Setting up Flexi for cutting

[Vinylman]

OK Folks;
Here's the deal. I have been plotting with an Ioline Studio 8 plotter for years. I have been running it from an older driver program called "SignPost'. I am running the plotter on my G4 Mac. There is something SERIOUSLY WRONG with the Mac drivers for the plotter so I am looking to switch this plotter over to a PC.


I have been learning FlexiSign PRO on a PC for about 6 months. We only use this set up for printing.

I am dumb as a post when it comes to setting up the computer so go easy on me here.

Can someone walk me through the steps to use Flexi to run my plotter on the new PC?

I don't have a clue where to start to get the program to recognize that there is even a plotter hooked up to the PC, let alone how I am going to get the PC to run this plotter.

BTW: Flexi indicates that somewhere in the depths of its' bowels, there are drivers for my plotter. But I don't have a clue how to get them to work. Any gurus available to lead me step by step through this?



Bob C.

 

[Service Sign Co]

Open production manager>setup >add setup. The plotter is in the add setup Highlight Manufacturer & model name then assign which port you will use

 

[Vinylman]

My question is how do you assign a "port"?
I don't know how to select a given "port". I have several USB ports on the front of the PC, but I don't know how to designate them as the "port"? Does that make any sence to you?

Thanks, Bob C.

 

[Service Sign Co]

Go through the steps and you will see. You will need a serial cable fpr the plotter first, that would be com 1 or 2 If you don't have a serial cable you will need a USB to serial cable. If the plotter has a printer port you will need a printer cable. If your puter doesen't have a LPT port , you can use a USB to Centronics cable

 

[Vinylman]

I have the serial to USB adapter.
What next?

 

[Service Sign Co]

Plug it into the plotter with the power to the plotter off and look at post 2. You may need real technical support for USB addapter I still have serial ports in all computers

 

[Samm]

Using a USB cord here - I set up flexi, ready to cut, plugged it into the USB port that I chose, and then tried Comm 1, tried to cut, nothing. Tried again, same USB port, Comm 2, tried to cut etc. It took until Comm 4 to get it correct.

Once this is assigned, never, and I mean Never try to use anything else in that particular USB port or everything will go AWOL.

Hope this makes sense!

Sam

 

[Service Sign Co]

I'ts true with the Gerber Edge that not all USB to Centronics cables will work, they recommend their own cable that comes with its own driver. That may be true with plotters also. What started out as a simple question may have created another one. Maybee one of the Big Tech Dawgs knows what to to

 

[bob]

My question is how do you assign a "port"?
I don't know how to select a given "port". I have several USB ports on the front of the PC, but I don't know how to designate them as the "port"? Does that make any sence to you?

"Port" in this context is just a USB jack, not a logical entity.

The USB jacks on the front of the machine are sometimes not full boogie ports. If you have ports in front then you sure as hell have them in back, use one of the ports in the back.

As far as designating a port, USB does away with all that. Just plug into a convenient USB jack and tell the setup that you'll be using USB. The software will find the machine.

 

[Lunatic Taskbar]

the USB to serial is usually on com4 or 5