Machsupport Forum
General CNC Chat => Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) => Topic started by: zarzul on February 22, 2016, 02:38:26 PM
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I have gotten the bug to start work on an old MicroStar N1 lathe.
It has an old Fanuc system 5 controls on it. (1979 vintage) The spindle motor is a 7.33 hp dc drive. It is big at least 18" long about 8" diameter.
I haven't dug into the servos yet to see exactly what I've got, they are DC but that is all I am sure of.
Do you think I should try to get the existing spindle drive to run or replace it with something else? Do you have any ideas on what type of drive to use on it?
What would you use for the servo motors? They are big about 6" diameter 10-12" long. I would guess 3hp or more.
Any documents on this would be nice also, Ha Ha wishful thinking. I have scoured the web and find nothing. Even Fanuc System 5 information is scarce.
Arnie
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Hi Arnie, sadly I don't have any info for you other than to say I envy your nice MicroStar. Main reason for the post is to knock that friggin' perpetual motion drivel off the top of the list. ::)
This is one of my favorite parts of the forum & every day when I check I have to see that thing at the top! >:(
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i may have bit off too much on this one. The dirves are so large that I am not sure if I can find drives for them in my budget range.
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Are the original drives working? If so I presume they will be +/- 10v command, there are a few controllers that can output analogue command, might be the best route to take.
Hood
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yes, they are probably 10v units but it has a 5' tall 24 x 24" cabinet with over 100 relays and several 20x20" boards populated with discrete IC's that all work together to give it some type of velocity feedback.
This is cnc in its earliest form. It uses fanuc velocity control drives on the spindle motor. I might be able to figure out the servo controls. It is a reel to reel tape drive to load the programs.
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Personally I would get a controller that outputs analogue commands and use the original drives. You could then keep an eye on ebay for more modern drives that would be suitable. More chance of finding analogue command ones than Step/Dir I would think.
Hood
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good idea, thanks for the good feedback.
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Depending on the voltage and amperage requirements of the DC servo motors, drives can be fairly reasonable on ebay. Since not as many people want analog drives compared to Step and Direction drives, they tend to be less expensive. I have picked up quite a few AMC analog DCdrives over the years at reasonable prices. It appears to me that everybody wants AC servos and drives which is why the used prices for them are still quite high.
Mike