can MC communicate with a tape punch

[Allan]

The red flashing error light was what I was getting when the data bits/Baud rate were incorrect, It would still punch the tape but it was un-useable. Is there a reader on the unit that you can read back what you punched?

 

Allan

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Once or twice... I was in Jr. High School when the last machines equipped with them were being sold. I did learn how to read tapes in a semester at the local Community College about 15 years ago but like Roger, I've tasked those brain cells for more important tasks.

[HEAVY METAL]

yes allen

i am getting close but when it reads the code back of what i punched it is putting blank spaces in between lines and omitting some lines.

. i changed from 8 data bits to 7 and this fixed the red light issue.have any ideas on why it is not reading back the code right. do i need to have a special character at start of file or somthing

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Does the beast have a 'duplex' switch?

If so, try the "other" state.

 

"do i need to have a special character at start of file or somthing"

 

Usually not...

[PeterM]

I've used them many times, Hardinge HNC's, we later retrofitted them with GE 550 bubble memorys. Also an Okuma slant bed that our maintenance guy hacked up the serial interface on, oh back in 89 or so. We replaced that monster two years ago, never ran off of anything but tape.

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

Out of our 49 (ish) CNC machines in the shop, 5 of them still use tape. One machine that they bought last year even (an old VTL). We have an Okk horizontal running tape, this VTL lathe and a couple other lathes. It's kinda scary watching that tape reader go... I had been wondering the same thing though. We have a specific computer (386 still classed as a computer or overgrown calculator?) sitting on the end of the desk with printer and all just for the puncher.

 

I thinks when I get back from my baby leave next week, I will look into hooking it to the 'newer' desktop beside it. Maybe make life easier....

[HEAVY METAL]

the punch machine is using eia format

the setting i think should be odd parity and 7 bit is this correct. i am using the mastercam editor to transfer to the tape punch . is this eia or iso format when i open the editor

[mcpgmr]

quote:

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Out of our 49 (ish) CNC machines in the shop, 5 of them still use tape.

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Millingman, Are they actually running tape or is the tape just used to load the program to the machines memory? Just curious.

[Randy Morton @ Clem Industrial]

Sorry to bring up this ancient topic, but I need to figure this thing out.

 

I have a Facit 4046/4047 Punch/reader. I am trying to get it to run thru my Cimco v5 editor. I am able to get it to output some very nice holes, but the machine won't read it. When I compare it to the 'properly' punched tape, it's very ... off. And the only settings that were available in the old DOS program we're using are 1200,N,1,8 all of which I set in Cimco.

 

Now Cimco being more advanced has alot more options, like flow control, xON/Xoff characters... in the transmit page it has lots of options with the only one being used is cr/lf = 13/10, I would presume this to be the lead in/lead out of the program/tape.

 

I have the book for this little unit, but so far it has been useless. If anybody can give a hand with this it would be great to junk this 'old' system and run it thru Cimco.

 

mcpgmr, no, we only use the tape to load into machine memory, not run off the tape (if you want to pretend that it's real 'memory'...)

[billystein]

does anyone remember the moog hydropoint?

yes the same guys that brought us the moog synthesizer. the blocks were 20 characters long and the reader blew air through the tape.

 

billy