Time is Running Out

Where were you in 1988? Ronald Reagan was in his final year as President of the United States, Michael Dell launched Dell Computer Company, Microsoft released Windows 2.1, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series and Okuma introduced the OSP 5020 CNC control with the state of the art 3.5” floppy drive.

The OSP 5020

The OSP 5020 was used on over 7,000 Okuma machines, many of which were manufactured at Okuma America in Charlotte, NC. The OSP 5020 offered features such as Hi2-NC, One-Touch IGF and Synchronized Tapping. Loading the 5020 software was, and still is, done by using a 3.5” floppy disk. Although technology has changed at a rapid pace, we still find machines being operated with OSP 5020 and those customers are still satisfied with the machine’s performance and reliability.

Time is Running Out!

In a recent “Service Matters” newsletter article, we mentioned that floppy disk media has not been manufactured for 10 years. When our suppliers are out of stock, we will no longer be able to produce and store OSP software on a 3.5” disk. If a machine experiences a memory failure or if duplicate software is needed, we will not have the blank disk media to support a customer’s request. So time is running out if you use 3.5” floppy disks!

Introducing…the Portable USB-FD Adaptor

Okuma is proud of the longevity of the OSP 5020, and we remain committed to supporting this product. Therefore, we’re pleased to announce the development of a new Portable USB-FD Adaptor that replaces the obsolete 3.5” Portable Floppy Unit on the OSP 5020. The Portable USB-FD has many advantages, including:

• Can be used on one or more Okuma machine tools that have the OSP 5020 control
• USB is readily available media and is expected to remain viable for many years
• USB media can be transferred

Portable USB-FD Adaptor Units are now available for purchase; simply contact your Okuma distributor. If a non-portable unit suits your needs, we’re currently offering a great deal on these too.