What are the chances of getting the Macro option on this old control? It looks like it is not supported in the machine software, you can not just turn on the parameter. So it seems.
Does it require additional eproms for the unpopulated sockets? Or replacing whats there?
another question, why do the rom eproms have labels like
G31
G00
241?
just coincidence or is that for G31 skip? Why would they install skip roms if it doesnt have macros to use it?
The eproms come in pairs: their labels have their location and software ID. Nothing about what they contain.
There is an option bit for custom macro; the policy on this site does not allow me to post options, but I can tell you that it in the 300 parameter area. If you cannot see these, your software does not allow custom macros.
well
It has been a trip. if it wasnt for a very helpful member here, I would have been totally lost. It seems Fanuc themselves no longer know a whole lot about this particular thing. Actually going the step of requesting a quote for the option, I did not take.
It quickly became obvious that you can not just "turn it on" . There is missing hardware that you only get by purchasing the option. Figuring out the exact missing hardware seems to be a little mysterious.
First it was the extra eproms (software with options enabled = more eproms). Without the option enabled on your software you have to go find mill or lathe software with the option included.
Changing your software may or in my case will not be straight forward. I have pre level-up software now, even though it appears my hardware will support it.
Installing the new ROM board with the newer software on it jumbles my parameters all up. I also can not "autoload" from my old bubble to my Tulip FanRam as they still end up all mixed up.
The new software I acquired does indeed support the macro option (verified),
the sticking point now is that I get a 996 alarm "RAM not mounted with option requiring RAM is installed" if I power cycle the control after installing it.
I dont know if the Macro option is what requires the RAM board? Or some other option that may have got turned on in the jumbling. The display units did get changed to .00005 in said jumbling.
Does buying a RAM board have all the same perils as a ROM board?
For now I have reinstalled my old ROM board and reloaded (autoloaded) all my parameters. To try the newer software again and find if the jumbling is the cause of the 996 I will have to manually load all those parameters in.
There is no separate ramboard.
There are empty sockets on the mother board that require sram chips in locations E41 and F41 . These chips are not battery backed so don't have to be low power. They are available on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-Standard...pBbQ:rk:4:pf:0
I bought the level-up maintenance manual since the description of the ram was different from how it appears IRL. I thought I might have to change some jumpers, someone in the past mentioned that it was required. It wasnt. The newer book recycled the same older drawing and description, even though they do change the board number to the newer one. Long story short, I didnt need the newer book.
They refer in the manual to the two empty sockets as "parity bits". I dont think that is actually what they are. Perhaps a little bit of obfuscation.
It appears to be working. Restarted several times with no 996 error. All the correct variable tables are there. I can run a macro statement and write values to the variables via memory operation.
steps required
create a "restore point"
source software that supports it
populate the empty memory sockets
0+del your memory
change the rom boards
use your restore point, for me by hand and serial
enable "it" as well as enable the shift key
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Fanuc 6M-B macro Option
