[majami]

Hello,

If you email me I can nelp you.

[email protected]

[Boltz]

ok thank you .

I live in Los Angeles .I can help you to startup your machine. that is a very good one.

First I need you send me the manual or the pages that describe the keys.

I want to know how we can make the z axis zero on that ?
How you jog z axis up and down ?
which key is dnc key on controller to read programs from pc?

if you can scan the manual or take photos and send to me is very useful.

my email is [email protected]

I have the manual of your spindle controller.

I will check that for you to see how you can run it.

Mahyar

I'm confused. Are you in Iran or Las Angeles?

[majami]

I am in Los Angeles.I was there in 2006

In my first contact I told you .

give me your email , then I can help you.

I

[newlife]

I also picked up a used Multicam router, mine is a M Series 60 x 60 stroke with a 4 hp Columbo spindle. After getting it setup I needed their help with communication, file transfer etc. Service call was going to be half of what I paid for the machine. I stripped out their control board but kept the stepper drives and VFD. Single phase 220v works fine. Smoothstepper ethernet control works great with mach3. I am glad I went this way rather than stay with the Multicam control but I guess I will never know.

[Boltz]

I am in Los Angeles.I was there in 2006

In my first contact I told you .

give me your email , then I can help you.

I

So, you were in Iran in 2006, but you are in Las Angeles now?

[greenb_60097]

I also picked up a used Multicam router, mine is a M Series 60 x 60 stroke with a 4 hp Columbo spindle. After getting it setup I needed their help with communication, file transfer etc. Service call was going to be half of what I paid for the machine. I stripped out their control board but kept the stepper drives and VFD. Single phase 220v works fine. Smoothstepper ethernet control works great with mach3. I am glad I went this way rather than stay with the Multicam control but I guess I will never know.

Thanks newlife, I'd like to get it going without modifying it, but if I can't get it to connunicate then I'll go that way, I'm more familiar with how to use Mach 3 operations and offsets. Do you have any pics and descriptions of the conversion, were you able to use the exiting wires, wiring, ps, and stepper drivers, etc, I'd like to do that in the same cabinet. Or shoot me a pm so we can talk.



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[newlife]

I used a lot of the existing wiring, kept the existing panel, power supply, drives, steppers etc. I put the Smoothstepper where the Multicam board was. At the time I thought I may want to switch back if I couldn't get it to go, but that was the overly cautious side working overtime. It isn't a pretty panel but it has been working for several years now. Oh, originally I put in a parallel port board but wanted to get better speed and the potential for more inputs so I upgraded again to the Smoothstepper. Should have started with this board in the beginning.

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[greenb_60097]

So, you were in Iran in 2006, but you are in Las Angeles now?

I was thinking the same thing, as Boltz. You've offered to help several multicam owners, have never posted any solutions, and are asking for manuals, etc. I know a thing or two about export control issues, so I'm skeptical that you can help.

Boltz, I've read back through a lot of your posts and you've got a lot more knowledge about control system than I've been able to find, I was wondering if we can talk here more or offline about this multicam.


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[greenb_60097]

I used a lot of the existing wiring, kept the existing panel, power supply, drives, steppers etc. I put the Smoothstepper where the Multicam board was. At the time I thought I may want to switch back if I couldn't get it to go, but that was the overly cautious side working overtime. It isn't a pretty panel but it has been working for several years now. Oh, originally I put in a parallel port board but wanted to get better speed and the potential for more inputs so I upgraded again to the Smoothstepper. Should have started with this board in the beginning.

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That's cool, did you have any problems with the spindle control?


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[newlife]

As I remember, I think it was pretty straight forward. I didn't have any manuals so I downloaded what I could and it pretty well came together. I did intermittently have a issue where if I stopped the program and restarted the spindle would restart in opposite rotation. Seems like this hasn't occurred since the Smoothstepper upgrade. Probably a installation issue and not a hardware problem😐

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[CNCMAN172]

newlife,

Looks like you really lucked into a nice machine. Those Multicam machines are really nice and heavy with a nice control cabinet. You will probably learn in short order that getting all the stuff you need to get the original control to work correctly will probably be cost prohibitive. Like someone else said get yourself a Ethernet Smooth Stepper which emulates three parallel ports. Then use Mach3 or Mach4 and you will have a nice machine. The challenge will be getting a wiring diagram and probably someone who has one of these machines could scan them and send them to you. The fact you have been able to move the machine tells you lots of stuff is indeed working. The spindle appears to be about 7HP, so you will not be able to find a single phase VFD that can power up that spindle. If you want to keep the large spindle, which I would do, just get a rotary phase converter that is rated at 10HP, that will run off single phase 230V and provide enough three phase power for the VFD to power up the spindle. I did the same thing and it works perfect. The only thing in the Multicam that needs three phase power is the spindle. You will have a transformer that takes two of the phases and that is where all the other power is created for the electronics controls.

Russ

[Boltz]

I was thinking the same thing, as Boltz. You've offered to help several multicam owners, have never posted any solutions, and are asking for manuals, etc. I know a thing or two about export control issues, so I'm skeptical that you can help.

Boltz, I've read back through a lot of your posts and you've got a lot more knowledge about control system than I've been able to find, I was wondering if we can talk here more or offline about this multicam.


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All of my experience is with an "H-board" machine a little newer than yours. I curse the flaky serial communications with MX32 on a daily basis. On the host PC I got with the machine it only works when connected to one of the serial ports. The other one is totally nonfunctional.

The complete lack of documentation for the Multicam controllers absolutely sucks. It's a nonstop easter egg hunt.

In my case I feel it was worth the battle. When it's running right it really cruises. It's fast and accurate.

I will say that I spent about a week struggling to get DNC working with a punch press before I brought in some help, and he discovered that I'd made a mistake soldering up the cable. I'd looked at it a hundred times and I just couldn't see it.

[greenb_60097]

All of my experience is with an "H-board" machine a little newer than yours. I curse the flaky serial communications with MX32 on a daily basis. On the host PC I got with the machine it only works when connected to one of the serial ports. The other one is totally nonfunctional.

The complete lack of documentation for the Multicam controllers absolutely sucks. It's a nonstop easter egg hunt.

In my case I feel it was worth the battle. When it's running right it really cruises. It's fast and accurate.

I will say that I spent about a week struggling to get DNC working with a punch press before I brought in some help, and he discovered that I'd made a mistake soldering up the cable. I'd looked at it a hundred times and I just couldn't mkksee it.

Ok, I made a cable to the multicam specs, removed pin 1 and 9' in a null modem the chassis ground is pin 1 and 4 to 6 so just in case that was, seemed to make no difference.

Mx32 lists an error, conn error 5 in createfile(), could not open port,

But jobserver opens and looks like it is connected, if this is closed mx32 seems to open?

From motion mechanic I can send file, I used one of the utility files that downloaded, circles, and the controller says hit start to run circle or cancel and the file runs. That's scary the router rapid to start and then seemed to freeze, I forgot I had the feed override all the way down, so it was moving super slow, but moving.

I guess I don't know how mx32 or motion mechanic works yet and how to put in my file up. Anyone able to walk me through this????


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[Boltz]

Did you try both serial ports?

[NSchlee]

Once MX32 is installed and correctly configured to connect to your computers serial port and then connect the correct serial cable to the controller.

Then make sure that when MX32 installed it should have created a folder on your C: drive named DNCFILES, inside you'll find 3 or 4 sub folders, JOBS1, 2, 3 etc.
You then put your post processor tool path files in any of these folders, you can also create your own folders if desired. PP file names should only be 8 or 9 characters long.

The start up sequence goes like this: boot computer, it should automatically start MX32, then start MC router, once it's booted, then find home and set a soft home and then set the Z, then press the connection key (or key 8) on the key pad, this should connect you to the DNC folder on your HD, use the keys to scroll the folders and find the desired PP tool path file, press enter on the key pad and when notified hit start key and the program should run. Large files may take a few seconds to start, the PAUSE key can be used to stop motion if a problem arises, the Red Stop button will also stop the machine but if used a complete machine restart will be needed. If you want to re-run the same file, just change parts then hit the ENTER key then the START key.

I run WIN98 SE on a computer that runs the minimum ****, no network or internet connection, I transfer files to the computer via a USB thumb drive. You can use the program "Job Previewer" to verify files.
I use a program named NUSB33e (available as a free download) that allows Win98 SE to work well with USB ports.

I use Vectric software for design and tool path creation, their Post Processors for Multicam routers have always worked well for me. I've used their .plt and Gcode PP's and have yet to have a problem. They also have a Multicam PP for ATC, (auto tool changers) which I use, as my machine has 2 spindles. Vectric software has a fantastic part preview, it shows tools cutting and gives a excellent representation of final part. It's also a great sales tool, you can easily and quickly create a very accurate representation of your job to show your customers.



Neal

[UncleCeiling]

Feel free to PM me, I can walk you through setting up the communication and what not.

[UncleCeiling]

Once MX32 is installed and correctly configured to connect to your computers serial port and then connect the correct serial cable to the controller.

Then make sure that when MX32 installed it should have created a folder on your C: drive named DNCFILES, inside you'll find 3 or 4 sub folders, JOBS1, 2, 3 etc.
You then put your post processor tool path files in any of these folders, you can also create your own folders if desired. PP file names should only be 8 or 9 characters long.

The start up sequence goes like this: boot computer, it should automatically start MX32, then start MC router, once it's booted, then find home and set a soft home and then set the Z, then press the connection key (or key 8) on the key pad, this should connect you to the DNC folder on your HD, use the keys to scroll the folders and find the desired PP tool path file, press enter on the key pad and when notified hit start key and the program should run. Large files may take a few seconds to start, the PAUSE key can be used to stop motion if a problem arises, the Red Stop button will also stop the machine but if used a complete machine restart will be needed. If you want to re-run the same file, just change parts then hit the ENTER key then the START key.

I run WIN98 SE on a computer that runs the minimum ****, no network or internet connection, I transfer files to the computer via a USB thumb drive. You can use the program "Job Previewer" to verify files.
I use a program named NUSB33e (available as a free download) that allows Win98 SE to work well with USB ports.

I use Vectric software for design and tool path creation, their Post Processors for Multicam routers have always worked well for me. I've used their .plt and Gcode PP's and have yet to have a problem. They also have a Multicam PP for ATC, (auto tool changers) which I use, as my machine has 2 spindles. Vectric software has a fantastic part preview, it shows tools cutting and gives a excellent representation of final part. It's also a great sales tool, you can easily and quickly create a very accurate representation of your job to show your customers.



Neal

Neal has it exact. I've never used Vectric but aside from that the workflow looks perfect. I honestly like the "sneakernet" or transferring files; last thing you need is to lose everything to a bad virus.

I have been playing around with running older multicams on more modern software but don't have an old enough machine to try some of it out. I think I can run a m23 boardset on Windows 7 without too much work.

[greenb_60097]

Bolts---both serial ports? There is one on the front of the control box, I haven't looked at the boards too closely, due to the way they are attached, but I'll look...

Neal and uncle c---I didn't get a chance to try this weekend, had other pressing issues. The fact that I can send a file from motion mechanic seems promising. I'll walk through what Neal listed tomorrow. It seems that the port is taken by the jobserver when I reboot, I think I'll delete that and see if mx32 works, there is a multicam folder the was installed.

I have carve pro so I'll have a look for the post processor.

UncleC-- what is "sneaker net"

I'm sure that I'll have some more follow up - but thank you for all the help so far!!!


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[NSchlee]

I was told you could run MX32 on WinXP. I tried it, got the controller and computer to connect via the serial ports. But I had issues with the router starting a file then hanging, not always, but maybe half the time. I tried to track the problem couldn't eliminate it so I went back to Win98SE. When the router hangs partially thru a large 3D file it's a real PITA.

GreenB, "sneaker net" is transferring files manually between computers.

Neal

[Boltz]

greenb_60097, what I was referring to by "both ports" is the host PC. Mine is an ancient Dell which has 2 ports, one of which works perfectly, and the other other one just slightly. It sees the router, but can't do anything useful, no matter how much I twiddle the settings on either end.

I run MX32 on "windows 2000 professional". It works fine.