LaserUser.com Forum (formerly RDWorksLab)

Hi Trevor, I totally agree with Gene, change to ethernet port. You dont need a RJ45 in your laptop, just need all devices shared in the same subnet. The easy explanation :
Your laptop is conected to internal net via wifi : each device have a identity (called IP address)
Your laptop has a ip address, already conected to your internal net
your ruida controller has a ip address (not configured yet), not already conected to your internal net
You have two options :
- cable (A ethernet cable between the ruida controller and your hub / switch / router)
- wifi (this is no my choose but i think any wifi adapter will be ok, ask other users about it)
In both cases need to touch a little your net settings, if you get one of this option, i help you to configure
Martín.-

HI
I have done a fresh install of RDworks connected the laser via the usb and install the USB driver as instructed then installed rest of programme, still the same communication error, rebooted laptop and still the same message, so no further forward?

Hi Martin
good suggestion but the laser machine is a long way from the wifi hub, so cabling it would not be practical, unless there is a way to do it?, I have a older laptop that has a ethernet connection so I have downloaded the RDWorks on that and guess what the same problem, I have my original version of RDworks on a desktop computer I managed to join enough usb cables to reach the laser, it works perfectly, so the fault seems to lie in the later software?, any ideas on that?

which version of rd are you installing

Hi
The version is the latest on thunder laser web site, which is v8-01-35, the version on my desk top computer which works as a back up system is V8-01-18, no problem with that one, but my laptop is the main one I use, both operate on windows 10.
hope this might help

Are you installing ver 18 on the lap top. If not I recommend using18... The newer versions seem to have issues

Hi
The only access I have is to the later version on the Thunder site, I did not want to try any of the other sites because of infection, my virus checker stops them immediately, the desktop is when I first got the machine I downloaded RDworks on both the desktop and my laptop, both machines worked immediately with no problem, but rarely use the desktop plus it wont read the later versions of my work that I have saved on the laptop, approx 6 months ago my laptop drive went down I replaced this and downloaded the version that was available at the time which obviously was later than the first version I had, it downloaded and worked immediately without any issues, but last week my laptop had a funny turn, and when I tried the RD I had lost the download button on import, but it still exported to the laser via the USB, could not figure problem so I uninstalled and did a new install, that is when the problems started, I was not sure if my laptop had a problem so I have a spare laptop and tried it on there exactly same problems plus my older laptop has a ethernet plug so I tried that, same result communication error, when I plug n my laptop to the laser it immediately recognises it is there so they are at least acknowledging each other, I have tried to look at the setting in the soft to compare the two versions, but the older version has only about 20% of the info the newer version has, so no joy there?

Hi Trevor, well, three things separately :

1- When you connect laptop to controller via ethernet there is nothing far than this connection compared with a plug and play connection. I telled you : if you decide to go ethernet i offer help to configure. Ethernet = not automatic
2- In your 2nd laptop, via usb, rdworks see the controller.
Are you using other usb cables ? completely different cables for the used with the 1st laptop ? There have a clue
Are not completely different ? share some cables ? well, the cables that you changed are tell you a clue
3- Again, you can connect the controller to the internal net via wifi, i just no do in this way in my shop, I think that a common wifi hot spot can do this, but you can ask other users of this forum about this

Martín.-

I am not sure how to connect the laser via wifi?,
I am sure it is the latest software at fault, I have a spare laptop so I decided to re format and do a windows clean install and then download the RDworks, and as expected same problem no 'start' button and then when I fixed that the same starts to download then stops with communication error same with ethernet connection, as I said earlier I have a desktop with the earlier version installed which works fine, but not compatible with all my later designs, so I thought well this machine works so I will download the new version on here, well that was the same communication error, and yet along side it the old version works?, also tried the ethernet connection from the desktop to the laser same problem, so this is not a hardware problem only a software problem tried to contact Thunder Laser but no response so far, it is so frustrating

I wonder if it's 8.01.35 that's your problem. Maybe Thunder Laser have a specific version just for them, that will only communicate with the controllers in their machines, which could have a custom version of firmware. Stranger things have happened.

McAfee and Norton antivirus, at least, seem to have false positives with some RDWorks versions. I run Bitdefender and haven't had a virus problem with any RDWorks version, and I've looked at many. You could try 8.01.28 from BossLaser, which is here. If you want a different one let me know & I'll see what I can find.