a couple of advices…
-some time ago Keyspan has been bought by some other company. Drivers and info on them is not as clear as it used to be in the past. One problem can be the installation of the correct driver, when available, for the OS being used on the Mac. Make sure you have installed the right one, if available for your OS version. Also make sure to follow the installation/configuration steps I provided in the thread "d" is referring to. It has proven to be working fine here.
-another issue we have found out being true in 99% of the cases is the wrong serial cable. This is THE main problem. We have given spec about the right cable, a true "thru" serial one.
I personally have a bunch of different serial cables, bought in a 12 years span. The last ones I have purchased are from the German brand HOSA. They have a purple_bluish color on the plastics wrapping the 2 side screws. These should be generally available in most EU countries. Not sure if HOSA still makes them with the same aspect I just described but it may be worth to contact them about it and check for the wiring specs (pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2…and on likewise).
-the ONLY problem we have never been able to understand or solve is about some laptops, generally Windows equipped…but that may not be the reason, that never worked, refusing serial connection even when perfectly configured. this remains a mistery, but on the good side of it….it was mostly old units that are likely to be not much around these days. At least the most of them.
-Personally, my experience has always been positive with dozens of Windows desktop and laptop and with all Macs, from a G4 Mini to a powermac G5, to Intel Mini, iMac and MacPro. I'm sure my luck comes from having always found the right serial cable because both a no brand cheap USB to serial daptor or an expensive Keyspan worked fine. The whole H8000 algorithms programming has been done (and still is) thru assembled pc with Asus mobos and Win XP Pro…and a no name/no brand USB to Serial adapter.
-just to mention all possibilities…another prblem, the most unlikely though, is incorrect drivers installation (Keyspan) or misconfiguration. Details are described in that old post.
-if things are properly installed and serial port is set to the same exact values as the Eventide….and the unit "BUSY" led flashes when receiving a command from the computer (remove the card from the slot to check the led) but nothing else happens (no preset is down/uploaded), then your serial cable is very likely wired differently from what you need. This is a fact. The search should continue then. If I were in need of serial cables today, I'd surely contact the manufacturer(s) and ask them as pre_sale question to their support what is the wiring of their cables; and ask if they have cables with pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2..and so on. The answer should be very self_explanatory.
regards
Italo
