Well the hard disk and mother board of my 32 MP have been replaced but I'm still having problems. I can't seem to get the CNC side to communicate with the windows side. I CAN get a good loop back test with the RS 232 but the 422 is not working.

I get a "baud rate detection failed" message when I try to go disk to memory from the CNC side. When I run through the memory manager on the windows side and go to utilities, run the diagnostics on the comm port I get an error also.

Today I'm making a replacement 422 cable to bypass the one thats in there to see if thats the problem.

This maybe a software problem, things not configured right but I have no instructions (the manuals provided at the FADAL site don't cover the 32MP).

Any one who knows 32MP controllers is welcome to contact me.

Nervis3@netscape.net maybe we could get in touch by phone and you can walk me through troubleshooting this. I'll gladly pay for the phone call.

I called Fadal service, one guy told me the com1 port was one place, the next tech I talked to tells me oh that guy was wrong and the COM port is in a different location....they really are not much help with a problem like this.

Nervis,

I feel your pain!
One possibility is you could make sure that your baud rate on the CNC side is set the same as the baud on the PC side. Do you have that application icon on the PC side that looks like a penguin? I forget, its some kind of communication utility. I had to use it once to get this same problem solved. 1st try a lower baud say 9600, then take it back up when you get it handshaking.

Does your PC have a floppy or a CD?
We have 2 CNC with 2 floppy drives each. I wanted to install a CD, I called Fadal, they said: "Nobody here has heard of putting a CD in a MP32, and no we don't have that as an option".
(I think they just want to come out and charge a service call for the simplest tasks.)
By the way, we grabed an old CD drive, put it in one of the bays, installed it in windows 95... No problem! We can now move large data files to the CNC hard drive, then DNC code into the CNC memory all at practically no cost (except time).

Scott_bob

Yea I have the penguin program. I'll do that today, start at 9600, and how do I set the baud rate of the cnc side?

I already installed a CD / R by just hooking up a long IDE cable to the hard disk. Just like you said no problem. I can now swap and record, but not much use if my 422 port is not working.

I have NC Fadal as well which is supposed to be a file transfer utility that has a 32mp protocol. That doesn't work either....ugh.


Not only that but the Gibbscam that came on the hard drive won't start up because the hardware lock is the 422 port...figures.

Someone shoot me.

Hey Scott think you could send me a pic of the motherboard (in the pendant) on your machine and a shot of the card cage, the axis and memory contoller cards so I can compare and see if everything in my machine is hooked up right?

(group) Nervis1(group) Keep fighting. We're rootin' for ya. :)

Nice to have the support...I'm not givin up, I don't care if it takes a year I'll figure this thing out.

I'm getting a Fadal rep out here next week and spend the day goin through it, I may have to call in sick ....cough....cough...feel flu coming on.

Nerv,

You have poked around the setp settings on the CNC side?

From here, you set the baud rate...

Yea I found that in the maint manual. Went through it and set everything to the settings on the pendant door (I diddn't have to change hardly anything, Just the baud rate.) I called Fadal today just because I can't wait till Wed for the rep to come out. They say it's all to do with the penguin program and the path set to the controller. But the dude would not tell me what to do, said I had to be at the machine and to call back when I was at the control. Damn. I am at the day job most their business hours. Time for that sick day.

You know whats really frustrating...no instructions for the 32mp. No where is there any walk through of the softeware on that controller. I went through all 3 manuals that came with the machine and Fadal's docs on their website. unbe-freakin-levable.

I still haven't had it back on since Sun. I think I'm going to leave it alone till the rep comes out, I'm liable to break something.

I wonder if the service rep would mine being recorded durning his visit? If your going to spend the kind of time with him you mentioned earlier, it might be a good idea to set up your video gear. Just a thought. This might help with the conflict in the info that seems to be going on. We expect to here about chips soon!

Ok it's working. I just needed to configure a memory manager a different way, the rep was right on it.

The replacement computer integration card I got from Fadal was faulty, go figure. We put the original in and it was good to go.

we ran a couple test programs, back and forth computer to vmc and back again, I'm ready to go cept now it's too late. Just got back from work and it's dark, don't want the neighbors getting upset, have to take a go at it tomorrow. I got the sub plate and vice all up and mounted. Woo Hoo.

Nervis One, Is Making CHIPS and having fun! Looked at the pic's and I need to know is the first item out of the Kurt vise to use on the folks from Fadal?

Ugh. I wish I could post a pic here, need a url though. That part I sent you is going to be a pull start handle for a mini chopper.

Originally posted by nervis1
Ugh. I wish I could post a pic here, need a url though. That part I sent you is going to be a pull start handle for a mini chopper.

You can post a pic as a attachment and up load it or use the photo gallery.

Tried, says I have a file thats too big, how do I resize a pic?

Originally posted by nervis1
Tried, says I have a file thats too big, how do I resize a pic?


http://cnczone.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=210

Heres my first part. It's got a gouge at the top of the cross, fixed in the 2nd ver. I was cool to see the machine working none the less.

Thats the biggest pic it will let me attach...get your glasses ready.

I made my pull start out of brass.:D

FYI--- The com port for the RS-422 is COM 2 not COM 1. Com 1 is for the RS-232 at the rear of the pendant and is used by the embedded PC only.
On the current CPU the COM 2 port is the left most com port when viewed with the CPU installed in the rack.
The 0-DISK option on the CNC side is for use with the floppy drive on the standard control only and will NOT access the floppies on the 32MP control.

Neal

Yea thanks for the advice, the fadal rep set me straight on the com1-com2 thing. I CAN get the controller side to use the floppy and my CD drive by using the memory manager and setting the path to a: or d:.

Dave,

Just in case you didn't know....... "Neal" Is Fadal.

And I'm not kidding. ;)

Neal glad to see you here, stop back more often.:)

OH .....THAT Neal... I've talked to him so many times he probably cringes when he hears the name Dave.

At least I assume it's the same guy, Neal at tech help when I call Fadal?

Damn straight, talk about cool. Fadal has to have about the best customer support, kinda like Onecnc. There is nothing worse than looking around for help and not finding any. The first time I called and spoke to a real person I was so relieved, I wasn't sure if they would support a used machine.


Hey Neal, thanks for helping me get my machine up and running, I think I spent about a half hour or more on the phone over the last few weeks ironing out issues with you.

I got everything up and running, thanks for helping this greenhorn along.

Oh and I swear I can use 0-disk to access the a: / floppy by just setting that penguin program to path a:, 9600 baud, (I think Able told me that?). Works like a charm. I even added a CD R/Rw drive by just running it on an extended IDE cable from the HDD as a slave.

Nervis--
You can use the 0-DISK option to read the PC hard drive when you use the Universal Media Driver not the Memory manager. The only problem is that when the Mideia drive is turned on the RS-422 port is busy and can't be used for anything else.
That may or may not create an issue for some people.
Glad you got up an running! It can be confusing at times. I've been doing CNC for some 30 years and still get screwed up on occasion!

Neal:D

Fadals new machine and control got delivered today...
Interesting, they could not get their control to work with their own pallet changer. So, because they promised us a pallet machine, they had to purchase and integrate a Midaco pallet changer instead.

The guys on the machine shop floor don't like the Midaco. Actually they hate it. (Bad experience on another Fadal)...
Maybe "comfortable shoe syndrome", you know, that old pair of comfortable shoes get worn the most.

At least the Midaco has a pallet system that clamps the pallets to the table... Fadals are not clamped to the table...

Looking forward to next week,

this new control doesn't work

First did you replace the CPU and hard drive with Fadal's replacement or did you buy your own.

Second. Yes you can install a CD drive on to the 32MP. The cage for the floppy drive is the same size as a CD drive. You will need to split the power cable from the hard drive. I usually but 2 Y cables, that is long enough the reach the CD drive. Depending on the operating system the computer will detect the new harware.

If you replaced the CPU on the 32MP control with something other than Fadal's I beleive there is somthing different with the RS-422 cable going in to the machine. I am currently working on where this issue is. The work around is to run the cable from the serial port in the back of the pendant to the back of the machine and use cncmaind.exe to upload and download your files. This will get you in business.