Anilam Crusader II controller on BP knee mill

Hey Jim,

Fitch is getting ready to move, and has not been much on rcm of late.

I have an Anilam Crusader II L, which is the lathe version. I had a VERY exasperating time to get mine to talk to a PC, but it was through no fault of either the PC or the Anilam. It turned out that it required a Null-Modem connection instead of a straight serial cable, and I bought a new Radio Shack serial cable and a Null-Modem adapter for testing mine for the connection . Now you'd think that this was a good idea rather than some piece of crap cables I soldered up myself, but it turned out that the serial cable was OK, but other item I bought was NOT Null-Modem, and was just a straight-thru connector!! What lot of pain that caused! Just plain made wrong, as there is no purpose I can think of for a straight through adapter. Took many many hours of testing, and would not work. Then at some point after I gave up and decided it wasn't ever going to work, for some reason I can't even remember now I DID use an old homemade null-modem cable, and Bingo!! Was I pissed!

I use an old 386 PC and DOS 3.1 or something (I don't think it matters much), with a program called FFC (Factory Floor Connect??) The PC end is pretty self-explanatory, allowing you to pick which serial port and other connection options, and to transfer files on the computer or in a disk drive back and forth.

Anyway, I'd suggest that you write a small program on the Anilam and up-load it into the PC, rather than trying to send from the PC to the Anilam. Easier to see if it worked, and if it transfers one way, it will the other. I'm 75% sure that what I'm going to tell you will work on either the mill or the lathe versions, but it can't "hurt" anything.

The following are set in the machine memory, and remain until changed.

AUX 2767 : sets 7 bit data AUX 2772 : sets EVEN parity AUX 2784 ; sets Baud Rate to 1200

Be sure to set the COM port you select (use) on the PC to the same as above. Then write/enter a short program on the Anilam. Make sure you are hooked from the RS-232 port on the rear of the Anilam to the PC with the NullModem cable (Just in case you don't know, that is a cable in which the Pin 2 at the female end is hooked to the Pin 3 at the male end, and Pin 3 at the female end is hooked to Pin2 at the male end. It "crosses" the TX and RX pin functions).

Make the PC ready to receive, and then

MAN AUX 2700 START

The program should go to the PC. If it works, then clear the program from the Anilam:

PROGRAM ENTER CLEAR five times in rapid succession.

Then set the PC to send the program back, but don't hit the "start" on the PC yet. At the Anilam, enter:

MAN 2701 START

and quickly "start" the PC to transmit.

Hope it helps and all works for you. Lemme know if it doesn't.

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

ps.........you can still buy the Anilam Manuals and you can get assistance from Anilam in Florida, but you have to go through a dealer to make the purchase. US$ 50 comes to mind.

Hey Jim,

Whoops, a clarification and an error. I should have read more closely before hitting send! Sorry.

You need to do the above. It may already be what is there, but this will just assure what you have. Once you get it going and understand it, you may wish to change, but I'm happy with those choices.

Should have been MAN AUX 2701 START

Take care.

Brian Lawson.

Brian

Hey thanks for taking the time to respond. Last night I when through a pile of cables. And bingo similar to you I was having a cable problem. I was able to upload and run a program..

Ye..ha...

Jim H.