RS232C to USB interface

Weadababytsaboy · Sep 4, 2019

Hey all! This is my first thread post, EVER, so i apologize if i'm not in the correct place for my particular question.
We just bought a Roku Roku HC-658 mill with a FANUC 16i-MB controller. It's a 2005 and everything else in the shop uses USB for program transfers. Boss wants this one the same. It currently has an RS232C port as well as a PCMCIA card slot on the controller. After researching, I learned that running a cable from my PC to the machine into it's RS232C port is the simplest way to go. But the boss is persistent about keeping USB as our main transfer method. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

rons · Sep 4, 2019

Tell boss to buy a usb to serial converter at the computer store. I use a couple of them myself. The PC with the USB port will have to have the software driver installed.

One example -

USB to RS232 Converter - 6ft - CAB-11304 - SparkFun Electronics

M.B. Naegle · Sep 4, 2019

One of our mills has a PCMCIA card on the console too. You have to be careful with the pins when taking it in and out, but using a PCMCIA to USB adapter would be easy plug-n-play. We just keep a PCMCIA card reader by the CAM computer for ours.

Konig CMP-USB2PCC10 USB 2.0 PCMCIA card | Falcon Computers

Weadababytsaboy · Sep 4, 2019

M.B. Naegle said:
One of our mills has a PCMCIA card on the console too. You have to be careful with the pins when taking it in and out, but using a PCMCIA to USB adapter would be easy plug-n-play. We just keep a PCMCIA card reader by the CAM computer for ours.

Konig CMP-USB2PCC10 USB 2.0 PCMCIA card | Falcon Computers

I think THAT is exactly what we need. Thanks!
Do you have this specific Konig model and can verify it works, at least on your machine(s)?

corednc · Sep 4, 2019

Weadababytsaboy said:
I think THAT is exactly what we need. Thanks!
Do you have this specific Konig model and can verify it works, at least on your machine(s)?

This item will not work in your FANUC controller because there is no way to install the required drivers. It will work in your PC but that was not the original question.
There is currently no way to go from a PCMCIA slot to USB on a FANUC controller, but there will be solution coming out in the next few months.
So currently you have 2 reasonable options (if you do not want to run a cable) you can buy a PCMCIA to compact flash adapter for your FANUC controller and then buy a compact flash to USB adapter for your PC and do the transfers that way. The second option is to use one of the USB to RS232 devices like this USB Connect - Pendant Version - Shop Floor Automations

M.B. Naegle · Sep 4, 2019

Weadababytsaboy said:
I think THAT is exactly what we need. Thanks!
Do you have this specific Konig model and can verify it works, at least on your machine(s)?

Sorry, on second thought corednc is correct and the one I linked would need drivers. We use an adapter like this, no drivers necessary:

https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-PCMCIA-Adapter-Card-Pack/dp/B00XLIZ21A/ref=asc_df_B00XLIZ21A/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312780390407&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6432391438095877366&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027676&hvtargid=aud-829758849484:pla-568961900813&psc=1

Weadababytsaboy · Sep 5, 2019

corednc said:
This item will not work in your FANUC controller because there is no way to install the required drivers. It will work in your PC but that was not the original question.
There is currently no way to go from a PCMCIA slot to USB on a FANUC controller, but there will be solution coming out in the next few months.
So currently you have 2 reasonable options (if you do not want to run a cable) you can buy a PCMCIA to compact flash adapter for your FANUC controller and then buy a compact flash to USB adapter for your PC and do the transfers that way. The second option is to use one of the USB to RS232 devices like this USB Connect - Pendant Version - Shop Floor Automations

PERFECT! The Shop Floor Automations version of a USB to RS232 is what I am going to check into! Thank you!

Weadababytsaboy · Sep 5, 2019

Thank you all very much for helping! I am youngest in the shop so a lot of the technical and digital things fall on my shoulders. As for a first thread in a forum, I call this a success thanks to you all!

gregormarwick · Sep 5, 2019

Just a word of caution - while the machine side usb to serial devices will perhaps satisfy your boss' desire to use usb pen drives exclusively, you will likely run up against the limitations of serial transfer pretty quickly - depending on how you intend to use that machine.

serial is SLOW
either you drip feed from the usb over the serial port, or you have to fit everything in memory. IOW, you can't call sub programs from the usb over serial when you run out of memory.

Fine for small programs, not so much if you have a lot of surfacing or adaptive toolpaths.

That control is really designed around loading programs from the CF card. It is the better solution in every way, I'd advise you to try and talk your boss out of his insistence on using usb. Using a CF card instead of a usb pendrive is really just a technicality, they both behave exactly the same on the pc when you're putting programs on them, you're just carrying a slightly different piece of media to the machine.

Weadababytsaboy · Sep 5, 2019

gregormarwick said:
Just a word of caution - while the machine side usb to serial devices will perhaps satisfy your boss' desire to use usb pen drives exclusively, you will likely run up against the limitations of serial transfer pretty quickly - depending on how you intend to use that machine.

serial is SLOW
either you drip feed from the usb over the serial port, or you have to fit everything in memory. IOW, you can't call sub programs from the usb over serial when you run out of memory.

Fine for small programs, not so much if you have a lot of surfacing or adaptive toolpaths.

That control is really designed around loading programs from the CF card. It is the better solution in every way, I'd advise you to try and talk your boss out of his insistence on using usb. Using a CF card instead of a usb pendrive is really just a technicality, they both behave exactly the same on the pc when you're putting programs on them, you're just carrying a slightly different piece of media to the machine.

Thank you for the heads up. Our programs are fairly small for the most part BUT I will definitely look into how much on board memory it has, once our Mitsubishi service tech comes in to get us set up. I let the boss know of our options and the limitations to each and while he does want everything to be USB fed for ease of use, he is still realistic in the notion that we may be better off with a different medium.

Mud · Sep 5, 2019

Weadababytsaboy said:
PERFECT! The Shop Floor Automations version of a USB to RS232 is what I am going to check into! Thank you!

If that appeals to you, look at Highland DNC Shoplink - Highland DNC, LLC. I have a couple of them, they are cheaper and simpler, and you CAN'T get better tech support than from Jerry at Highland.

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