Review the Troubleshooting Guide first.

Please be prepared to tell us:

• What version of Compu-Dobby you are using (I, II, III, III+ or IV)
• What software you are running, name and version number
• What computer you are on
• What Operating System the computer uses (Mac or Windows)
• When the Compu-Dobby last worked and whether anything has changed since then

Many loom manufacturers sell dobby systems equipped with a computerized mechanism, or a 'computerized dobby.' AVL was the first though, thanks to tremendous efforts by a select few customers and AVL engineers. In fact, AVL beat most power loom manufacturers to market. As for handweaving, AVL has decades of experience over our competition. AVL is proud to call its computerized dobby the Compu-Dobby®, which is a copyrighted trademark owned by AVL.

• Compu-Dobby I is one solenoid box with a small Control Unit with six buttons on it.
• Compu-Dobby II has two fairly equal sized boxes, one of which has a Liquid Crystal Display unit.
• Compu-Dobby III is one big box, no secondary boxes.

• Apple-Dobby: approximately 1981
• Compu-Dobby (now called the Compu-Dobby I): approximately 1983
• Compu-Dobby II: approximately 1994
• Compu-Dobby III: approximately 2000

There are many small differences, but one huge difference. The Compu-Dobby I & II (as well as the mechanical dobby) are positive-type dobbies. The Compu-Dobby III is a 'negative' dobby design. A negative dobby is one where the harness selection is defaulted to lift, whereas in the positive dobby design the harness selection default is not to lift. This sounds like a nebulous discussion for us loom geeks, but this one change enabled Compu-Dobby III-equipped looms to have up to 30% lighter lift! The Compu-Dobby IV is USB connection compatible.

Learning to Love USB.

The Serial Port (aka Comm Port) has become a thing of the past for many computers, but fortunately, both new and old Compu-Dobbies can still be connected to your computer via the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Port. While Compu-Dobby IVs have direct USB to USB capability, older dobbies can still be connected via an adapter. Read More >

With thanks to Dana Cartwright, author of WeaveMaker software, here is his explanation of the world of Serial and USB. Read More >

If you purchased a Keyspan adapter from AVL or elsewhere, you may have trouble getting to the correct COM Port. Read More >

AVL Looms, Inc How to Install Rabbit Core Module Read More >