RS-232 communication issues

[theblacksmith22]

Hello, I'm having an issue with one of my machines communicating all of the sudden, it is a twin horn 1500 mill with a Fanuc OI-MC, so I've done quit a bit of work to this machine over the last 2 months, I lost parameters once and only had 1 back up and it was from 2012 (before my time with this company) anyhow I got everything reprogramed and all was working well the cnc was communicating with the PC sending and receiving programs no issue. well I went on vacation for a week and com back and they tell me the machine is no longer communicating out of the blue well they had a DNC computer guy here while I was gone and ever since he left it does not communicate. I have done everything that I can think of to to try and get it to work again all in will receive from the pc is the program number, I went through all the communication parameters changed and checked different channels on the I/O checked the Rs232 wiring its a 9-25 pin I cant think of anything else on my end that is could be. ALSO the PC we run is brand new..... ANY IDEAS ?!?! thanks in advance

 

[aj]

You say the PC is 'brand new'? Was it changed while you were away?

 

[theblacksmith22]

no it was changed out about a month ago I had it all working before, unless the DNC tech changed something in the pc but the king that gets me is I run 5 machines off of this one computer and all other machines are communicating its jus this one that is not

 

[aj]

Different cables for each, or just one cable for all?

 

[theblacksmith22]

different cables for each they are connected to a hub

 

[theblacksmith22]

the port its connected in works I changed ports too same thing, just the program number comes throgh

 

[aj]

Things I would try:

Try a different cable if you can.
Try a different program. Maybe there's a syntax error?
Check to see if the machine's memory is full.

 

[theblacksmith22]

yes I have tried all, its mind boggling really. I'm stumped

 

[dandrummerman21]

Is there any error on the control if you send or receive? (try both)

Is the memory lock key turned on to the locked setting?

What channel I/O are you using, and what parameters are you looking at? What are the COM settings on the PC and what are the relevant parameters set to on the cnc? (if you're using channel 0, what are parameters 101-103 set to? Channel 1 parameters 111-113, etc)

 

[theblacksmith22]

dandrummerman21​

There's no error I did try to send out as well on the pc just got a bunch of X's I'm using channel 1 PRM 111 bit 0 (SB2) is set to 1 PRM 112 is set to 1 and PRM 113 is 10, and the settings in DNC match this # 10 on the baud rate scale is 4800 that's what my pc is set too. now before i say this these PRM's are set back to their original state but I did change all of them around to kind of match another machine with the same control and similar settings some PRM's were different so then after that I tried to send to the CNC I got a flashing LSK now with everything set back I get a Flashing input and the only thing i end up with is the program number

 

[angelw]

dandrummerman21​

There's no error I did try to send out as well on the pc just got a bunch of X's I'm using channel 1 PRM 111 bit 0 (SB2) is set to 1 PRM 112 is set to 1 and PRM 113 is 10, and the settings in DNC match this # 10 on the baud rate scale is 4800 that's what my pc is set too. now before i say this these PRM's are set back to their original state but I did change all of them around to kind of match another machine with the same control and similar settings some PRM's were different so then after that I tried to send to the CNC I got a flashing LSK now with everything set back I get a Flashing input and the only thing i end up with is the program number

So what setting do you have at the PC? For parameter:
1. 111 to be 1, the PC Software should be set to 2 Stop Bits

2. 112, depending on your cable configuration, communicating with a PC, the setting at the control should be either 0 or 4, not 1 as you have. At the PC Xon/Xoff or RTS/CTS respectively.

3. 113 set to 10, you have the Baud Rate set correctly as 4800 at the PC

What handshaking method do you have set at the PC, Xon/Xoff, or RTS/CTS?

The cable configuration for Xon/Xoff (Software Handshaking) should be as follows and will only work with 112 set to 0, not 1 as you have set:

Machine Side -------------------------------------- PC Side
DB25 Male --------------------------------------- DB9 Female
1 ------ Shield Trace --------------------------- Not Connected
2 ------------------------------------------------------- 2
3 ------------------------------------------------------- 3
4
| Bridged
5

6
|
8 All Bridged
|
20

7 ------------------------------------------------------- 5

Regards,

Bill

 

[theblacksmith22]

Thanks, i have tried all of that still nothing I'm leaning towards 2 ideas 1, the DNC tech did something that I'm not seeing or my communications board has went out. PRM 111 is set to 0 so my pc is set to 1 stop bit, 112 is 0 which was its original setting. handshaking is Xon-Xoff. and PRM 112 is set back to zero

 

[angelw]

Thanks, i have tried all of that still nothing I'm leaning towards 2 ideas 1, the DNC tech did something that I'm not seeing or my communications board has went out. PRM 111 is set to 0 so my pc is set to 1 stop bit, 112 is 0 which was its original setting. handshaking is Xon-Xoff. and PRM 112 is set back to zero

Its a bit difficult to give good advice when you give an answer to by dandrummerman21 question, what RS232 protocol settings being used, specifically stating:

"PRM 111 bit 0 (SB2) is set to 1 PRM 112 is set to 1 and PRM 113 is 10"

The elephant in that room is parameter 112 being set to "1"; that would be your obvious problem, as that would never work with a PC and PC Comms Software. Now you're saying 112 is set to "0", as it should be for Software Handshaking.

If the following parameters are set as shown:
1. #111.0 = 0 (1 Stop Bit)
2. #112 = 0 (Use DC1 to DC4 characters - Xon/Xoff Handshaking)
3. #113 = 10 (4800 baud rate)

and your PC Comms Software is set to:

Handshake Method = Xon/Xoff (Software Handshaking)
Stop Bits = 1
Parity = Even
Data Bits = 7
Baud Rate = 4800

and your Cable Pin-out is as shown in my earlier Post

and the PC works with other machines, thus ruling out the PC as the issue.

Then the only thing left is an issue with the Comms PCB of your machine, or the cable from the PCB is incorrectly attached.

 

[magno_grail]

If you are communicating at 4800 baud it must be a fairly old machine. My Slant Jr. has FANUC 0T-C. What I had to do is go into the advanced parameters of the PC and move the Tx buffer down to 1. Old machines have a very small buffer, about 16 bits, and even with handshaking a modern PC will put out more than the CNC buffer can hold before the handshake tells it to stop.

 

[angelw]

If you are communicating at 4800 baud it must be a fairly old machine. My Slant Jr. has FANUC 0T-C. What I had to do is go into the advanced parameters of the PC and move the Tx buffer down to 1. Old machines have a very small buffer, about 16 bits, and even with handshaking a modern PC will put out more than the CNC buffer can hold before the handshake tells it to stop.

The issue you're referring to is Buffer Overrun and in that case a p/s 087 alarm by the control would be raised. The OP is saying that no alarms are being raised and that only the Program Number is being transmitted. Normally an issue with Buffer Overrun at the control is due to the UART of the PC not being able to react quick enough to the DC3 (Xoff) character being sent by the receiving device. Irrespective of the size of the receiving buffer, a Buffer Overrun alarm (p/s 087) will be raised if more than 10 characters are read after the DC3 character is sent; accordingly, that's an issue with the Sending Device, not the control.

The OP states that the control is a Fanuc OI-MC; that control can handle baud rates of 19200.

You're wrong with your stated size of the Receive Buffer of even the most ancient control; 16bits only equates to two characters. All Fanuc control, from the very earliest, defined the Buffer Overrun alarm (P/S 087) "input is not interrupted after 10 characters read"; that's 800 bit right here..


Regards,

Bill

 

[theblacksmith22]

Its a bit difficult to give good advice when you give an answer to by dandrummerman21 question, what RS232 protocol settings being used, specifically stating:

"PRM 111 bit 0 (SB2) is set to 1 PRM 112 is set to 1 and PRM 113 is 10"

The elephant in that room is parameter 112 being set to "1"; that would be your obvious problem, as that would never work with a PC and PC Comms Software. Now you're saying 112 is set to "0", as it should be for Software Handshaking.

If the following parameters are set as shown:
1. #111.0 = 0 (1 Stop Bit)
2. #112 = 0 (Use DC1 to DC4 characters - Xon/Xoff Handshaking)
3. #113 = 10 (4800 baud rate)

and your PC Comms Software is set to:

Handshake Method = Xon/Xoff (Software Handshaking)
Stop Bits = 1
Parity = Even
Data Bits = 7
Baud Rate = 4800

and your Cable Pin-out is as shown in my earlier Post

and the PC works with other machines, thus ruling out the PC as the issue.

Then the only thing left is an issue with the Comms PCB of your machine, or the cable from the PCB is incorrectly attached.

Everything is set just the way you have listed I changed ports on the PCB from the pc and also made a new cable up I'm agreeing with you that it could be the PCB on the machine I cant think of anything else it could really be at first I was thinking that it could have been something the DNC tech did while he was here but go to thinking if he changed something in the PC not of the machines will communicate, I'm going to give this a shot and I will let you know, I know its hard to give advice like you said it could have been confusing how I stated what I was doing but I changed parameters then changed them back just in an effort to try things. but the original PRM settings that were both on the CNC and PC are what you stated in the above post

 

[theblacksmith22]

**UPDATE*** Found the problem, the SUB EXPAND was activated on our DNC software. something so stupid and simple that i knew nothing about. thanks for all your help guys

 

[angelw]

**UPDATE*** Found the problem, the SUB EXPAND was activated on our DNC software. something so stupid and simple that i knew nothing about. thanks for all your help guys

How come this computer worked OK with your other machines and WTF is SUB EXPAND?

 

[theblacksmith22]

How come this computer worked OK with your other machines and WTF is SUB EXPAND?

i don't know what sub expand is but its selectable for each and every machine the DNC tech they had in here while i was gone must have selected it by accident, its in the portion of the software where you can pick drip feed single block and such. it was on on- on the machine i was having problems with.