Anyone using Brother's communication software to send programs to a Brother CNC?

Edster · Dec 28, 2015

Anyone using Brother's communication software to transfer programs to / from a Brother CNC machine? We got the software with our machine, and I plan to use it to transfer files using ethernet. I was told it can also be used for RS232 communication too. Before I take the plunge anyone using it? Opinions?

Thanks in advance! :cheers:

Cycle1000 · Dec 29, 2015

Never got anything with mine, have enough trouble with just the usb not sure I want their software for communication

Gary

TrollTuner · Dec 29, 2015

Works great! Beats USB or RS232 and certainly 1.44mb

I have mine wired to the internal machine shop network. Static IP. Machine "remote control" turned off. It can be accessed through browser to see cycle time etc. 404 Not Found In this case my machine is mapped to "speedio"

The file transfer is nice. Just like USB files have to follow Oxxxx.NC

Tonytn36 · Dec 29, 2015

I use it with Ethernet, much better than the USB IMHO. Software is easy to use. Make sure you turn the receive enable parameter on in the Ethernet comm settings page or it won't take programs from the computer.

Cycle1000: Call your rep, it's free software for owners and they should have sent / given you a CD with it on it.

2outof3 · Dec 29, 2015

Cycle1000 said:
Never got anything with mine, have enough trouble with just the usb not sure I want their software for communication
Gary

Gary,

Send me an email and I will get you a copy of the software.

Andy

[email protected]

gkoenig · Dec 29, 2015

So, Brother makes their own control, and just recently upgraded to C00, right?

So why is it still stuck in 1970s era file naming conventions (i.e. 0XXX.NC)?

jid2 · Dec 29, 2015

Another vote for the software is way better than USB.

Cycle1000 · Dec 30, 2015

Interesting, I would not have thought software would have got this many good votes. I will ask about it, I have a call in now but just before holidays so maybe next week will be the charm.
Gary

Edster · Dec 30, 2015

gkoenig said:
So, Brother makes their own control, and just recently upgraded to C00, right?

So why is it still stuck in 1970s era file naming conventions (i.e. 0XXX.NC)?

I see no issue with naming a file Oxxx.NC, seems simple enough. I really like the way folders can be created in the machines memory to organize programs. My first impression of the control is that it's simple, which IMHO is rare for a cnc control and an asset.

Tonytn36 · Dec 30, 2015

Edster said:
I see no issue with naming a file Oxxx.NC, seems simple enough. I really like the way folders can be created in the machines memory to organize programs. My first impression of the control is that it's simple, which IMHO is rare for a cnc control and an asset.

I really like the simplicity. It is powerful and fast (not 840DSL powerful - but I'm not running a 32 axis machine either), but simple to use. Lot of good built-in stuff that costs extra on others. They do take suggestions on improvements and actually add those in as resources allow. If you have suggestions that don't require a complete re-write of the code, send them to Yamazen. I get inquiries from Brother/Yamazen quite often as to the state of the machines, any issues, things I would like to see in future versions, etc. (We work WITH our machine tool vendors.)

Granted, I put more cycles on one than probably anyone else in North America in a year so I'm a perfect person to inquire about the quality of the machines for the long term. But they do seriously ask about improvements to both the machine and control.

gkoenig · Dec 30, 2015

Edster said:
I see no issue with naming a file Oxxx.NC, seems simple enough.

Imagine if word processors couldn't have descriptive file names, and all your documents were saved under 6 or 7 digit codes. That would be flipping insane, and nobody would put up with it.

But in the CNC world, everyone seems OK with shitty, 1984 computing conventions because it's all "good enough." So you wind up buying brand new CNC mills in 2015 with onboard memory measured in megabytes, and having to tape cheat sheets to the control with written descriptors next to silly 5 digit program names the operator calls up.

It's almost as if nobody making machine tools has ever once read a single shred of work about human/machine interfaces or ever even picked up a bloody iPhone.

Jashley73 · Dec 30, 2015

gkoenig said:
Imagine if word processors couldn't have descriptive file names, and all your documents were saved under 6 or 7 digit codes. That would be flipping insane, and nobody would put up with it.

But in the CNC world, everyone seems OK with shitty, 1984 computing conventions because it's all "good enough." So you wind up buying brand new CNC mills in 2015 with onboard memory measured in megabytes, and having to tape cheat sheets to the control with written descriptors next to silly 5 digit program names the operator calls up.

It's almost as if nobody making machine tools has ever once read a single shred of work about human/machine interfaces or ever even picked up a bloody iPhone.

I can think of at least 1 or 2 that let you... :smoking:

Tonytn36 · Dec 31, 2015

gkoenig said:
Imagine if word processors couldn't have descriptive file names, and all your documents were saved under 6 or 7 digit codes. That would be flipping insane, and nobody would put up with it.

But in the CNC world, everyone seems OK with shitty, 1984 computing conventions because it's all "good enough." So you wind up buying brand new CNC mills in 2015 with onboard memory measured in megabytes, and having to tape cheat sheets to the control with written descriptors next to silly 5 digit program names the operator calls up.

It's almost as if nobody making machine tools has ever once read a single shred of work about human/machine interfaces or ever even picked up a bloody iPhone.

How many people are really going to store 8999 programs in a control? You really wouldn't want to do that if for no other reason than security. There are much better and safer methods of program storage than inside a CNC controls memory.

On the Brother control, the first line of the program is displayed in the Description section of the program page beside of the program number. This give you the opportunity to put the program description where it is needed most - in the program list. It is just good programming practice to put a description in the first line(s) of a program anyway and most CAM systems can do this automatically. The program number is simply an index number and is much easier to handle within the base code of the control and within CNC code (sub calls, etc) than a random (to the control) text string.

rlockwood · Dec 31, 2015

Tonytn36 said:
How many people are really going to store 8999 programs in a control? You really wouldn't want to do that if for no other reason than security. There are much better and safer methods of program storage than inside a CNC controls memory.

On the Brother control, the first line of the program is displayed in the Description section of the program page beside of the program number. This give you the opportunity to put the program description where it is needed most - in the program list. It is just good programming practice to put a description in the first line(s) of a program anyway and most CAM systems can do this automatically. The program number is simply an index number and is much easier to handle within the base code of the control and within CNC code (sub calls, etc) than a random (to the control) text string.

I have to say, i'm on the Tony side of this one too.

File structures get too messy if you give humans free reign. Feel free to take a look in your 'my documents' folder and argue otherwise, most people lack the discipline to maintain order. And I say that being one of the few people who actually has surpassed 8999 stored and maintained programs (not on a control, but in program db)..

Imagine for a second a folder containing those same 8999 programs, but with file names assigned by a half dozen separate people over a 20 year period..

Jashley73 · Dec 31, 2015

Something like this... Imagine a customer/job/detail number like... 0400-123-0013

Customer number (0400) > Job number (0400-123) > Detail number (0400-123-0013) > Operation/Setup Number (0400-123-0031-01)

Lose the prefixes if it makes it any easier... Of course, this really only works if you have an engineering department that assigns customer/job/detail numbers to every part that rolls through the shop... Otherwise, it can become a mess for sure.

But I'm still in the camp of alpha-numeric program names, verses the O#### format.

Tell me, how do robots let you name/describe programs? However the heck you want, that's how...

rlockwood · Jan 1, 2016

Jashley73 said:
Something like this... Imagine a customer/job/detail number like... 0400-123-0013

Customer number (0400) > Job number (0400-123) > Detail number (0400-123-0013) > Operation/Setup Number (0400-123-0031-01)

Lose the prefixes if it makes it any easier... Of course, this really only works if you have an engineering department that assigns customer/job/detail numbers to every part that rolls through the shop... Otherwise, it can become a mess for sure.

But I'm still in the camp of alpha-numeric program names, verses the O#### format.

Tell me, how do robots let you name/describe programs? However the heck you want, that's how...

Yeah, and now that I give it some more thought, i've always had a true reference number assigned to the program, and then needed a database to tell me which part number attaches to each o-number.. which really blows any and all points I might have been trying to make out of the water.

customer is going to be pissed when they asked for a -0013 and you send them a -0031, though..

Jashley73 · Jan 1, 2016

That was a system we used at a previous employer, where the engineering department took care of all the drawings - and we simply stored programs in a similar fashion...

Edster · Jan 1, 2016

I put the program name in paranthesis in the first line of the program for all my programs already. The brother will display that right next to the Oxxx name when you list the programs. Seems easy enough not to mix up programs.

Anoop · Oct 4, 2017

Hello Edster,

I am currently working on an automation project with Brother CNC machines. My goal is to read cyclically product data from the machine into a PC computer. I have read a document about communication in Brother machines, in which they have mentioned about file transfer (programs, databanks and maintainenece data)but nothing about product data.Is it achievable to read the data from machine to the computer?From your previous posts I understood that you have some experiences in this domain. Looking forward for the replay
Thanks

karthiksba23 · Sep 7, 2018

I also need the brother comm software to get data from Brother TC-20B CNC Machines

Dear bro I also need the brother comm software to get data from Brother TC-20B CNC Machines. So will you please send me the software to my email ID also.

email id : [email protected]

Anyone using Brother's communication software to send programs to a Brother CNC?

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