Running Shopbot on a Mac

[majohnson]

I'm switching back to Apple since the power plug on my Toshiba has broken and went inside the case. I'm thinking of using Parallels so I can run my Shopbot software. I am wondering what others are using on their Apples to allow the use of Windows/Shopbot software.

[carlosgmarroquin]

I tried with a virtual machine using VMWare Fusion and it didn't work. I think that the control software handles things like the system timer and the comm port at a very low level. And it was too slow.

I would suggest BootCamp because it is a windows instance running directly over the hardware.

[knight_toolworks]

right bootcamp is the only way you can do it. macs are too spendy to run a shopbot with,.

[tlempicke]

I bought a copy of Parallels and it works --- but!

Disk access, saving programs, transferring between Mac and IBM are really difficult. Laptops are so cheap that you can buy one brand new for just about twice what a copy of parallels will cost.

[Brady Watson]

Dyslexia kickin' in....I thought the title read 'Running over a Mac with a Shopbot' :D

PCs & laptops are dirt cheap. A quick browse on CL and you'll find more than you can shake a stick at.

When it comes to driving the SB - this isn't a place to dare to be different.

-B

[danhamm]

Hope you spelled dyslexia right Brady, First glance I thought it was 'running over shopbot with a mach' http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Brady Watson]

I had to check the spelling :D

Nah...I'll take my plug-n-play laptop USB interface over that 1970 interface technology :p

Hey...whatever works for ya is the "right" interface, right? :cool:

-B

[majohnson]

Those are some interesting answers. Where would we be with out spell check.

[michael_schwartz]

If you run Parallels make sure to max out your ram. 2-3GB is not enough. Partworks ran ok on my first generation Macbook. If you want to do this for design software it is worth a try. Otherwise I agree with the other posts that your better off going with windows system to control the Shopbot.

Get a good lower cost PC to run the ShopBot. Spend a little bit more if you have to. Make sure you do it right the first time. I am using a refurbished dell optiplex right now but I am planning on switching it out for a gaming PC I built a few years ago. While it is overkill, I know it will be far more reliable than the Dell. You don't need anything fancy to run the shopbot, but you also don't want to control a $14,000 piece of equipment with the cheapest PC you can find. Avoid low cost peripherals that come bundled with refurbs. Throw them away and buy a name brand keyboard and mouse. I had a whole slew of USB problems caused by a cheap USB keyboard.

I used to run partworks via parallels. I ended up buying a $400.00 Dell laptop when I bought Aspire since that was beyond what my older macbook could handle. The Dell is ok but I wouldn't buy another. Then again I am not really sure if you could do better with any of the other brands. With laptops you get what you pay for. For now I have to satisfy my apple needs with my iPhone.

As far as desktops up to a certain price point your better buying new, or refurbished. I prefer to build my own systems but when you can buy a low end PC for the same price as a retail copy of windows 7, building one is not practical. However any more than $500 or so building your own is the only way to go as far as I am concerned. I just like to build computers though :cool:

[danhamm]

Brady,Touche' on the laptop...But the 1970's tech and a higher voltage power supply make the old vexta's (4 wire)do things people only dream of..http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[bill.young]

Don't know if this is a good deal or not, but I got an email from Amazon this morning and they had Parallel v6 listed for $49, marked down from $79. This may be their regular price but thought I would pass it on.

http://www.amazon.com/Parallels-Desktop-6-for-Mac/dp/B0041DVQ8M/

[jastod]

We've been running our Shopbot on a iMac with Parallels for several years without any problems. Not difficult at all to set up. Parallels 6 with XP and the latest version of control software work flawlessly.

[majohnson]

Bill, Thanks for the link!

Alison,
What Mac are you using and how much memory do you have on board.

[jastod]

A 2007 vintage 20" iMac - 2.8 ghz core 2 duo with 4GB memory.

[jkaras2000]

I don't think I would chance using my Mac in my shop. It is too precious to me. With the price of lower end laptops these days, it might just pay to pick up a $400 - $500 laptop to dedicate to the bot. That's my two cents anyway.

[navigator7]

I'm switching back to Apple since the power plug on my Toshiba has broken and went inside the case. I'm thinking of using Parallels so I can run my Shopbot software. I am wondering what others are using on their Apples to allow the use of Windows/Shopbot software.

Not related to SB but I ran a 3D printer from my Mac for 3 years without a single glitch.
Rock Steady
BootCamp and Parallels.

[Roy Harding]

I use a Mac as my "main" desktop. I run Parallels 6 in Coherence mode (fully integrates Windows software with my Mac). I haven't had a problem with any of the Shopbot software (just a note - my Mac is maxed out with 8 Gig of memory - 4 Gig of which is dedicated to the Windows environment).

I use a really cheap "Netbook" out in the shop to physically run the Shopbot (mine's a Desktop, so I don't know if a more powerful computer is necessary for the "big boys"). My Netbook has a 1.0 GHz AMD Dual-Core C50 CPU, and 1 Gig of memory. I only use the Netbook to actually run the Shopbot with the Shopbot Workshop control software - all other functions (design, producing tool paths, etcetera) are done at my desktop Mac. All files are shared between the two computers on a network drive (accessible to both Mac and Windows), when the wireless network is coming in clear enough for the Netbook to pick up (not always the case - depending upon a lot of things). When the network cannot be picked up by the netbook, I just load the toolpath files onto a USB "memory stick" and plug it into the netbook.

I agree with others - my Mac is too expensive to be knocking around the shop. Computers adequate to run your Shopbot can be had CHEAP (my little Netbook was purchased with "store loyalty points" accumulated over the years at Staples - making it effectively free).

Just to repeat - I'm running a little Desktop D2418, I don't know if my little netbook computer could handle a bigger machine, with tool changer, etcetera.

[wcsg]

So installed parraells 8 with XP which was the system of my old OC that failed. Installed the software and the port, any port 1-16 will not connect. Am I missing something?

If I go to load control box firmware it says 4, if I try to Load it says

"Error opening comm port. The comm port identifier is bad"

That's it. Anyone familiar with this have an answer?

[wcsg]

Here is a screen shot.

Is there supposed to be something labeled "Shopbot" or COM under the device manager?

http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/Shopbot%20Win.jpg

[srwtlc]

Just thought, does your machine/control box have the little USB to Serial adapter and if so, have you installed the drivers for it? The driver files should be in C:\Program Files\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Drivers\IOGEAR GU232A. Just seeing the yellow !? by USB Serial Controller makes me think you don't have a driver installed.

[Billions]

That's very strange, right? I've never seen that error but I can't claim I have that much experience either. I also run Windows under Parallels, but it's Windows 7.

I'm sure you've likely already tried this, but I wait until Windows (under Parallels 7) is fully started and waiting before I connect my Shobot's USB to my MacBook Pro, forcing it to ask me if I want the newly-inserted USB connected to my Mac, or if I want it connected to the "virtual" PC. At this point I tell it Windows. It asks if I want to remember the choice but I decline, as I find I have no problem with Windows recognizing the Shopbot if I do it like this. On times where I've had it connected before I start Windows under Parallels, the Shopbot is sometimes ignored as Parallels seems to assume it's a peripheral outside the Windows shell.

All wild guessing on my part, but maybe the virtual machine is considering the USB port you've picked "bad" when it's really just some software issue with the Shopbot already being connected when you start your virtual Windows machine in Parallels.


Of course, I'm able to do this as I run my Shopbot off of my laptop, which I put away in a drawer if I'm not shopbotting, but if I wanted the convenience of leaving it totally connected all the time I'd probably grow weary of connecting the USB cable all the time. During heavy usage times, once it's running, I leave it connected and running for a day or two at a time.

[wcsg]

I'm not a PC guy so to speak. But the connector that comes out of my CB is USB short cord. And what I had was a 8' USB cord that was supplied. I have a prt alpha and I have no problem working it off my PC but it is a dying machine.

[srwtlc]

If you look inside your CB, and you see one of these, you need to install the drivers for it.

[wcsg]

Okay, that is what I have connected to my CB. Are the drivers not part of the installation disk that Shopbot gave me?

If not, where do I get these drivers? In my shopbot3/drivers I have a IOGEAR GU232A folder in there along with ShopBotControllerV201

I think the CD was 3.1.1. and I downloaded 3.6.46 from the SB site as current for XP and my machine

[srwtlc]

If you go back to device manager and right click on that USB Serial controller, choose properties, driver tab, update drivers. Choose to get the driver from the hard drive and navigate to that driver folder I mentioned earlier and it should choose the file, but if it doesn't, try SERWPL.INF.

You should not have the SB plugged in when installing the drivers, but can plug it in when done and it say device ready or something like that. After that, when you plug the SB in, it should recognize it and possibly say device ready again. At that point, you should hopefully be able to connect to it.

[wcsg]

Here is what I have in the Device Manager.

If I right Click on Universal Serial Bus controllers all I don't get a driver tab, but I can listed under that. Is there one in particular?

http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/USB1.jpg


http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/USB2.jpg

[wcsg]

Okay so here is the update.

In another thread I saw to go into the paralells usb settings. I changed USB-Serial Controller #2 to connect to "Windows XP"

Then in the device Manager it was picking up something but an unknown. That unknown I did what you said, select the driver tab and pointed to the driver folder and now this

http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/usb3.jpg



So once it showed up I went into the SB software and went through the process of having the software look for a port.

http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/USB4.jpg


It shows port three as valid now.


http://westcoastsignco.com/miscstuff/boardfunctions/USB5.jpg



But that's as far as I can get. Once it says port 3, and I try to access the virtual mode to live it goes right back to the yellow screen, and once again just says 3 is connected but cannot get past this part.

Getting closer at least.

Any other suggestions?

[srwtlc]

Ok, good, getting closer. Is this the first time that your SB has been accessed by this version of SB software? If so, choose to let it go into preview mode and then try to update the firmware with 'UI' and follow the prompts. If that works and it connects to the control box, you'll need to select the proper default values for you machine. If it doesn't ask, do that with 'UD' and choose to load defaults for the model machine you have.

[wcsg]

HAHA, i'm such a dum dum. Thanks guys...ALOT!!

Have had this just collecting dust in my garage for a little over a year and just now putting it to some use again.

I tried the firmware thing last night but wasn't doing it right. I was loading then when prompted to he next small window, I would play around with it then close it then turn off my CB, then turn it back on. This time I read correctly and turned the box off at the small window then back on and the bars came active. Wala, ON!

But boy a little different than the software i'm used too. Hopefully better.

Is Partworks the new Partwizard? if so is it free or do I have to pay since my machine is old?

Thanks a bunch again guys for your patience my slow mind, that's why this Shopbot forum community is so awesome and why I went with buying the SB so long ago. Active and helpful group of users.

Can't thank you all enough, especially Scott!!

[jerry_stanek]

partswork is different and yes you would have to pay for it. It is the same as vcarve pro from vectric

[srwtlc]

Glad ya got it going Erik! Check with ShopBot to see what if any kind of upgrade price they can do for you on the latest PartsWorks. Check out the Vcarve Pro trial at Vectric site to see what your missing (a lot!).