[shaftalignment]

Hi all,
I have a 1978 Pratt & Whitney Turnmate with a Fanuc 5T control. I would like to upgrade it to a 6T. How much of the 6t stuff would I need?

[angelw]

Hi all,
I have a 1978 Pratt & Whitney Turnmate with a Fanuc 5T control. I would like to upgrade it to a 6T. How much of the 6t stuff would I need?

It would be a lot of work for not much gain.

The 5T control can be made quite a user friendly by installing a Behind Tape Reader (BTR) and using the control via DNC in TAPE Mode.

The attached picture on the left shows a BTR installed (easily done with no more tools than a screw driver). The BTR is then connected to a PC or Lap Top via a Serial Connection. In this particular installation, a PC was dismantled, and the components mounted inside the control enclosure. This on-board PC can be used to create/store programs, and to communicate with the BTR for the purpose of uploading programs to memory, or via DNC. It can also be connected to a LAN if its desired that programs be created and stored elsewhere. In this instance, the PC was connected to a LAN to retrieve program from a Server, but it also had CAM software loaded so that programs could be created easily at the machine.

The Rainbow cable shown enclosed in the Red rectangle connected the BTR to the PC not shown, but out of picture below it. A monitor and a keyboard on a pull out tray were conveniently mounted, for the operators use, on the machine.

The attached picture on the right, shows a screen shot of the Editor/Communication software being used in a DNC session. Used in this way, the program scrolls, with the pending program block displayed in highlight, in real time. This system also provides better editing features than even the most modern of controls.



All up, including dismantling and mounting a PC inside the control enclosure, the whole installation takes no more than a couple of hours. If the PC is simply connected from an external location, the installation takes about 15 minutes.

Regards,

Bill

[Mr Bonavita]

Bill, what brand of BTR are you using and where do we get it ?

Thanks.

Bonavita.

[angelw]

Bill, what brand of BTR are you using and where do we get it ?

Thanks.

Bonavita.

Hi Bonavita,

The brand name is HiCam, and its made by a colleague of mine. If you care to send me your email via PM, I'll send you information.

Regards,

Bill