Disclaimer: CNC Concepts, Inc. accepts no responsibility for the use
or misuse of techniques shown in this web page. We simply publish information
we feel will be of interest to CNC users. In all cases, the reader is totally
responsible for considering the implications, good and bad, of implementing one
or more of the techniques we show.
How can you tell if your control has Custom Macro B?
Throughout this website, we talk a lot about parametric programming. The
most popular version of parametric programming is Fanuc's Custom Macro B. Many
control manufacturers (including Haas, Mistubishi, Mazak, Yasnac, and Seikos)
use Custom Macro B as their version of parametric programming.
But for most controls, Custom Macro B is an option. It doesn't come standard
with the control. However, many machine tool builders include Custom Macro B in
the standard package of options they include with the machines they sell,
especially if the machine has some special accessory like a probing system.
So how do you tell if a given control has Custom Macro B? One universal way
is to perform a simple test in the MDI mode. In the manual data input (MDI)
mode, simply enter and execute the command
#101=1
Remember that most Fanuc controls require that you terminate MDI commands
with a semicolon (;). If the control has Custom Macro B, it will execute this
command without generating an alarm. If it does not, an alarm will be sounded
(something like "unrecognizable address").
Additionally, if the machine has Custom Macro B, you should be able to find
a display screen that shows the Custom Macro variables. With Fanuc controls, it
will either be in the OFFSET or SETTING display screen pages.
