MicroMill 2000 software query

[milton d]

Good evening gentlemen!

I live in Tennessee, USA and recently purchased one of the above-mentioned cute little training mills. The machine itself was used very little and is in like new condition. It is #SP 38556, dated April 1996. The chip on the SmartStep/3 board reads "denmint 2.0.B10/S/B19-JD5" It came from a school auction and all the original software, dongle (if it came with one) and cable are unfortunately unavailable. Why someone didn't toss the s/w disc, cable and manual inside the machine absolutely amazes me.

I have downloaded the FanucSMD DOS software and installed it in an old 386 W95 laptop booted in the DOS mode. The manual .pdf I downloaded mentions an install routine but I see no .bat or .exe files in the download other than fanucsmd.exe. There is a file named "install.1" (I think it was) but doesn't do anything that I can detect.

When I try to run the .exe, it almost instantly gives me a 128/abort error. I had the laptop connected via a straight through serial cable to the external DB25. I picked up 2 more cables at work today, hoping maybe one of them is configured differently and will work.

I've been reading everything I can find on your wonderful forum but am still unsure as to which cable is to be used with an American market MicroMill. I found several posts with the same issue but none (that I found) have a clear response as to what worked to get FanucSMD (I hope this is the correc s/w) "talking to" an early MicroMill.

Any thoughts on getting this little fellow to respond would be most appreciated!



Thanks,
Milton Dickey
Collierville, TN USA

ps: If I do get this machine up & running, I hereby pledge that I will post clearly what worked.

[Denford Admin]

According to this post:
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2211&hilit=denstep+eprom
You should be running V2 VR Milling - the machine must have had an EPROM upgrade in the past.

You can download the software, but you will struggle without a license code (normally on a 3.5 inch floppy)
Denford normally charge for replacement software and license: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2543

[milton d]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

The V2 VR Milling software license code would be available from the main Denford website? I presume it's pretty expensive but would like to know what it would cost before deciding how to proceed.

Sounds like the eprom chip decides what kind of s/w will communicate with the SmartStep/3 controller. Thanks for that. I was wasting my time trying to get a DOS program to work, eh?

[Denford Admin]

I presume it's pretty expensive

Probably more than you paid for the machine at a school auction !

I'm sure the DOS eprom can be downloaded here somewhere.

How about the school ? Have they a dongle or flash code disk ?

[milton d]

Thanks again. I only paid $120 U.S.

I purchased it from a Craigslist seller who sold it for the man who bought it from the school auction. Apparently it was in storage for quite a few years and the computer, s/w discs & cable were all long gone. Bummer.

So the eprom data for DOS use can be downloaded here? Interesting! So that would involve purchasing a "blank" eprom and procuring some kind of burner & software to program the chip?

[Denford Admin]

Found it:
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=211&hilit=hex

An old eprom burner and eprom will be available on ebay:
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW---Blank-27c51 ... 74ff47f9cf

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chip-burner-Eprom ... 2eaf7d1e24

[milton d]

Thank you again. Interesting stuff!

Much reading and pondering to do now. After reading many posts, it looks like getting this controller up & running may be (for me) a bit dodgy.

I haven't found a thread yet where someone attempted to get a MicroMill running without all the original s/w and attachments that had a successful ending.

I found one thread where someone removed the auxiliary board with the eeprom from a Eurostep board and connected directly to the 96 pin header to control it with other s/w. Dunno if that'd work on a SmartStep/3 though?

[Denford Admin]

Yes you should be able to remove the top board off the smartstep and wire directly to the step+direction pins on the 96 way header - I'm pretty sure those pins have never changed..
You could then use something like Mach to output the step+direction through the Parallel port, or via a more modern USB driven breakout board that Mach can talk to.

[milton d]

OK, now that sounds doable. I thought I was stuck with serial communications using the SmartStep board but you do think it will respond to the signals that come from a "normal" control program via the parallel port if I connect directly to the proper pins on the header?

I'm getting excited now! Don't tell 'er indoors; she'll get that look she always gets when I disappear into the workshop for an entire weekend.

[Denford Admin]

Yes it should be easy although you will need something to switch the signals and not directly take them off the printer port eg https://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product ... cts_id=203

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2264

[Denford Admin]

PS - don't take my word that the CNC4pc board will do the job you want - you need to ask them or do more searching on the Mach (Artsoft) and CNCzone forums

[milton d]

That's awesome; thank you so much! Yes I will definitely research it with some of my more CNC/computer-savvy friends.

The item you linked to is within my budgetary constraints. Mach 3 is out of my comfort zone so I will try one of the other free/inexpensive programs or Mach's tryout version. I have a homemade CNC router with MaxNC DOS s/w I've had running for many years but it's the older (1998) version with "wave drive" controller instead of step & direction.

Again, thanks for your help & support. When I get this little gem under control I'll post a how-to thread to hopefully help others facing similar problems.

[milton d]

SUCCESS AT LAST!

Look here viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3022 for the story if you're interested.