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Machine won't connect

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BlueCarveButton.png


If you’re unable to connect to Easel, and the "Carve" button stays blue, there are a few possible causes. 

Make sure the Easel driver is installed: Download and Install New Easel Drivers

Windows users may need to install the FTDI driver: Installing the FTDI Driver (Windows only)

X-Controller does not power on and does not connect

You should see the LED lights, on the front and back, light up as well as the rear fan spinning. Make sure the e-stop button is disengaged. If the e-stop is engaged, the X-Controller will not power on or connect to Easel.

This video demonstrates how to disengage the e-stop button:

NOTE: If this is a newly assembled X-Controller, make sure the power cord is fully seated.

You may also want to try powering on the machine with the bottom portion of the e-stop button removed from the top portion, to rule out an issue with the interrupt of the button. Here's an image for clarification: installEStop__1_.gif

 

X-Controller powers on but does not connect

If you do have power, I would next check to see if you have any new devices showing up in your computer's device manager. This will look different on Windows and macOS.

X-Controller powers on (Windows)

X-Controller powers on (macOS)

 

X-Controller powers on (Windows)

Power on your X-Controller and open up the Device Manager. Search for “Device Manager” or right-click the Windows Start button and select “Device Manager."

DeviceManager.png

With the Device Manager open, connect the USB cable to your computer.

1. If you do see the X-Controller listed under “Other devices” and there's a little exclamation point next to it, then you may simply be missing the FTDI device driver, which you can download here: https://ftdichip.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CDM212364_Setup.zip 

Here is a walkthrough article on how to install the FTDI driver: Installing the FTDI Driver (Windows only)

2. If the driver works correctly, you should see a device under Ports. It will give you a COM number and list the device. You can verify if this is the X-Controller by disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable. 

Go back to Easel and click the blue Carve button. You can enter the COM port listed in the device manager (yours may be different than in the image below).

Easel_COM_port.png

 

X-Controller powers on (macOS)

Make sure you are using macOS 10.10 or higher. 

Power on your X-Controller and connect the USB cable to your computer. To open the System Report, click the Apple icon > About this Mac > System Report > USB. If you do see the X-Controller listed under but still do not see a green “Carve” button then there may be an interfering driver. 

Check to see if an interfering driver is installed. The Wacom FTDI driver will interfere with the Easel driver. If you need to use your CNC and your Wacom tablet on the same computer, the Wacom tablet driver must then be removed prior to connecting your CNC to Easel. You must reinstall the Wacom driver prior to using the tablet.

Uninstalling the Wacom driver

  1. Open up the Finder and navigate to your Extensions folder (Go > Computer > HD > Library > Extensions).
  2. If Wacom tablet or FTDIKext are listed, drag them into the trash. Open the trash and delete these files permanently. You can then restart your computer for changes to take effect.
  3. If this doesn't work, check the Extensions folder under System > Library > Extensions for a file called FTDIUSBSerialDriver. 
  4. Restart the computer and only open Easel to avoid interfering software. 

 

Legacy Products or 3rd Party machines

If you are using an older configuration or a machine other than our own, you may need to follow additional steps. 

For legacy products, make sure the firmware is flashed correctly using the steps here: How do I re-flash Grbl to my X-Controller/Arduino?


For 3rd party machines, try restarting your computer and only connecting to Easel to prevent any background processes from running that might compete for the connection to your machine.

 

If you're still having problems, please call Customer Success at 312-775-7009.

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