nmpeter

These issues have been properly resolved in version 3.048..the update to 3.049 was made when I wanted to actually do it. Please stick to the topic when posting eh fellows?...this wasn't about pricing or beta or anything like that..it was about a really bad bug that slipped by SCALP QA..I trust that this won't happen again. Thanks for bringing this issue to SCALP development, but I suspect I wasn't the only one to rant about it, but like a good fellow, I'll make note when my rant is resolved

This is the second time SCAP windows has demanded that I update before it would allow a start. this is so 1980's software protected with a floppy disk I'm going to puke. If the internet isn't connected, it hangs my system. I was perfectly happy with the version I had about 5 updates ago..no problems (for me) Why oh why does this vendor have people on staff with such draconian policies or perhaps lackadaisical qa? FORCE me to update to a new version when all I want to do is cut a set up boat numbers? The guy wanted to get out on the lake today ( it's unseasonably warm here today) and didn't want to wait around while I tried to resolve this. Told me I should take my sign down that says "numbers while you wait". He told me he was heading over the hardware store to buy some numbers there instead. That was a $40 job out the window. Well I reinstalled sign blazer today, as my internet wasn't available and I had to do something. Only problem is for me that signblazer causes some kind of problem with some cadcam software I have and I can't print any drawings. Best have a chat with the development team about this..last time I thought it was a bug ( happens), and I had to reload default settings to get it to run After the update. Same thing this time. Simply put... unacceptable I sure like scalp..but for the moment..signblazer will be my goto for a quick cutting job. That's $150 down the pipe unless they fix this bizarreness and soon. yeah..I'm _really_ annoyed. US cutter tech service has been great in the past to me..let's see you light a fire under the vendors desk on this one..pretty please? I want to see a "option to disable automatic update notifies" Let ME decide when I want to update!

"me too", got a call after I sent kurt message about an activation issue ( I was less than pleased, thinking I'd be out of action till Monday). Well spoken and polte support rep. 24 hour response by a locally based rep is the way to go. USC-You surely value our business with a great support team

It would be more convienent and in line with user expectations if at the announcement of an update available after the version check routine has run if the software would open the correct web page for the current update. Even better if it would downlaod automatically. 3039 installed and activated on my xp system-no issue. Would still like to see what changes were made in the update version.

the prefeeding tip is great. thanks. I've tried a few really big jobs and in the end it was a hand application of each element. Right..I have a MH series eco cutter. a program that was upgraded to handle a much larger print size like scalp often has unanticipated problems of a core nature. Such as the " least material movement vs. fastest cutting" coding. Might be on the wish list..depends how complex such a thing really is. I;m not complaining here, at $50 on sale the product deserves quite a bit of applause considering what competing software ( I should say other software) asks for thier subscription/purchase fees. But any product should beet some basic operation UI checkpoints, and this is where the product spec for scalp was lacking I was on the development team for a desktop publishing package in the late 80's that went from supporting an apple LaserWriter at 8x10 to nearly unlimited page lengths on a linotronic image/film setter. There were lots of unintended consequences, and at the cost per foot of material ( it would make you cry ) it generated a qa hit list. The scalp development team needs forward thinkers. Not very popular these days as it causes huge expenses and people tend not to like their work taken apart line by line and it's always the trouble of the other module developer. You can sell lots of hammers at fifty bucks a crack. Much tougher sell on that fancy air nailer. In the end it was the air nailer problem that killed the software company, all the developers wanted to sell something affordable. And lots of em. The marketing wanted to sell a few at an astronomical price. As the story goes...a program called "Photoshop"..right....photoshop....that was it ....came along and before you know it..we were all collecting severance AND unemployment I do remeber it was a pretty good summer for a few weeks I'd like to see multi line text blocks and a beefier text editor, and guide lines and and and...but I'm pretty pleased with it right now. The interface is good.<issues aside>. I'd hope to seee a bug fix/change list with each release..that's also an industry norm. One last thing for the developers..installers can be pretty smart..using flash for an installer and then have a blind installer that won't detect which cutter is connected is another spec problem. I might try the mac package for grins..but my cutter is run off a windows box. Installations as mentioned above have to be 100% painless. No exceptions allowed. If I wasn't experienced in dealing with balky hardware and software, scalp would have gone into the mail with a request to refund. It was aggravating and reminded me why I went into semi-retirement I'm hoping this deal with USC bring in enough cash so they can put the man hours they need into bringing this entire package up to snuffs.

try the laser 1 or copam driver..solved my "no cutting" issue. Older MH series don't seem to work with the new driver due to hardware changes

I had good luck with a Windows issue by using an alternate cutter dirver. Seems my MH series cutter is old firmware/hardware version ( it is 2-3 years old) so no surprise that a laswerpoint 1 driver worked and quite well too! The "MH" driver in SCALP appers to be for a later version of the harware as after the first cut, the cutter would not respond to any more attempts. worth a try if you are losing stomach lining at every attempt

<<My problem was is that I have the older version of the MH and it cuts best in SCALP under Copam or Laerpoint. Got it to work!>>> would have been nice if this was mentioned someplace in the documentation... I can assume i have an "older" version of the MH as well as once I switched drivers ( laserpoint I , I have ZERO com problems even when I avoided the advice of setting baud to 4800 ( the early MH cutters appear to lack a save setting feature, so as soon as you hit reset and power off the defaults are relaoded.). Thanks you prety much saved my afternoon here.. Some times 20 years of software QA makes you think everybody is taking "stuff" into account when they relase software. Stuff like the hardware compliance they are supporting with a newly taken on product. At my last job, we were supporting digita cameras and scanners built over a span of 15 years and support for the legacy products was right up there near the top of the "can't ship until task done" list I hope the US cutter folks get this info into future builds

With 20 years of software qa under my belt, I'm surely having a repeatable problem..several actually. Just a few issues that need correction real soon now. Documentation and software don't fully match. I forced the cutter to install as a printer as shown, it was not detected as an unknown device(explained below) The nag for an update does not take you anywhere. Most curious.... If not for finding the links posted here, I would have likely abandoned the software after a few hours. My MH 721 loses communication after the first cut. It's a hit or miss if I can get it going again without a system reboot. The install CD fails to install a driver, as does all of the updates reports "driver not found"( the cutter was not connected) The software seems to waste quite a bit of material, it advanced the rollers about twenty incches before starting a cut. That alone is enough to make me discontinue the use of the product. I do mostly small boat registration numbers system is windows XPsp3, HP xw5000 worksation. Signblazer worked well, within it limits on this system using a serial port connecton. I'll read the other forum comments and be back later. UPDATE: Seems that another forum member had a similar problem and suggested using another driver selection for use with the "older" MH series cutters. THAT solved my problems including the material wasting issue. I used the laserpoint I driver. I would assume that cutters like other hardware can provide a model identiifier on an inquire from software. That feature needs to get on the "B" list.I guess had I called Support, they problem woud have been soved as well