USB Keyspan and serial = this helps

[Karl]

Am using older Mac G450 with a NEC usb card & the PCUT630 USB  & FlexiCut8 Starter
The card is compliant with both the mac and cutter --the chip set is important, as described in other posts here.
the biggest problem is getting drivers that are "conversive" enough to communicate with both Mac and Dos (pc)

I did try several USB / pci cards and several drivers, but NO comprenda. I also tried different serial to usb cables.
Most of that action was with another -very old- cutter. When I got this PC630 with the usb connection, I thought that it would be simple enough to set up, however.. the Flexi would not recognize any usb connections.
.
I was about to purchase a Keyspan serial to USB device, and thought to download the software first.

Keyspan USA-19HS  aka  keyspanusadrvr
-- there are several drivers for macosx, if one doesnt work, try another. if that doesnt work, buy the hardware.

once rebooted, the cutter showed up in the Flexi setup and cut as expected.

I found the 19-HS for less than $30 at Amazon, in retrospect, it would have been cheaper to get the Keyspan first, but then I wouldn't have all these extra parts on hand   

[haumana]

awesome info! thanks a lot!

[Karl]

Update:  the built in usb is 1,  and by definition sloow. The result has been that anything over 10 letters results in serious problems: lines cut across the copy, partial cut letters, locked up cutter, and more.

I have made a series of adjustments to the Flexistarter software settings and so on, but still the problem persists.

All comments and input suggests that the data is not being handled quickly enough. The Keyspan is a USB 2 device,  by-passing the cutter's usb, using the serial connection plus the keyspan usb2 will at the very least double though-put, so I have ordered one, Until it gets here, I will have to continue cutting ONE WORD at a time.

SO;

Question for USCutter: why not put USB 2 built in? why bother with usb 1 since it is too slow to transfer data?
Or, Include Keyspan as an optional accessory for the Mac.

[Karl]

Installed Keyspan USB 2.0,
problem gone

Highly recommend to All Mac users, GET the Keyspan before you bother to cut at all.
for $30 it will save you that much in wasted vinyl.

 

[BannerJohn]

Thanks for posting back with the results. I will sticky this.

[saltapparel]

So after hours of heartache and trashed vinyl, I finally consulted with US cutter on an issue of my 721 stopping in the middle of a job.  It kept throwing a communication failure error.

I'm using a MacBook Pro OSX 10.5.8, Illustrator, Signcut X2 and a MH 721 cutter.  I was using this via USB.  DON'T DO THIS!!!

US Cutter said to purchase a Keyspan USB to serial device.  I couldn't find that brand specifically, so I bought an I/O Gear USB to Serial.  Worked perfectly!

DO NOT BUY A BELKIN CONVERTER!  The box says that it is Mac compatible, but it does not support OSX.  I tried to install it, but it is written in Classic OS, not OSX.  I was lucky that Staples took it back.

All good now...

[NukleoN]

I'm confused. The Keyspan has posts on the male connector and my LP24 serial port has posts on the serial port (female). These two items won't fit together because both posts will keep them from coming together,  and nothing screws into the other.

How do you guys make the keyspans fit the cutter if both items have posts on them?

Is the USB2 really necessary for serial, or can I use a simply DB9-USB adaptor with actual screws that can screw into the posts that are on the LP24? Without a screw-in fit the connection won't be possible (or secure).

Is there some kind of adaptor you're all using with the keyspans to make them fit a female serial port which has posts on it?

[haumana]

I'm not sure if I understand the "posts" but this is how it works. A keyspan is a serial (on the LP side) to USB (on the computer) converter. You shouldn't need any other adapters to use the keyspan. It's just simply gives you the option to connect your USB cord to the serial port of the LP. The keyspan is the adapter.

[Kimon]

Not sure about your particular plotter but some users need to connect the provided serial cable, then the keyspan then the usb cord to your computer.

[Karl]

Not sure about your particular plotter but some users need to connect the provided serial cable, then the keyspan then the usb cord to your computer.

Exactly
in fact the plotter comes with a serial cable, just plug that into the cutter - keyspan into the serial - keyspan usb into the computer.

And as Kimon said in another post, it is not the through put aka usb2 vrs usb1, but the "clean data" required by Mac pc system, that msdos pc systems can tolerate.