Granannie wrote:mcflick. Machine is a cougar, using KNK plug in and I think the cable is USB to serial cable, but will need to check (taking care of grand kids right now). PC is windows 8. I did have a successful cut before, but can't remember if that was on my Win 7 laptop.
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Anne
Okay, lets verify your cable and if it is the USB to serial cable. If it is, is it the Keyspan version that is recommended here for use with the Cougars and SBs? If not - you may want to get the Kespan version. I ordered from Amazon and got right away.
If you are using MTC with the KNK plug-in, you may need to adjust your data throttle numbers. You can get to those by clicking on the little wrench icon next to the KNK name when you open the plug-in for cutting - Data Throttle is the last tab there. I forget what the default numbers are - I think it is 5 and 10. I had to change mine to 3 and 15 I believe. I played around with different numbers, but this gave the right result for me. I also had to get the true Keyspan adaptor for my USB to serial connection. I have had my Cougar for several years now and had a different USB to serial cable connection that worked just fine from my PCs to my Cougar with no issues. However, my Mac would not recognize the cutter as being connected until I switched out and got the Keyspan adaptor. Strange I know - you would think if a cable worked with one setup - it would work with another - apparently not always (it had worked with my Windows 7 and 8 computers and a Surface Pro over a period of several years.) Once I got that Keyspan adaptor last week, my computer would recognize the cutter as being attached.
However, prior to that - (and something that doesn't relate to your issue as it was Mac specific) I found out that it looks like Apple released their own ftdi drivers in IOS 10.9 I think it was, that "supersede" or block other drivers and I had to go and tell it to not load their drivers but to load the ftdi drivers I had. (If anyone needs that information - let me know and I can go and see if I can find the links/info. I found). Once I fixed this - I would only get "random cutting" when I sent a cut with the old cable.
Once the computer and MTC was recognizing the cutter with the Keyspan adaptor - I was able to almost get a correct cut - I was testing with a circle. It was cutting about 2/3rds of the circle but then it would not complete the cut AND it would not lift the blade holder and return back to the original point of origin. Once I discovered about the "data throttle" options - I went in and adjusted those based on some support recommendations and lo and behold - it completed my cuts, it lifted the blade holder AND it returned to the original point of origin. I tested this any number of times to ensure it was and repeated the cut to ensure it was returning correctly and it was. I was very happy! (I don't know why really - I didn't NEED for it to cut from my Mac since I have a PC for cutting!
- I just like figuring things like that out I guess - I knew if I could use the KNK plug-in on the PC side - I should be able to use it on the Mac side.)
I do know that some users of KNK cutters and PCs have also had to adjust those data throttle numbers to get it to work correctly for some reason (found that in some support ?s on the MTC forum) so this may be what you need to check and see as well. Some I gather have had to take their numbers down to 1 or 2 and 25 but that had the cutting going way to s-l--o-w on my machine.
If anyone needs more "visuals" - let me know and I will see what I can put together.
I am on and off regularly on both this forum and the MTC forum Anne so feel free to pm or email me from either if you need more help or details understanding.
You might first try the data throttle numbers before you worry about trying a different cable. Hopefully that will work without the need for a different cable.