posted
simple question ... can you run a USB to LPT1 cable to on ancient Roland and actually get it to work on WIN 7?
I can buy CoCut and slap it on a freshly built 2000 machine and go like crazy from corel 9 and 10, but I'd much rather update corel and just put everything onto WIN 7.
I'm just not in the market or in need of a new plotter at the moment.
just curious.
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Michael I don't know about a usb to printer port adapter(usb to lpt) but I do know I used a roland plotter with a usb to serial adapter in conjunction with a null modem plotter cable and it will work just fine with cocut,...as for the corel upgrade I would make sure the version you have is compatible with a higher version of corel first,...my old version only works with corel 9 and lower
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Define ancient. I run a CX 24 and I believe I ran my PNC 1100 on Win 7.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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i still have 2 LPT ports....i had WIN 7 beta and it ran my roland cutting from corel no problem.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I think Michael's problem might be his new PC does not have a serial or LPT, just USB ports.
That's why he asked if you can run the plotter via a "USB to serial" converter lead.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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I got a call from a Letterville resident and he said it didn't work for him, and his computer guy is pretty knowledgable, so without a port, it probably isn't going to happen.
Oh, well. Just wondering before I waste $10 on a cable and no telling how much time. Not a biggie.
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
I have an old summa, saves my corel 14 files in win 7 as corel 8 files to a memory stick, bring the stick to a xp puter with corel 8 on it and connected to the cutter and convert to cutfiles and cut from that and that works
-------------------- Stein Saether GullSkilt AS Trondheim Posts: 1183 | From: Trondheim Norway | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
and then rick comes along and says it might just work ... well, the cable is cheap, so who knows? It might just work.
and I'm pretty much right now doing what stein is doing. For the volume of work I'm doing, it's not too bad. If I were really busy and had a lot of volume it would be a total pain in the rear packing files back and forth.
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
The problem most people have is they try to run the plotter straight from the adapter(usb to serial) and the adapters are not null modem cables(not alot of techs are familiar with this and they don't make it a point to teach it in the tech schools).The adapter will work WITH a null modem cable which most people already have hooked to their plotter from an older setup,..the null modem cable has two wires crossed so the computer can handshake with the plotter,....another thing is windows will randomly assign a port number to the adapter so you may have to check device manager each time you use the adapter to be sure which port number to plot to,other than that I had no problems with the usb port adapter and windows 7
[ January 25, 2012, 09:14 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
What Tim says is right- BUT...I'm wondering if you can or can't use the usb to serial lead/adapter-, and THEN a serial to centrnics/printer cable which old Rolands also have a socket for.
That should avoid the null modem needs, I'd have thought. Micjhale, I have an adapter, but haven't tried it. It was as cheap to buy a few new (good 2nd hand) PCs with an old LPT in them!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Gerber says you can run the Edge with a special USB cable that they offer for $100. The Edge was built to run on a paralell port. I haven't tried it yet, but some day I'm sure I'll be forced to try it.
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3485 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
another GERBER GOTCHA... iam sure the one they sell is no different then any other USB to PARALELL cord on the market only they dont say GERBER on them.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
A problem we had with new computer and old plotter with usb to seriel was the new, more powerful computer sent info to the plotter too fast for the plotter to keep up with. ( so I'm told, not techy at all and a friend looked it over and discovered the issue ). Had to slow down the info going to the plotter. Make any sense?
-------------------- Pam Eddy Niles, MI ple@qtm.net Posts: 460 | From: Michigan | Registered: Dec 2000
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posted
had the same problem with usb to serial converter. they are not all the same. one will work while another won't. maybe something to do with the chipset?
the one that works on my system is made by FTDI. the one made by Manhattan won't work...
good luck!
-------------------- Élaine Beauchemin scrip Lettrage Scripsit inc. St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada www.scripsit.net Posts: 1096 | From: Saint-Hubert, Québec, Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
there are two types of usb to serial adapters one is a null modem type(rs-232 compliant) and normal striaght thru adapters,...the most common and most sold are straight thru serial adapters(little more than an extension cable only with the adapter plugs) the straight thru cables will work fine if they are used coupled to a standard null modem cable (the type that comes with most plotters),...the null modem cables are rs-232 compliant and have two wires crossed from one end to the other so the computer can hand shake with the plotter. if you hook two of these null modem cables together it will cross those two wires twice and in essence as if they have never been crossed. The result is the cable will not work,...you can only have one rs 232 cable and or adapter in this setup at a time,and you must have it for the older rolands and 90% of the plotters out there using a serial port(com port)
On another note,...when you plug an adapter into the usb port windows automatically assigns the next availble port number to that usb port,...so if you plug it in one day and it is using com 1 when you turn it off the next it may assign com 3 or 4,so you will often have to check the heading in control panel/hardware/device manager under the ports heading and look to see which port windows assigned to the adapter and then set your drivers to use that port,...it can be set manually under the advanced properties tab for the port and it usually hangs on to that port when windows boots an eliminates the problem of port assignment,...it may sound somewhat complicated but it is just a matter of finding out what "plug" windows is using for the adapter,...
thirdly once you have found the correct port number the port settings have to be right for the plotter,...baud rate, data bits and com protocol(xon-xoff---hardware etc.) this should be in the instructions and specifications for every plotter and has had to be done when setting up a plotter since they were first used,...it is not something that is automatically done by default and thus you end up with problems of the computer sending information way to fast for the plotter to read as stated above,...most of the old rolands use a baud rate of 9600 as that is plenty fast for most plotters,....
Hope this helps those without the right ports on their new pc's
[ January 27, 2012, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Fascinating Tim... I wish I had a visual on what I needed to attempt to find. I'd like to attempt to get my PNC 1000A to work as a secondary system in an emergency. We were unsuccessful with a USB/Parallel and the tech told me to pick up a USB/Serial that was Windows 7 compliant. (a special order - most over the counter are no name whatevers)
What does the connection you're referring to look like? Is it a USB that connects to the original serial CABLE that is connected to the plotter? (i.e. two cables then)
posted
Donna,if you are planning on hooking this up to your mac you will need a special cable and they are hard to find,...if you are just planning to use an old pc any usb to serial straight thru cable should work as long as you hook it up to your old working plotter cable,...as for appearance they come in a bunch of different colors and assorted sizes,...some are not even a cable but about the size of a flash drive,....the only thing most of them have in common is they have a standard "a" type usb connector on one end and a 9 pin serial port on the other
if anyone needs anymore help they can call me at 336-312-8048 I hate typing on this netbook
edited to add,...any plug and play adapter should work with win7,....just ask for a usb to serial port adapter and or do a google search for images of one
[ January 28, 2012, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote: USB/Serial that was Windows 7 compliant. (a special order
I wonder what he meant by that. Win 7 is about the most compatible OS out there. I have win 98 se products here that run just fine on win7.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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