Win 7 64 bit epilog driver issues (?)

[John Noell]

If anyone is using the Epilog 64 bit driver under Win 7, could you please test this for me? Especially if you have a Mini or Helix (i.e., same driver)!
1) Open Corel and draw a small box 10mm x 10mm (black fill, hairline border), with the top left corner located 15mm over and 15mm down from top left corner of drawing.
2) Print WITHOUT centering. - Prints correctly?
3) Move head to center of laser bed; Press GO - Prints correctly?
4) Say print, but this time check the box for Center Engraving. - Print correctly?
5) Move the box in the Corel drawing to 5mm down and over from top left corner of drawing. (Note that the box is now too close to print with Centering turned on unless Home has been set towards the middle of the laser bed).
6) Choose print, with box still checked for Center Engraving. What do you get? (On my laser the head crashes to the side). I have numerous other issues of weird behavior but want to start with this one and see if anyone else can replicate it.
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Update: IF anyone is game, here is a test file and the note indside explains what happens when I use Win7-64 bit to print it. (I get the same result from two different Win7 computers.)

I think maybe the driver is buggy but I am not sure what is going on. I canprint perfectly from the same computer when using a virtual PC running XP and the 32 bit driver.

[Tim Bateson]

I get "Position Error!" on the laser - head doesn't move. Do you have the latest firmware? I'm using: 1.0.2.7

[John Noell]

Yep. 1.0.2.7. Unfortunately, I do a LOT of work where I need the centering function. It clearly is buggy. Thinking it was the logic board causing the strange behavior I ordered a new logic board. VERY expensive shipping to Fiji and a nasty Customs/VAT hit. (Just to prove the driver is buggy I can give you more things to try but some cause the head to crash into the side. Not a good thing.) Thank you very much for testing this Tim!! Much appreciated.

BTW - Be careful doing it twice in a row. That can cause the head crash issue. It often does not have the same result each time you try it.

[Robert Walters]

It sounds like the 64bit driver has a bug regarding absolute/relative position limits.

Does Epilog have a forum or bug reporting system?

[John Noell]

Does Epilog have a forum or bug reporting system?Not that I know of. :( They do have a much vaunted tech support service. However, after saying "Send me a test file and I'll call you right back", the tech apparently went home for the weekend. Not the first time I didn't hear back. Sigh.

[Robert Walters]

Not that I know of. :( They do have a much vaunted tech support service. However, after saying "Send me a test file and I'll call you right back", the tech apparently went home for the weekend. Not the first time I didn't hear back. Sigh.

That's when I say "I'll hold".

[Mike Null]

John

I think this topic was discussed a short time back. My recollection is that you must have 64 bit drivers for your machine and they may not be available.

Anyway a search is in order for 64 bit info on SMC.

[Tim Bateson]

... My recollection is that you must have 64 bit drivers for your machine and they may not be available...

Mike has a valid point. The Epilog driver can be a pain to install. On several occations when installing a new driver I found the old one had been reinstalled. My process now is to remove that print driver from the Control Panel as well as deleting/moving the old Epilog driver from it's current directory. There can be ONLY one driver in that install directory.

[Greg Bednar]

Just a thought - make sure the bed size you have set in Corel is the same as the bed size you set in the dashboard driver. And prior to the printing, hit the print preview to see if there is a problem there.

[John Noell]

Mike - the Epilog site now has 64 bit drivers "Compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7". I waited until Epilog pronounced them ready for prime time.
Greg - the bed size (piece size) and all other settings are exactly the same as they were under the 32 bit driver. (These are files I have used and re-used dozens of times.) If you do NOT use the Center Engraving" function, the driver works correctly. Simply choosing "Center Engraving" causes a lot of problems to appear. In some cases, the raster part goes okay, then the head flies to maximum X, then Maximum Y, then streaks diagonally back to the exact right place and vectors just like it should. Sometimes the head simply flies into the max X or Y and gets disabled. All on the exact same job and exact same settings.

[John Noell]

FWIW - I set up a second Win 7 box with 64 bit OS and drivers. I can replicate all kinds of problems as soon as the Center Engraving function is used.

[Mike Null]

John

Thanks for that update.

[John Noell]

Last word(?): I have switched to Win7 32-BIT, and everything works perfectly so far. IMHO - the 64 bit driver is dangerous (i.e., it can crash the head at full speed into the side).

[Tim Bateson]

Odd problem. I still can't force that to occur & I've been using Win7/Epilog 64bit driver for 6 months. What does Epilog Support say about it?

Edit: Driver 1.0.2.7 for 6 months, the prior 64bit driver for over a year before. Now THAT was a buggy driver.

[John Noell]

Epilog tech support has had little to nothing to say so far. I sent them the test files and if they have tested them back there they have yet to tell me. All I know is that I had a LOT of spooky weirdness when using the 8.0.7 64 bit driver -- on two different computers -- and a short test of the 8.0.6 driver was no better. (That one caused the head to crash into the side at FULL speed. It made a very frightening noise.) Now that I am back on the 32 bit driver I have had no problems at all.