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Creation Pcut CT 635 Parallel Question

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 Hello, I am new to the forums, my brother has been a long time member and told me I should join this fine community since I decided I would like to help out. He has been cutting vinyl now for a few years and has a couple of different plotters at his business. I personally feel between the both of us we a re very capable of figuring things out no matter if its software or hardware but we are just a little stumped with this issue. So I purchased this Creation Pcut CT 635 on the super cheap from ebay; I needed something I could work with at home and learn Flexi.

 

 With that all out of the way the plotter in question is a Creation Pcut CT 635 according to the sticker on the back. The only interface on the Pcut is the DB25B (Parallel). The computer he loaned me (backup from the shop) is running Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3 it has Flexi 8.5 installed on it and has one Serial (Com1) and one Parallel (LPT1).

 The plotter didn't come with the parallel cable so we tried two different ones that I had and a parallel to serial.

 

 Now here are the problems; Flexi does NOT show a CT 635, my brother says select CT 630 because it is all the same series? Using CT 630 in the setup only allows me to choose Com ports, no LPT ports in the drop down menu so I am unable to try any of the parallel cables with Flexi. When using the parallel to serial cable I select Com1 and when I try the test cut it sits at 0% and plotter doesn't respond. We tried every setting in Flexi, Device Manager and Bios but plotter does not respond. My brother suggested I should try other programs to see if I could get it running off the LPT port so I tried a few. I have a trial version of Vinyl Master and can select LPT in the stings but when I get to the setting to choose the port the drop down menu is blank. When I use the Com cables it sets up fine and when I hit the test cut feature the plotter does not respond.

 

 Countless hours later I have found that this plotter uses an unusual method on the parallel to serial cable to hand shake with the computer. In the manual I downloaded it actually shows the pinout and I have hacked the cables and using an ohm meter I rewired the serial cable, but it still doesn't respond. I have found different cables from suppliers that are listed for Roland and PCut but when I look up the pinout it is different than what my manual shows.

 

 I apologize about the extremely long post but am trying to share as much information as possible that may be needed to help me with this issue. If anyone has had a Creation model that uses the 25 pin Parallel DB25B (According to Manual) could you please tell me what cable your plotter uses. Has anyone had a problem with selecting LPT in either Flexi or Vinyl Master software?

 

I would appreciate any help I can get, Shane

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 Because the last post was so long I wanted to sum everything up to make this more understandable.

 

My plotter is a Creation PCut CT 635 with Parallel interface (printer port) Flexi 8.5 will not allow me to select the LPT port. In Vinyl Master I can choose the LPT interface but during the next step of choosing the port that it is connected to the drop down box is empty, no way to select my LPT1.

 

 When using a serial to Parallel cord I can setup my plotter in both programs but neither will communicate or make the plotter cut. The computer I am using works on my brothers back up plotter which is a PCut CTN 635 using a serial to serial cable just fine.

 

 From what I have read Creation use some sort of priority pinout on their plotters? I have read they are the same pinout as the Roland but the pinout schematics I have found online for Roland are different than what my Creation manual shows. I have found different retailers selling cables stating they work for Roland and PCut, they are $40.00 I do not want to buy one if it will not work. What is the correct pinout, is the Creation manual wrong? Finally I have tried wiring my own from cables I chopped using the pinout in my manual with no success, any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong?

 

I will attach a snippit from the manual of the pin layout.

Hopefully someone will be able to help me, I have all but pulled out my hair and have spent countless hours in reading; thinking I may be OCD at this point, this things driving me crazy!

 

 

post-88302-0-84024200-1411403584_thumb.p

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Good luck with that.

 

What is the "super cheap" cost of this old plotter, may I ask?

Time is money. You are using up a lot of time, and that really = Cash Money.

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I purchased the plotter for $30.00 plus an additional $40.00 for shipping. The plotter was mislabeled as a Creation S411 being sold as is for parts because the screws were loose on the parallel port and it was pushed inside the end cover. I only took a chance on this plotter because I wanted one at home to get past the learning curve so I am more use full while helping my brother at his shop. He had offered to loan me his Creation that he had to purchase while his Graphtec was down for repairs; however this one was only bid up to $7.00 dollars so I went for it.
I agree time is money, waste not want not, that is why I have not given up on this machine yet! At worse I can spend another $75.00 and buy a new board and change the interface to standard serial and have it up and running with no more than $150.00, I see they are selling for $300.00 all day on Ebay.
You say "Good luck with that", is there a reason for that, I mean have you any experience with a Pcut running a parallel port or are you the type who just like to throw salt into a wound?
I posted here because my brother has a lot of respect for the members of this forums and thought some one else here may have had experience with this plotter. Please only post if you think you have helpful information.

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