Not yet, DennisZ, but there've been other claims on my time and my wife's laptop since I last wrote. Maybe I'll try the RS232 cable you mention, but my local RS was out of them. I too have a call in to support, and I'm afraid my tone betrayed a certain, shall we say, disappointment. This has not been my first problem with this unit, beautiful as it sounds.
In the meantime one has the melancholy comfort of knowing one is not alone. Let's keep each other informed of happy endings, and the same goes for all the other sufferers.