Computer no longer talking to machine :(

Wild West · Aug 21, 2017

Ok, last week I had a major computer failure. It wasn't a surprise. The Dell was 13yo, the Gibbs software was 17 and the Ashlar Cobalt CAD was 15. It was time. So I bought a new computer, paid the maintenance upgrade for Gibbs, updated the Cobalt. Everything is brand new!

But -

Now everything is running on USB and that's OK. I bought an adapter to connect from computer USB to the old style communication cable connector. Guess what? They don't like each other. They are not speaking to one another. How can I solve this? My computer guy doesn't know.

Anybody have this problem?

Thanks!

angelw · Aug 21, 2017

Wild West said:
Ok, last week I had a major computer failure. It wasn't a surprise. The Dell was 13yo, the Gibbs software was 17 and the Ashlar Cobalt CAD was 15. It was time. So I bought a new computer, paid the maintenance upgrade for Gibbs, updated the Cobalt. Everything is brand new!

But -

Now everything is running on USB and that's OK. I bought an adapter to connect from computer USB to the old style communication cable connector. Guess what? They don't like each other. They are not speaking to one another. How can I solve this? My computer guy doesn't know.

Anybody have this problem?

Thanks!

Hello Wild West,
Many USB to Serial converters just don't work well. To save a lot of angst, I would be having a real Serial Port adapter installed. You will have to go through the process of finding and buying a USB to Serial that works, so financially there is not going to be much difference, but with the Serial Adapter you will be assured of it working straight up.

Regards,

Bill

SeymourDumore · Aug 21, 2017

Like Bill said, it is a fairly common issue, and by the time you do find one that works, you'll be shopping for a wig as all your hair shall be gone.
Assuming we're not talking about a laptop machine, you should find one here:
pci rs232 - Newegg.com

xyzzy · Aug 21, 2017

I agree with the previous posts - if you can get a serial port card. if that isn't an option, what I did last time I chased this was order 3 or 4 adapters from Amazon, and cycle through them until one worked, and returned the others. If your careful and don't destroy the packaging not an issue. I've found the better USB to Serial adapters work pretty well (don't go cheap, get a "good" one).

Also, just to check the obvious, are you sure you don't have a cable problem - NULL modem issue, etc. Just because they plug together doesn't mean the are compatible.

A friend long ago said: "RS-232, the great stupidizer."

Good luck - Jon

Mud · Aug 21, 2017

I run PCI serial cards on 2 PCs for DNC. The on board Com ports seem to fail for us, usually in a thunderstorm. I keep 2 or 3 of the same brand on the shelf for spares, so if one fails I can pop another one in with no driver reloading. They are so cheap i don't mind needing spares, and having spares seem to keep bad things from happening (#gearhead feng shui).

DDoug · Aug 21, 2017

"I can't let you do that Dave."....

HAL 9: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that" - YouTube

mjk · Aug 22, 2017

When I first attempted to use my new at the time laptop I tried the usb serial adapters and found it cheaper/less stressful to use a "relic" XP machine desktop with serial port.
Keep a few around just for spares. A cheat sheet with all the port settings will save the hair also.

"I run PCI serial cards on 2 PCs for DNC. The on board Com ports seem to fail for us, usually in a thunderstorm"
I had this problem also.
I made up a "switch box" that allowed for disconnecting the pc from the different machines when not in use. easier than unplugging the cable from the pc
Haven't lost a pc due to thunderstorms since.
I also am leery of running during a really bad storm.

Wild West · Aug 22, 2017

Thanks guys, I now know which direction to go.

Larry Dickman · Aug 22, 2017

I bought a usb/rs232 cable over at best buy. Has no brand on it anywhere, but best buy is where I got it. Having spent decades fighting with rs232 crap, I was expecting a complete nightmare.
I plugged it in and was pleasantly surprise. Communicated with an old fanuc perfectly without having to do anything. May I suggest the problems referred to above may be software related, and not hardware?

xyzzy · Aug 22, 2017

One last suggestion (and maybe you've done all this) - if your going to use a USB to Serial converter be sure and install the manufacturers drivers if they are available, then go into the device settings and double check speed/parity/stop bits, etc.

In the old days, Windows came with a telnet program that made it really easy to debug serial connections. You can still find them and download to debug. Saves a huge amount of time if you get really stuck.

Good luck!

hanermo · Aug 22, 2017

Its a common problem.
Highly recommend a real serial port card, as others said.

USB anything is a Bad Idea for real machines in Real Use.

angelw · Aug 22, 2017

The problem with USB to Serial adapters is not specifically with the adapter alone, but a combination of the adapter and a 64 bit Operating System. When Win 7 was first launched, there were no USB/Serial adapters that worked with it.

There was seldom a problem with USB/Serial adapters in conjunction with Win XP as a 32 Bit OS.

Regards,

Bill

angelw · Aug 22, 2017

xyzzy said:
One last suggestion (and maybe you've done all this) - if your going to use a USB to Serial converter be sure and install the manufacturers drivers if they are available, then go into the device settings and double check speed/parity/stop bits, etc.

Good luck!

Unless the Comms software is absolute rubbish and the author has made no provision to set the Comms Protocol from within the Software, there is no requirement to set it in the Device Manager.

Regards,

Bill

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

Computer no longer talking to machine :(

Wild West

Hot Rolled

angelw

Diamond

SeymourDumore

Diamond

xyzzy

Aluminum

Mud

Diamond

DDoug

Diamond

mjk

Titanium

Wild West

Hot Rolled

Larry Dickman

Titanium

xyzzy

Aluminum

hanermo

Titanium

angelw

Diamond

angelw

Diamond

Similar threads