Serial Port Weird Problem

Hello every boddy.

I got new laptop Dell D630.
I bought it as spare PC for my D820.
The D820 work prefect.
With the D630 I found new problem and I wonder if any one else face it.
When I try to connect AD Plcs thru Com 1.Its not work.A same cabel with adaptor USB to RS232 work good.
Omron and AB (PIC&DF1)and Siemens(PPI) work fine.with com 1.
Did someone face somthing like that.

TIA

Arik

ArikBY said:

Hello every boddy.

I got new laptop Dell D630.
I bought it as spare PC for my D820.
The D820 work prefect.
With the D630 I found new problem and I wonder if any one else face it.
When I try to connect AD Plcs thru Com 1.Its not work.A same cabel with adaptor USB to RS232 work good.
Omron and AB (PIC&DF1)and Siemens(PPI) work fine.with com 1.
Did someone face somthing like that.

TIA

Arik

Click to expand...

If a PIC is involved make sure the driver has not taken exclusive rights.

If RS Linx is running shut it down. It can hold the comm 1 port.

RSLinx does not but certain drivers may, just configure each driver to run manual and leave RSLinx as is.

RSLinx does not but certain drivers may

Click to expand...

I am no expert here but I specifically had issues with RS LInx open while trying to comm to AD PLC and only with this brand combination. Just a suggestion though.

There is another thread about this, the worst AB driver is PIC on XP, it requires (but do not) you to exclusively hold the port. If you configure the drivers in RSLinx to run manual atartupit will not matter if the server loads on startup.

Did your HP finally die, Arik? I finally gave up on HP. My original NC8000 lasted me 2 years, then wouldn't boot anymore. I bought another used (1 year old) NC8000 off eBay, and that lasted only a year. Same non-booting issues. While shopping for a replacement, I used HPs 'online chat' to ask which models still have onboard serial ports. The rep said that NONE of their current models have a real serial port...

Based on peoples opinions here, my next stop was Dell, even though I've had bad experiences with them years ago. I'm getting tired of spending big bucks on a new laptop every few years, so this time I decided to buy a refurbished D800 off eBay for a little over $300. So far, I'm quite happy with it. The best part is that I was able to sell my two dead NC8000s on eBay for nearly the same price I paid for the Dell!...

Since your D630 is new, one thing to check is that the device settings for that COM port in Device Manager are correct.



-Eric

I would think this would appear elsewhere as well but perhaps there are some BIOS settings you might need to alter.

I don't know about the D630 (but ask again in about 10 days) but the BIOS often has settings for IR and even wireless adapters that can conflict.

Try disabling the wireless card (there is a hot key sequence to do this - FN + F2 on my D600) and see if that clears it up.

OG

I have the D630

I have not experienced any problems with the com port on the D630.

As stated by g.robert shut RSLinx down. It has taken over the com port and you will not be able to connect to a AD plc until you do.

I have to shut down every time I connect to a AD plc...
When you use the USB to RS232 you are basicly using a different com port and RSLinx is running on com 1. That is why you can connect thru the USB and not com 1.

Try it and your problem should go away...

Hope that helps you out, it's not too often that I get to help someone with my limited knowledge.

Forgot to state that I found the same issue with my D610 and D510 as well. I thought this was common for them all not just the latitudes but all laptops with com port. Some one may correct me if I am wrong.

Y'all must be engineers i.e. can not listen and experiment on the results?

Thanks for your reply.

The RS Linx is OFF. I plug Omron cabel connect and work OK.
I unplug Omron connect AD NOT OK. I unplug AD connect Siemens work OK (that what I had on my tabel at that time).
I dont know how it can be bios problem but I will look there.
I will disable the wireless card and check again.
BTW on the device manager there is no problem.

HI Eric
Long time no talk.
Well my dear son "take over" the HP and actually I never use it.until he broke the computer.No one can fix it any more.(HP service here is worse).
Before year and half my old Dell D840 started to have problems.
Then I bought the D820.Great PC.
Now after year and half the D820 start to have problems with the OS.I need to reinstall all.Too many PLCs and communication programs are not going together.
To install and test all it take about a week or so.
So I thought to buy new PC as spare and to prepare the new PC on my time before I erase all.
I involved now in 15 projects in different stages.so to stay with out PC its not an option for me.
On my last visit in the States (8/2007) I bought D520 ($700)but it was stolen between the received department to my department.
Finaly I paid more and got the D630 over here.
I do not intend to have extensive use with this PC but I need every think will work fine.
I dont like to buy used things.Cars computes phones..tools it must be new.(as long as I can afford that).
Specially things I depend with,cars PCs tools..


I will be in the States next month in Chicago for Rockwell conference.

Did somebody is going to be there?

I will be happy to meet you there.

Hi Arik,

I've always bought Dell's. The latest (D620) has a bit of a quirk with the serial port as you mentioned.
I have found that if i go into 'Device Manager' and disable then re-enable COM1 it seems to re-initiate all properties and Linx seems happy again (it always seems to happen after i've used the port for something else (even RSview Studio).

I can put both my Dell laptops side by side runiing identical software and versions of Linx and the latest one (D620) can find nothing at all in Linx, but the other is fine...

I tend to lean towards the theory it's something to do with the chipsets within the respective machines...


Hope this helps!

Siemens PPI in MicroWin definitely hogs the serial port, make sure the Siemens program is closed and see if that helps.

Bryan

Hi

I tried All.
My next test is to upload clean WIN and install DS5 as only soft on this computer and see what happen.

I almost sure its computer problem.Somthing with the chipset.

Hello to all,

Best thing to do would be downloading of the free(or trial) version software for COM port diagnostic from the net. Then you have a tool to investigate your problem. Just use Google and you will find it easy because I can not remember wich program I used when I had similar problem.

Regards