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Thread: Gravo IS200 and Aspire

  1. #1

    Gravo IS200 and Aspire

    Hello guys, i am new in this forum i hope i am asking in proper place. Last 10 years i am working with Gravo IS200 machine and GS software. Unfortunately my shop got robbed and they taken the box with dongle... I would not have problem to change software and i was looking for alternatives and i chose aspire vectric. I asked from gravo gt smartstream driver for win7 but it does not seem to work. I am trying it from a laptop, via USB cable, on win 7. I created in device/printer new device with GT smartstream i send example on machine in spooler i see that file is there but machine does not get it. After i changed driver to generic text but with it file does not even go to spooler. Does anybody could help me please?

  2. #2
    I don't think you're going to get any other software to work on a GT smartstream machine because of the firmware written to the machine's mainboard. A computer genius may be able to figure out how to override the firmware but that could get complicated and expensive... I have GS5 and GS7 and I can only run my IS400 with one of them at a time because each version requires a firmware change...

    Do you have insurance to do with the robbery? If so they should cover the cost of a new dongle...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  3. #3
    Thanks for the replay. I did not have insurance on it, it is another long story unfortunately. I asked about this program because i read in this forum that older machines can work with third-praty programs, however, i have never seen any information which firmware counting as old. My machine was made in 2008 and FW is v2.61 i would give it a try. Problem is that i do not know if it is not working now because of FW or because i am trying it from laptop via USB. I read on some forums that these machine usually use parallel port, but on mine there are only: USB, serial, and a third which i was not able identify (for sure it is not prallel). I bought already usb-to-serial but poor results. I can send file, in spooler i see that it is sending but machine does not recieve :/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Iowa USA
    Posts
    4,441
    Going to take a quick guess that the dongle allows the software to be sent to the machine in a special format. How much does a new one cost?
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  5. #5
    The cheapest one costs 2000usd...ridiculous.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Iowa USA
    Posts
    4,441
    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Zsiga View Post
    The cheapest one costs 2000usd...ridiculous.
    Have you talked with them and told them the circumstances? Maybe they will give you a discount.

    Otherwise and I do not know if your capable of doing the work is to install a Chinese controller that requires no dongle. It would hook up to your existing stepper or servo driver modules. I have no idea of how your machine is constructed or wired. LightObject is based in USA and sells some pretty nice controllers with documentation in English.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  7. #7
    Bill

    Not that company. They truly deserve the reputation they have.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

  8. #8
    We called them today, they promised a quote for tomorrow. Here nobody using successfully gravograph machines with aspire or engravelab? I have a pretty old machine with v2.61 firmware. It is said that latest machine can not be driven with 3rd party softwares but i was not able to find what do they count as older.

  9. #9
    What file format is sent to the machine?

    Can you still open the control software?

    What type of connection did you use with the dongle?

  10. #10
    It is not possible to open the program without the dongle. I do not know which file format it sends. I read before that it is possible to use it with i.e. aspire. In it actually there is post processor for is200 and it uses .plt format. I tried via USB and via USB-to-serial. I do not know if it would help if i would have physical serial port, i use a laptop.
    Last edited by Adam Zsiga; 09-05-2017 at 10:44 AM.

  11. #11
    I can't say in the laser world, but in the CNC machine world, running older machines on USB instead of RS232 or a serial port, isn't a good idea. Now, if the laser has a USB port, that's one thing, but I tried to run my ULS laser with a USB to printer port adapter and one cord I bought works, the other doesn't. Not all USB cords are made to work properly on older machines.
    Brian Lamb
    Lamb Tool Works, Custom tools for woodworkers
    Equipment: Felder KF700 and AD741, Milltronics CNC Mill, Universal Laser X-600

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Zsiga View Post
    It is not possible to open the program without the dongle. I do not know which file format it sends. I read before that it is possible to use it with i.e. aspire. In it actually there is post processor for is200 and it uses .plt format. I tried via USB and via USB-to-serial. I do not know if it would help if i would help physical serial port, i use a laptop.
    Are you able to open the post processor?

    Does it establish a connection to the engraver?

  13. #13
    I use via USB because this is what they gave with it. And with those program it works without problem.

  14. #14
    I am afraid i don not know how to open the post processor but any kind of setting is possible inside the program (which does not start without dongle). I was trying for hours both via USB and USB-to-serial cable and with some settings i was able to send it but the machine did not get it.

  15. #15
    As far as I know, the post processor isn't accessible outside the running program, program won't run without the dongle. Catch-22...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


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