Fanuc GN6

[noid]

I'm not sure if this is where this question belongs but here goes.
I have a chance to pick up a fanuc gn6 series controller and other misc. parts that it has run. Now my question is Can i use a controller like this in a three axis system like a router or a plasma cutter? I know nothing of this machine other than the model. I'm just not sure if it is a cnc type controller or what?
Any help would be greatly apprciated as I can pick it up cheap.

[Al_The_Man]

You may be better off selling for parts, That was a General Numerics version of Fanuc, IIRC it did not have built in PLC so you can use a 3rd party make of your choice, the one I am thinking of has a LED numeric display instead of crt,
you would need all the manuals and some experience in off-the-shelf-system retrofitting to make it viable. They had a mill version and lathe version.
If you posted a pic. I could tell for sure
Al

[CBMach]

Hi
If you want to resell GN6 control board. I interested.

[EDM_Fixer]

i have a okuma VMC i can seel you cheap .. the spindle draw bar isent right ... has a 1996 mits. cnc control .. all axes move and spindle motor itself is fine .. draw bar won't close just right ... the part to fix it is about 7 grand + .. otherwise very nice machine ... nice control
704-996-5737 Jim

[Krilance]

I have control panel with the same specs you are saying and have it working with a cnc edm ELOX it works quite well, eaither way if you want to sell it I would be very interested

[GW Machinery]

Good day, gentlemen! I stumbled onto this post while searching for information on how to sell a GN6 controller for my brother's company. Any interest out there??

[cncdiag]

The GN6 is the same as a funuc 6 control.
General Numeric sold fanuc controls for the US machine tool builders.
They were phased out and GE became the dealer for fanuc in the US market

[Dan Fritz]

Yep. The GN6 is identical to the Fanuc 6 (except for the name plate). I worked for GN in Elk Grove Illinois until 1981, just before the GE/Fanuc merger.

The system 6 is an excellent control, but there were several versions of it, and boards are not interchangeable between versions. At first, there was the 6T and 6M (later called the 6T-A and 6M-A). These controls were shipped with a CRT as an OPTION, so there was a version with a CRT and a version without a CRT. The main boards of all "A" models are interchangeable, but the firmware (in the EPROMs) are different between the 2 axis "T" models and the 3 axis "M" models. Also, the EPROMs are different between the CRT models and the non-CRT models.

Later, the 6T-B and 6M-B was introduced, and these controls had many different boards than the "A" models. On the A models, the EPROMS were on the main PCB, where the "B" models had the EPROMs on a separate "ROM" board that was plugged into the mother board. Also, the "A" model had a "PC/Puncher" board, where the B models had a "CRT/Puncher" board. The bubble memory boards and the IO boards were interchangable among all models.

An even later version was then introduced, called the "level-up", or 6TB-2 and 6MB-2 . These models had higher density EPROMs with more software options available. It isn't easy to tell the diffrence between the "level-up" controls and the earlier "B" models. The ROM board is different, as are the EPROMs and the software version numbers.

[Arrow Control]

Dan , you dont happen to know how to program PLC Eproms for the old 6's do you? I have one of the old suitcase programmers but no books or info on how to use it. I have a couple test bed 6's that I'd like to make custom PLC's for - to test IO boards ect...

[Dan Fritz]

I used to live with one of those suitcase programmers under my arm! I don't have any documentation on it, but I could probably remember how to use it if given enough time.

You can work out your ladder using the memory of the programmer, and you can also run your ladder directly off the programmer using an adapter for the control. If you don't have the adapter, you can burn EPROMs, but that makes debugging your ladder rather tedious.

You'll need an EPROM eraser, some blank EPROMs to play with, and a system 6 control that you don't mind messing with. There is a difference between making the EPROMs for the "PC model A" and the "PC model B". The PC model A used EPROMs on the "PC/Puncher" board, where the PC Model B had its own board with its own processor.

[earl]

Does anybody know what program to use for communication between a GN6 control and a laptop. I have settings etc, just don't know what program to use on the laptop.
thanks earl

[Dan Fritz]

Try our PC-DNC Editor. There's a free demo copy on our website that you can download by clicking on :

http://www.sub-soft.com/download/Edi...itor_3.5.3.exe

The operators manual is at:

http://www.sub-soft.com/download/Edi...tor_manual.pdf