Issues with transferring cam programs to MX2 prototrak.

find an old PC with serial port and win xp and then use hyper terminal to send the files...????

Try networking?

LJMason13 said:

I have an MX2 A.G.E. bed mill. I inherited from my uncle last year. I use it as a hobby in my garage. I'm familiar with the machine and the capabilities of it. I have Mastercam and Millwrite available to me to use at anytime. Basically, what I'm getting at is I can't get the laptop to connect to the rs232 to have the program transferred properly. I'm using a usb to rs232 db25 connector with a null modem adadpter from Cable 2 Go. It will transfer but 1 of 2 things will happen. With engraving, it will only repeat the first letter for the length of the program or only about 75% will be transferred. Also, I bought a 3.5 external floppy writer so I could transfer that way... it can't read ".cam" files through the mx2 floppy port. After discussing with SWI, it's an up gradable feature for $425 to get a 3.5 floppy with the "MX2e" boot up floppy. I will not pay that much for 24 year old technology for something I don't make money with. If you have any tips or tricks please let me know. Thank you in advanced.

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I have a 2005 King Rich CNC B4V with a ProtoTRAK VM controller. I also have the floppy disk for data transfer but avoided all of it by networking to my office desktop and laptop. I run Autodesk 2017 to design the 3D solids/projects/parts and then save as .SAT files. I then import these files in to Autodesk Inventor Pro 2016 to sort out the tool paths and then create the g-code files. From there I simply save over to the ProtoTRAK drive and off I go. Admittedly I have the luxury of some really great software and that helps do it all but the networking to the ProtoTRAK is the answer for large file transfers.

If you don't have the network port on your older ProtoTRAK then perhaps you could consider one of the floppy disk conversion units to USB. They hold numerous floppy disks on one USB so transfer is made much easier that way.

I doubt I can help much but I have a Prototrak so I'll try....

You mention engraving. My Prototrak maxes out at 1000 events which is nothing for adaptive clearing and intricate paths like engraving. That could be why you're only seeing part of the file.

Secondly, mine will only read *.cam files. I can't remember what format Inventor HSM exports NC files in but I have to rename them to *.cam and put them in a folder called "programs" or the controller won't recognize the file. My controller has a USB port so I'm using a thumb drive.

Good luck!