Troubleshooting Cables

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Most DesignaKnit cables just work as soon as they are connected. However, sometimes a knitting machine link does not work straight away and it is necessary to find out what is causing the problem. There are a few obvious things that could be the cause and it is possible to conduct several tests yourself before calling your dealer or technical support.

Set-up problems typically occur when you first purchase a link, when you add some other new software or hardware or when you buy a new computer.

Read through the following notes on connection, configuration and device driver conflicts and then, if the problem remains unresolved, try the general troubleshooting remedies before moving on to remedies specific to the particular cablelink you have.

Before calling your Dealer or Technical Support Line please first, carry out the following checks:

	Is the cable connected to the computer's RS232 serial port? The serial port is a male connector with either nine or twenty five pins. DesignaKnit cable connectors are female and do not require an adapter to change the gender. If you have connected via an adapter to a female 25 pin connector on the computer, you have connected to the parallel port and not the serial port.
	Are the cables securely connected at both computer and knitting machine ends? Look to see whether the cables appear to be in good condition and there are no bent pins in the knitting machine connection port.
	Do you have the correct cable for the machine or device you are trying to link to DesignaKnit? PPD and PE1 cables cannot be made to work with a knitting machine, however the PPD cable can be fitted with a special adapter to convert it to a BrotherLink 1 machine link.
	Do you know to which serial (COM) port you have connected the cable? Have you set it up correctly? A Brother machine beeping and showing E in the machine console window when you try to upload/download usually means the machine does not recognize or cannot find a serial connection. It is important to be aware that the serial port must be configured individually in the Knitting Machine setup dialogue for each knitting machine, PPD or PE1 that you use. Select Options/Knitting Machine, select the correct machine, click the Setup button and set the serial port as required.
	If you are not sure to which serial port you have connected the cable, try the following: First, find out what type of mouse you are using. If it has a little round DIN connector, it is not using a serial port, but if it has an oblong connector, it is. If the mouse has a round connector then it is very possible that your link is on COM 1 and DesignaKnit is configured by default to COM 2 - so change it to COM 1 and try the download again.
	f your cable is connected via a USB converter (not SilverLinks 1 or 2 or the Superba Link), you should still take note of the above points. Check that the virtual COM point is correctly set up: open Control Panel and double-click on the System Icon; select the Hardware tab and then click on the Device Manager button. Click on the + next to Ports (COM & LPT) and see what COM number has been allocated to the converter. Make sure that the machine setup dialogue in DesignaKnit shows the same COM number. If you are still unable to download or knit interactively, then double-click on the converter in the Device Manager list, select the Port Settings tab, and then the Advanced button. Use the drop-down list to change the COM number to a higher one, preferably within the range 5 to 9, then make sure that the DesignaKnit machine setup has the same COM number.

Device Driver Conflicts

Assuming that the connections are good and the configuration is correct, the most common cause of DesignaKnit cable failures in Windows is other device drivers having previously taken control of the serial port.

Some useful facts about the sharing of serial (COM) ports with Windows devices.

	Several DesignaKnit cables can share the same serial port, either by plugging and unplugging them each time one is to be used or by using a switching box (often called a T switch or Data Switch) This sharing works because none of the DesignaKnit cables require dedicated Windows drivers.
	Please note that using an extension cable from your serial port will NOT allow you to share the port between DesignaKnit and another device with an installed Windows driver. It will save wear and tear on the serial port of your computer if you are using several different DesignaKnit cables, which need repeated plugging and unplugging. Computers should always be switched off, after you have closed down Windows, before changing serial cables, otherwise you run the risk of damaging the computer.
	A DesignaKnit cable can also share the serial port with any other cable that does NOT have to have a Windows driver installed for it to work, for example some DOS sewing machine programs or one that loads the driver only if the cable is actually plugged into the port (or in the case of a switching box - switched to that cable).
	A DesignaKnit cable cannot share a serial port with any other device which has to have a Windows driver installed for it to function. Examples of some devices which may have drivers installed are a modem, digital camera, portable serial scanner or graphics tablet. This is not a DesignaKnit program restriction, it is one imposed by the Windows operating system. If, by installing the device drivers, you have told Windows that a certain device is connected to a serial port, it normally reserves that port exclusively for that device’s use and will only allow you to use a different device if you remove the drivers for the first one and restart Windows. This is possible, but it is not at all practical since device drivers tend to install to several different areas of your system configuration. Should you miss just one when removing it, neither device will work.

To check if you have drivers installed to a serial port:

In Windows 95/98

Right click My Computer

Left click Properties / Device Manager / Computer / Properties / IRQ.

Check IRQ 3 for COM 2 or 4 and IRQ 4 for COM 1 or 3

Please note that other IRQ numbers may have been assigned to COMs 3 and 4 and if you have more than 2 serial ports you should check down all the IRQ’s until you find the one they have been assigned. If there is any driver attached to the serial port it will be shown here, if not it will be a standard Microsoft serial driver and the DesignaKnit cables should work fine in that COM port.

In Windows 3.11

Open Configuration from the Main Program Group

Open Drivers

You will need to check each driver in turn and this may tell you if the driver is using a particular serial port but depending upon the way the software installs itself, it may not!

Windows 95 and Acecat Graphics Tablet

DesignaKnit have produced a special utility program to remove the Acecat drivers automatically in Windows 95. So, if you have Windows 95 and an Acecat graphics tablet you will be able to uninstall the drivers by running the ACEUNDO utility. This utility is provided on the Preview disk. However, you will have to restart Windows and, when you want to use the tablet again, re-install the Acecat drivers - not an ideal solution but one which works. If you have a serial mouse occupying one port then you should consider replacing the mouse altogether with the tablet since it will now work in all areas of the program and can be used as the pointer throughout Windows.

Extra serial ports

If you have extra serial ports fitted, you will most probably need free IRQ addresses, which can be assigned to the new ports to avoid conflicts between devices. For example, it is not possible to have the mouse or a modem on port 1 and the link on 3 because ports 1 and 3 normally share the same IRQ and the mouse conflicted with the link. Re-assigning a different IRQ to Serial port 3 would cure the problem. If you have a multimedia computer complete with a modem, it is possible that you have used every available IRQ and have none spare to re-assign.

General Trouble Shooting

New Link Software Option

This option is available in DesignaKnit 7 and in DesignaKnit 6.09t and subsequent releases.

Go to the Stitch Designer screen.

Hold down the Control and Shift keys, then press the F6 key, then release Control and Shift.

A dialogue box will be shown, informing you that the new link software is now ON. It will stay on unless the operation is repeated to turn it back off.

Then try uploading or downloading again.

Switchbox

If you are using a switchbox to switch between various serial devices, try not using the switchbox.

386 and 486 Computers

Some 386 and 486 computers have a Turbo button, which allows you to change the speed of the processor. If you have such a button, try pressing it. DesignaKnit is more likely to work on faster machines, and using the Turbo button can make a difference. Sometimes it happens that the Turbo button has been wired incorrectly, so that having Turbo switched on makes the computer run more slowly. If this does not make any difference to the downloading problem, have the switch in the position that makes the computer run faster and follow the rest of this document.

A small proportion of computers with 386 or 486 processors require the use of a special option for uploading and downloading. This option can be activated as follows:

Go to the Stitch Designer screen.

Turn off the New Link Software (see above).

Hold down the Control and Shift keys, then press the F3 key, then release Control and Shift.

A dialogue box will be shown, informing you that DPA for Link is now ON.

Try the upload or download again. If the operation still does not work, you will need to press Control Alt Delete to finish execution of DesignaKnit and return control to Windows. If you have turned this option on, and want to turn it back off again, repeat steps 1 and 2 above and this time you should see a dialogue box saying that DPA for Link is now OFF.

Infrared Mouse Port

Some computers have an infrared mouse port that does not work with DesignaKnit cable links. This type of port can be configured to work as an ordinary serial port that does work with DesignaKnit. This configuration can be done using the BIOS setup program. Press the Del key while the computer is booting up to enter the BIOS setup program, and change the port from an infrared mouse port to a normal serial port. When leaving that setup program, save the BIOS data only if you are sure you have not changed anything else, or your computer might not work properly.

Faulty Serial Port

If your computer has another serial port, try using it for your DesignaKnit cable. Or if you have a serial mouse, see whether it works on the com port which you were trying to use for DesignaKnit. If the mouse does not work on that port, then the port should be repaired or replaced. (However, you might possibly find that one of your computer’s com ports works well enough for a mouse but not well enough for a knitting machine.)

Clear Startup Folder

Software such as anti-virus software, screen savers, First Aid for Windows, and power management software which runs in the background can sometimes interfere with the way that DesignaKnit accesses the serial port.

Move any shortcuts (other than DesignaKnit’s) in your Startup Folder (Win 95/98/NT4) or Start Group (Win 3.11) to a temporary folder and reboot your machine to prevent these programs running. If the cause of the problem does not lie here, move them all back to regain your previous setup. If the problem is solved, move them back one by one, rebooting each time and re-testing the link to find the cause of the trouble.

Windows 95/98

If you are running DesignaKnit under Win 95 or Win 98, turn off serial port buffering. This is almost never a problem, but it appears to be responsible for a very small number of computers failing to work reliably. Do this as follows:

Make sure there is no program running except the Desktop.

From My Computer select Control Panel then System then Device Manager.

In the System Properties dialogue, double click on Ports (COM & LPT).

Highlight Communications Port (COM2) or whichever one you use for DesignaKnit and click on Properties.

Select Port Settings and then Advanced.

In the Advanced Port Settings dialogue, find the option Use FIFO buffers. If this is ticked, untick it and select OK.

Close the other windows, restart Windows, and try downloading again.

If you are running DesignaKnit under Win 95 or Win 98, and you are not sure which serial port number to tell DesignaKnit to use, you can find out what port numbers are available on the computer as follows.

Make sure there is no program running except the Desktop.

From My Computer select Control Panel then System then Device Manager.

In the System Properties dialogue, double click on Ports (COM & LPT).

This will produce additional lines in the list of devices, one for each port that the computer has. Each new line will be something like Communications Port (COM1). These new lines will show the port numbers that are available on the computer. However, if new hardware has been installed, this list might not be accurate or complete, and you might wish to follow the next point.

If you are running under Win 95 or Win 98, reload the serial port drivers. You should do this ONLY if you are reasonably computer literate AND you have your Windows CD (or disks) handy. You might be asked to insert the CD or disks if the system needs to copy drivers, and if you do not have the CD or disks, your serial ports could become completely inactivated. Soft Byte cannot take responsibility for any damage done to your computer or your Windows installation. Proceed as follows.

Make sure there is no program running except the Desktop.

From My Computer select Control Panel then System then Device Manager.

In the System Properties dialogue, double click on Ports (COM & LPT).

Highlight Communications Port (COM2) or whichever one you use for DesignaKnit and click on Remove.

You will see a warning that you are about to remove com2. Select OK.

In Control Panel, double click on the icon labelled Add New Hardware.

Do not ask Windows to search for the hardware, but then choose Ports (COM & LPT) from the list of devices, then choose Communications port. Then follow the instructions given on the screen. If the instructions tell you to insert a circuit board, that is a good sign, but you do not need to do it. But you will need to restart Windows. Then try uploading or downloading again.

Windows 3.x

If you are running DesignaKnit under Windows 3.x, remove any calls to mouse drivers from your autoexec.bat and config.sys.

If you are running DesignaKnit under Windows 3.x, and the computer does not have much RAM, the download or upload can fail because the processor is being interrupted by memory management operations. If the PC has only 4Mb RAM, the virtual memory file should be at least 8Mb and preferably over 12Mb. PCs with 8Mb RAM can also be affected by having a small virtual memory file. In order to get the virtual memory big enough, it can be necessary to make some space on the hard disk by deleting unwanted files, and sometimes also to defragment the hard disk (using the DEFRAG program). Then select Control Panel, then 386 enhanced, then Virtual Memory, and if necessary increase the amount of virtual memory. A permanent swap file is better than a temporary one, and if other applications are running at the same as DesignaKnit, the memory requirements will be greater.

IRQ Conflicts

The computer’s serial port that is being used for the DesignaKnit cable must not share an IRQ number with another active device. Com 1 and Com 3 usually share IRQ4, while Com 2 and Com 4 usually share IRQ3. If the DesignaKnit cable is on Com 2, IRQ3 must not be used by a modem, scanner, or any other device. For more information, use DesignaKnit’s Help file and search for Device Driver Conflicts.