Re: Older computers on all of these older Fadal Mills
I think part of it is ''If it ain't broke don't fix it''. I've made a career of upgrading old computer systems and software for the wood products industry. Very few customers are proactive enough to upgrade a system until the old one is so broken that it just can't be fixed and no parts available. The particular machines that I was targeting were usually mission critical and the loss of use would take down the whole operation in a short time. Then it comes down to $$$$, do you do a $20K system upgrade or buy a new $150K machine. Sometimes it makes sense to buy the new machine. Normally the mechanics of the machines were fine, just a broken computer. I'm pretty much out of that business now because I have upgraded all of the machines that were out there that were not replaced with new and the old ones scrapped.
I see the same thing happening in the metalworking industry. The old machines are working fine the way they are, putting out parts every day. One of the differences is that losing one machine normally does not shut the entire operation down. About the same numbers apply to the older Fadals (and a number of other brands), but the other part of the equation is the mechanics of the machines, much more critical than the wood working machines. So maybe the thinking is; run it until it quits then scrap it and buy a new Haas.
I'm currently in the process of developing a software / hardware package to retrofit CNC machines that runs on Win7/10, but it's not quite ready to unleash on the world just yet. There are a few machines that are running my beta release. Trying to keep up with Microsoft's changes is a bit of a challenge also.
Bottom line is that there are a few retrofit options available, but in many cases targeted at the hobby market, and very few techs that will install or are even able to install retrofit packages.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA