USB DNC for Heidenhain TNC-155

Hi all

So maybe this is a bit off-topic, after reading LinuxCNC documents, I realize LinuxCNC is for more direct control of hardware
But maybe among the experienced users here, someone can point me in the correct direction.

I have a working (I fixed a lot of the original electronics) Bridgeport Interact Series 1 Mark 2 with Heidenhain TNC-155
And it is working, for now I plan to keep it, simply drip-feeding it.

So I am looking for a simple USB to Serial drip-feeder box, using the old Heidenhein blockwise FE (floppy drive) interface.
I prefer not to have a permanent PC near, or dedicated remotely, to this function

These sort of boxes exists, but they never explicitly state if they support Heidenhein "blockwise"
I can already do it from a running windows program, running TNCserver, but I'd like to do it from a black box. Either purpose build or RasPi

Does anyone know of such a solution?
Some sample products (of which I suspect they do not support TNC-155)
www.ebay.com/itm/302850734576
www.ebay.com/itm/304085594776

Thanks




 

My advice would be to by this NUC from Amazon for around the same price:

DreamQuest Mini PC Desktop Computer Windows 11 Pro, 11th Gen Intel Celeron N5105 (up to 2,90 GHz) 8GB DDR4 256GB SSD Desktop PC 4K 3X HDMI Displayport

All you need then is a mouse, old monitor and keyboard..
Don't worry about the Chinglish on the Windows pre-installed note that comes with it. What they are saying is that if you wipe the SSD and replace it with, say Linux, you wont ever get Windows back. I just plugged mine all together, booted it, and it worked out of the box straight to Windows 11. Then I immediately upgraded it to the latest revision of Windows 11 online. Perfectly.
It has built in WiFi although I have mine hardwired through my intranet to the router, so it can see my main workstation through one of it's 2 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
Buy the USB to RS232 converter cable as shown in the link to my OneDrive below for about $25USD. That just works by plugging it in. There is also a wiring diagram if you want to make a cable from the plug on the back plane  of the TNC 155 to a DB9 connector on the adapter cable.
Download the TNCremo program suite from the Heidehain site. You can ignore all of it but the TNCserver program. It's magic for the TNC 155.
Just run it and set it up for the TNC 155 in the drop down menu. Run the configuration so it finds you USB port number and accept the one it finds. Set it for FE and 9600 also. Set the folder option to where you have a G code programs in the NUC. I've pathed mine through to the relevant directory on my main workstation, via my intranet. Don't try to download programs from the TNCserver program. Do that from the TNC155.
Set the TNC to FE mode and 9600 baud by pressing the MOD button and then up or down arrows. Then DEL to get back to the TNC main stuff.
On the TNC 155 press the edit button, then the EXT button. Choose to read in a program and press ENT. Then enter the program number. it should start reading you program into the TNC from the NUC.
Now for the Easter egg. Go to the link below and find the directory for the cable mentioned above. But as well there is an English translation of the Heidenhain tutorial programs for the TNC 155. It also contains most of the program examples in the manual (in G code) with videos of those programs in action, and also videos of the graphics of the same. If you work your way through them you will know about everything there is to know programing the TNC 155.

1drv.ms/f/s!At3qDeAj2HNowBIk8oEXR0xH9dMU?e=TBYT3l

Good luck,
David