VMC 3016 communications

[ttorqueshop]

I'm trying to set up communications with my Fadal mill. I know that some machines require a jumper box so you can match up the wires from the RS-232 port to the port on the back of the machine. Do Fadals require this? Is there any thing else I should know about setting up Comm. with a Fadal? I've tried typing in TA,1,2 in the command mode to load a program and I can't get it to do anything so I'm not sure if I have it set up wrong or what. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks a million!

[gar]

071120-2036 EST USA

ttorqueshop:

Your wiring probably needs to be:
Pin 1 at CNC connected to cable shield, and no connection at other end.
Pin 2 to 2
Pin 3 to 3
Pin 7 on CNC to pin 5 at computer
jumper 4 and 5 at the CNC
separately jumper 6, 8, 20 at the CNC

Use a real RS232 port at the computer and not a USB adapter.

Try 9600 baud, 1 stop bit, even parity, and XON/XOFF handshake.

When my web site, www.beta-a2.com , is back in operation visit it. Maybe in a day or two.

.

[ASIGuy]

Gar forgot to mention that you are wiring for 9 pin at your computer (male at PC) and 25 pin at the fadal (male at Fadal connector). Otherwise, he is correct and you should be good!! Make cable famale/female

[gar]

071121-0736 EST USA

ASIGuy:

Thanks. It is always good when someone checks your work and spots omissions and/or errors.

Generally at the computer it is not necessary to jumper any pins when using software handshake. This would be dependent on the communication software.

.

[ttorqueshop]

Hey thanks a lot! I'll try this and see if it works.

[Paul_S]

Originally Posted by gar 071120-2036 EST USA ttorqueshop: Your wiring probably needs to be: Pin 1 at CNC connected to cable shield, and no connection at other end. Pin 2 to 2 Pin 3 to 3 Pin 7 on CNC to pin 5 at computer jumper 4 and 5 at the CNC separately jumper 6, 8, 20 at the CNC Use a real RS232 port at the computer and not a USB adapter. Try 9600 baud, 1 stop bit, even parity, and XON/XOFF handshake. When my web site, www.beta-a2.com , is back in operation visit it. Maybe in a day or two. .

The Fadal is set up as a Computer not a terminal. And the Computer is not set as a terminal either. So
Pins 2 to 3
and 3 to 2.
Or just use a standard null modem (Radio Shack) with a straight through RS232 cable.

[gar]

071122-0708 EST USA

Paul_S:

My recollection is that for my Fadal customers I made the cables exactly the same as HAAS except the connector sex was changed.

This would mean that at Fadal TxD is pin 2. This is easy enough to determine. With no data being sent TxD will be more negative than -5 V relative to common (pin 7). While RxD is near 0 V relative to common. Obviously these measurements are made with no other device connected to the RS232 connector except the meter.

At the PC end on a 9 pin connector pin 2 is RxD and 3 is TxD. One always has to connect TxD to an RxD, and an RxD to TxD.

.

[gar]

071122-0737 EST USA

Paul S:

If you go to
http://www.compumachine.com/Support/...unications.pdf
and to page 320, which is page 10 of 28 in the .PDF viewer,
then it shows pin 2 to 2 and 3 to 3 for the 25 pin to 9 pin cable.

.

[gar]

071122-0837 EST USA

I think there is a lot of confusion created by giving RS232 connections names like terminal, computer, modem, DCE, DTR, etc. And then the term null modem. What are these but meaningless terms without an explicit definition that is unambiguous? There are specific definitions for DCE and DTR but these make no sense from a logical point of view. Who are the data source and destination when you connect two computers together? Usually one is the source part of the time and then things interchange.

Therefore I suggest forgetting whether something is defined as DCE or DTR and rather consider that what is important is the type of connector, number of pins, and male or female. After this a definition of each pin's useage, and a functional description.

We always have to have the signal commons (signal ground) connected together, TxD to RxD, and RxD to TxD. The useage of all other pins depends upon on their need and definition of function in the particular device. You can never directly connect multiple TxDs to each other. You can connect multiple RxDs together so long as the TxD driver can supply enough current. Multiple TxDs can be ORed together with appropriate circuitry, but you must prevent more than one from sending at a time.

I view the label TxD to always mean the transmit pin, and RxD to always mean receive pin. This is logically unambiguous. Thus, at one end of a cable a wire is TxD and at the other end it is RxD. This is because the definitions need to reside with the endpoint devices.

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[ASIGuy]

Yea, I agree. You can get a very simple, yea, I mean simple diagram of exactly what you need on Haas, Fadal and even Fanuc at this link:

http://www.fadalcnc.com/RS232_Pinouts.htm

Give me a call for any particular control and I probably have the pinout for you as well. Been doing RS232 for a long time. I enjoy helping!!

Brian D.
208-891-4877

[Paul_S]

Originally Posted by gar 071122-0708 EST USA Paul_S: My recollection is that for my Fadal customers I made the cables exactly the same as HAAS except the connector sex was changed. This would mean that at Fadal TxD is pin 2. This is easy enough to determine. With no data being sent TxD will be more negative than -5 V relative to common (pin 7). While RxD is near 0 V relative to common. Obviously these measurements are made with no other device connected to the RS232 connector except the meter. At the PC end on a 9 pin connector pin 2 is RxD and 3 is TxD. One always has to connect TxD to an RxD, and an RxD to TxD. .

Gar,

Where I work we use two 25 pin male to female 25 pin 100 foot cables bought from FADAL. And one of these cables without a null modem and gender changer cannot be hooked up to work with a Fadal. We also have a Fadal switchable null modem with gender changer and without gender change (short) cable. It switches between (2 to 2, 3 to 3 to 2 to 3, 3 to 2.) In the null modem switch position, one cable is used with the Fadal, and the other with HAAS machines (without the gender change.)

This does not mean you are mistaken, only that is with the cables we use leads me to have thought otherwise.

Respectfully,
Paul

[gar]

071124-1021 EST USA

Paul S:

Sorry I did not make it clear that the pin connections I specified were for 25 pin to 9 pin. However, ASIGuy cleared up that point, and also common pin 7 to 5 implies this. Since maybe 1985 or thereabouts the RS232 connectors on the PC end have been mostly 9 pin. The 9 pin connection may have started with Compaq or the IBM XT.

This is a clear reason why it is better to define what each pin does rather than use names like computer and modem.

.