KM3 Ultimax II doesn't DNC (quite)

[jbmozer]

I have my PC talking to my KM3 swimmingly--well almost. I can upload NC programs to it all day long at 19.2Kbps without error. However, when I'm machining a program that is greater than its memory buffer (about 2000 lines of my code) in DNC mode, I get dropped characters. These, if I'm lucky, lead to syntax errors and the machine stops. If I am unlucky, it just drops a number and sends my mill off in the wrong direction (sometime right into my part at high speed).

I get an error pretty much 100% of the time that I'm using drip-mode, but the error is never in the same place twice.

So, I'm guessing that this could due to a couple of things: One might be that it is picking up transients on the serial line while the motors are running. Or, it might be that I have an unreliable memory chip somewhere high in the address space. Either way, it is killing my ability to do DNC.

I am using HyperTerm to send my code to the mill.

Any ideas of how to troubleshoot and/or fix this problem?

-joel

[gthlm]

Yes. Don't use HyperTerm.

It doesn't work reliably for DNC, to be precise it doesn't wait properly for CTS. It'll only wait for so long before it sends anyway. Piece of crap, I don't know why so many people recommend it.

I guarantee that if you look closely you'll see it happening. If you turn on "Echo sent characters locally" or whatever the options called, you'll see it happily sending data, then it'll pause for the other end to catch up, then after it gets bored of waiting it'll send a character, then wait a bit again, then another character... and so on. Hence your missing characters.

Also stick to 9600 both for straight up/downloads and DNC. There is absolutely no speed advantage to anything higher because the Max II can't empty it's buffer that fast and you just end up with more/longer waits. You'll see it pausing occasionally even at 9600.

Get a decent DNC client. There are a few free ones. OneCNC NCLink is one free one that I have seen people talking about but I haven't used it myself.

Sorry I couldn't have passed this knowledge on before you learnt it the hard way!

Gregor

[Shane123]

might wanna try multi-dnc for drip feeding. i use it for the tree vmc and it works flawlessly running 8+ hour programs. Our hurco has usb and a hard drive so i never needed to try to set it up for it.

[jbmozer]

Great, thanks! I got my USB-Serial adaptor in today and was able to run the Predator Drip Feed from my BobCAD to run the mill (previously I was stuck with an old computer that had a serial port, but only HyperTerm). It worked flawlessly. So, I guess you hit the nail on the head.

I'm now in business. So, I'm supposed to be able to cut and paste a picture of a Ferarri and the mill will make me one, right?

Thanks again!
-joel

[skullworks]

Use the Hurco DOS based software @ 9600 and it will work just fine.

My record was a picture engraved in brass.

About 813,000 lines of code, 14hrs cut time. (No errors.)

BTW - don't use N# on each line - it only wastes DNC bandwidth.