PC wont send to Mazak

[xr135]

Hi,
I am having trouble getting my PC, [mastercam] to send to my 1985 vintage VQC 20/50b mill. I have downloaded the parameters suggested from RYM. The OP2 parameter is set on my machine at 248, the recomended setting is 0 or 1. My manual shows a factory setting of 249. Do I change this to 0? I keep getting alarm 470, "tape reader error" . Any tips would be great.

Thanks, Erik

[Dan Fritz]

Erik:

The "Tape reader error" can happen if the data you're sending the Mazak isn't in the correct format. You should start out with a percent sign (%), then a carriage-return/line feed, then the first block of your program. At the end, you should have another percent sign.

If you're using Mastercam to send the file, be sure that your file has the "%" characters at the beginning and end, and that the software isn't sending anything "extra" like a leader or a trailer.


What model Mazatrol is this? You gave the machine number, but not the control model.

[xr135]

Its a M2 controler, about 1985 year. Any thoughts on that OP paramater setting?

Thanks, Erik

[Dan Fritz]

The parameter value that you are seeing is in decimal, and the RYM suggestion just wants the last BIT of this 8-bit binary number set to zero.

The setting of 249 is: 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1

Notice that "bit 0" on the far right is a "1". Setting just this bit to zero and leaving the other bits alone would make P2 = 248, or 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 in binary

Leave your parameter P2 at 248 and you'll be OK

[xr135]

Thank you very much, never would have figured that one out..........

[Ben Colby]

If you don't get the problem solved , I believe I have software that communicates with the M2. I used to use it on a M32 and I'm sure it's
backwards compatable, it's DOS based but I ran it out of Win 95.
I know it will work with Mazatrol and if I can find my notes it does EIA
as well.
Also, some of the Mazak's of this era had a rectangular button either
at the front of the control under a hinged panel or by the RS-232 port
that had to be depressed or released. Oneway was for EIA transer, the other
for Mazatrol.