Serial Port Initialize Error with Fanuc DOS Software \ VOGONS

Serial Port Initialize Error with Fanuc DOS Software

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First post, by fearthenofear

Posted on 2012-10-04, 13:23

fearthenofear Offline

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Posts: 2
Joined: 2012-10-04, 12:52
Location: Wixom

Hello!

I am new to the forum as well as DOSbox as of right now.

I am working on a CNC machining center and need some help or pointed in the right direction. I'm sure my problem has been answered somewhere on the internet but I seem to not be able to find it. So here it goes.

I am trying to get Fanuc PMC-NBII Version 8.9 to pull out the ladder and parameters out of the CNC. I did change the dosbox.conf file to show:

1serial1=directserial realport:COM1

as well as:

1serial1=directserial realport:com1 startbps:1200 parity:e bytesize:8 stopbits:1

with no luck. What the program says about the port error is:

Serial Port Paramters = COM1 96 N 8 2 Illegal command:Mode Port Initialize Error Serial Port Communication is Impossible […]
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Serial Port Paramters = COM1 96 N 8 2
Illegal command:Mode
Port Initialize Error
Serial Port Communication is Impossible

I'm on Windows XP and trying to use the compatibility mode that XP has it makes it unreadable hence why I tried DOSbox. Also, Windows 2000 doesn't do it any better either.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Reply 1 of 3, by Jorpho

Posted on 2012-10-04, 14:51

Jorpho Offline

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See DOSBox IS NOT SUITED TO RUN YOUR NON-GAMING DOS APPLICATION if you haven't already.

"Illegal command:Mode" suggests it is trying to use the MS-DOS MODE command that is lacking from DOSBox.
http://www.computerhope.com/modehlp.htm

You can try downloading FreeDOS MODE and see if that helps.
http://www.freedos.org/software/?prog=mode

fearthenofear wrote:
[…]
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1serial1=directserial realport:com1 startbps:1200 parity:e bytesize:8 stopbits:1

Is that a typo? Shouldn't it be "parity:n" if anything?

Serial Port Paramters = COM1 96 N 8 2

This line looks like what the program expects for the serial port configuration, and you should probably change your dosbox configuration to match (startbps:9600 parity:n bytesize:8 stopbits:2).

Are you using a serial port on your motherboard, or a USB serial device?

Reply 2 of 3, by fearthenofear

Posted on 2012-10-04, 15:32

fearthenofear Offline

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Rank: Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: 2012-10-04, 12:52
Location: Wixom

Thank you for your interest.

I see that I missed that memo about it being for games only.

Thank you for that information on setting the port within DOS. That will help.

Sorry, that whole line is a giant typo. Not sure how I messed that up. It is at the same configuration as the program specifies.

I'm using a serial port on my mother board in my laptop.

Now I do have FreeDOS set up in VirtualBox but I'm lost at how to get the program over to it. I can't seem to mount that file and use it from there. If that makes sense. In other words, I don't how to start the program without the files being in the same partition.

Reply 3 of 3, by Jorpho

Posted on 2012-10-04, 15:38

Jorpho Offline

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Rank: l33t++
Posts: 8169
Joined: 2003-02-14, 19:50
Location: Canada

Just download MODE from the link I provided and put MODE.COM in the same directory as the program you are trying to run. That's all you need. (You might even be able to get away with just putting an empty file named MODE.BAT in the same directory, since in this case the port settings can be set in the DOSBox configuration and the Mode command doesn't actually need to do anything other than satisfy the program by existing.)

If you need to copy files over to a virtual hard drive image used by VirtualBox, you can use a utility such as DiskExplorer:
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA013937/editd … sk/index_e.html

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