Denford Software & Machines

Hi,
I have a problem using a starmill. i don't know the version of my controller, but im using fanucsmd and i can't get into the program. I can edit the program with the desktop tutor but when I press the botton "home" it gets into the home screen and appears "error controller communication". and I can't control my machine.

Whats the reason?
can you help my with my problem?

I checked the rs232 cable and its ok and in the display of the eurostep controller card appears an 8
I added some pictures of my machine

The 8 on the board is a good sign

Can you add a Serial device ? i.e. a Serial mouse to the PC RS232 port and check it is functioning correctly.

Check the internal RS232 cable from the socket to the control board inside the electrical control box is OK.

Look at these 2 links they may be of help


viewtopic.php?t=142&highlight=fanucsld

viewtopic.php?t=740&highlight=dos

Are you running from a Windows DOS prompt?

If the machine only shows the message when you press the HOME button then the cable etc are OK, it's when the software is trying to have an 'intense' conversation with ther machine that the problem appears.

Try to boot your PC in DOS mode or find an older PC

hi,

the PC RS232 port its ok because i'm using my starturn in the same port and its working ok

i tried with dosbox and its the same problem.

sometimes the display shows an L and the starmill can't connect to the PC
How can i solve this problem?

which are the correct values for baudrate parity databits stopbits and flowcontrol for my machine?, im using:
baudrate --- 9600
parity --- none
databits --- 8
stopbit --- 1
flow control --- xonxoff

FYI:

The L means that the card is waiting for a connection..
An 8 means that its connected and talking to the PC
An S means the Emergency stop button is pressed in

The software will setup the com port internally - you don't have to do it in the DOS environment (mode com1: etc...), so don't worry about the baud rate.

the PC RS232 port its ok because i'm using my starturn in the same port and its working ok

Note that the Strarturn link runs at a slower baudrate and involves a lot less traffic than the Starmill link.

With the Starmill software, it does a quick check to see if the machine is present at startup (not much traffic). If the software starts up OK then the cable and settings are OK.

When editing a program the is no traffic

But when HOME is pressed the software creates a high volume of RS232 traffic, and expects a quick response from the machine. If the response is not quick enough (we're talking millisecs) then you'll get an "RS232 communication" error. A typical causes of this slow response is when running in a windows DOS prompt (because windows buggers off and does something else when the Starmill software is expecting serial data). Tricks to try are to make sure no other programs are running, never switch to another window etc, but the only real answer is to not run in a windows environment!
Try booting from floppy disk and see if the problem goes away!

Hi,

I tried to use DosBox to run the program, sometimes the software FANUCSMD can't connect with the machine and when the software connect with the machine in HOME mode it shows me an error message "CONTROLLER COMMUNICATION". Then i tried to use a virtual machine "Virtual PC 2007" with "MS-DOS 6.22" and the same problem was present finally I use and older pc, with only ms-dos and the problem continue.

I check the EUROCARD and i noted the battery was corroded, and the voltage in the battery it's only 0.5 Volts.

The machine shows the Errors when i turn it on, but after 15 minutes with the controller on, the machine works more or less and the errors desappear.

Can the battery be the problem?
Can the machine work without battery or with the battery in this conditions?

Your machine should work without the battery.
(The control card is a generic card and the battery feature is not used on your machine)

Try removing the battery ( I think it is bad anyway)