Sharnoa Tiger 6 upgraded to 2000 or XP?

[CTD]

I am trying to upgrade my OS on my HPM85 Sharnoa. I upgraded the CPU to a 233MMX processor to get by. I will eventually upgrade the Single Board Computer (SBC) to a 1 gig unit but for now I am trying to upgrade the OS. The problem is that the Tiger 6 DOS software does not want to run in XP even when partitioning the disk in FAT not NTFS. Has anyone done this? How?

[CTD]

Anyone? How about even Win 98 or 95?

[Scott_bob]

CTD,

Check out this site thouroghly...

http://www.numeryx.com/cnc/index.htm

In my opinion, the windows O.S. you are after is not worth your trouble.
Why do we (and I do mean "we") like the "idea" of multi tasking and new options that are available for Windows? After all, the idea of using that PC for more than running your CNC machine sounds good right?

Fanuc an industry leader, for many years has warned of the dangers of multi tasking on the PC that is running your CNC. For good reason... Do you really want your CNC machine to be compromised by a Microsoft bug? No you don't! Most PC included CNC controls have an independant PC for whatever you want to do besides motion control.

IMO you should reconsider your desire to use your PC CNC controller to do anything besides control your CNC machine. Afterall PCs are dirt cheap these days... Buy another one, set it on the bench next to your CNC, and multi task with it all you want...

I would really like to hear your feedback on the above link.

[NC Cams]

Multi-tasking is cool EXCEPT when some power hungry program that doesn't have a thing to do with CNC takes hold of the processor and your CNC program is left to hang.....

Know of several folks who "upgraded" from 98SE to the latest Win Whatever and went back when their software crashed.

As inexpensive as computers are anymore (dirt cheap and good ones can be bought second hand), Scott Bob's comments make ENTIRELY TOO MUCH SENSE!!!!

I dunno if I'd go the numerxy route but I would definitely NOT go XP....

[CTD]

I do understand that multitasking a CNC computer is not a viable solution for the reasons stated above but multitasking is not my intention. I do have my own reasons for upgrading the OS such as ease of troubleshooting, networking, utilities and simply because I am familiar with 95/98/2000/XP and clueless about DOS / Windows 3.11. I understand the risks and am more then prepared to take them. Can anyone help?

Scott Bob:
I checked out the link you posted about the Sharnoa Tiger 3-4 Upgrade but I have a Tiger 6 which is already PC based using the DOS / Windows 3.11 OS. Is there something I am missing? One other thing is that our Charmilles 690 EDM has a Millenium control (Fanuc) which, in fact uses Windows NT. Hmmm, maybe Fanuc changed their minds.

[NC Cams]

As soon as you start having stuff run in background, you never know when some other program is gonna take control of the processor. This is what causes the problems

Be careful: sometimes the Win whatever is only doing the networking/etc stuff,

They (IE: fanuc et al) use canned programs or hard codes in ROM"s to do the CNC part, especially canned cycles.

DOS thru Win 98 (not SE if I'm correct) are still DOS based.

Xp seems to have issues in driving parallel port directly - need special drivers I think.

Advice is free to be taken or left.....

[gmfoster]

Originally Posted by CTD Scott Bob: I checked out the link you posted about the Sharnoa Tiger 3-4 Upgrade but I have a Tiger 6 which is already PC based using the DOS / Windows 3.11 OS. Is there something I am missing? One other thing is that our Charmilles 690 EDM has a Millenium control (Fanuc) which, in fact uses Windows NT. Hmmm, maybe Fanuc changed their minds.

One thing I think you are missing is that XP does not have dos. It trys to basically emulate dos but there is no real dos.

And I don't think 2000 does either.

On Win 98 you can boot into dos instead of windows. Running from the dos prompt in windows is not the same thing. And I belive that win98 is the last version of wondows that has a real dos laying under it.

Garry

[Scott_bob]

Originally Posted by CTD I do have my own reasons for upgrading the OS such as ease of troubleshooting, networking, utilities and simply because I am familiar with 95/98/2000/XP.I understand the risks and am more then prepared to take them. Scott Bob: I checked out the link you posted about the Sharnoa Tiger 3-4 Upgrade but I have a Tiger 6 which is already PC based using the DOS / Windows 3.11 OS. Is there something I am missing? One other thing is that our Charmilles 690 EDM has a Millenium control (Fanuc) which, in fact uses Windows NT. Hmmm, maybe Fanuc changed their minds.

CTD,
I don't know exactly what you need your operating system to trouble shoot for you on your CNC, but I hope it helps in that area, let us know if it does. Networking with either net boui or tcp ip is handled by DOS 5. and long file names if required, by IBM PC DOS 6. I suppose the utilities you need to run in windows are for maintaining your windows PC. I use all these on my desktop PC too.
Is your Tiger 6 in need of an upgrade or do you have service problems? I am not sure, but I think the Tiger control (software) is an early version of the Numeryx control. The new Numeryx is further developed now than the Tiger will ever be, because Gil (Numeryx develper) left Sharnoa many years ago and with him the expertise to develope the control software went with him. You can see this on his website in his personal story.
If I have learned anything along this way, is that this CNC control stuff is not easy. Not everyones designs work as well as others. Look at Fadal for instance, I just happen to be experienced with their limitations...
I don't know all of Fanuc controls use of XP yet, I will be learning soon as we have a brand new Fanuc with CAPPS Server so Here goes nothing...

I do appreciate the interest in the newest operating systems, I really do.
Problem is they introduce a great deal of overhead and layer on top of layer of useless computer code to get anything done internally. And from experience, the CNC machine that is free from this useless overhead is faster and more reliable than the pretty GUI that windows offers.

Just my opinion,

[CTD]

Scott Bob,
I did read the life story of this guy which is outstanding. I also believe you are correct with the Numeryx is an early version of Tiger. I seem to be having a VERY slow network transmission problem with my control but besides that, it is just a personal preference thing. I am actually visiting a local company that has done the upgrade and I think they have gone to 98 also so this is the way I would go. I will be upgrading the SBC with a more powerful unit but I just need to get the OS working first. The current unit was a P100 so if I upgrade to a 1 Gig system with Win 98, I don't think that there should be any bogging of the processor.

So I tried to use XP last week and that definately failed.

So....... has anyone here done it with 98 or NT?

[NC Cams]

Been trying to get some DOS stuff to run on Win 98SE.

Some stuff does, some stuff doesn't no matter what you do.

Why beat your head against a wall???

Because it feels so good when I quit.

Solution: Built a DOS machine with Win 3.11 to run the stuff that runs DOS properly and we shuttle stuff back and forth via disk.

Too much of a PITA to:

a. get a network to work on Win 3.11. Anybody we call (younger computer jockey) wants to "upgrade" to Win whatever.
b. get the tech to unerstand that some DOS stuff won't work at all or won't work well on newer O/S's.

The look on their face is priceless when we say, "OK, but you have to make all the DOS software work...." That usually stops them in their tracks because DOS isn't something that's "supported" and/or necesarily understood/taught anymore. Obsolete O/S I guess.

How did we get a man to the moon and do the early earth orbit stuff without Windows??????

[CTD]

Originally Posted by NC Cams Been trying to get some DOS stuff to run on Win 98SE. Some stuff does, some stuff doesn't no matter what you do. Why beat your head against a wall??? Because it feels so good when I quit. Solution: Built a DOS machine with Win 3.11 to run the stuff that runs DOS properly and we shuttle stuff back and forth via disk. Too much of a PITA to: a. get a network to work on Win 3.11. Anybody we call (younger computer jockey) wants to "upgrade" to Win whatever. b. get the tech to unerstand that some DOS stuff won't work at all or won't work well on newer O/S's. The look on their face is priceless when we say, "OK, but you have to make all the DOS software work...." That usually stops them in their tracks because DOS isn't something that's "supported" and/or necesarily understood/taught anymore. Obsolete O/S I guess. How did we get a man to the moon and do the early earth orbit stuff without Windows??????

You sir, took the words from my head! That is exactly right. I am a pro at Windows but am clueless at DOS. I remember what was taught to me at computer camp 15 years ago and that is about it.

[NC Cams]

And we used to add WITHOUT calculators and we had SLIDERULES before calcs as well.

Don't try to make DOS software work in any/all Win environment. It doesn't NEED to or WANT to in some cases.

It will run the CNC, especially if you do a simple/dedicated DOS machine (DOS 6.22, not a hacked 7. whatever in Win 98) . You just have to NOT do everything in WYSIWYG mode. IF that is too hard, use Win 3.11 or DOSSHELL (free with DOS 6.22). 'Shell isn't Win but close enough and it is WYSIWYG.

C:\ based dos was too hard to learn (poor memory in user) for me. DOSSHELL is point and shoot semi WYSIWYG. If a 55+yo aging engineer can learn it, a more computer literate person should find it a snap.

WE have DOS based program that runs out Bridgeport (the oem EZTRAK is DOS). Never crashes, just runs and it runs on "dumpster dive" acquired 'puters. PITA to transfer files to/from but we're talking early 90's technology. Fortunately, it will run a CDROM so big file xfer isn't too bad.

By the way, did you know that Paul McCartney was in a rock group long before he started playing in Wings????