Hi Folks,

I have a VF-4 that I'm trying to drip feed(DNC) a very large program that I just can't seem to get to work. I am using Cimco to send the program. The laptop that I'm sending from has 25 pin connection just like the Haas. The cable is about 8 feet long.

The settingson the laptop are 115.2k Baud, even parity, data bits 7, 1 stop bit, XON/XOFF

The settings for the Haas are the same. The memory is 842,443 bytes free.

When I send the program the Haas has on its screen....upper left hand corner

Program (DNC)
waiting for DNC




Lower left hand corner......

DNC RS-232
waiting for DAT


the program is not loading...should I see the program loading as soon as I start the download?

anyway....the program is not loading into the Haas...I'm stumped

I've read in previous posts about checking voltage at the connections but I'm not sure of the numbering of the pins on the connection.

Thanks
John

The 25 pin port on the laptop is a parallel port. The 25 pin port on the Haas is a serial port.

Is there a 9 pin port on the laptop?

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?p=152612#post152612

yes there are two 9 pin connections on the laptop male and female...

There should be a 9 pin male port that is the serial port. The other port is probably the video port.


The cable connector for Haas Mills

PC DB9 .............Haas Mill DB25
--------------------------------

2---------------------2
3---------------------3
8---------------------4
7---------------------5
5----------|----------7
................|----------1

1-4-6 ................6-8-20


Make a cable up and report back.

sorry for my ignorance but I've never made a custom cable.
I ssuppose you guys cut open the plastic connector and rewire
the connections?

I'll need to find a diagram of the pins and their
locations...never having cut open a cable is there a color coding for each pin number?

o I see the numbers on the connectors for the pins.I happen to have some 9 pin connectors that can be configured for different connections too.

Doesn't Haas sell a cable for this?

It's not rocket science. You can do it. Short out the pins on the connectors first, then wire the five remaining wires. Solder across the pin housings to short them together for the ones next to each other, like 1,4 on the DB9 connector and 8,20 on the DB25 connector. Loop a wire out and around pins 1,4 on the DB9 and 6,8 on the DB25.

Or go to the electronics store of your choice and buy a standard 9-pin to 25-pin serial cable. They were used for external modems, serial printers and everything else. I've got dozens of them laying around. Quick and easy.

I literally just went through this yesterday. It's much easier than it sounds:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=148379

And pickup a DB9 null modem at the store.

ok here's what I've done so far....I cut one end off of the 25 pin cable and stripped the needed wires 2,3,4,5,7,1

Wayne..on your diagram.....PC(pin5)..........Haas(pin7) you have a vertical line between the two. What does that mean? Should they be connected?

Wayne.....where does pin 1 on the haas side go?

the 1,4,6 and 6,8,20 pins I'm not sure about either

I'm replacing one 25 pin connector with a 9pin connector


Donkey...I found a serial 9 pin to 25 cable and tried loading the program...it did'nt work...I used the standard previous settings as per the Haas manual however.

Pin 5 on the DB9 is connected to both pins 1 and 7 of the DB25 connector.

Pins 1,4,6 are connected together on the DB9.

Pins 6,8,20 are connected together on the DB25.


I have wired four HAAS mini mills with this diagram. They work flawlessly.

And pickup a DB9 null modem at the store.
Nope, not on mine. It was a straight DB25-DB9, without a Null Modem adapter. It worked fine.

That was the debate we had in the other thread. One guy is running null modem adapters on his machines and yet, mine worked without it. I'm just not sure why.

JNC: have you tried just doing serial file transfer yet? Launch Hyperterminal and see if the Haas can send the current program back to the PC. That's what I did to test things. It was working at 19200 (didn't try any more).

Nope, not on mine. It was a straight DB25-DB9, without a Null Modem adapter. It worked fine.

That was the debate we had in the other thread. One guy is running null modem adapters on his machines and yet, mine worked without it. I'm just not sure why.

JNC: have you tried just doing serial file transfer yet? Launch Hyperterminal and see if the Haas can send the current program back to the PC. That's what I did to test things. It was working at 19200 (didn't try any more).

Your wire must be a crossover cable. Easy to verify.

071229-1358 EST USA

In software handshake mode you only need three wires and no other pins jumpered for communication. These are:

PC 9 Pin -- HAAS 25 Pin
2 ---------- 2
3 ---------- 3
5 ---------- 7

If the cable is shielded, then
NC -SHIELD- 1

Some software on the PC might require other pins to be jumpered. HyperTerminal and Cimco do not require any jumpers in software handshake (XON/XOFF).

I do not have a demonstratable reason to either connect or not connect HAAS pin 1 to 7, so my suggestion is to not make this connection. I have an analytical reason to not connect, but this may not be very important. HAAS has a 100 ohm resistor in series with each of their used pins except pin 1. Note the only pins HAAS uses are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7. The pins 6, 8, and 20 are simply jumpered together and go nowhere and do nothing.

.

I have a very logical reason to connect 1 and 7 together, communication does not work without doing it. It does not make any sense to me either. All I know is, the Haas mills are communicating with the network and everybody is happy.

071229-1937 EST USA

Wayne:

You have a good reason if it works one way and not the other.

HAAS machines with brushless servos are very noisy. When you connect pin 1 on the HAAS to pin 5 on the PC you have a direct connection from the HAAS machine chassis to the PC chassis. There is no need for the connection to pin 7 in this case.

Since there is a 100 ohm resistor between the HAAS pin 7 and HAAS chassis and the power supply common it is possible that this is introducing a common mode noise voltage into the RS232 common path between HAAS and the computer.

The only problem with direct connection of the two chassis is if there is a short between 240 or 120 and a chassis there will be a current flow thru the interconnect cable that may burn up at least part of the cable and probably other components. Ideally you would like to burn up the 100 ohm resistors and nothing else. But the 100 ohm resistors are not a good solution to the problem and won't be totally effective. The best way is with electrical isolation in the communication path.

.

AHA! SUCCESS!
I used Waynes pin info and it worked......even with my own crappy solder job!
The Mill is cutting right now.


Thanks guys!

here she is

AHA! SUCCESS!
I used Waynes pin info and it worked......even with my own crappy solder job!
The Mill is cutting right now.


Thanks guys!

Great :)
A db hood can hide the solder work.

Okay. Now that it is working, try unhooking the #1 pin on the Haas side and post the results if it works without the #1 wire connected.

071231-1937 EST USA

I think, based on this information from more than one source, that the HAAS 100 ohm resistor in series with the common line, pin 7, is the source of the problem in combination with the high HAAS ground path noise level. Thus, you can make your wiring simpler by using pin 1 as signal common, and ignore pin 7 at the CNC.

Then your only problem will be any possible large ground currents or voltages.

.

I know this is an old thread but :cheers: Thanks Guys esp Wayne Gar and OP info was very helpful.

I used 2-2 3-3 5-7 and 7-5, with no jumpers. Kind of a cross between Wayne's and Gar's advice, and now a laptop with a USB/Serial device is communicating with a troublesome HAAS.