BrettKaiaua

Graphtec FC3100-60 setting up on Windows

Recommended Posts

Hi, my wife has an old FC3100-60 that she uses occasionally, until recently with an old Mac computer, G4 I think, which has died. She wants to set it up to work with Windows if possible, we've read a bunch of old posts on here and thought we had it setup right but it's not working. We have the Graphtec 4200 drivers installed, with a usb to serial cable (with driver installed), have Signblazer with the Graphtec cutter selected, using the correct port. The cutter is set to HP-GL, and when a file is sent for cutting it seems to go (no errors come up), but nothing happens on the cutter.

Is there anyone on here that has a similar setup running that could let us know what your settings are, or any ideas to get it working? We've also tried Signgolite software, which lists the 3100-60 but doesn't work either. I wondered if it's because we've installed the 4200 drivers as that is the oldest drivers they have now on the Graphtec site, and maybe someone has the 3100 drivers they can send us? 

thanks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

could be your usb to serial adapter - did you install the drivers for that too?   we have seen people have problems with a lot of cheaper ones but the one everyone seems to be able to use it the keyspan by tripplite adapter

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't believe there are drivers for the FC3100. Since it's only interface is either a parallel port or a serial port you're simply talking to it over a standard comm protocol. So long as you have a working serial port on your computer, the USB-2-Serial adapter, and you have your software set correctly, Port number, Baud rate, HP-GL language, it should work.

Did you use the usb-serial adapter and cable with the mac? Just trying to rule out the adapter/cable as the problem.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We had a different serial adapter and cable with the mac, it was a mac one that I couldn't get to work with Windows. So I bought a USB to serial cable, Prolific chip and driver, that I think installed fine, the system says the driver is installed and it is working. Yes I wondered about the other settings, the flow control on the USB port is set to none, and the same in Signblazer, the Bits per sec, 9600, data: 8 bit, Parity none, Stop bits: 1. Its running on Comm 1 - through the prolific USB port (Comm 1 was the only install option apart from LPT in the Graphtec Driver, I so I installed on Comm 1); I thought maybe there's some other setting I'm missing, or some test I can do which could find the fault. The cutter is on HP-GL, but it seems to receive nothing. That said, before the cable had the correct driver installed the cutter came up with an I/O error when I sent data, with the driver installed it no longer comes up with that, so I think data is getting through ... do people have more luck with the ieee 1284 parallel port? I could try that next if I get another cable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just to close this off, and thanks for the responses. I got an old desktop computer I have which runs Windows XP 64 Professional, I put an old VIA serial port PCI in it, and used a serial cable from it to the Graphtec and it worked first time. With all the above settings. So the problem was the USB cable, even though it said it was installed properly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now