Edge II parallel port comm problems

[jimashby]

Does anyone know how to correct this issue. I had to change computers from an embedded parallel and serial port that worked fine with my Edge II. The new computer needed a new combo card which I purchased. I was able to get eh serial port working but am having an issue with the printer port.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rcook99]

I am not sure how to fix your problem but, I will tell you that I have used a gerber Fastrack 650 and Summa t750 with a serial to USB cable with no problems. Maybe purchase a new cable for USB and it might help. Good luck!

 

[Drip Dry]

Just went through this.
Was having a problem with my old computer, so I thought it would be simple to change to a new computer.
Ok, so new computers don't come with Parallel ports anymore or serial ports for that matter.

So, easy, just get a add in combo board, right... wrong !

First off, you need to get a board that supports "ECP" . That was easy, and then you need the computer bios to support "ECP" as well. If computers of today don't come standard with parallel ports, then why do you need a bios that does.

Enough for the doom and gloom, here's what I did. Hopefully you can do the same.

The problem I had with the old computer was that it was slow. It had 2 hard drives in it and was loaded with stuff that I never used anymore. I wanted this to be dedicated to the Gerber. It worked fine but was slow as a dog.

I backed up the data files to a flash drive. Took out the 2 drives and installed a new Solid state hard drive. 100.00 from New Egg. I had XP running before, so that's what I loaded this time.Then I loaded the Composer software.

There are some things to be aware of if going this route. First you need to know what the composer software saw as the type of Gerber edge Ie: Gerber or Gerber edge 2. It made a difference. It wouldn't work if I selected Gerber 2 ( and that's what I think I have) and you need to know what port it's on. I had 3 to choose from. You can find this info from the old computer if it's still working from the Gerber tray. Get this from your start menu. One of the options will be Gerber Tray. Once you run it, it will show up in the bottom of the screen. Right click it and see the info your looking for. Use this info when you setup the new drive. If your going to use the old computer, the bios is probably set to what worked before , but if not, then you need to set it to "ECP" mode. Funny thing is that mine doesn't work in that mode and I have it set "AT" mode. Don't ask me why... maybe it something to do with the 3 ports

Bottom line is, try to use the old computer. everything worked before, so unless you have a motherboard that died, anything else can be fixed rather inexpensively.

I did hear that you could use a usb to parallel adapter. But it seems that some cables work and others don't. Gerber was selling cables that they said they tested and worked. Not sure if they still sell them.
You could also upgrade the software to whatever is current now. I believe they use a USB port and you can use the adapter cable for the edge. You can use a brand new computer with Win 7 or 8. And get Gerber support as well. The downside is that Gerber upgrades are expensive.

Hope this helps

 

[SightLine]

Actually a lot of computers DO still come with real hardware (not software emulated on a card) parallel and serial ports. Just not consumer class ones.... You have to go with a business class machine. Even then it is becoming less and less common to find them on all but the highest end models. Nearly all prior generation Dell OptiPlex and even current generation Dell Precision, IBM, and many HP business and workstation class desktops have them. These class desktops also generally do not come pre-loaded with gobs of junk bloatware that you have no need for in a business system and are of a different class of reliability than consumer class systems.

For something like this I'd hit up Dellrefurbished.com (you can wait a bit and usually find a 20 to 30% off coupon as well). Right now you could get an OptiPlex 980 with an i5 3.2ghz, Windows 7 Pro, 4GB of ram for $235 after the current 30% coupon code. That's really overkill for a dedicated Edge machine though. Go for the OptiPlex 780, Core 2 Duo 3ghz, 3gb ram, Vista for $177 less 30% making is less than $125. That is plenty to run an Edge and to me personally makes a lot more sense than some off the shelf consumer class machine that I have to jump through hoops to get some add on card to work and play nice in.