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Author Topic: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S  (Read 111455 times)

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Offline Hood

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #110 on: September 20, 2008, 08:15:56 PM »
Looking nice and tidy :)

Hood

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #111 on: September 20, 2008, 08:34:05 PM »
I try!   But I was once described as the most untidy worker ever in a firm I used to work for!  It's true, but only in respect to the actual workplace, ie tools EVERYWHERE!

Z Axis is now running.   I think it was a little sticky after being parked for 4 years.   Servo tuning was hit and miss, so I left it it a running state, and wrote a quick program to move both axis's with a pseudo Sine Wave motion at various speeds from 1500, 2250 and 3000mm a minute.  Then a rapid back to the start.   This was looped 50 times, so 150 cycles.   I'll run it again tomorrow and then try tuning the servo's some more.

Might even cut a part tomorrow just for kicks.

Smoothstepper seems to be running ok. no glitches even with the 3Kw VFD running.

Wayne.....

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #112 on: September 20, 2008, 09:46:33 PM »
Lookin good Wayne.

Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #113 on: September 21, 2008, 10:20:19 AM »
A quick video...

I have cut a real thread a few minutes ago, and it looks like the pitch is good if not perfect*.


* Update2:  No the pitch was not quite perfect   But also neither was my setup!   I was sure the ballscrews were 5tpi. Oh NO they are NOT!  They are 5mm pitch.  I'll test again tomorrow.
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xw45x7ajyz4&amp;hl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Xw45x7ajyz4&amp;hl</a>
« Last Edit: September 21, 2008, 04:58:36 PM by fdos »

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #114 on: September 21, 2008, 06:25:03 PM »
I tested again tonight ;)

Seems OK (I think!) I'll check it on a projector tomorrow.

Pic is a 25mm x 1.50 pitch thread cut at 1500rpm (Yes really!)  with an M10 coach bolt next to it.   Looks pretty close though hard to photograph.

Wayne.....


« Last Edit: September 21, 2008, 06:26:57 PM by fdos »

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #115 on: September 22, 2008, 02:47:06 PM »
More wiring today.

Needed to get the X axis rear cover back on, so a lot of wire terminating to do.   The X Axis rear cover on this machine contains most of the wiring for sensors which move with the carriages.  ie all Limit and Home sensors, the encoder and 2 other sensors for the turret as well as Encoder and servo cables for the X axis itself.

Made up a little connector board from Vero Board (Stripboard) as the original connectors were not reusable.  It all fitted ok and is secure which is what counts.

All the sensors are run at 12v and are all Open Collector Hall Effect types.   So down in the cabinet they will all need pull up resistors and the Home sensors will go to Opto Isolators to convert to 5v for the smoothstepper.

Wayne....

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #116 on: September 24, 2008, 11:24:56 AM »
Another pic for the Diary.   Seem to be making a fair bit of progress these days (Gladly)

This little PCB I made up yesterday takes all the 12v signals which come from the terminal board in the previous picture.

All the Turret signals just get pulled up on the pcb and will just go straight out again to the PLC.

The Home and limit signals get pulled up, and go through the bank of Opto's (Top right) to convert down to 5v signals.   The expansion header (Top left) will route all these out to another board which I have not done yet.  The Homes also come out to the screw terminals (Bottom Left) in 5v form, which I have connected up temporarily to the Smooth Stepper for testing when I took this pic.

There are also (Obviously!) LED's showing status of all the inputs.   In the pic the green led's show T4 in place with Turret down and Locked, and X++ Limit triggered.

Wayne......




Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #117 on: September 24, 2008, 04:15:00 PM »
I knew things just had to be going too well!

The station1 Hall sensor in the turret encoder decided to go flaky on me tonight.   I looked for something as a drop in replacement and didn't really come up with anything except some Honeywell chips that are very expensive and not the correct supply voltage anyway.

I remembered I had a range of Glass reed switches which a supplier or rep gave me as a sample once.  I knew there was a huge range of sizes in this package, and sure enough there was something that would fit.

Out with the Dremel again and dug out the epoxy potting carefully and removed the faulty chip.   With a little care I was able to leave enough of it's legs in place to get some solder joints on, and fitted the reed switch in it's place.    It works! and at least will keep me moving on. But I'll have to maybe make a new encoder as a spare I think.

Pic shows it repaired and repotted.


Wayne.....


Offline Hood

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #118 on: September 24, 2008, 06:14:26 PM »
Coming along nicely Wayne :)
 I had similar probs when I did my turret, it worked great for a few days then started continually indexing at times, discovered that it was the small limit switches that had given up the ghost. I think it was just lack of use that had weakened them as it had probably been sitting on the same index for 10 years or more.
Hood

Offline fdos

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Re: Yet another Retrofit. Hardinge HXL-S
« Reply #119 on: September 24, 2008, 06:39:22 PM »
Yes it happens with old gear ;)   That encoder if you remember I had to open it up once before to change the cable on it.   That repair can be seen ay about the 4 O'clock Position.

I knw for a fact that the original hall sensors are no longer made.   But if a reed switch works well then it's ok.

I just know oneday I'll not be successful in this type of surgery.  One slip and its all lost!!   I thought if any it would be the T4 position that played up, I did notice when doing th PLC code that that station seemed to have weaker sensitivity than the others.  It would not register as in place until it was back down on it's seat.  The other stations registered even when still up. 


Wayne.....