Knowledge Base:  
Roland MDX-540 Communication Errors - PC will not recognize the machine
Last Updated: 05/24/2022
If your MDX-540 will not connect to a computer the instructions below might help.This is how we would troubleshoot this issue.

Communication between the MDX-540 and the computer is comprised of the following systems. Failure of any of these systems can cause communication problems.

  • USB cable
  • USB port on machine
  • USB port on computer
  • Windows driver
  • Software communication - V Panel or SRP Player
  • Security software
The hardware that needs replaced if you can not resolve the issue is the main board.
Roland MDX-540 Main Board

Known issues
  • Windows updates have caused a driver to become corrupt and requires the driver to be reinstalled.
  • USB port damage after years of uses from the wiggle of the cable to where communication is intermittent. Prevent this by using a wire tie to tie the USB cable (this pulls the cable to one side tight) to another wire so it does not wiggle.
  • Security software starts blocking the system/usb ports from communicating with V Panel software - Right click V Panel software and choose run as admin. Set program to run as admin always or give V Panel access to the ports in security software.
Troubleshooting Steps

USB Cable Troubleshooting
  1. Check USB cable - look for damage
  2. Try a different USB cable - cable end wear out over years of use
  3. Do not use a USB cable over 6 feet unless you have too. It might require a powered USB hub if longer than 6 feet
  4. Check USB port on computer is it loose - try a different usb port
  5. Check USB port on machine - is it loose - push cable to one side and see if you can get it too communicate
  6. If pushing to one side works - wire tie the cable to another cable so it stays in that position
  7. If USB port on computer is really loose the motherboard will need to be changed
Driver
  1. For a machine that stopped communicating
    1. Download the latest driver and reinstall.
    2. Make sure to uninstall any old versions.
    3. Reinstall the driver - Follow these instructions
    4. Choose File as Port Type this completes a driver install
    5. Then continue with troubleshooting for a new install
  2. For a new install
    1. Check your printer folder to see if the MDX-540 shows up as a printer in that folder.
    2. It should be a printer not an unspecified device.
      1. If unspecified device then you need to update drive of that unspecified device
    3. If you do not see MDX-540 printer then the driver never loaded correctly.
      1. Download the latest driver and reinstall.
      2. Make sure to uninstall any old versions.
      3. Reinstall the driver - Follow these instructions
      4. Choose File as Port Type this completes a driver install
      5. After driver is loaded confirm it is in the printer folder
  3. Plug in Machine
    1. Turn on machine
    2. Choose Enter
    3. Let it complete initialization
    4. Plug in USB to computer
    5. Computer should recognize that machine was plugged in and load a second driver MDX-540 (Copy1) - This new driver will be the correct one for your system.
    6. Confirm there is a second copy MDX-540 (Copy 1)
    7. If you plug in and the machine does not recognize that the machine was even plugged in and does not try to load the driver then you have communication problem.
Security Software
  1. Check your security software to make sure it is not blocking the machine or port
  2. Turn off security software - firewall, every security function, and try to plug in.
  3. See if you can plug in another device like a computer mouse - if it recognizes mouse than the ports must not be blocked.
Hardware Replacement
If you go through the above steps and the machine is not recognized when you plug in the USB cable then its likely the machines motherboard has failed. What is happening is the motherboard which is the machines computer is not sending any signal to the desktop computer so no communication can be established. Replace the motherboard and you will be back in action.
Roland MDX-540 Main Board

Just to be clear if you plug in the machine and it says new hardware found or makes a sound then it is communicating with the machine. It is not a motherboard issue it is a driver issue.


Was this article helpful?

Comments:
 

Related Articles
 > How do I Cancel a Print Job on MDX-40, MDX-40A?
 > I get Port Not Ready error, how do I fix this issue?
 > Do I need to do ROUGHING passes with each tool?
 > SRP Player can not find the machine and will not start without a machine present what should I do?
 > I want to load SRP Player software on multiple computers, how do I install the print driver?
 > Where can I get drivers, firmware upgrades, user manuals or software updates for my Roland Machine?
 > I lost my Users Manual where can I get a replacement for my Roland Machine?
 > I need instructions to upgrade firmware on my Roland machine?
 > When I bought my machine I had a Training CD with it, I need a replacement?
 > Where can I get software updates for my Roland Machine?
 > Why does the MDX-540 Z Axis spindle head lower once I shut off the machine?
 > How do I install a driver for my machine if I do not have the CD or my CD or driver is out of date?
 > I want to use an alternative CAM software? Learning about RML/G-CODE/NC-CODE,
 > Download Troubleshooting and Error Codes Guide
 > How do I turn off material size restrictions in SRP Player?
 > Where do I get a part lists for my machine?
 > Do you sell or recommend drill chuck for the MDX-540?
 > I am getting an out of memory error on SRP Player what can I do to fix it?
 > What settings should I use to save an STL file from Solidworks?