[rszemeti]

Hi,

we recently had the misfortune of purchasing a secondhand Vytek Rebel2, nice router, all working ... Unfortunately no one warned us what a complete bunch of morons the guys at Vytek are.

We even have a suitable post to drive it from our existing package, and have figured out most of the controls, (jogging, homing, tool lenght offset) and wired it up to the DNC link ...

the problem is the guys at Vytek won't even tell us what baud rate/stop bits etc it is .. let alone email us the basic user guide without a full service contract ... something we just can;t afford right now. (if they had just put the baud rate in the email instead of the long excuses for why they want to rip us off, we'd be up and running by now)

So we tried 9600N81, and a few others, no joy yet ... anyone with any clue as to what the transfer protocol is, before I rip the controller off and put a Baldor on it ...

[cabnet636]

joey at camaster took one on trade, they may have rewired it for wincnc or mach by now, never hurts to ask, email him at [email protected]

tell him jim mcgrew sent you

[rszemeti]

Well, I didnt get a response from Camaster,but thats fine, I hear they are a very helpful bunch of guys, and this isn't their machine or problem, so no worries there.

We've had no luck at all in tracking down any info on the controller. Vytek seem to like to keep it a Big secret.

We figure its HPGL, but it seems there are various special codes to turn the spindle on/off and perform tool changes, and Vytek wont tell us what they are. we were going to use the rather nice software from Vectric, but it seems the Vytek machine uses a slightly different version of HPGL from what their standard HPGL post produces.

I find it quite amazing that anyone sells a machine and then refuses to tell the owner the codes needed to run it!!

Looks like we are going to have to rip the perfectly functional controller off it and put someting else on. Seems a shame really, I just wish I had known about Vytek's attitude to their users before I bought the thing

[cabnet636]

it is that way with propietary controllers and some cnc companys. one big reason i went with camaster, the fellows are out of the office and only the techs are there i would try after the holiday's if they get back i'll show them your thread.

i do know the vytek they had was switched to wincnc
jim

[rszemeti]

We finally managed to get through to the right guy at VyTek and its all looking a LOT better at the moment, not actually got it up and running, but ... the end is in sight!

Gary in service and support could not be more helpful, I feel bad about the original post now ... but can;t seem to edit it .. anyway .. so far, its looking liek we will get up and running. Keep you posted!

[rszemeti]

Not making much progress really ..

Despite sending pictures of the main board, machine serial numbers and copies of the configuration it announces on its serial port as it boots up ... we are still not really any nearer.

No one at VyTek seems to know if the machine is HPGL or GCODE controlled, or even how to find out. We still dont know how to get a program into it .. whether its through MX32 or some other DNC ... beginning to lose the will to live now

We've tried the MX32 software, but apparently our control is version 3.40b firmware, and you needed a later version of the firmware to allow the control to work with the Job Queue in MX32 .. so that wont work. All we get is "this feature is not enabled on your controller" when we try it.

We tried Multicams WDNC95 .. that at least recognises the control is alive, and can send a reset to the router .. .and recgnise when the router has booted up .. but of course, that needs to see commands from a Multicam style pendant in order for it to work so .. unsuprisingly that didnt work, but it did prove our control was alive and able to respond to commands from the PC (if only to tell it to perform a reboot)

What I do know:

Its and ExtraTech M81 CNC control, running Version 3,40b firmware .. its alive and well, and talking on its serial at 19200 baud, 8E2.

I'm guessing that it wont just accept a program otherwise how could it differentiate a program from the native language uCito commands that the MX32 program sends to talk to the control? so im guessing it needs a special charcter or control sequnence to be sent by the DNC at the begining of the file, and another at the end to say its finished ...

If I could find out what they were, I'd be away, could just configure the DNC software to top and tail the files ...

The guys at ExtraTech just pass us on to Vytek .. The guy at VyTek is trying hard to help, but it seems he doesnt have much data on the older machines to look at, not managed to find us a manual for it yet

ah well ... its getting closer and closer to ripping it out

Heres the bootscreen from Hyperterminal if it gives anyone any clues:

uCito M2000 V1.77c
4M RAM installed.
Chan0: 180224, Chan1: 384

MCIF V3.40b-GL-CNC-LZ, DSP V1.08 MFG V80, KDM V3.40b (c) 1997 ETC.
Loading User INIT file.
Motion Buffer = 5000

ack A1
cnc

CNC Interpreter Version 1.08

[Anxious]

What did you do with your Vytek? I have one and have been using it for a few years. Recently I moved it and have been having loads of trouble with the controller, however, I did have it working fine with Vectric software prior to that. I use 9600 8N1 serial to send the HPGL to it. I have pp codes set up for Vectric's stuff and would be happy to send those to you if you like. If you've already converted to Mach 3 I'd be most interested in your experiences as I'm likely to head down that road soon.

[rszemeti]

Well ... been a while, but hey, here an update anyway

We finally figured out that talking to VyTek wasnt goingto solve this ...

So we spoke to the guys who make the controller .. well, they only support OEMs, not end users .. but they did suggest that theres another router called "multicam" that uses the same control ...

Uh huh ..

Well, Multicam have all their manuals and software online .. so we grabbed a copy of MY32 from their site, which allows us to send programs down to the router ... and ran up the "multicam" post processor in Vectric Cut2D and .. it worked!


Since then I have written a better post for Vectric that works just perfectly with the Vytek and we have been cuttingout parts for a year or so now

[Weber765]

Hi rszemeti
I have a rebel and would like to get it running., but when I got the machine it did not have the hand controller or computor. I was told the machine was running when purchased , and when I plug it in all axis home them selves. I curently have vectrics aspire program and run a pc on windows xp. I have tried going to multicam website but could not find the MY32 download . Could you help me in anyway?

Thanks