Messages

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: April 24, 2011, 01:16:27 PM »

I think it has to actually use the commutation signals from the motor to correctly generate the sinusoidal command signals the s series amps require.  I don't really know and am not ready to invest too much time into it.  I've just been seering a lot more big s series than b series amps for sale and figure their might be a cool doodad out there to run them that you have to ask to find out about...like the pico fanuc encoder converter I got for the motor.

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: April 24, 2011, 11:46:14 AM »

I've been seeing a lot of a-m-c sinusoidal drives for sale.  Does anyone know of an inexpesive/reasonably priced means of generating the sinusoidal control signal those drives require?  Rufi said the dspMC can't do it so I'm wondering if there is something I could put in between to do the job.

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: October 10, 2009, 10:13:47 AM »

Thanks Chris,

Speeking of wanting to machine big stuff, I've stalled my spindle a few times and have decided I need more power.  I had gotten the electronics to count spindle rpm a while back but never got around to installing them.  Now I won't have to.  I just bought a fanuc 20s servo to replace my spindle motor.  It's a 4.7hp servo with a 2500 pulse coder on it.

Pico makes a converter to pull fanuc's proprietary commutation signals out of their pulse coder signals to give standard hall and encoder signals.  I'm getting one of these: http://pico-systems.com/oscrc4/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=29

I also ordered an a-m-c b30a40ac amplifier.  It takes AC input so I'm not limited by the dc power supply I have running my positioning axes.  I'll be able to scale the gain to get the 2000 rpm max motor speed at 146v and run 15 amps continuous 30 amps peak.  The motor's stall current is 20 amps.

This aught to let me take much deaper cuts with big face mills, easily and acurately control spindle start up and rpm with the normal gcode, perform semi-rigid tapping, and since it has spindle orientation I can implement a tool changer if I decide to.

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dspMC/IP Motion Controller / Re: Servo amplifiers that work with dspMC

« on: July 23, 2009, 12:01:02 PM »

amc 30a8 amps

I have a thread on my machine in the show n tell your machine section of these forums.  I gave very complete info on my set up and tuning there.  Hope that helps.  I also found amc techs very helpful and friendly.

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dspMC/IP Motion Controller / Re: Servo amplifiers that work with dspMC

« on: July 22, 2009, 08:28:53 PM »

I'm using amc amps in voltage mode with good success.

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: July 22, 2009, 08:22:51 PM »

Here's a multi-purpose picture.  You can see a number plate for a yacht I just machined.  I  both pocketed out around the letters/numbers and profiled around the letters/numbers in 5 successively deeper passes at 57 ipm.  Each pass matched the last perfectly so I think that's pretty good proof the dspmc is up to the task.  I also only have to zero the z for any job; Since I use the index pulses to home the machine  it homes acurate to half a ten which I guarantee you is better than i would do setting up each job.  I just keep the corner of the vise saved as my main fixture and when I throw something into it all I have to do is zero the z with feeler gages.  I have a square atlas 4 jaw scroll chuck I used to have mounted on the table and saved as my 2nd fixture but it was in the way of machining this number plate so I will have to set it up again next time I do something I want to work from the center on.

You can also see the troyke nc10a 4th axis I just broke down, refinished, and have half way reassembled.  I already installed the amc amp and wiring to the dspmc in the control box when I set up the other 3 axes.  Now I need to finish putting it together, machine a mounting plate, and set the thing up.

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dspMC/IP Motion Controller / Re: Galil 2133 or DSPMC/IP Motion Controller?

« on: June 29, 2009, 11:18:26 AM »

Wow, that's a monster   

I tried going the galil route with a used dmc-2160 controller and everything else new from galil.  I ran into a problem with the used control which was coming up as a dmc-2120 despite being a fully loaded 2160.  Instead of even asking me to send it in to be reflashed or repaired at normal rates the galil support tech had the secretary tell me the tech departement was refusing to take my calls because I had a used control--despite having a couple grand of new galil products interfaced with that used control.  I then asked to talk to the supervisor of the tech support department and he actually laughed at my situation and told me quote: "If you buy a new 2260 I will shower you with support."  I personally consider this un-ethical business behavior.  I wasn't asking them to hold my hand and give me hours of support setting something up.  I had one of their products which needed service.  I don't think the company deserves the business of the retrofit community.  They certainly don't appreciate it--just my opinion(and general consensus of everyone I talked to who does business with them).

I ended up going with the dspmc/ip and amc drives.  In the process of installing the amc drives instead of the galil amp I figured out the galil documentation was actually intentionally obtuse apparantly to make you think their products are doing something complicated and special for you.  All of the setup that required sorting through book sized instruction manuals for the galil amp/control could be accomplished with single page of instructions and a hand full of dip switches and trim pots on the amc amps.  With the amc trim pots your adjustments are exact to your system; you aren't forced to choose from the available range options in the galil software.

I also don't think you will finish up with a galil controller for $1500 unless they have cut their prices in half in the last year.  They will want you to use a handful of extremely expensive cables and break out boards that will cost that much to interface to the control.

I tried surplus opto22 modules and their io board that has screw terminal connections for both the control and external interfaces.  I had problems with the surplus io modules and switched to grayhill.  The gray hill stuff is great.  I would just buy all grayhill for the io next time around.

Here's the thread detailing everything I went through retrofitting my machine: http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,3990.0.html

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: April 23, 2009, 05:11:16 PM »

It's also worth mentioning for those who look at this thread for feedback on the parts I've used like the dspmc/ip and the a-m-c amplifiers...this machine is really purring now.  If you are considering going this route you can expect good things.

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: April 23, 2009, 05:08:34 PM »

I used one of the NewFangled wizards for the first time today.  I build racing transmissions for Subarus and there's a drive gear/awd transfer clutch drum assembly that tends to break on cars that have a lot of power.  The drum sheers off of the gear where they are welded so I cross drill them and through bolt them.

First I used German Bravo's circle center wizard to find the center of the gear and set my work offset--thank you German Bravo.
Then I used the new fangled wizard's circular hole wizard to drill the bolt circle.  I'm using a 4mm solid carbide drill bit.  I set it as 4mm in the wizard and found the values it was giving me for chipload and feedrate were crazy.  I'm guessing they went to metric too but I didn't want to rack my brain or risk anything so I just entered the bit as a .1575" diameter and got values that made me happy. 3031 rpms, .0019" chip load, feedrate was I think 11.5 ipm if I remember correctly--anyway it worked very well and drilled the hardened gear like it was butter.

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Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ex-Cell-O Spindle Wizard to retrofit

« on: April 07, 2009, 11:01:56 AM »

I haven't really put this machine to work yet but it has worked very nicely on the odd job I've put to it as the need arose.  I ran the road runner g-code that comes with mach with a pen in a tool holder and a couple facing programs from some of the free wizards during the testing phase but since then it's all been setting a % feed and jogging keys.  Last week I finally licensed Mach and the nfs wizards.  I've also been collecting tooling and am just about to be tooled up to the point of being fully capable.

I have a piece of 14" inch long 4x4 t6 sitting next to it now that is going to be the prototype piece for the first part I'm going to be producing on this machine.  It has some 3d profiling in it.  While I could machine it in the vise I may go ahead and set it up in the 4th axis to avoid having to flip the part over in the vise.  Either way I'll videotape it and put it on youtube to showcase what a commercial machine with the dsmpc and mach can do.