Back up your parameters NOW

[Herding Cats]

It never fails to amaze me how many good seasoned machinists don't understand the importance of a machines parameters and that they are maintained by a battery.

If you are buying a used machine at the least take a video while scrolling through them. Don't rely of the factory parameter sheets as it's not uncommon for options to be upgraded and or tuning done that was not documented and if you don't have a backup other than the original you can loose them. Including gridshift changes that were required because of a crash, encoder ballscrew or servo replacement.

That said, if you are doing tuning or playing around in any way document it with the original sheet as well as in digital format.

So feel free to post procedures for specific controls and U/I's.

The newer Fanuc stuff starting with the I series is pretty easy where you just boot it up while holding the right 2 soft keys and do an SRAM backup on a PCMCIA card, which is everything. This procedure also works for restoring the control.

I believe the 16/18 that came before the I series had a PCMCIA card slot but it was inside the control cabinet rather than on the screen.

Another useful tip is on the older O series the option parameters (900s) are not punched out with the parameters......unless you hold ; (eob) while pressing output, then you get all of them. But you also need to punch out the diagnostics which will be the PMC parameters which are 300s. They will punch out as N10300 and so on.

Feel free to add, make corrections and ask questions.

I am going to make this a sticky as I think it is one of if not the most important part of machine ownership.

 

[Vancbiker]

Amen!

I back up mine at least once a year or whenever I've made a change. Easy to add to the things to do at the beginning of each year. For my particular machine, I backup to a PCMCIA card, my shop laptop and put a copy on a thumb drive. One way or another, I'll have access to the data.

Also, a good time to think about your backup batteries........

 

[Herding Cats]

I will also add that if you want to save the ladder on an "I" series you start it in boot system (right 2 soft keys), then select system data save, then PMC-RB(RC) exc and that will save the ladder to the PCMCIA card. System data loading will reinstall the ladder which can be handy for making modifications to the ladder

 

[Mhajicek]

We have Productivity do a PM, and PQI do a laser and ballbar once a year, then save parameters to a thumb drive that lives in the electrical cabinet in the back of the machine.

 

[PAnderson]

Since I work for a machine tool builder, I make a generous effort to get people to do backups. Complete backups when possible but at the very least get a backup of your parameters. The attached file is for most current Fanuc controls. The new iHMI controls have a slightly different method because of the HMI front end.

 

[Machtool]

Any one have a step by step for an Archive back up on Siemens 840D? I do that system restore thing. And it comes up with this file all ready exist's. Do you want to replace. I bail out. I was under the impression, you could have any amount of Archive back ups. I change that date to day / month / year format.
I'm only interested in N.C data, as I've been dabbling in parameters.

Regards Phil

 

[PAnderson]

I have this, see attached. Not sure if it's what you are looking for. Check it out.

 

[Machtool]

I have this, see attached. Not sure if it's what you are looking for. Check it out.

Thanks Paul..

I'll follow that, and see if it give's me more confidence to proceed. I'm just bailing out when it seems to want to overwrite the Archive, I've done it before, you give it today's date, I only select NC data, as that's the only thing that has changed. I've been playing with parameters.
If you select PLC, Drive & HMI data, That takes forever to archive. So I only select NC Data. When I go O.K, it comes up with file all ready exist's. / over write.

Regards Phil.

 

[PAnderson]

Thanks Paul..

I'll follow that, and see if it give's me more confidence to proceed. I'm just bailing out when it seems to want to overwrite the Archive, I've done it before, you give it today's date, I only select NC data, as that's the only thing that has changed. I've been playing with parameters.
If you select PLC, Drive & HMI data, That takes forever to archive. So I only select NC Data. When I go O.K, it comes up with file all ready exist's. / over write.

Regards Phil.

When you say "overwrite the archive". do you mean on your card or USB or the archive in the control. It may be looking at the header of the archive itself and not the name. Try backing up to a clean USB stick or card. seimens are weird like that. That's why I like Heidenhain, everything is man readable except for the PLC program.

 

[Machtool]

I'm only doing it to the control. I think you are correct that Seimens are weird like that. I think that because its writing existing packets to a new file new date file. It see's them as over writting. It only takes the balls to push the O.K button, but its an orphan machine. with little back up.

Regards Phil.

 

[yardbird]

Originally Posted by LockNut
As an applications engineer, we happen upon these small tidbits of info now and then that can make life easier for some of us and save huge headaches down the line. The below is valid but I would preface this with a stern test,test,test. Backup your parameters in the normal way first before doing this. One reason for doing this besides it simply being invisible is in case your manual backup files get misplaced or corrupted.

I’ve been informed by Fanuc that the i Series of CNCs, (both 0 and 30) can be set to back up its parameters automatically to a CMOS.

Parameter 10340 bits 0,1,and 2 must be a “1” OiD&F and 30 series

Parameter 10341 is the number of days between backups – i.e. 90, 120, 360, 180, etc. OiD&F and 30 series.

Parameter 10342 is the number of backups saved, such as the last 2, etc. This is usually set to a “2”

In response to an excellent question, should you find it necessary to actually retrieve the data saved, it is done by accessing the machine’s boot menu, hold the two right most soft keys while starting the machine.

Going to “SRAM DATA UTILITY” and then “retrieve backup”.

The data is held in inverse order, so file #1 is the most recent, #2 is the second most, etc.. Not valid for OiD&F

Paul

You posted this tidbit on PM. Awesome way to keep backed up and not really have to fuss with remembering to do it.

Brent

 

[Mud]

Ahh, for the good old days of exec tapes and lead-acid backup batteries ...