Hi everyone. I'm new to these forums. My father and I just picked up a late 70's/early 80's Bridgeport Series II CNC with the Boss controller. The machine is working great. Neither of us have ever programmed before.

I got it to store my block and automatically run a program, stop for tool change, etc. What I can't figure out is how to set the feedrate. Is it the knob that goes from 0%-100%? Or is it done through code? I've tried the following:

N045 X 6.250 F6

It doesn't seem to be slowing the machine down any. Do I have to add a G94 at the beginning of the block?

Any help I could get on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance everyone.

You need a programming manual. The machine defaults at boot to a G0 which is rapid. You command a feedrate with a G1 followed by a destination followed by F___, all on one line. On the BOSS 6 you do not use a decimal point in the feedrate. On later BOSS machines, a decimal point is used. G2 is clockwise feed, G3 is counterclockwise, etc.

George

Thanks for the help. I've been trying a few things, but can never remember what I just did, so I always have to start from scratch. This will help me a lot.

As far as the manual goes, does anyone have a site where I can get noe or a copy of one? I've been poking around eBay and can't seem to find anything under $100.

Thanks again George.

Scott

I have the BOSS10 manual. At least I think I do. I can look around if that is the one you need.

I don't even know what series the BOSS is. I looked around it and couldn't find any description of the controller. We didn't get diagrams or anything with the machine. Luckily our electrician has done a few of these.

Does anyone know if I can find out what version I have by the serial #?

Thanks in advance.

I beleive the Boss # shows up on the screen when the control boots up

I beleive the Boss # shows up on the screen when the control boots up

Not on a 6 or older.
If you have a terminal set up it will give you the Boss # when you comunicate though.

No terminal, just the monster tape drive adding 600 lbs to it! I'm gonna keep poking around. Thanks for all the input everyone.

Scott

Does not sound right. Late 70's there was a S2BOSS6. Prior to that the only series 2 was the old NC2 which had a stand alone control.
Maybe you have a BTC2? I never worked on one of those.
Does it have a tool changer?
Try machinemanuals.net for a programming manual on CDROM but you need to know what machine you have.

George

I have a Boss 1 and 2. They communicate via rs232 cable with a pc fine. It is a little trouble to set up and get working, but the machines do a fine job. I cut wind tunnel models, using CADKEY to program 3D surfaces to cut with a ball nose cutter. When it communicates with a pc, the BOSS 6 will come up on the screen.
Ken Burdges
Novatek Inc.

Hello if the 600lbs tape unit has got a little panel on the top which if I remember gave indication in red L E D readout which was for tool change information and tool offset's then your machine is one of the old series II NC machines with the C 6 boss option if this is so then the top of the table flips up when you release a catch on the back underneath the work top and inside is the C 6 option with the boss control boards in it it should also have a two round connectors on the back one of these allowed the connection an external computer to be connected or one of the old teletype machines using the old style 20 volt connection if it has then you can still connect a modern P C to it using a Dos program to link up with it, it will also when connected give a listing of which Boss control is being used. If it hasn't got this extra control box and it's just got the control panel with the large transformers in the base and the tape reader built into the front panel then it will just be an N C II machine which needs programs input through the tape drive but you can put basic G code commands into the control one line at a time but it was very laborious and I think it very limited on the memory. I hope this might give you some useful info keep us informed cheers Colin.

I have a Boss 1 and 2. They communicate via rs232 cable with a pc fine. It is a little trouble to set up and get working, but the machines do a fine job. I cut wind tunnel models, using CADKEY to program 3D surfaces to cut with a ball nose cutter. When it communicates with a pc, the BOSS 6 will come up on the screen.
Ken Burdges
Novatek Inc.

I have a Series 1 with a Boss 6 control. I have had it for years and works well. You got my attention when you mentioned using CADKEY to program 3D surfaces. Is CADKEY a code writing software or a CAD program that you use to manually pick the grid points from a wire frame?

Jerry

On the C5 and C6 option for the NC2, did not the tape reader stay in the upright original control cabinet?

George

I use cadkey v19 with fastsurf, a built in add on. Cadkey is a drawing package with sollids and an excellent drafting system. Fastsurf has an application called fscam which will produce polylines to scrub a 3d surface with a cutter radius you specify. There are no bells and whistles, but it works great, since 3d is mainly G1 moves. It will also post a pollyline to follow a path. There is also a flat pattern unwrap application in it.
I use "ultra edit" to do the editing, since it has column editing, that is nice to get rid of line numbers which eat up memory. Cadkey is now known as Key Creator. I don't know the price, but it was about the same as as autocad, but much better for 3d and machining.

If you call Bridgeport (607-734-2281) and tell them that you are looking to figure out what BOSS version it is, they will refer you to a guy named John in customer service. He is a long time employee of Bridgeport and is very knowledgeable. He will need the part number off your ERS board. He helped me with the same thing. Hope this helps you out..

John Hernandes. He is now in Deltona, Florida but answers questions for Bridgeport/Hardinge.

George

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm gonna try to call Bridgeport first thing monday morning. Now that I've read all this, I don't think it's a BOSS control at all. All I see on the unit for markings is "Bridgeport Textron".

I did find out why some things weren't working. I had 3 blown fuses. And they're nearly impossible to find, so I just replaced them with breakers.

When you enter all your data in "MDI STORE" then switch to "AUTO" and run your program, shouldn't you be able to turn the feedrate knob down to slow down the table? I've tried setting the knob while I was programming, and then messing around with it when I'm running a 10 line program, but the table doesn't slow down or speed up. Could I have a bad pot? Or do I still have to enter in a G1 in the sequence?

Sorry for confusing everyone, I'm really new to CNCs, and without documentation, I'm flying blind here.

Scott

I believe the pot adjusts (overrides the programmed) feedrate, not rapid.
I worked for Bridgeport Textron from 1982 to 1986 (about). That is when Textron sold Bridgeport.

George

Ok, then I'm totally lost. I tried doing the sequence you suggested before, example:

N100 G1 X-5.575 F3 or 30 or 300

I tried all of those, and the "run" light comes on for half a second, and the remainder of my program disappears. If I try to restart, the entire program sequence disappears.

I tried replacing fuses and the pot for the feedrate today, and I still get nothing.

I'm glad the machine is too heavy for me to pick up and throw against the wall!

Scott

You have MDI which executes a line of code.
You have MDI store where you can build a program into memory. But as soon as the power shuts off you lose it. Or hit the reset switch.
F300 is a feed rate of 30.0 inches per minute. The spindle has to be ON to do a feedrate. F30 is a feed rate of 3.0 inches per minute.
You need a programming manual and a operating manual.

George

HI

first that 0 to 125 is ur feed rate override. you establish your feedrate in the program. you've got a boss 3 to boss 6. also u don't need the tape mach. u just drop the k10 plug and hook up a serial cable to the amp plug on the front of the computer cabinet. from there u just use notepad to write ur programs in and then get a communication program to send it. also the serial plugs don't need 25 pins just 3 or 4. it's been a very long time since i've had to mess with cables.

here is some quick code:

N05G90G00Z-1.59 brings tool to position
N10G87X0Y.260Z.572Z.020Z.020F50 sets peck drill tool position depth first move and the subsequent moves
N20Y0 second dril point
N30Y-.2603rd and final drill location
N40G90G00Z-2.162 clears g87 goes to absolute default and rapid move to bottom of drill depth
N50G90G01X.034F100 set g01 linear move absolute and actual distance with 10 ipm feed rate
N60Y.260
N70X-.034
N80Y-.260
N90X.034 clearing the edge of the pocket
N100Y.260F200 final clean up at 20 ipm
N110X-.034
N120Y-.260
N130X.034
N140Y.260
N150X-.034
N160Y-.260
N170X0
N180M25G90G00X000Y000sends quill home moves table to xy zero
N190M02 program stop return to line n05

this is a program to make a .375 pocket by .625 long using a 5/16ths end mill. i drill to pocket mill a lot less messy with chips

i've written literally a couple of thousand of these type programs over the last 17 years. these old machines are amazing. once u learn it's secrets it's easy to hold good tolerances...but u must maintain the table/gibbs.

there are 3 books 1 for programming, one for maintenance and another for setup i believe. there is a guy maybe 2 that u can probably get these manuals from on ebay one i think is ozark woood worker.

hope this helps
craig

Anyone give me any info on hooking up PC to RS232 on Bridgeport series I with tape drive? I'm pulling my hair out trying to find a link that shows wiring or can I just use a serial cable between PC and Mill with hyperterminal?

u didn't say but i'm sure u've got a boss 6 or back so.... open the doors below the tape drive now u see several boards or cards. the one on the right has a plug in that is marked K10. pull or disconnect this k10 plug. now the default communication is the amp plug on the left side of the cabinet ur looking at. it's around the front and is covered with a rubber deflector shield. the machine can now get the rs232 communication.

but this only the start. first go get every manual u can you're going to need them.
now all u need to do is:
set a common baud rate between the boss and ur computer.
get or make a serial cable with the amp plug connector and proper pins.
get a communication program to send / receive programs to and from the boss.

ebay is a good source for the manuals. search out service people on the net for the cable and look to this forum for the comm software and most likely the manuals and cables.

there are people here that sell this stuff on this site just do some searching i'm sure u'll fine them

Yes, I think its a boss 4 or 5 system, i've ordered three manuals from Uk hopefully see them soon. As well i'm trying to get a Hillbilly board to get up to date! I'm just trying to mess with the mill and learn what i can before i go crazy with upgrades.
Will a regular serial cable between PC and existing rs232 connector on machine work? Someones put one by the looks of it between the two Amphenol plugs. Can you use LPT plug on PC instead of serial? I've found some wiring diagrams for that but not sure if it will work on Boss setup.
Which communication program would you recommend? I'm using Windows XP

Thanks for your time!

good on the manuals but the electrical characteristics may not match i don't really know. if u get US manuals that would be the best. ok...

1. i am only assuming here but you probably don't have a external serial port if that is a new puter so what i'd do is get an USB to serial port adapter.

2. no on the lpt cable. don't know about that other fitting u speak of but it sends an alarm up for me. what did the PO do to the wiring and now will it work with the serial cable? untill u get a wiring dia u won't be able to tell if it works or not. if the po managed to get it wired right a serial cable might work but again i would only be guessing. you'll have to experiment. don't forget the baud rate and the com port in use in xp. the serial cable only uses 3 or 4 wires but they need to be placed right. i'd use this forum and ask if anyone has or can make a cable for u.

3. not sure what upgrades ur speaking of but i run a boss 6 and 2 boss five's and a boss 8 everyday in the stock condition the only upgrade are the serial communications. been doing this 13 plus years. haven't needed to modify anything. if your iron is ok then the only real worth while upgrade is a new controller to get 3 axis machining but you'll still only have a stepper system unless u go to the problem of adding closed loop endcoders for feedback position.

ur close to making chips just get the communucations between the computer and mill going. i use a program called ezutils. it's part of an original bp program. but all u need is a text [.txt] communicating program and ur in. there are some free and some very low cost like 20$$. once u get the manuals u'll be able to see the route u need to take. i write my programs in notepad [windows]. i use to do my communicating using 386 laptops but as those computers got scarce i went to 486 and win98 but i just bought an HP with xphome and 17" monitor for 299 from staples. no reason to use old stuff now except that these puters don't have serial ports anymore. i've never tried hyperterminal so i can't comment. maybe give it a try.

tks
craig

I was able to get NC link from Onecnc on there German site. I dont speak German but was able to fuddle through it. Still cant get machine to talk to pc

i've tried several pin combinations but can't get the unit to talk to Pc. I've got two amp connectors and one serial port style connector that someone has put in and hooked up to the amp connector. How do i know which amp connector to use? Anyone have any pin diagrams for cableing? I've found two but both of them show 25 pin style connectors. I'm trying to go from the 9 pin port on Pc.

Oh yes, and what should the switch positions be at on the boss control? Edit/setup?
How do you start the communication process? I'm using NC link and have set to xon/xoff 4800 baud. it says it is waiting for machine to send.

does ur puter have a serial port? if yes either 9pin or 25pin does not matter. i have a dozen adapters laying around so i can adapt different pc's.

this is how u start set up

clear program use togle switch in the tape drive door. click it up and down several times. now take the upper right button on the pendant and switch to setup mode. now press the edit button on pendant screen look for red led showing u're in setup edit mode. if the red light is on under the edit section the machine is ready to receive.

but u still haven't set the baud rate on the mill or the puter. u need those manuals. u need to locate the board then flip the dip switch and for my money u really don't need to be over 2400 baud. if u don't get this right u'll never get them to talk. also the protocol settings are i think 8, none & 1 with x off. go here [ http://www.sofotex.com/easyDncXP---DNC-download_L22755.html ] you can try this for like 60 days free. this will give u time to look around. i know u can find some for free

is there anybody out there that can tell dougputt what the dip switch settings are. i'm at home and don't have access to my books. u still need to sort out that plug thing u got going on. can u take a couple of jpegs, showing the out side plugs then what the wiring is a good one here so we can see exacrly what's going on??
craig

you have to push the edit button or the RDI button?

The hyperterm program in windows works fine. Getting the rs232 baud,char wait etc can be a pain. Also, the bridgeport only accepts UPPER case. A "/" followed by lower case comments is convenient to id programs and setup.
I use 9600-8-N-1 on the boss 6 series 2 and 2400-8-N-1 on the series 1.
Get your cable wired correctly, start hyperterm program and set the mill to "setup" and press edit. It should show BOSS ? INPUT on the pc screen.
Baud rate is a switch setting on the RS232 receiving board as well as the PC. I have had to replace the UART chips for incidental static damage on a few occasions.
If you want to run programs larger than 400 lines, a BTR (Behind the Tape reader card) can be bought and plugged in instead of the tape reader and you have parallel port access.

Some (not all) of the boss 6 machines had trouble communicating. The control is pretty slow, so sometimes it would drop a character on lines that were long. It helps to have a slight pause at the end of each character is you're having that problem.

I think Mine is a boss 5, but i'm kinda slow anyhow so maybe a boss 6 would work better for me?(chair)

Thanks for the info guys. i've tried pretty much everything, Chris sent me some good bulletins which i went over. Still no avail. I pulled the ERS board out and noticed two empty sockets marked TP1 & TP2 anyone familiar with these?

yes those are test ports used when running repair and maintenance.

this is how u do it

1. use toggle and clear controller
2. set the operation to setup upper rite switch
3. the rdi/edit switch set to edit
4. press the edit switch and look for red led
5. the controller is now set to receive

now computer

the only thing here is to set the program to be ready to send. now hit send or whatever the command is.

now read my earlier posts. i still suggest to use 2400bps. the slower the send the less likely the mill's computer will miss interpert. set hand shake protocol. 8 n 1 xoff if ur using xp be sure to use the proper comm port that's 1 2 3 or 4.

b sure the k10 plug is disconnected if it isn't it won't default to external programs.

if u want pm me and i can tell u how to make the cable but.....my cable is for the amp plugs not that serial port thing u mentioned. u still need to work thru that wiring to see what has been done. ur manual will show u. my series 1 boss 5 had some kind of wired in hardware. i had to work thru those little blue and purple wires but i got it using the manuals.

remember in xp u can only set the com port 1 at a time so u need to test all 4 when hooking up.

like i said i use ezutils made by bridgeport. it's nothing more than a text sending dity. i also showed u some free programs and the hyperterminal might work i've just never tried to use it. your cable is an issue also because of that extra fitting. it's always hard to fix things when the PO modifies things and doesn't keep records.
tks
craig

Thanks very much for your info Craig, really appreciate it i'm actually going to put a hilbilly board in the unit, which i received 2day, just makes more sense I've never had much luck with comm ports(chair)