Question 1

Is the portable or pendant mount version of the USB product better for me?

Accepted Answer

In general, the portable version of the USB product is best suited for occasional use. The portable versions have no installation, but have cables and power supply connections external to the machine that operators may find bothersome.

Pendant mounted versions require installation, but having the unit inside the electical cabinet of the machine ensures results in a cleaner installation without any cables external to the machine. These are recommended for heavy use.

Question 2

Can I DNC to my Okuma ?

Accepted Answer

All of our universal USB and LAN products will DNC to an Okuma CNC provided the control has the DNC-B option installed.
 
If the DNC-B option is not on the machine, only file upload and download are possible,

Question 3

How do I change the baud rate of my USBCNC-FAD, USBCNC-FAD-INT or USBCNC-FAD-SW?"

Accepted Answer

Create a text file in Notepad or other text file program.
Type USBCNC=9600 in the first line. Other baud rates can be substituted such as 4800,..
Save the file as USBCNC.INI on a USB disk. (do not save with .TXT as the file extension)
Insert the USB disk into the device with power off.
Apply power to the device. Upon power up, the USBCBC-FAD or variant scans the USB key looking for this file and will reprogram itself to the baud rate within the fie.
Test with the new baud rate. If successful, remove the USBCNC.INI file from the key. The baud rate programming is permanent if successful and will slow down the boot of future power on iterations.

Question 4

Are the USBCNC or LAN product variants repairable?

Accepted Answer

The nature of the failure will determine whether the device can be repaired or not. It is difficult to determine if a unit is repairable without an evaluation. Our evaluation fee is $50 which can be used towards the repair (if the unit is repairable) or the purchase of a replacement product.

If the repair is not desired or a unit cannot be economically repaired, return shipping costs will be added to the evaluation fee.

Question 5

Why are there switcher options to the USB devices?

Accepted Answer

Many cystomer have legacy RS-232 systems that they would like to keep while adding USB as an option. The switcher versions of our product are in stand by mode where the RS-232 signals are passed through as if a direction connection was made. If the device receives a USB command, it turns off the external RS-232 connection and communicates with the CNC and the USB device. Upon completion of a task such as file download or DNC, the connection is automatically swithes back into passive RS-232 mode eliminating the need for an A/B swicth box.

Question 6

Why are there LAN/USB versions of  your product?

Accepted Answer

The LAN (Etherent) version of the product relies on the network to move files back and forth between a computer and the Calmotion device. In the event of a network outage, a USB flash disk can be used to move files or DNC which makes the device usable in cases where the network is not functioning properly.

Some customers have plans to network the devices in the future, but might not be ready now. The combination units allow our customers to use USB now and still have the capability to network the device down the road without having to replace the unit.

Question 7

What is the remote version of  the LAN units?

Accepted Answer

The standard LAN products are a push device from a computer meaning someone transfers files from a computer to our device where it is stored on a local SD card.

The remote request versions allow an operator to pull files from a network location at the machine without requiring the use of a computer. Customers will typically store all the programs for a machine in a known server location. The Calmotion LAN device can point to that location for operator selection.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the portable or pendant mount version of the USB product better for me?

Can I DNC to my Okuma ?

How do I change the baud rate of my USBCNC-FAD, USBCNC-FAD-INT or USBCNC-FAD-SW?"

Are the USBCNC or LAN product variants repairable?

Why are there switcher options to the USB devices?

Why are there LAN/USB versions of your product?

What is the remote version of the LAN units?