While it has never happened, it makes me less than completely comfortable with that computer.
The reason I'm using this computer is that it replaced another old computer that had a different weird problem. Sometimes when I go to turn it on, it won't power on and takes 2 to 5 attempts at turning it on before it actually will. I replaced the power supply, since it seemed the 5V supply wasn't on (I have an optical mouse with a red LED, and you can see the LED was off when the computer wouldn't boot). That didn't fix it. It's the computer I put LinuxCNC on. I eventually put it aside. The one I'm using doesn't fail as often as the one with the funny turn on sequence does.
As a result of having two flaky computers, I've been keeping my eye out for another computer. The problem is that it needs to have a parallel port and those are hard to find lately - this desktop I'm using is 5 years old and it doesn't have one. This weekend, I found one. NewEgg had a deal on a refurbished computer: a Dell T3500 workstation. It's a 2010 computer, but was fairly high end back then. I had one of those on my desk at Major Avionics Corporation for several years and it was a good, fast computer. After a lot of debate, I decided to buy it, and it got here yesterday.
It's my fault I didn't read the ad closely enough, but the computer wouldn't boot because I had to install Windows first. The only problem was that it wouldn't install - Windows kept giving me an error message. Had to call tech support - about two minutes after they were done for the day. The tech said in his experience I need a new DVD reader and he'd ship me one today along with another one of the backup CDs. Great. Now my migration to the computer is off until Saturday or Monday (I hope!). Then my brain said, "it's a Dell, my computer is a Dell running the same OS I'm trying to install. Why not put another Dell bootable disk in the CD and see if it can read that?" It's not like I could make it worse. I thought.
It worked. I found a CD-R that I had written at some time while installing software where I had scrawled a label on it saying "Win 7 64 Repair Disk". It booted and was able to install Windows 7 last night. The computer behaved completely normally once it had the OS. Until this morning. Today, Windows asked to connect to the mother ship to be authorized and told me the Product Key I entered is no good. No explanation of why. So I'm trying to get to the bottom of that, which is taking my attention away from everything else.
I'm not posting links to the computer or the company or saying they're the problem because I don't know enough, yet. The company that sold me this computer isn't NewEgg, it's one of their affiliated companies. They were very helpful and nice on the phone, despite it being after their working hours. On the other hand, if they're really nice but don't make it right, they're a problem.
I once had a PS2 incompatability problem while installing hardware in a lab. PS2 isn't a standard, and at 12.5 minutes cpu lockup occurred while waiting for an "illegal" PS2 command. Both vendors pointed the finger at each other, but because it was for a 4 Billion dollar contract they spent the money to fix it. Do you have a PS2 mouse?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's USB. I got it to activate a few minutes ago after 3 hours of it sitting and doing nothing while "installing Windows" from the disk it came with. There was a product key listed under the "Activate Windows Prompt" and it wasn't what I entered yesterday from the decal on top of the box. It activated. Funny thing is that it replaced the product key with another one that still isn't the one I entered from the decal.
DeleteNow I'm checking for Windows Updates. I'm getting the feeling the app I have to block Windows 10 downloads may be a problem. That may well be, "@*($&%#! Computers! Part 2".
Dump the Dell (should still be returnable to NewEgg) and get one of these instead:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100006740%2050001186%2050010418%204016%20600514776%20600003982%20600003988
The Lenovo Thinkpads and the HP Elitebooks were most likely corporate computers which have been upgraded. Pick you preferred screen size. And use one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=usb%20to%20serial%20adapter&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=96
to get your USB port. I've been using an old Compaq M2000Z since 2005 to interface with the transmission controller in my 1994 Suburban, and a USB-to-serial adapter works fine. Just upgraded that laptop to an HP EliteBook 8740W Intel Core i5 with a 17" screen and Windows 7 Professional for about $330. The Compaq was a low-end computer when I bought it for $500 in 2005.
Thanks for your efforts, but the computer was pretty heavily thought about. USB or parallel port is a major decision in the CNC world because you need real time, total control of the signals going to the stepper motors and that's hard to do.
DeleteI need a parallel port, not a serial, like the ones on that adapter page. USB to parallel port interfaces exist, but they're more in the range of $150 to $200. These have to be very precisely controlled, too, and the CNC controller programs have models they'll work with and models they won't.
I use Mach3 for CNC control, and bought a copy back about 8 years ago. It doesn't support USB to parallel. If I go with a USB to parallel port adapter, I can't use it or LinuxCNC anymore. I'd need to go to Mach4, which is another $200 for one computer license (and doesn't support parallel ports). That means in addition to the PC cost, the Smooth Stepper and software change is $350 - more than I paid for this PC itself.
As I said, it was a major "design" consideration.
It's a shame that none of these would work:
Deletehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=usb+to+parallel+adapter&N=-1&isNodeId=1
???
Ehhh.....USB-to-Parallel adapters have only given me grief.
DeleteMy first experience was in trying to use one with an old Flex Radio Systems SDR-1000.
I tried hal a dozen of them, and none of them would work.
You're far better off getting a PCI or PCIe circuit card to plug into a motherboard slot. Parallel emulation over serial just never worked for me....
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWith the laptop, of course, an Expresscard adapter would make more sense, such as this one that is PCI Express (x1) based:
Deletehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4M53MW3030&cm_re=expresscard_parallel-_-0XM-0076-00093-_-Product
Mark - the ability to use of those adapters depends on the controller (software) ability to reliably time the signals between lines on the parallel port. So it's really a matter of what the software can use.
DeleteA summary is here. That's page 1 of a 2 page article.
I use GWX Control Panel to keep win 10 banished from my Win 7 computers. Review here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.infoworld.com/article/3000299/microsoft-windows/a-better-blocker-is-available-to-shield-you-from-coerced-get-windows-10-updates.html
Agree with Terry.
ReplyDeleteThe GWX control panel will STOP Windoze 10 from ever infecting your Win 7 PC.
It was the first program I installed on this machine, last night.
DeleteJust a thought but ...
ReplyDeleteHave you perused all those Raspberry Pi set-ups where others have been refining it for exactly this role? (The number of links and instructables out there are legion).
It has the benefit of multiple and varied options (everything from DIY plans to professionally constructed peripherals) and ... well it's (almost throw-away) cheap.
Just sayin'
The first reading I did on that was when I was trying to get LinuxCNC running, because I have a Pi 2. The user forum had links to a few folks who had tried to do it and said they hadn't figured it out, yet. The Pi, of course, doesn't have a parallel port, just USB and Ethernet. I understand the version of LinuxCNC that just came out will support an Ethernet based version of the motion control boards I've been describing. First quick search for alternatives has them at around $180.
DeleteI think the Arduino platform is better suited to this, but I didn't try going down that road, not having one or any experience with them. The Arduino platform seems to have better I/O capabilities, in terms of discrete pins.
I noticed that there were way more Arduino 'actual application projects' than Pi's out there (that 'seems' to be improving though).
ReplyDeleteI looked at the Protoneer.co.nz options (using GRBL on either Pi or Arduino) and at $32.50 it 'seemed' an option.
I've got a friend from my former job who is an Arduino fanboy. Any problem that showed up in need of a custom test set or custom treatment got an Arduino. I'm sure he'd overwhelm me with support, so maybe I should have gone down that road. Arudinos aren't expensive. Heck, there's a very large number of single board computers to play with at far under $50 each.
Delete