Mazak microdisk instructions

[nervis1]

So I am trying to get a file from my PC to a disk in the mazak micro disk unit. Tried a few times using Cimco and hyperterminal, no luck. I set the parameters the same at the disk unit and PC. Anyone have any method that works?

Also I'm using the 25 pin-25pin cord that came with the microdisk unit, have a 25-9 pin adapter to interface with the COM port on the PC. Griffo bros site says this should work?

[Fred Stevens]

Originally Posted by nervis1 So I am trying to get a file from my PC to a disk in the mazak micro disk unit. Tried a few times using Cimco and hyperterminal, no luck. I set the parameters the same at the disk unit and PC. Anyone have any method that works? Also I'm using the 25 pin-25pin cord that came with the microdisk unit, have a 25-9 pin adapter to interface with the COM port on the PC. Griffo bros site says this should work?

Mazak microdisks were always proprietary, that is, you could only save and retrieve mazatrol programs on them. I think you could also back up your parameter pages with the microdisk. I've been away from Mazaks for almost 5 years, so things may have changed.

by "proprietary", I mean the floppy disks are formatted in a non-standard format. The Mazak microdisk doesn't understand PC compatible floppies, and the IBM compatible PC won't understand the microdisk. We always had to plug the microdisk into the controller, than either back up or retrieve programs to or from microdisks.

We had Griffo Bros. software on our PC also, as I recall, that stuff is all PC compatible, and saved and retrieved via a rs232 serial cable. Hope some of this helps even though it's 5 year old info.
Fred

[wjbzone]

I have been trying to get a simple program to read from the CMT (Mazak micro disk) to my PC. Have not had any success.

I did some testing on a program (Mazak-Camware) that will transfer the files. It uses a null-modem-cable to do the transfer through the com1 port. I downloaded a demo version of (aggsoft) Advanced Serial Data Logger to see what codes were being transfered from the PC to start the CMT to do its transfer.

The Data Logger says that the PC (using Camware) sends (hex codes) 71 04 to the CMT to initiate the transfer. Hex(71) translates to a "q" and hex(04) is not a printable character.

In trying to duplicate the output from a VB form using MSComm1.output, I can send the hex(71), but the hex(04) I am having problems. I don't know what might make this work.

I don't know what else to try.

Bill