FANUCA86L-0001-0173#HM2RHard-Key MDI Keyboard Insert, HM Machining-Centre Layout, for CRT/MDI Units

Product Description

What this part is

Fanuc A86L-0001-0173#HM2R, an MDI keyboard unit — the hard-key keyboard that inserts into a Fanuc CRT/MDI operator panel or standalone MDI unit. It is the physical keypad and its keyboard controller: the part the operator presses to jog, edit programs, enter offsets and drive the control’s soft-key menus. Fanuc’s associated panel number for this item is N860-1602-T061, and it also carries the marking N755824.

Decoding the order code

A86L- – Fanuc’s bought-in component prefix. Parts in the A86L range are made for Fanuc by outside suppliers rather than being Fanuc PCB assemblies, and the MDI keyboards in this family were manufactured by Fujitsu. That is why the same item also appears under an N860- Fujitsu panel number.0001-0173 – the keyboard controller within the A86L range. Its immediate siblings are A86L-0001-0172 and A86L-0001-0174, which are different key counts and layouts.#HM2R – the key layout. HM designates the machining-centre key arrangement; the equivalent lathe and turning-centre keyboards in this family carry HT instead (for example A86L-0001-0172#HT2R). The trailing R is a variant marking.
That HM versus HT distinction is the single most important thing to check. A machining-centre and a turning-centre keyboard are physically interchangeable and electrically similar, but the legends and key functions differ, so fitting the wrong one gives an operator a panel whose keys do not say what they do.

Published specifications

Type: CRT/MDI insert keyboard, hard-key (mechanical) type, with integrated keyboard controllerLayout: HM — machining centre configuration, horizontal arrangementFamily: 55 and 56 hard-key MDI keyboards for Fanuc CRT/MDI unitsAssociated Fanuc / Fujitsu panel number: N860-1602-T061Additional marking: N755824Original manufacturer: Fujitsu, supplied under Fanuc’s A86L bought-in part schemeTypical controls: Fanuc Series 16 and 18 model A, B and C, and Series 21 model A and BMade in Japan

What these specs mean in practice

Hard-key construction is the reason these are worth replacing rather than living with. Unlike a membrane overlay, a hard-key MDI has discrete mechanical switches behind the keycaps, so it survives coolant, chips and years of pressing — but when individual keys do eventually go intermittent, the usual failure is a handful of the most-used keys (the cycle-start-adjacent editing keys, the digits) rather than the whole panel. If a couple of keys need a hard press and the rest are fine, that is this part, not the control.

Before ordering, confirm three things against the machine. First the layout code — HM for a mill or machining centre, HT for a lathe. Second the panel number, because the N860-16xx-Txxx series covers several keyboards that look alike; N860-1601, N860-1602 and N860-1604 are different parts, and the 1604 family is a vertical rather than horizontal arrangement. Third the CRT/MDI unit itself: these keyboards insert into a specific panel aperture, and the 14-inch CRT/MDI panels take different keyboards from the smaller units.

What is included

MDI keyboard unit only, as pictured. This listing does not include the CRT or LCD display; the CRT/MDI housing, bezel or complete MDI unit; the machine operator panel; the CNC control unit or any of its boards; interface or ribbon cables to the control; a soft-key strip or key-legend membrane overlay; blank or custom keycaps; mounting screws or gaskets; or documentation. If you need the whole assembly rather than the keyboard insert, the complete CRT/MDI panel is a different item.

Installation and setup notes

Power the control down and isolate it before disturbing the MDI panel. The keyboard is an insert: it comes out of the front of the CRT/MDI unit, and the ribbon or connector to the control unit must be released rather than pulled. Note the orientation and connector routing as you remove the old one, since the aperture will often accept the keyboard the wrong way up. Because this is a keyboard rather than a programmed board, there are no parameters to set and nothing to configure — if the correct layout and panel number are fitted, the control recognises it immediately. After fitting, walk every key once and confirm each registers before handing the machine back; a single dead key on a rarely used function is easy to miss and awkward to find later. Handle as static-sensitive.

Interchange guidance

A86L-0001-0173#HM2R is also written A86L00010173HM2R, A86L 0001 0173 HM2R and A86L-0001-0173/HM2R, and pairs with panel number N860-1602-T061 (also written N8601602T061). The siblings are related parts, not equivalents: A86L-0001-0172#HM2R (panel N860-1601-T061) and A86L-0001-0172#HM2 (panel N860-1601-T011) are the 55-key machining-centre keyboards; A86L-0001-0172#HT2R (panel N860-1601-T062) is the lathe layout; and A86L-0001-0174#HM2 (panel N860-1604-T001) is a 56-key vertical keyboard for 14-inch CRT/MDI units. Match the layout code and the panel number to your machine rather than assuming any A86L-0001-017x will fit. Also searched as Fanuc MDI keyboard, CRT MDI keyboard, hard key keyboard, Fanuc keypad, Fanuc operator keyboard, Fujitsu N860-1602-T061, and N755824. Sold as 1 piece.