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Upgrading memory on 15mb; can I install 2MB card with a 2MB PCMCIA card?

dandrummerman21

Stainless
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Location
MI, USA
I have a 15mb machine that I have a 2MB memory card that I'd like to install.

I have installed a 1MB card on the machine in the past using instruction PDF from memex.ca, and it was pretty straightforward. The 1MB failed a couple years later, and I put the original 512kb card in it.



Several months ago a 2MB card came up on ebay for cheap and we bought it. I've finally got the time to install it but might have hit a snag.


I only have a 2MB PCMCIA SRAM card to back up the machine with. Memex has "blank" 512kb files on their website that you have to load onto the card to fill the remainder of the new memory card, since the backup is only 512kb

But I'm only able to put the original FILE1.BAK and 2 more blank files (FILE2.BAK and FILE3.BAK). I can't put a 4th on it, the computer tells me there isn't enough space on the card. I need about 33KB more room on the card.

I've formatted it on the control and on the computer. no dice.




My question is, if I go ahead through the replacement, will I be able to send the first 3 files (FILE1 FILE2 FILE3), then remove the card, put 4 and 5 on it (memex instructions say there will be 5 .bak files) and put the card back in to load the other 2? I saw a comment somewhere on the internet suggesting the person uses a 4MB card "so they don't have to swap pcmcia cards when installing the backup" but I can't find that comment now.

I want to be sure it'd be possible. I have the knowhow to get the current card back working, but honestly I don't want the hassle of having to revert changes after hitting a wall.
 
Yes, it is that easy. Even a 1M card will work fine; just a bit more work.

Thanks for the confirmation. after reading this, I was able to find the time to finish the card swap today, and it worked out just fine. I put 2 files on the card at a time, and you can indeed pull out the card and put in another before telling it to read each file.

Thank you!
 
I wonder if Fanuc will ever wake up and use Windows as a background OS. Their file transfer and storage is so cumbersome.
 
I wonder if Fanuc will ever wake up and use Windows as a background OS. Their file transfer and storage is so cumbersome.

Been available for at least 10-12 years on the 310 and 320 models.

On edit:
Bit of further looking shows that as far back as the 160i and 180i of the mid 90s had windoze 95 embedded. A builder could use Visual C++ or Visual Basic to implement features they wanted.

My guess is that few builders got customer feedback saying that windoze functions were desirable or needed so few chose to put effort into using the capability.

For a good example of what a builder can do with Fanuc hardware you should look at Amada’s AMNC-PC. This control is 12+ years ago and likely updated a few times by now. Fanuc 310 based but totally custom U/I. You don’t recognize a single thing Fanuc about it unless you go into a maintenance mode where it looks and works like any Fanuc CNC.
 
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... as far back as the 160i and 180i of the mid 90s had windoze 95 embedded.
Which is just DOS with a pretty face ... "so cumbersome", jeeze.

This control is 12+ years ago and likely updated a few times by now. Fanuc 310 based but totally custom U/I. You don’t recognize a single thing Fanuc about it unless you go into a maintenance mode where it looks and works like any Fanuc CNC.
HP had a front end called PAM (programmable application menu) that went over DOS 3.3 and 4.0, same deal. None of this stuff is new. And anyone who can write a machining program should be able to handle a simple file transfer. Windows sucks.
 








 
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