# Help hooking up Brother BE-0901E to PC



## Rabecca (Jun 25, 2010)

I just purchased a used Brother BE-0901E. I'm completely stumped about how to get it to talk to the computer, or what it will look like when that happens. 

I have the USB-Serial cable, and a couple of adapters: one crossover and one standard. (The cable is "Plugable" brand, since apparently that can make a difference.) I normally use Floriani digitizing software, and I also have BES Lettering. Neither seems to be capable of sending the design to the machine.

This machine came with BES-100E software, which won't install on my PC running Windows 7 pro in emulation mode (I tried all the emulation settings with the same result.) I'm not sure whether I have a hardware problem, a software problem, or both. 

If I need software, what's my most reasonable-cost option to get this machine up and running? 

I have searched previous threads on this topic and found the COM port settings, so those should be right. The machine isn't recognizing a computer, though. 

Anyone who can help me get this running? TIA--

Rabecca


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

I wasn't aware that they had a computer hook up. Does it not have a floppy drive? I don't know what year these were made but you can get a manual off the brother website and it should cover what the software is compatible with. I'd just buy an old computer with it on it from a thrift store or pawn shop and install your software on it. Then do all your digitizing on a modern computer and transfer it to the slow embroidery tethered computer. 

Me, I just use a floppy. You can get a usb floppy drive for less than $20 and there's no other headaches. Once you format it's the same really as a jump drive.


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## Rabecca (Jun 25, 2010)

drdoct said:


> I wasn't aware that they had a computer hook up. Does it not have a floppy drive? I don't know what year these were made but you can get a manual off the brother website and it should cover what the software is compatible with. I'd just buy an old computer with it on it from a thrift store or pawn shop and install your software on it. Then do all your digitizing on a modern computer and transfer it to the slow embroidery tethered computer.
> 
> Me, I just use a floppy. You can get a usb floppy drive for less than $20 and there's no other headaches. Once you format it's the same really as a jump drive.


Thanks for the reply, Doc. I've got all the info and manuals, and I've read all I can online, but this doesn't seem to be covered very well. Here's what I learned today:

BES-100E software is officially dead, and Brother recommends Ethos (GS USA ApS-Ethos Software Overview) as a replacement. This and Wilcom are the only software packages that seem to be capable of sending designs directly to the machine. They offer upgrade pricing to former BES-100E users. I was quoted $1095. With this software and a USB to serial conversion cable, you can send designs to the machine. Of course you also get a new digitizing package as well, and I'm all for that. If it works. 

Brother has a replacement drive for the installed floppy, which is about $400 (ballpark from the tech I talked to; I have not confirmed with parts dept.) By installing this, I could save designs to USB and then plug into the machine. No direct connection to machine, so it's the same thing you're doing now with the floppies.

I hate floppies to a degree that is probably irrational. I'm not about to go back to them if I can avoid it. It might be overreacting to go and spend all that money on the software, though. I've already shelled out for the machine this month. 

The no-cost option is to dig the old computer out of my closet and hook it up to the machine. I already have the right cables, and there's a serial port as well as a parallel port to hold the dongle. I think I'm probably being a big wimp, but I didn't picture my new setup including a desktop and monitor. On the other hand, this is a solution I can put into action today, stop driving myself crazy, and resume making money.

Yeah. That's really what I should do for the short term. <sigh> Sharing this info for anyone else who is in the same boat, since it was hard for me to track down!


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Don't hate the floppy! You're talking about sticking it into your drive and then you just pull the file from your hard drive over to the floppy. It asks if you want to do it and you say yes. It takes a whole second. Literally it's the same exact thing as using a usb! Same actions, everything. I've had about 15 designs on the floppy before, but normally I'll delete all after I'm done just to keep from having to scroll though a bunch of designs. Everything else is stored on the hard drive and sugarsync (cloud) and I've got 15 slots on my machine. When you talk to Brother, they want you to buy a brand new suite of everything I'm sure. 

I really don't know why everyone HAS to have usb over the floppy. I've used a total of 1 floppy disk since I've had my machine 2 years now. I realize they're getting harder to find, but not really that hard. And definitely not worth the money and risk of changing it all over to do the exact thing it was. Now, to get the computer going where you could sit there and have a good screen like the PR series has... that may be cool, but not $1000+ cool. These machines will work great utilizing their limited technology of their day. It's not the latest/greatest, but you can't tell with the stitch quality. And that's the most important thing. I'd give your machine a few months using the floppy until you spend all that extra money. I even have a usb floppy drive so I can just keep my laptop right there with the floppy drive attached and it just works. Make that machine hum and get it to paying you first. I can honestly say that's what I'd do because it's what I've done  

Good luck with it.


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## gemais (Jan 27, 2008)

Has anyone had an EA error. Just that nothing else on their machine. I also have BE-0901E. I believe Brother stopped making these quite a few years ago and are not making Embroidery Machines anymore.
Thanks


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## Bordadero (Oct 29, 2014)

Your 0901 will connect to a PC via the RS232 socket in the controller. You will need a Null Modem cable, IIRC with two female ends. I have connected these machines to APS Ethos software this way. Wilcom software has always proved unreliable with this type of connection-fine with other makes (we run a Barudan this way) but Brother needs a spooler program and I am told is probably best avoided. Never done it myself mind. 
Don't be in a rush to junk your floppy drive-if ever you need to do a system install it is a total PITA from USB.


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## Bordadero (Oct 29, 2014)

gemais said:


> Has anyone had an EA error. Just that nothing else on their machine. I also have BE-0901E. I believe Brother stopped making these quite a few years ago and are not making Embroidery Machines anymore.
> Thanks


Any number with it? And can you use the machine? What do you do to restart it?

BTW Rabecca, just seen the date of your post  hope you got sorted.


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## gemais (Jan 27, 2008)

Thanks for your reply. I cleared all the memory, managed to run 6 rounds and halfway through the 7th, just stopped with the error. In the manual in the code column pg 142 shows E-EA then error EA - ACK code receiving error during interfacing to main PCB CPU. In the column Measures - This is not usually displayed. Local suppliers have contacted Brother with no real feedback except to say it sounds like the control panel.
I don't have tech knowledge, does anyone know in layman's terms what this means.


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## Bordadero (Oct 29, 2014)

gemais said:


> I don't have tech knowledge, does anyone know in layman's terms what this means.


The control panel is the keypad which you use to operate the machine, and has the floppy drive located in the end. It contains a circuit board which could cause the issue you are experiencing. The other likely culprit is the main board, which is located under a large steel cover plate directly beneath the cylinder arm (where the bobbin case snaps in). Sometimes a main board gives trouble on startup too-the version number may not always appear, for example. The only test is substitution I'm afraid.
You could check the cables which run from the upper control panel, some of which go to the main board. Might have a dislocated or broken cable.
I am based in the UK, where we can still get a main board for this machine, albeit at a cost of something like £1,500. I guess you are US based, so all I can really advise is contacting a good agent or Brother themselves. Pretty old machine though, so I wouldn't expect a particularly interested response. Good luck.


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## gemais (Jan 27, 2008)

Thanks, we are in SA and the Brother rep is out at the moment, so hope for more feedback. They say there is 1 panel but at at R 25000.00. I am going to go through what you have mentioned to get a better idea.
If we have any success I will post here.


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## pompoms56 (Apr 22, 2015)

gemais said:


> Has anyone had an EA error. Just that nothing else on their machine. I also have BE-0901E. I believe Brother stopped making these quite a few years ago and are not making Embroidery Machines anymore.
> Thanks


So with this machine you cannot hook up a lap top to it????
Debbie


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## Bordadero (Oct 29, 2014)

pompoms56 said:


> So with this machine you cannot hook up a lap top to it????
> Debbie


Yes you c an. you will need proprietary software such as APS Ethos and it will connect via null modem cable.


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## Asinov (May 6, 2021)

gemais said:


> Thanks, we are in SA and the Brother rep is out at the moment, so hope for more feedback. They say there is 1 panel but at at R 25000.00. I am going to go through what you have mentioned to get a better idea.
> If we have any success I will post here.


Did you get any success with clearing the EA fault on the BE-0901E in RSA ?


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## gemais (Jan 27, 2008)

Asinov said:


> Did you get any success with clearing the EA fault on the BE-0901E in RSA ?


No, they really were no help, had to scrap the machine and shortly after another one.


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## Asinov (May 6, 2021)

gemais said:


> No, they really were no help, had to scrap the machine and shortly after another one.


That's a pity. Not sure how to contact you on this forum, but if your are in Cape Town or if you can send the main control PCB here it can be refurbished and repaired. Will work another 20 years, if the ESKOM power fails don't cause premature repeat failure, but unlikely. If there is a contact at your business I can phone you with the details, if you like.


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