Need help with a Boxford Duet Lathe/Mill
I recently acquired two Boxford Duet combination Lathe and Mill. They are missing the power supply and control software. I emailed Boxford asking for their assistance but never received a resopnse even though it appears to be a current machine. Does anyone have any ideas about hooking this thing up and what software I might obtain to make it go, or is the software proprietary? I wouldn't mind building the power supply if I could get a schematic but that still leaves the software problem. If worse comes to worse I can always gut the electronics and start over but I always like the easy way out.
Thanks.
duet + boxford = pain in the ass!
i have two of these machines as well
both have the controllers but the machines take a werd sereal cable that is custom. i havent been able to get the machine to comunicate with the computer yet but i hope to
i have the version 4 software if anyone wants it
it cost me 25 pownds sterling cince it is no longer supported
im currious about retrofitting these machines cince they work as a mill and a lathe..... any info would be great as well as maby starting a support goup!
there a cool little machine that have allot of potential if i could ever get them running
word!
heres one for the kids at home.....?
i am in the process of getting one of my duets to work. i have made a custom sereal cable ( null modem cable ) thanks controller! and the machine is comunicateing with the computer. due to the fact that i am running in a windows 98 platform boxford gave me a memory fix that will reduce the memory from 32 mb to 64k.
the problem is i dont know where the CONFIG.SYS section of the shortcut \boxford\duetm\main.exe ?
if anyone knows what im talking about please help me out
or if anyone has a coppy of the software v5 or better i would be intersted in a coppy. if anyone needs a coppy of v4 i have it. :)
thanks
mb
finally got the thing working !!! :)
ok so after some farting aroud on the internet i got a idea to run the computer in dos mode useing a dos 5.0 boot disk. allong with this i added a small program that allows me to use the mouse in dos mode. i booted up the machine ran the mouse program, accesed the c:\ duet and presto! the dam thing works!!!!!
after almost 5 years i finally got both machines running.
more to come if anyone is intersted. i have the v4 software and manuals if anyone is intersted. i would like a coppy of v5 or v6 if anyone knows where to get one other than boxford.:wee:
Anothe one of these machines not going yet
I have just bought on of theses machines and downloaded the V6.03 software. it is not communicating though. I am probably being a bit silly in that I am using an XP laptop with a USB to serial adaptor. I have also noticed that all the stepper drivers are dead since the little status lights come on in all the wrong order (diagonally opposite lights or all 4 are on at once) so i am running it with the steppers disconnected at the moment.
Does the serial port need to me set up first or will the boxford software do that? Ideally I would like to write some new software to send a stream of nc codes to the machine. there is of course the option of pulling the ROM out of it and writing new firmware since it is only an 8032 in there (although the there is also a PLD in there too doing something i haven't figured out yet)
I have been taking lots of pictures which i will put up on flickr in the next few days should anyone be interested.
P