Rybett Controls WebDoc 104 (Copyright 2008) Return to [Index]
Fanuc controls are quite popular in the United States and common Fanuc problems merit discussion:
1. To operate from the tape reader (or any Rybett BTR connected to the tape reader), the AUTO/MANUAL switch on the reader panel must be set to AUTO.
2. Fanuc 3000 controls have an odd habit of mysteriously changing the EIA/ASCII/ISO tape format parameter. Sometimes this is caused by reloading the executive tapes; sometimes a repairman will reset this setting; sometimes the cause is unknown. If the Fanuc 3000 simply stops running from a Rybett Camstore BTR, try changing the Fanuc tape format. If you wish to alter the Camstore tape format setting instead, note the following instructions: Camstore 1 or Exec (Press <Ctrl> E or <Ctrl> A), Camstore 2 or COM (Flip DIP switch position #5), Camstore 1SX or LPT (Change "Machine Setup" page).
3. Fanuc controls require all letter addresses in g-code tape files to be in upper case. If you edit a g-code file, be sure to use upper case letters.
4. If you are using a Camstore 1, 2 or COM BTR interface and have problems with tooling information at the end of a file, you may strip all characters following a block containing a STOPSTRING. Make sure you are using a "CAM2" driver on line 9 of the Rybett Machine Setup page and add "-S=STOPSTRING" to the download options on line 10. For instance, if all of your g-code files end with a G50 stop code, use a download option of "-S=G50" without the quotes.
5. Fanuc parameters may be set for several end-of-block formats, including "Linefeed Only" and LF-CR-LF. To avoid an accumulation of linefeeds after multiple downloads and uploads, set both the Fanuc parameter and Rybett Machine Setup to LF only. This also can speed cycle times by eliminating the processing of blank lines. If cycle time is important, you may increase the reader emulation speed in Rybett BTR interfaces to 500CPS for Fanuc controls. For instance: Camstore 1 or Exec (Press <Ctrl> C and set RRATE to 6), Camstore 2 or COM (Set DIP switches 6,7 on and 8 off), Camstore 1SX or LPT (Set AX99 option jumper to Adjust and turn blue pot counter-clockwise).
To further increase speeds, eliminate line numbers (like N0125) from your most critical programs. For maximum program execution speeds, always load and run from Fanuc memory to eliminate tape reader processing delays in the control.