Hi Paul,
I recently tried programming an early Smart Pie 4 controller using an old Windows 10 Laptop that had not been used for quite some time. The Laptop took ages to boot up, install numerous updates, and restart several times before I was eventually able to use it.
I then downloaded the latest PI-800.exe program
(V3.3.0.b150501) from
goldenmotor.com, but I then had to download and install a free trial version of
WinRAR to enable the downloaded PI-800.rar file to be unpacked, which I then extracted to a new folder on the desktop that I renamed "PI-800 V3.3.0" to avoid any confusion.
I plugged in the USB programming cable
(making sure I used the correct 5 pin version for SP4, MP4, MP5 and MP Edge etc.) and had to wait a while for Windows to locate and install the required drivers.
I was eventually able to see the new COM port displayed in
Device Manager under
Ports (COM & LPT) which was listed as
USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM3).
I opened the PI-800 program and selected COM3 from the dropdown menu and then clicked the "Connect" icon and soon received the expected "no response because of timeout" message box.
I click the "OK" button and then powered up the controller, which was then able to communicate the laptop and display the "Upload parameters successfully" message box.
I was then able to successfully change and save parameters using the download icon:
Unfortunately, I am still unable to save and reload the controller's parameters, as I still receive the "Unable to
export, file length error" message while trying to
import the selected "successfully exported" file.
I have to simply save a
screenshot of the parameters instead, so I can manually enter the parameters again if required.
As I'm not a fan of Windows 10, I prefer to use the Windows 7 "
Snipping tool" for capturing small selections, or "Alt" & "Print Scrn" to capture the entire "active" window. I seldom use "Print Scrn" on its own, as this captures the entire desktop area
(which can be very large when you have a dual or multi monitor display with high resolution screens).If you are unable to connect to the controller, try restarting the laptop.
If you are still unable to connect to the controller after the restart, try running the PI-800 program in compatibility mode for Windows 7:
- Make sure the program is not already open
- Right click the PI-800 program file and select Properties at the bottom of the list
- Click the Compatibility tab
- Tick the Compatibility mode checkbox "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"
- Select "Windows 7" from the dropdown menu
- Click the "OK" button
Reopen the program, select the correct COM port and then see if it can connect as expected.
If you'd like to try an older version of the programming software, there are links to several versions at the bottom of my "
Useful Links" post.
Hopefully you will be now able to connect.
Alan