GETTING STARTED--NEED HELP-- THANKS!!!!!

[chuck56]

I have a Shizoka Mill Master ANS 3 axis vertical mill (built in 1985), a Yasnac 3000G controller. At one time it had a tape reader but it has been removed and a Greco Machine tool interface has been added. I have Mastercam v9.1 and I'm wondering what is required to get Mastercam to communicate with the Yasnac controller. Do I need to use the Greco interface or can i go directily to the Yasnac? I have no software for the Greco interface device. I'm retired and plan to use use this in my own shop to build parts for various hobbys. Any help would be appreciated. Regards, Chuck

 

[Jim at Gentex]

Welcome to the forum, Chuck!

 

I'm not 100% sure about the Yasnac control. If the machine has an RS232 port you should be able to communicate directly from your PC to the control w/o the interface device. But I could be mistaken...

Chances are pretty good that someone here in the forum knows exacttly what you need.

[Harryman]

Welcome Chuck.

 

I can't help much either but someone will be able to. Weekends tend to be a bit slow on the forum. Keep checking in, you never know when someone will hit a homer for you.

[Müřlıń®]

I'm not positive but most older machines couldnt drip feed without BTR.

 

 

You need to use the Greco.

That is there so you can load a larger program than than you can load in memory. I would bet you can only load around 128k or less in the memory.

 

Your other option is to rig up a BTR. Then you can run drip feed any size proggys that you have.

 

You prol still have the tape reader card in your control.

 

The Greco for my old Acramatic control would only hold about 4 meg of program.

 

Actually its enough for most stuff.

 

But there was usually a formatting program that would come with the Greco that would put your NC file in the correct format so the Greco could read it.

 

At least this is the way it was for my old Cincinatti......it was around a 1980 model.

[Slixmix]

You're re-seller should be able to help you out.

[chuck56]

Murlin, I think the formatting probram from Greco is called WinDnc. They want $1000 for it which is a bit pricy for me. Is there another way around this. I also have a Greco interface box called a "Minifile" that takes a 3.5 inch floppy and connects to the yasnac via a parallel port(maybe serial port). Can this be used in a way that precludes me from having to buy a $1000 program from Greco or is there something else that will work besides WinDnc?--Regards, Chuck

[Mike Mattera - TFM]

Yes that 25 pin port is the RS232. You should be able to go directly from your PC to the machine thru that port if the BTR is still working.

 

Mike Mattera

[chuck56]

Mike----- Don't quite understand what you are saying. "yes that 25 pin port is the RS232" What 25 pin port? Is it on the Greco MTIC or the Yasnac. And what do you mean "if the BTR is still working"? Are you referring to the Greco MTIC as the BTR? If This is correct, ie, MTIC being the BTR and still working, do I still need the WinDnc Software ($1000) from Greco? Sorry for all the question, I'm really a novis here. Regards, Chuck

[Müřlıń®]

Chuck you can get a BTR rigged up for around that price as long as you have your tape reader card still in the control.

 

Crazy MillMan can hook you up. He knows lots of people.

[chuck56]

Murlin, I have the Greco MTIC hooked up and the company that had the mill before me was using it in production, so I'm sure the the "tape reader card" is in the control. I still don't understand Mike's post, plus i really don't want to spend $1000 if there is another way to get Mastercam talking to my Yasnac or Greco MTIC. Regards, Chuck

[CAM-mando]

The minifile is pretty much the same as if you hooked up a PC to the serial port.

 

I am guessing that the machine can drip feed through the RS232 or it would not make alot of sense to have the mini file hooked up to it. The mini file is like having a pc hooked up to the serial port. All it does is dump th eprogram from the floppy to the serial port.

 

If the machine can drip feed from the minifile it will probably be something like set a parameter to tell the control to read through the Rs232 Port but run it as if you were running off the tape.

 

We have a newer Yasnak so I really can't offer much, but if you need the manual here is a link.

 

Yaskawa - Yasnak manuals

Yasnak pinout and comm parameter

[Müřlıń®]

My old control that had the Greco upgrade, had to have special software that formatted the NC file so it could read it.

 

I really cant speak for your control but sounds like what a Greco box is just a BTR in itself. Maybe yours will just drip feed with out special software I dunno. It all depends on how your exec is set up.

 

Buying another BTR set up or software for your Greco is the only way I know how you can get it to work.

 

Maybe there is someone else who knows your control better tha will help out.

 

If you find you need the software for the Greco, try and get it from that other company, they dont need it.

[Tom Dorgan from American Precision]

We use Greco Minifiles in our shop. If it is hooked up to the machine already it should have the correct parameters loaded to communicate to your machine. We don't drip feed from the Greco but we use the Greco to load programs into the machine memory. I post from Mastercam and save to a floppy as text file. Boot the Greco. Tell the machine to load or Read the program and on Greco press 7# then program number #. This should begin loading program into the machine.

[chuck56]

CAMmando, The Greco Minifile is not connected to my machine, the Greco MTIC is.----Murlin, I tried to get the Greco MTIC WinDnc software from the company i got the mill from but they would not cooperate.-----Tommy Dorgan from Standard Router, sounds like I should just hook up the Greco Minifile and do it like you guys do it. It's pretty simple to save the g-code on a floppy and put it in the Minifile. Thanks guys for helping me out on this. I would still like to get the PC to talk to the Greco MTIC, so if any one has any ideas or access to Greco's WinDnc, let me know. Regards, Chuck

[chuck56]

CAMmando---thanks for the links to the manuals on my Yasnac 3000G, i needed them. Regards, Chuck