Serial connection failing - USB connection option not found - Pls. Help

[4DPrinting 0]

I've been cutting w/ the serial port for months and up until last week it started having issues sending through to the plotter as quick as it used to.  Now it claims a "write port error". 

So my solution would be switch to USB connection?  - But it seems I can't find the option to switch that.

Let me know if anyone can be of assistance.

Thank you!

[kenimes 42]

If you use the USb cable instead, just look in the Ports category of your Device Manager to find out which COM # the USb has been assigned so you can pick the correct COM # in Flexi.

[4DPrinting 0]

Ok - I went through a few, and figured it would be labeled USB and it just wasn't there - assumptions.

I will do what's suggested - then message back.

Thanks!

[BannerJohn 1,324]

did you try another serial Cable? I had mine go bad about a year ago.

[4DPrinting 0]

I have no other serial cable right now - The cable is no more than 4 months in use though.

I went through the process of all 10 COM's available to attempt in getting the plotter hooked up through the USB cable.

And it was a no go.

Any new suggestions..

[haumana 1,220]

I agree with John. Even though your serial cable is only a few months old, try the swap out on that first. If that doesn't work, it is possible that it's the port either on the plotter side or the computer side. USB is an option. When you plugged hooked-up via USB, was it a direct connection or did you plug into a hub? The cutters run best if it's plugged directly into the hub, with nothing in between. A keyspan is also an alternative.

Help us out a little though ... PC or Mac? OS? Cutting Software?

[4DPrinting 0]

USB - direct connection.

This is a PC  and I am running flexi sign pro 8.1

Kenimes suggested this -

Instead of selecting each COM port, just verify which one it is acutally using in the Ports category of your Device Manager.

I Know that the serial is running off of com 2, and i ran through each com trying to connect via USB.

And it didn't run through.

[BannerJohn 1,324]

I think I am understanding now. You can't just plug it in via USB and have it work. You have to install the USB driver. YOu can download it on the US Cutter site...I don't know where . Ken would know. My cutter came with a small CD that had the driver on it.

Of course I could be wrong since I don't have that particular model but Windows doesn't automatically see a cutter as a device like it does a printer,in USB.

[haumana 1,220]

I think I am understanding now. You can't just plug it in via USB and have it work. You have to install the USB driver. YOu can download it on the US Cutter site...I don't know where . Ken would know. My cutter came with a small CD that had the driver on it.

Of course I could be wrong since I don't have that particular model but Windows doesn't automatically see a cutter as a device like it does a printer,in USB.

I think the LP's shipped with the infamous "Banana CD". That should have the USB drivers.

[4DPrinting 0]

I just ran that through - and I uninstalled it.  Now the .exe file in it is running me through the uninstal process again and the error shows up that a file is missing that is also in the cd so i copied that put it in the cwindowssystem32 folder it said it uninstalled it - then i go back to re install and the same thing happens.- claims the file is missing to uninstall..

[haumana 1,220]

If you can't do the uninstall, try reinstalling it over the existing software. If you want to see if your computer can pick-up the cutter properly, have the drivers CD in the CD tray, plug in the USB and turn on the cutter. You didn't say which OS you're using, so I'm just going to guess that it's either XP or Vista, either way, the plug'n'play will want to kick in, and when it cannot find the right driver, use the browse to point it to the CD and the driver should install from there.

While the cutter can also plot, it will not appear in "Printers and Faxes" under the control panel. It is just a device you need to select through your software (as well as how it is connected). I'm unfamiliar with Flexi, so I'll leave that to someone else, but you should at least have the right drivers to get your going.

[4DPrinting 0]

I am using XP

It says it can't find better driver software than I already have - So i uninstalled the serial converter which is the port that the cutter is plugged into via USB.

I try to plot w/ the COM 3 option which is the serial converter.  And I get a precent that's plotting which is 0% and nothing happens.