The Collected Wisdom
of the Haas Answer Man

 Communications

(Summer ’04
vol 8 # 30)

Dear Applications:
      I am not sure what software I need to download onto our computer so that I can store, read and change CNC programs while I’m not at the machine. Please advise what – and where to get it – if you could, please. Thanks.
      Curt Fredericks

Dear Curt:
      You can use the Note Pad accessory, which is supplied with most computers, to store and edit programs. This application is the intellectual property of the Microsoft Corporation, and is installed on most Windows-compatible computers. (You should not use Word Pad or any word processing program to edit CNC programs, as they can introduce text-formatting commands that are incompatible with the Haas control. If you do use these, you must save the file in ASCII format – that is, as a text-only file with a .txt extension.)
      You might also be interested in ESPRIT Machinist editor, a program that is specifically designed for Quick Code programming on a PC – and also specifically designed for use with the Haas control. Download it for free from the Haas website: Go to www.HaasCNC.com/training and scroll down the page to the red box.
      Sincerely,
      Haas Applications

(Winter ’04
vol 8 # 28)

Dear Applications:

    I recently purchased a Mini Mill, as well as a new laptop computer in order to program (MasterCam) on the road and to drip feed. I was unaware that the new laptops are not equipped with serial ports for the RS-232 connection. Do you have some sort of adaptor to connect the serial port to the USB port, or can we use the 15-pin outlet on the computer?

    Brian Reynolds

Dear Brian:

    You can purchase a USB-to-serial-port cable from your local computer store. Be sure the software drivers supplied with the cable support your computer’s operating system. This will add a serial communications port to your laptop. Once this is installed and working on your computer, you can connect a null modem cable between your Haas machine and the USB-to-serial-port cable. Make sure that the communication settings on your Haas match the ones on your computer.

    Sincerely,
    Haas Applications

  (Winter ’03
vol 7 # 24)

Dear Applications:

Is there a way to use the Haas control to delete a program file from a floppy disk?

     Gwen Drury

Dear Gwen:

Yes, Haas machines allow you to delete files from a floppy disk. (Note: This requires the latest floppy driver EPROM chip version FV 2.11.) Go to the LIST PROG display page and type “DEL <filename>” (where <filename> is the name of the file you want to delete from the floppy disk). Press WRITE/ENTER to delete the file. The message “FLOPPY DELETE” will appear, and the file will be deleted from the floppy disk. If you need to see the list of file names on the floppy, press F4 and then, when the “DISK DONE” message is displayed, press EDIT. (Haas mill control software version 9.63 and above; Haas lathe control ver. 3.00 and above.)

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications 

(Summer ’02)
vol 6 # 22)

Dear Applications:

We build plastic injection molds, using a new VF-2 mill with 8 megabytes of memory and the Ethernet option for communication. We use MasterCam as our CAM system.

We are having problems downloading files due to their size. Small programs are transferred almost instantaneously, but recently it took 10 minutes to download a 2 MB program at the VF-2 control. The machine would not even accept a 5 MB file.

We need the ability to download large files. What’s the best way to implement a drip-feed system? Do we scrap the Ethernet card and revert to an RS-232 system, or go to a third-party drip-feed system?

     Joe Colburn

Dear Joe:

We were able to download a 7.5 MB file in 9 minutes via Ethernet, so you should be able to get similar results.

There are several things that may be causing or contributing to your long download times. If your company’s computer network is busy or overloaded, it can increase your download time considerably. Also, there must be sufficient memory available in the Haas control to accept the program, and provide buffer space for the download. It’s possible that the 5 MB file was larger than the amount of memory you had available.

The Ethernet option is about 10 times faster than a serial port, so you don’t want to go back to RS-232. Please keep in mind that DNC from a PC to a CNC machine via Ethernet is not the same as transferring a file from one PC to another.

To free up additional memory, you can delete old programs, or save them off the machine. And remember, it’s not how many programs, but how large they are that matters (ten 200K files take up the same amount of memory as one 2 MB file).

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

(Summer ’02)
vol 6 # 22)

Dear Applications:

A couple of years ago we bought a Haas VF-1 vertical machining center. We have been using the disk drive to load programs, but would like to connect the machine directly to a PC instead. Is it possible to hook up the Haas directly to a standalone PC (Pentium) through the RS-232 port in order to send and receive programs? If so, do we need special software or hardware (i.e., modem or network)? Is there a specific computer program/application that must be used, or can we save the G-code programs in something like Microsoft Word?

     Thank you,
     Pam Treige

Dear Pam:

Yes, you can connect your Haas machine to a standalone PC. You will need an RS-232 cable with a 9-pin connector on one end and a 25-pin connector on the other. The cable will be configured as a null modem cable. These cables can be purchased at almost any electronics store, such as Radio Shack. They are also available off the shelf from Black Box Corp. (724-746-5500); the part number is BC00803.

No special hardware is needed, but you will need some form of communication software. An easy-to-use and affordable communications program, as well as general information about machine tool communication, is available online at www.dncsoftware.com. A quick search of the Internet will yield several others as well, such as eXtreme DNC and Predator. If you have a CAM system (Mastercam, Surfcam, GibbsCAM, etc.), you probably already have the program you need to communicate.

The only other thing you have to be aware of is that the communications settings in the Haas control and the PC must correspond. Settings 11, 12, 13, 14 and 37 in the Haas are important; they must match the PC software.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

(Winter ’02)
vol 6 # 20)

Dear Applications:

We are trying to connect our two Haas machines up to Surfcam but are experiencing problems. Our cables match your diagrams, and the Surfcam SDNC shows it is downloading, but it is not going into the machines. Can you help us out?

     Bill Schwab

Dear Bill:

First, are you sending programs to the memory or are you trying to DNC? If DNC is what you want, first check settings 11, 12, 13, 14 and 37, and make sure they coincide with the settings in the PC. To prevent problems with cables, it’s best to use a straight-through cable with a null modem, keeping the length of the cable to less than 100 feet if possible. To receive a DNC file at the Haas, check the bit in parameter 57 called ENABLE DNC; this needs to be set to 1. Also, make sure setting 55 in the Haas is set to ON. Then press the MDI button once, then again, and the control will display “WAITING FOR DNC” at the top of the screen. At this point, you can send the DNC program from the PC.

If all you want to do is send a program to the Haas memory, first press the LIST PROGRAM button, move the cursor to ALL and then press the RECEIVE RS-232 button. The control will display “WAITING FOR DATA” at the bottom of the screen. Now send the program from the PC. Programs must start and end with a percent sign (%), to signal the beginning and the end of the file. The second line of the program must contain the program number – the letter O followed by up to five characters – without a block number.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

(Winter ’02)
vol 6 # 20)

Dear Applications:

I need to DNC from my Zip™ drive. I go to LIST PROGRAM while in DNC mode and type in “ZIP,” but the machine does not recognize the Zip drive. DNC is enabled in Parameter 57, and Setting 55 (ENABLE DNC FROM MDI) is also turned on. Any step-by-step advice would be helpful.

     Thanks,
     Mark Dame

Dear Mark:

Be sure you have a disk in the Zip drive, press the LIST PROGRAM button, enter the letters ZIP in the Haas and then press the F4 key. This will switch the machine from the floppy drive to the Zip drive.

Next, you have to know the name of the program that you want to call up from the Zip drive. This will be the full program name with extension; for example, O12345.NC. For the control to recognize the file, you will have to enter the entire name: The letter O followed by five digits, a period and the letters NC.

Press the MDI button and type in the full name of the program you want from the Zip disk. Press the MDI button again; the control should display DISK READ at the bottom of the screen. When the file is ready, it will display DNC PROG READY. When the control finds the end of the file, it will display DNC END FOUND.

Press CYCLE START at any point after you see the message DNC PROG READY. The machine will operate normally.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

(Spring ’99)
vol 3 # 9)

Dear Applications:

Last month I took delivery of my very first CNC machine, a brand new Haas VF-4 VMC. The control is great! My only problem is that I’ve been unable to get the control to communicate with HyperTerminal on my PC. I’ve been struggling for weeks with different software settings and cables. HELP ! ! !

     Sincerely,
     Dennis Kernighan 

Dear Dennis,

Over the years, Haas CNC machine tools have been successfully interfaced via RS-232 to thousands of computers. However, due to a flood of inquires from customers having difficulties getting Windows-based computers to communicate with a Haas control, now is a good time to set the record straight about using HyperTerminal. 

While HyperTerminal can work, it is very unreliable for this application. In addition, it does not seem to work at all within NT (NT itself is not at fault here). As stated in the Haas Operator’s Manual, general-purpose Windows-based communications programs, like HyperTerminal, will not work reliably with the Haas control. DOS-based programs work much better; however, user resistance to DOS-based programs is growing, and many will not run on NT. 

The solution is to use a Windows-based program written especially for CNC machines. Haas Automation does not provide software; however, we know of several third-party vendors selling a wide range of products which work well with a Haas. Try looking in your monthly trade magazine for a compatible program, or search the Internet for “DNC software.”

One last thing, it is not always necessary to make your own RS-232 cables. Radio Shack stocks excellent cables that work very well. Call the Applications Department (ext. 7342) to obtain correct Radio Shack catalog numbers for your application. 

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

HyperTerminal is a product of Hilgraeve, Inc.
Windows and NT are trademarks of Microsoft, Inc.