I am getting a shopbot to work for the local high school and I cannot get the computer to see the controller. It is an RS232 and I would like to use a USB to RS232 so that I might put the machine a newer machine. I would really love to get this machine running for the kids. unfortunately I am not familiar with this machine. Any and all advice is needed!
Thank you
Todd

I should add that it has never been used at the school ,and has just sat unused. Once it us up and running I will train the teachers in its use so that it can be used when i am not there.

Todd,

This sounds like a CNC Router, which I do not have much experience with. But doing a quick search on Google I found the company website:

ShopBot Tools, Inc
3333 Industrial Dr
Durham, NC 27704 USA
Phone: 919-680-4800; 888-680-4466
Fax: 919-680-4900
http://www.shopbottools.com

I am sure you can contact them on what is required to setup the router to communicate to a PC.

As for USB to serial adapters, you may have reliability issues that we have seen in the field. I recommend you find a PC with a standard builtin serial port from the motherboard or get some PCI serial card.

Good luck!

Greg Mercurio
Shop Floor Automations
www.cncnetworking.com

thank you for the info. I have sent shopbot tech questions using their web site but have not gotten any responses. Being on the west coast by the time i can call them they are closed. though i will keep trying. Have you had good luck with a pci serial card? I have not seen these. I am not saying they do not exist but are they a specialty item, for people cursed with older tech? O, and you are correct this is a cnc router.

Yes, we have sold close to 200 of these cards. We sell them for $50 and most new PCs do not have a serial port, only USB ports.

With this card, you can install it inside the PC, in a PCI slot, and close up the PC and start Windows 2000 or XP spots it and prompts for the CD.

Point to the driver and you now have 2 comm ports. Works like a champ!

Greg Mercurio
Shop Floor Automations
www.cncnetworking.com
619-461-4000

Go here:

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/discus.cgi

You will either find the answer, or you can post your question and get many shobbot owners to answer.

-Jeff

thanks...... i will check it out

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>snipped

As for USB to serial adapters, you may have reliability issues that we have seen in the field. I recommend you find a PC with a standard builtin serial port from the motherboard or get some PCI serial card.


I'd almost have to say that that is an understatement. Many of the USB to RS232 adapters are very unreliable and should be avoided where failure may lead to hazards. I would imagine that some are better than others but could not tell you which is which. Besides I have a suspicion that MS may be as much of a problem here as the adapters.

This is not to say that real RS232 ports can't get screwed up but it is far less of a problem to the point of being almost nonexistent.

As far as the Shopbot goes I can't help much here. Never even seen one. Where abouts are you located? My suggestion would be to get the machine to run on either EMC or Mach and ignore any proprietary software. Not that Mach is open source, what I'm trying to say is to go with a software package that makes use of fairly generic G-Code. What is possible with the hardware you have is hard for me to even guess at the moment. At best you will have access to the software and documentation.

Thanks
Dave