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PixelPusher

Flexi driver for Copam CP2500 vs DGI OM60

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I've been doing some reading on these forums about reference to the Copam CP-2500 and Flexisign 8.6 or above and trying to figure out why the Copam CP-2500 Flexi driver does not seem to work properly (actually finish the job and not freeze up in a fully powered up state and say "CUTTING" on the cutter display LCD scren) where as the driver for the DGI OM60 (which is very identical to the Copam CP-2500 when looking at the driver in Notepad++) DOES finish the job properly and actually finishes the job and the cutter powers down as normal. I haven't been able to nail things down yet or fix it, but it would seem to me the macro that they've written for the driver has some incorrect HPGL commands (Hewlett Packard Graphics Language - the language cutters and plotters speak) for the CP-2500 and correct for the DGI OM60. I'm attempting to try and fix this...but I could use some help if anyone is interested and still uses a Copam!

 

FYI, here is a quick tutorial on HPGL codes and what they mean: http://www.isoplotec.co.jp/HPGL/eHPGL.htm which may help us decode things.

 

Anyhow, on Windows 7, if one looks in C:\Program Files (x86)\SAi\SAi Production Suite\OutputDrivers and then finds the files DGI.csm and USCutter.csm and opens both of them in Notepad++ or similar text editing software (Notepad ++ is free and awesome F.Y.I.) you'll find that the commands for the drivers are almost identical. You'll have to scroll to the proper sections however. Also, using Notepad++ allows one to open each driver in a tab and then if you flip between the tabs you can visually see the onscreen changes of text between the two drivers...like an old school animated drawing flip-book would. It becomes easy to notice pattern changes and visual differences. I suppose one could use a spreadsheet too and paste in the code for comparison. I'm not a big spreadsheet guy or I'd do that myself but I think I've captured and highlighted the changes accurately...have I not?

 

I have copied and pasted the macro information below and highlighted the two names and code differences to help us "humans" with visual separation. Red is different code, green is the same code. As you can see the difference is MINIMAL but obviously important. Since we didn't write the drivers for Flexi, I don't know if we can fix this properly, but any guesses on what the different lines actually mean? I am thinking lines 5 and 6 deal with cutter width or dimensions. In line 6 there is an 1800 vs a 1280000 which is unusual. Line 7 is just a name variable. Line 4 happens to be the one that is the most different and the comments at the bottom of the DGI driver are just that, comments...no biggy.

 

Anyhow, the answer to why one driver works with the Copam CP-2500 (the DGI OM-60 one works) and why the Copam CP-2500 driver itself doesn't completely work lies within these numbers...it's a bit of a riddle on how to fix it.

 

[Copam CP-2500]
01:$9600,n,8,1,$
02:$0,1,$
03:$0,268698626,32,32776,0,$
04:$3087073287,20,10,1024,$
05:$24.0/600.0,$
06:$24.0,1800.0,0,0,0,0,$
07:$CP2500$

-    //cutting
08:$pmcutter.dll$
09:$1016.0,0,0,$

10:$OH;$
11:$$

12:$.P 3:IN;AP3;$
13:$SP;$
14:$PA;PU0,0;PG%ld;$
15:$30,,,1,80,VS%ld;$
16:$00$
17:$11,.25,4.0,AS%.2f;$
18:$$
19:$PR;$
20:$PD%ld,%ld;$
21:$PA;PU%ld,%ld;$
22:$PU;$
23:$PD;$
24:$AR%ld,%ld,%.3f,1;$
25:$AR%ld,%ld,%.3f,1;$

26:$$
27:$$
28:$$
29:$$
30:$$
31:$$
32:$$
33:$$

-    //engraving
-    //printing
-        //custom head

= {VS(0,speed,1,80,1,0,1,0,);}
Cut Fast = (0,1,70)
Cut Slow = (0,1,30)
-        //custom end
-        //macro
Go to Origin = PU;PA0,0;
Test Plot = IN;PA0,0;PD1016,0,1016,1016,0,1016,0,0;PU;
-        //comment



[OM-60]
01:$9600,n,8,1,$
02:$0,1,$
03:$0,268698626,32,32776,0,$
04:$167837723,20,10,1024,$
05:$23.4252/600.0,$
06:$23.4252,1280000,0,0,0,0,$

07:$OM60$
-    //cutting
08:$pmcutter.dll$
09:$1016.0,0,0,$

10:$OH;$
11:$$

12:$.P 3:IN;AP3;$
13:$SP;$
14:$PA;PU0,0;PG%ld;$
15:$30,,,1,80,VS%ld;$
16:$00$
17:$11,.25,4.0,AS%.2f;$
18:$$
19:$PR;$
20:$PD%ld,%ld;$
21:$PA;PU%ld,%ld;$
22:$PU;$
23:$PD;$
24:$AR%ld,%ld,%.3f,1;$
25:$AR%ld,%ld,%.3f,1;$

26:$$
27:$$
28:$$
29:$$
30:$$
31:$$
32:$$
33:$$

-    //engraving
-    //printing
-        //custom head

= {VS(0,speed,1,80,1,0,1,0,);}
Cut Fast = (0,1,70)
Cut Slow = (0,1,30)
-        //custom end
-        //macro
Go to Origin = PU;PA0,0;
Test Plot = IN;PA0,0;PD1016,0,1016,1016,0,1016,0,0;PU;

-        //comment
0:OM-100
0:OM-130
0:OM-70
0:OM-80
0:OM-40

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Instead of using  UScutter  Copam driver,  look up in the Set up for COPAM 2500 (not under USCUTTER)  it is different  This is in my Flexistarter8.6    Have you tried the COPAM 2500, (not UScutter driver)?  Go back to the top of the list under C  Copam is it's own brand.   My software lists both.

 

Flexi 

[CP-2500]
01:$9600,n,8,1,$
02:$0,18,$
03:$262,2147746852,33,1,201326592,$
04:$1828782081,20,10,1024,$
05:$23.2/1378.0,$
06:$23.2,1378.0,0,0,0,0,$
07:$CP-2500$

 

 

Another example, like for the Creation cutters,  People were trying to use the UScutter Creation driver CR 630  to contour cut, they could not even get the toggle buttons to show up on their computer Flexi software, ,,, I learned this else where,  it took CR 630G    driver to work for contour cutting in Flexi ...

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Hi Mz Skeeter, thank you very muchfor your reply. I will see what I can do and try your suggestions in a few minutes here.

 

FYI, I have "just" finished trying a simulated manual contour cut with the Copam CP-2500 and a friend's copy of FlexiSign 8.6V2 Pro on my Windows 7 laptop with some success!!! I followed this SAI video tutorial

for guidance on the procedure. I am currently using the DGI OM-60 driver for the Copam cutter. When I get more time, I will try your suggestions above.

 

Anyhow, though I didn't actually print anything out, I went through the procedure to draw out some text, put a contour cutline on the outside of my text and then put on some registration marks too, I cancelled the print part but was able to actually do some cutting (in my case, I would be plotting but without a pen - nothing was actually being done but cutter carriage movement was occuring). I got it sent properly to the Production Manager and was successfully able to calibrate the cutter in micro-step movements! The cutter carriage was actually MOVING!!! This is a BIG step up from what I was experiencing with SignGo Pro 1.20. It actually responded and WORKED!

 

My next trials will be to put in my pen and draw some simple text with a contour cut line attached and see if I can then manually line things up and from there it's actually using a printed paper copy.

 

So, you were right all along! The Copam CAN INDEED manually contour cut, but so far anyhow, only using FlexiSign. If I can successfully get my trials to go at a satisfactory level for me, I'm selling SignGo and going to buy FlexiStarter, enough messing around. I don't actually design in Flexi (since I don't really know how to use it yet) but I know I can send my designs from Coreldraw X7 to FlexiStarter to cut using EPS files and from there, I'm in business! I'm so excited LOL!

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Instead of using  UScutter  Copam driver,  look up in the Set up for COPAM 2500 (not under USCUTTER)  it is different  This is in my Flexistarter8.6    Have you tried the COPAM 2500, (not UScutter driver)?  Go back to the top of the list under C  Copam is it's own brand.   My software lists both.

 

Flexi 

[CP-2500]

01:$9600,n,8,1,$

02:$0,18,$

03:$262,2147746852,33,1,201326592,$

04:$1828782081,20,10,1024,$

05:$23.2/1378.0,$

06:$23.2,1378.0,0,0,0,0,$

07:$CP-2500$

 

 

Another example, like for the Creation cutters,  People were trying to use the UScutter Creation driver CR 630  to contour cut, they could not even get the toggle buttons to show up on their computer Flexi software, ,,, I learned this else where,  it took CR 630G    driver to work for contour cutting in Flexi ...

 

 

I just tried to contour cut with the driver you suggested, the Copam 2500 (not USCutter) and it cut, but froze and the end and though the cutter is still fully powered up and the LCD screen says CUTTING it's frozen and won't finish the cut. I will try the other variation again (USCutter) and see if it freezes as I expect it to.

 

Update: Yup, both USCutter Copam 2500 and the Copam 2500 (not USCutter) froze and hung up. They did start to work though. The NOT USCutter version worked better (got further along) than the USCutter version...

 

So far the DGI OM60 driver is the only one working.

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