File transfer Laptop to TM1

[Koosie]

Hello. I have a new to me TM1. I do simple programs at the control. What I want to be able to do is program on my laptop kicked back on the couch instead of standing at the machine. Can anyone enlighten me on what would be a good way(software) to do this. Software to program in and whatever I need to get it on the machine. Not ready to jump into cad/cam just yet. Simple would be good. Free would be nice. Feeling tapped out after tooling up.
Thanks.

 

[Koosie]

Machine has rs232 and USB ports. I worked at a shop where I did the simple programs at the machine and the bigger ones the boss did on computer and we transfered with rs232 cable. It would be a lot handier if I could use a USB stick.

 

[Stirling]

Older versions of windows had hyper terminal bakes right in. That’s what I used to use.
But if you got USB just use your fav program editor ad giver.
You can go as simple as writing th program in notepad.

If you download fusion360 (free) it also comes with a NC editing program that’s separate from fusion.
Then you’ll have an editor and a cad/cam to play with for free

 

[SeeFair]

Please forgive me if this has been covered in other threads.

I discovered microsoft visual studio code when I was looking into customizing post processors. It is a fabulous editor for gcode: highlights all kinds of different things in color, and shows you both a close-up and a zoomed-out version of your program. Mostly I use it to make minor edits to fusion 360 posts. The zoomed-out image is surprisingly useful. And it's free.

The USB method of file transfer works great.

 

[Koosie]

Thanks guys. I got the free version of fusion witch looks like it can do more than I thought. I didn't think you could get any code out of the free version but I did. And the editor thingy that fusion let's you see the code with is just what I was looking for. I might check out that visual studio as well.

 

[Stirling]

Thanks guys. I got the free version of fusion witch looks like it can do more than I thought. I didn't think you could get any code out of the free version but I did. And the editor thingy that fusion let's you see the code with is just what I was looking for. I might check out that visual studio as well.

Ya a newbie would be crazy not to download fusion 360. Free and capable.
I had it for 5 years before I paid anything using the student licence. Picked away at it for a few years in my spare time then I got a tm-1 and started a business. Being soooo accessible with ample online content to help really helped me learn and make product quickly.
I would not have got off the ground without it.


Enjoy your new machine! The Tm’s are capable little machines.
Just keep your cutters small and if you go big keep it as close to 1500-2000 rpm as ya can!

What year did you get?
Yup f it’s an older controller you can change the settings to boost the rpm and table speeds. A must IMO. Really livens them up.
I bumped mine to 6000 rpm (I’ve seen 8000 with no issues) 400ipm rapids and doubled the servo accelerations on the z axis.
Made for much faster drill pecking and tool changes!!!

Have fun and good luck!

 

[Koosie]

This is a 2006 tm1. Has 10 tool changer. The spindle was at 6000 when I got it. I changed the rapids from 200 to 400 from reading on here. I dont know what you all have to change for the accelerations so I didn't mess with that. Feel free to enlighten me. Also if you know how to get that safety button permanently disabled that would be nice. I figured out how to override it but you have to do it everytime you start machine. Not a huge deal though.

What all do you not get with free fusion. It said something about slow rapids?

 

[Stirling]

This is a 2006 tm1. Has 10 tool changer. The spindle was at 6000 when I got it. I changed the rapids from 200 to 400 from reading on here. I dont know what you all have to change for the accelerations so I didn't mess with that. Feel free to enlighten me. Also if you know how to get that safety button permanently disabled that would be nice. I figured out how to override it but you have to do it everytime you start machine. Not a huge deal though.

What all do you not get with free fusion. It said something about slow rapids?

Accelerations is in the same parameter page as feed/rapids. I just doubles the number on the z axis.
I used to do some pretty heavy work on my tm so I did not double the table accel.

Is your softer button on the door or on a switch/cord that they expect you to hold the whole time?
If it’s the cord/switch just unplug it and add a jumper connector. Done for life.

I’m not 100% sure the limitations on free fusion360 now.
I think it’s just the ability to have lots of active files or not. Otherwise it’s the same as the base package???
Heck with my student package it was better than the base package.
I cannot see how fusion would limit rapids?!?
It does not know what your machine is, and if you told it you can also tell it your machine capabilities. So if it halved it, you’d just double them in the machine setup sheet once.

 

[Koosie]

This is an open machine. I tried to load a picture but it's to big. The safety is a button you have to hold the whole time. You can't jump it because it needs to see it cycled at start up. A toggle switch could work though. Thanks for the accelerations tip I will change that to.

The rapid thing didn't make any sense to me either cause there is g0s in the code it came up with. A g0 is gonna be rapid no matter what as far as I know.

 

[Koosie]

 

[Koosie]

This is not it's home just resting here. It needs to go through a 48" door. It looks like if I take the tin off the sides put the head down and finagle everything it should go.

 

[Stirling]

This is not it's home just resting here. It needs to go through a 48" door. It looks like if I take the tin off the sides put the head down and finagle everything it should go.

What’s the door height?
Mine was a tight squeeze under a 84” tall door.
Head all the way down. Resistor off the top removed and take the cable chain housing bolts out to lay it sideways.
Then used a pallet jack in the Center so I could only raise it 1/8”.

Your likely gonna need to strip off all the sheet metal. And possibly the pendant.
Toss some square tubing under the middle and pallet jack it up,

That’s one nice thing about these machines. Light enough for a pallet jack and plugs into single phase. Makes for a lower cost of entry.

I had the exact same machine to start our (minus the table enclosure)
It served me very well.
Ended up making a plywood/epoxy enclosure to hold in the mess!

 

[Stirling]

Make sure you spend some time and check the grease lines. Tm’s seem to sit idle often and the grease has a tendency to wax up and block a truck or 2…. Don’t want a dry slide

 

[Koosie]

I got 86" of door height. Ya I worked in the grease lines some already. One side of the y and one side of z were not getting grease. I sprayed a lot of wd40 on the rails and greased cycled repeat. I got grease going to all rails and nuts now. I think a better setup would be individual fittings. Any butthead can see that splitting those lines and expecting to get equal grease metering is a wet dream. Maybe if I grease it frequently it'll be ok but I doubt it. Thinking of taking the lines off and clean them out at that point I might as well run individual fittings. Did you have much trouble with yours?

 

[Stirling]

Mine where blocked at multiple sections in both tm’S I have owned.
Said screw it and added an NPT to each truck,
They don’t need much. Small small squirt once a month. I had very infrequent use for a while.

Even the newer haas machines have abandoned grease again, gone back to an oil system.

Personally I like the old style plunger oil pump system.
It would flag if the pressure spike was too short or too long indicating a plug or a leak. Or if it had not pulsed the pressure for a while.

I’m due for a wet cover removal/inspection now that I think about it. Been 3 years on my 09 vf2

 

[Koosie]

That sounds like the way to go. Added to list of things to do....

 

[BT Fabrication]

well free fusion only allows one tool at a time and no tool changes for each output code. thus you cant spot and drill and tap with the same file. its one per operation.
rapids are only allowed to go as fast as the cutting feed rate when it outputs code ( but you can manually change that)

 

[Koosie]

Yeah I found that out. I output a program tool by tool then pasted the code together....not ideal. If you have a better suggestion for cad/cam that I can afford right now($0.00) I'd be interested.

 

[Stirling]

well free fusion only allows one tool at a time and no tool changes for each output code. thus you cant spot and drill and tap with the same file. its one per operation.
rapids are only allowed to go as fast as the cutting feed rate when it outputs code ( but you can manually change that)

Oh wow they really cut it back! Brutal.

 

[Stirling]

Yeah I found that out. I output a program tool by tool then pasted the code together....not ideal. If you have a better suggestion for cad/cam that I can afford right now($0.00) I'd be interested.

I don’t know what your times worth, but it goes on “sale” every once in a while. I paid $1200cad for a 3 year subscription. So pretty darn cheap. A couple dinners out a year and it’s paid for…
I did the thing from zero bucks cheap at everything to…doing ok?…. Looking back I wish I would not have “saved” so much money by trading time. It really slowed my potential company growth.

Re jiggering all the code and potential mistakes/crashes to save $300usd a year? Your buying a lot of time for $300 bucks.
Take a week or a month. Decide if you like the software then buy in.
If you have any work at all. Just buy in.
No tool changes? Cut/paste code?
Sounds like a time burner and an accident waiting to happen.