General

Question: How does ADR technical support system work?

Your local ADR Representative should be able to answer all of your questions, but should something beyond this be needed, ADR can be directly contacted for technical support. Our technical support phone line is manned during normal work hours in California, and is supported after hours by a voice mail - we will return your call as soon as possible ( next day ).

Question: How do I buy ADR products?

Call ADR and order direct or ask for the name of a local representative. Our representatives are trained, skilled service organizations. You can trust them to provide proper service and support.

BTR FAQ

Question: Can I continue to use my tape reader?

Yes, our installation adapts to the machines standard reader input so normally you can easily re-attach the reader or switch back to the reader via an A/B Switch. It is possible to use the tape reader as an input device to the PC via the AMI, so you can read your tapes into your computer for later download to the CNC, but this is fairly difficult to get right.

Question: How long can the host cable be?

4,000 ft in RS422 mode. In RS232 mode the distance is determined by the type of wire and baud rate. The RS232 EIA standard specifies only 50 ft of cable at 20,000 baud, but allows doubling of the length for each halving of the baud rate. 100 ft at 9600 and 200 ft at 4800, and 400 ft at 2400 is well within specification.

Question: What machines do you have support for?

See our control chart. We have interfaces for HUNDREDS of machines, and we would be very surprised if you have one we have not interfaced.

Question: Can the AMI drip-feed?

Yes, the AMI can use its 128K memory as a "first in- first out" buffer. In this mode the AMI allows any size program to be sent to the CNC.

Question: Does the AMI handle loading of executive tapes?

Yes, the AMI emulates all the tape reader functions including loading of the controls executive program. You must convert the executive to a computer file, and have communication software capable of sending BINARY data via the COM port. We have done this as a service for hundreds of customers.

Question: What if my PC doesnt have a COM port?

Install one via USB, they are cheap and some work well. But, be carefull not all USB COM ports provide full functionality. I fyou get the wrong type you may not be able to load executive files for example.