every couple of hours on the weekends and will give you a call back as soon as they get the message. The number is 919-680-4800...just follow the recorded instructions to leave a phone number for tech support to call you back.

Bill

[waltie]

I'll do that
Thanks Bill

[fleinbach]

I recieved my Alpha with a USB not a serial cable. Did yours? If so you most install the usb drivers on the disk they sent with the manuel.

[paco]

Try deleting your current shopbot.ini file... This get me foward to connecting...

[waltie]

Frank,
I did that, are your USB ports the fast 2.0 ?
Mine are and I am wondering if that could be a problem.
I am getting a new board from shopbot on 07/27/04
Hope that will cure the problem

[fleinbach]

No, my computer is an old HP 600MZ. The drivers shopbot supplied should work with either the old or the new 2.0. But there is the possibility that your mother board needs board specific drivers. Have you gone online to the windows update site and checked this out. Windows update most times will Know if your computer needs new drivers. I remember when the 2.0 USB ports started showing up on new computers I had a problem attaching some perifreals because the drivers supplied with the manufacturers mother board needed to be updated. I have had to reformat and reload windows at lease 3 times since i've owned this computer and everytime I reload the first thing I have to do is go to Windows update and reload the manufacture specific 2.0 USB drivers. You could also go to the manufacturers web site to get them but most times Windows update will have what you need.

[richards]

Check the baud rates. Last night I reloaded the 3.2.8 software (computer crash - do I ever hate Windows XP) and could not connect. After fiddling with the serial port settings, I finally tried the fastest one (480k, I believe. I'm not in the shop at the moment) and everything worked great.

By the way. The 3.2.8 version that I downloaded on July 21st fixed most of the ramping problems that I had been having.

[paco]

There is now 3.2.9...

[paco]

And now there should be a 3.2.10... soon...

[fleinbach]

3.2.10 is on the site as of now. This version fixed the problem with table limits resetting after using a jog command then stopping it and next trying to resume the move. Plus a few others.

[paco]

3.2.11


...and 3.2.12 should be comming soon!!!