Shutting down doesn't reset it. The local calibration house can't figure out what is wrong as well and have referred me to Hexagon for a repair. However, I see that others have had similar issues in the past on this forum, but none of the resoultions have helped.
There could be a few reasons for this problem. I assumed it worked in the past which means that either something broke or something has changed. After making sure the cable is connected at both ends you can verify the settings by the following steps:
The Ethernet card should have a static IP address set with an appropriate mask. To get the IP addresses (one for the controller and one for the computer) start PC-DMIS, switch to RS-232 when prompted, then select Edit - Machine Interface setup and press the terminal button at the top right of the dialog that appears. Enter the command SHOW HOST_IP then press return. The first 4 digits of the 6 digit number is the IP address of the computer. Then enter the command SHOW CNTRL_IP and press return. The first 4 digits of the 6 digit number is the IP address of the controller.
Once you have this information open the settings for the network card that the controller is plugged into and make sure it is setup with a static IP address as shown from the HOST_IP command. The net mask may be 255.255.255.0 or 255.255.0.0 (one of them will work).
Once this is setup then verify the settings in the 'Machine Interface Setup' of PC-DMIS. The IP address should be the value returned from CNTRL_IP. The port number is always 2001.
You can verify the connection to the controller by opening a command prompt and type PING <IP_ADDRESS_OF_CONTROLLER> and it should return a round trip time (as opposed to 'not reachable').
Make sure the Ethernet cable is plugged into the computer and controller. When you plug the cable into the computer you should see a couple of LED's light up next to the connector. If you don't then maybe the other end of the cable is not plugged in OR something is wrong at the other end of the cable.
A bad Ethernet cable could cause this kind of problem but it is rare. Even more rare is a bad Ethernet card in the computer. There are ways to test these items without a lot of effort.
Thanks Rondog! Unfortunately the machine will not switch to the RS-232 when I attempt it. It errors out with "Machine Not Responding". I have verified that both ends of the cable are connected.
If you cannot use the terminal utility in PC-DMIS you can use Hyperterminal in Windows (included with XP). It is under 'Start - All Programs - Accessories - Communications'. The connection parameters are 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, no flow control. To reset the session press the letters ECB while holding the CTRL key down; the controller should return the word 'READY'. All of the commands suggested previously will work to get the controller and host ip addresses.
It might be worth looking at what is working instead of what isn't. Does the controller boot up (machine start led on jog box stops flashing)? If it doesn't then this is the reason for the 'machine not responding' message.
There was quite a gap between posts. Has this machine been an office ornament all this time?
Thanks Rondog! Unfortunately the machine will not switch to the RS-232 when I attempt it. It errors out with "Machine Not Responding". I have verified that both ends of the cable are connected.
I would guess that if both the serial and eterhent connections can't talk to the machine, there is a good chance it is a problem with the machine, and not the computer. But hey, I've been wrong before, my wife can attest to that.
I had this same issue. I could not get the Jog Box Machine Start to stay on. If this is the same problem your having it is either your air switch or an adjustment to the air switch
I had the same problem. I have to turn the computer on first and let it complete it's boot. Then I turn on machine. When machine is on, I open PC-DAMMIT......I mean DMIS, and all is well.
