Help setting up FC5100-100 - PLEASE

[MickeyFin62]

So, I teach Middle School Graphic Arts and a local sign company donated a Graphtec FC5100-100 in perfect working order. I saw the software they had (same as mine) and I saw it cut a job perfectly. The problem is, I am having trouble getting the plotter to communicate with any computer I have tried.

I am using CorelDraw X5 and have installed the drivers from Graphtec and the Cutting Master 2 plug-in, all seem to be working fine.

When I "send" my job to the cutter I get an error message that reads
"error 1 instruction not recognized"

The owner gave me a 9 pin female serial to 15 pin male cable, but I do not have a computer with a 9 pin male connection, so I have tried USB - same results, 15 pin Parallel to Centronics - same result.

Does anyone have any ideas I could try to get this cutter to run? I was hoping to get it up and running during vacation so we can use it when school resumes in a week.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If you are using the CD to install the driver, it is most likely an old version and not supported by your OS. Here is a link to the driver site: Graphtec 5100 USB DRIVERS

Select 32 or 64 bit based on your OS and install.

 

[MickeyFin62]

That is where I downloaded the drivers, I did not get an installation disk. I downloaded the 64 bit for my windows 7 laptop using usb and I downloaded the 32 bit with my windows XP with SP3 using the parallel to Cx. All with the same results.

Could it be that I need to find a computer with a 9 pin serial port?

 

[Solventinkjet]

If the user before you was using any software that wasn't made by Graphtec, the command setting is probably set to HP-GL instead of GP-GL. When you turn the plotter on , watch the screen. It will say a version number and the either HL or GL next to it. If it is in HL then you need to go into the menu and change it to GP-GL. I can't find the procedure for that but it may be in the user manual.

 

[MickeyFin62]

OK, changed those settings and when I hit send the plotter rapidly moved the cutter up and down and moved 20" away and I got this message
"Media end reload media"

When I set up the media, I selected to not recognize registration marks and to sheet. I have a 20 x 12 pc of vinyl installed. My test text is only 3" x 4".

 

[Solventinkjet]

That's going to be an orientation issue. Page 80 in the user manual at the bottom of the page tells you how to rotate the axis on the plotter. Change the setting to the opposite of what it is set at currently ex: if it is on turn it off. This should allow the software and plotter to match the orientation properly.

 

[MickeyFin62]

I got it!

It was a combination of using the usb cable, orientation and changing the setting from HP-GL to GP-GL.

Thanks a bunch, my students are gonna be psyched