transfer to floopy

Alright so I work in a small shop with a few bostomatic mills all with SPC-II controls. We are currently running master cam V9 on XP on the computer. We would like to be able to save files onto a floppy and make the transfer that way. We have done it in the past using a program called SCLOAD but this was on a computer running win.96. So we are looking for either payload itself or something like it. Any ideas would be great.

RVT said:

Alright so I work in a small shop with a few bostomatic mills all with SPC-II controls. We are currently running master cam V9 on XP on the computer. We would like to be able to save files onto a floppy and make the transfer that way. We have done it in the past using a program called SCLOAD but this was on a computer running win.96. So we are looking for either payload itself or something like it. Any ideas would be great.

Click to expand...

.
.
not sure of your control but i have transferred files by using rs-232 serial port cable to a laptop with windows xp and mastercam usually comes with text editor that can transfer files by rs-232 serial port. old WinXP laptop is common in offices for bosses trading up to newer computer ask your IT guy
..... it requires usually a null modem cable sometimes called a laplink or interlink cable which i have gotten for about $5 before. most cnc are quite specific on how file transfers are done and communication protocols to use.
.
communication protocols are like radio frequency or channel. if you use wrong one you can try a 1000 years and not get anywhere. when all else fails read the manuals.

Try with an external USB floppy drive.

Hang on Floopy, Floopy hang on!

Sorry... the thread title gave me a flashback to 1965, Rick Derringer and The McCoys!

The computer we're using now already has it floppy drive in it and we can connect to the DNC link from the computer to the control no problem.The idea is to have an alternative to the DNC link to transfer files onto the control. (As a backup) According to the manual we need a program called SPCLOAD on the computer. So I guess I'm looking for that or something similar.

You should be able to run that program on XP using compatibility mode. If you still have the Win95 box, perhaps you can grab the exe from it and copy it to the XP box.

Best Regards,
Bob

The storage size of about 1.5M bytes on a floppy is limiting. Why not a flash drive.
At the trade shows, exhibitors give away 4 and 8 GIG flash drives.

RVT said:

The computer we're using now already has it floppy drive in it and we can connect to the DNC link from the computer to the control no problem.The idea is to have an alternative to the DNC link to transfer files onto the control. (As a backup) According to the manual we need a program called SPCLOAD on the computer. So I guess I'm looking for that or something similar.

Click to expand...

.
.
some old cnc are talking about connecting to a DOS computer, thats before Windows
.
i have transferred programs using a WinXP computer and using Hyperterminal which comes with windows and using a null modem serial cable. none of this was mentioned in cnc manual as they were talking about connecting to a computer running MS-DOS probably common in 1992
.
hard to say if you can do it without the program they mention in the manual. i have also seen where cnc only read 720 kb floppy disc and not the 1.44mb floppy disc. it can be difficult using old stuff

If you need to run a program that only works on an older OS, there are some great solutions out there for creating virtual machines that can run on most any modern PC. I use VMWare Player, which has lots of good support and can be tried or used non-commercially for free. Essentially the process is to download the player program and then find or create an "image" which has the operating system you need installed on it. End result is a virtual PC that runs on top of whatever your main OS is. This eliminates the need to maintain old hardware.

I have used this many times to run old Windows/DOS apps that no longer function on modern OSs. Communicating with external devices (such as a CNC or floppy drive) via serial or USB is usually no problem. Really saved me once when I had to change parameters on a motor drive that only had a Win95-compatible manager program.

Lots of information online about this as virtualization is a very common process used in modern IT infrastructure. A competent IT person should be able to set you up with this if it is beyond your comfort zone.