Microtech Xpress XL Loader Help

[ghibliss]

I am trying to create a loader for my Microtech Xpress XL machine and so far following the instructions I have created a folder a new folder called 'Microtech Xpress XL”, browse into this folder. Create 5 further folders:

Load
Reject
Unload9
pre-batch
post-batch

into these folders copy and paste the downloaded file (so it is in each of these 5 folders).

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/beta/UniversalLoaderCLI_1.0b2.exe

I renamed the (5) folders with the .exe file listed above.

The entire Microtech Xpress XL folder was placed in: program files\dbpoweramp\batchripper\loaders\ Microtech Xpress XL

Using the batch ripper configuration utility I set the comport =3 and comspeed to 9600

Using the MF Digital Ripstation setup as a model since I know this works since I have one running in my office I then replaced commands where needed with those used in the Microtech machine. The Microtech does not use drivebank=1 it instead saves a map of the CDROM drive positions in the robot arms firmware to reference which drive to load a disc to. The references are D1-D12. These drive letters can also be placed in each drives configuration for batch ripper.

Load: --comport=com3 --comspeed=9600 --drive=D: --bindtodrive --open --command=!:X:::E --:X:30:5:E --close --unbindtodrive

Unload: --comport=com3 --comspeed=9600 --drive=D: --bindtodrive --open --command=!:X:::E:X:30:5:E --close --unbindtodrive

Reject: --comport=com3 --comspeed=9600 --drive=D: --bindtodrive --open --command=!:X:::E --:X:30::E --closeblind --commandbank1=R:X:30:5:E --unbindtodrive

Pre-Batch: --comport=com3 --comspeed=9600 --drive=D: --bindtodrive --closeblind --sleep=2 --unbindtodrive --exit

Post Batch: --comport=com3 --comspeed=9600 --drive=D: --bindtodrive --open --unbindtodrive –exit

Thus far I have only been able to successfully test the configuration setup using the post batch which opens the CDROM drive door. This should have been the difficult part to complete as it is controlled via SATA by the “Open” command.

I verified all of the Microtech protocols which I received from Microtech by testing using Putty and all of the arm commands function properly.

Microtech Drive designators are D1-D12 for the 12 drives
Spindles are S1-S6
G is get from Station
P is place from station
! is Reset
GI Gets disc from current spindle
PO will pick up from a drive and place it on current spindle

Any suggestions on what I am not doing correctly here would be greatly appreciated.

[Spoon]

Actually the open CD drive is the easy part, it is handled by dBpoweramp based on drive letter.

You are best trying known software which works with that device to ensure it is working on your system first.

[ghibliss]

I have tested the machine using the factory provided software package which works 100%. I have also tested the machine using "Putty" to test the serial communication protcols provided by the manufacturer to me to test that the commands for the arm work correctly and they do work!

[Spoon]

Your command has a space in it, you might have to enclose in quotes

!:X:::E --:X:30:5:E

[ghibliss]

I have been performing testing with the Microtech Xpress XL which as I stated previously I have confirmed all of the rs-232 protocols work having tested them using "Putty". Using "Putty" as well as the manufacturers own software package the arm communicates using COM3. When trying to use COM3 in the configuration utility panel to create the loader I am unable to communicate with the arm at all. I have tried disabling COM1 just in case a conflict might exist. That did not help at all. I then continued testing by changing the COM port number from 1-20 in Device Manager and changing to the corresponding COM # in the configuration panel without success.

As the arm clearly works using other software on this computer both on COM3 and dbpoweramp does not work with any COM port presently I would ask what else should be looked at that could be preventing the arm to connect this software?

[Spoon]

Try right click on Batch Ripper config >> run as administrator

It might be blocked

[ghibliss]

Thank you for your input! I just re-tested the COM port by trying ports 1-10 in device management and changing to the corresponding COM port value in the configuration panel doing this in Administrator mode. No changes in testing were found. When testing in configuration panel I am able to communicate with the CDROM drives (they Open and Close) however this shows that SATA communication is present and that it is getting the instructions from the UCLI loader application.

What else should I test?

[Spoon]

Which windows version?

[ghibliss]

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit

[Spoon]

I am not sure, that loader is very old, XP old.

[ghibliss]

It is newer than the MF Digital machines that I use with batchripper, the Microtech I own was built in August of 2014 which was the 2nd year that it was offered for sale. The Microtech Xpress XP is still being built with the only change being the version of Windows used and the drives. Mine is using Windows 10 professional 64 bit and has been upgraded using Samsung NVME 1tb drive for the OS and a Samsung 1tb SSD drive for storage which is what the brand new units use.

The configuration utility does display that it is communicating with the serial commands being sent as I can see what is happening in the de-bugging screen. Trying to get the serial protocols entered so that the arm responds to the commands has been the issue. All of the commands have been tested and verified using "putty" so I know what works. The Microtech loader commands are typically GI entered as "G I" which automatically retrieves a CD from the current spindle and PO "P O" which places the CD into the current drive. Trying any of the various commands in the configuration utility ends up with the CDROM drive opening/closing as it is receiving the SATA commands.

[ghibliss]

Spoon,

Here is part of the UCLI instructions on how to create a loader:

"Commands" prefixed with a * below are pre-scanned and treated as global settings.
All others are executed in order as discovered, i.e. some settings can be adjusted
during processing. Commands with multiple parameters use a colon as a delimiter
optional parameters are shown using square brackets.

Global Settings
* --spacestring= (default is _, change if you need to use this char)
* --enterstring= (default is M, change if you need to send this substring)
* --colonstring= (default is `, change if you need to send this substring)
* --separatorstring= (default is :, change if you need to send this substring)
* --logfile= (redirect output to a log file as specified use quotes around path)

I am using RS-232 port monitoring software to log what is taking place when I run the dbpoweramp configuration test functions. I am successfully seeing the commands in the monitoring software however the carriage return following sending the commands to the Microtech arm is not being sen! The correct command for a carriage return according to the documentation is "M" which is not being sent by the configuration test. This indicates an issue with the UCLI and not the Microtech machine. The UCLI is not decoding the "M" as a carriage return.

What do you suggest I do to correct this issue?

[Spoon]

Do not know, sorry. The guy who wrote that loader has long gone.

[ghibliss]

Spoon,

After having spent what seems like an eternity on figuring out what could be preventing me from communicating with the Microtech machine we have finally figured it out! When trying command line prompts we decided to send just ULCLI.exe and it returned the documentation for the loader which is posted at http://hyperdiscs.pbworks.com . There is one massive difference in the version which we have when reading the documentation from a command line prompt. Under Global Settings on the hyperdiscs page the instructions to send a carriage return are as follows: * --enterstring= (default is M, change if you need to send this substring) whereas as it is correctly found from testing with the command line prompt it is: * --enterstring= (default is \M, change if you need to send this substring). The omission of the "" keeps the command from being executed by the machine.

Now that this hurdle has been cleared the rest of building out the commands required for each folder should hopefully be much simpler to complete.

The documentation provided on the hyperdiscs site should be replaced with the more current (validated) version which can be output by running the executable from a command line prompt so that others will not have to go through what took me several weeks to figure out with the help of my brilliant friend who happens to be a programming phenom!

[ghibliss]

The omission of the \ keeps the command from being executed by the machine.