DNC Communications

[councill_oak]

Anybody,

We have CMS machines with AB 8601 Controllers using CMSCOMM for communication. We are adding another machine with a Fanuc 15M Controller. We upgraded our Windows OS from Win98 to NT2000. Now the Software doesn't see the Security Key. We received a new Key and upgrade from CMS, but are still having the same problem without much support.We were looking also at upgrading the DNC to remote all machines. Cimco Rep. did not give us much hope for the AB 8601. Have tried a few others, but didn't have specific enough info to setup the FCRSYS/MP0 file at the contoller. Any setup/config. on an alternative DNC for the AB 8601 would be greatly appreciated. Fanuc (No Problem).

[chris m]

I don't know who your Cimco rep is down there and I certainly am not downing them at all because I don't know that control [Allen-Bradley?] but we have DNCMax and it works the NUTS with all of our controls [we have some 20 yr old Yasnacs and Fanucs] with remote request capabilities even on controls that we had been told in the past 'wouldn't support it' by other people.

 

Just for information's sake you could try to talk to Steve Biehl or Frank Lussier up here at Services 4 Automation (978) 728-0009. Since those guys really worked closely with Cimco over the years, they may know some tricks that your guy hasn't learned yet.

 

C

[jeff]

We have an old P.O.S. machine with a jackass control on it and my Cimco dude made DNC Max work with it.

He just had to play around with a few settings here and there but it works.

DNC Max is the way to go.

[Jimmy Wakeford from Barefoot CNC]

Greg

 

You can comminicate to the ab8600/1 with cimco or any other dnc product. It is not drag and drop like cmscomm, but you can do remote calling from the machine which is just as neat. Several customers are using cimco and others to communicate with the ab. The only real trick is that if you are doing subs you have to send a recieve command between progs cause the ab has a dos like file system and you have to name the file to get it in. Other controls such as fanuc see a % and know to open a new file.

 

You can go ahead and hook the machines up to the cimco that came with mc and get it working. Call me if you need the settings. One other note is that the ab seems to like 1200,2400,9600 bauds?

 

You can also look at the fcrsys file on /mp0 on the machine to see what the settings are.

[councill_oak]

Jimmy,

I know how to set the FCRSYS/MP0 file for the Baud Rate,Stop-Bits,Parity.Is there any other parameters other than the (XAT485,07,5,1)line that need to be changed/added?. Any commands at the controller that need to be made?. Right now we don't have to do anything at the controller. We use the (DIS,"CODICE=PRG123")before the %. Most of the cable configurations I have looked at are the same as the Fanuc 15M simple TX, RX, Signal Ground. Any specific info on set-up/cable config. would be great.

 

Thanks,

Gregg Everhart

Product Engineer

Councill