Messages

71

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Where do I start Bridgeport Interact Series 1

« on: November 02, 2013, 09:23:15 AM »

Hood,

You are right. DG2S and Rutex can't compete with the industrial drives like Bosch. They are just simpler to integrate with the step direction output from Mach3 parallel port. If one wants to use the analog input drives then I guess the best controller would be Galil or CS-Lab products. Unfortunately I haven't experimented with both. Couldn't recommend something for which I have no experience. The BP series control logic is mostly 24V, so I prepared custom break-out boards to hook them with the controllers or the Mach3 PP. This makes the project more complicated and, if not handled properly, more prone to noise interference. My retrofit skills are still evolving and I am learning as I go. Too many toys and so little time .

Zafar

72

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Where do I start Bridgeport Interact Series 1

« on: November 01, 2013, 06:16:39 AM »

Hi Jimster,

I've been doing Bridgeport retrofits for quite some years. Have done almost a dozen BP's so far. Most of them were TNC145 based with Bosch Servo amplifiers and SEM DC servo motors. On the first one I did, I put Rutex 40A DC servo drives on original SEM motors, Mach3 parallel port based config and the original pneumatic speed change involving variable pulleys. Rutex are not in business any more. The next few I did were with replacing DC servos with AC servo (1 KW), replacing variable pulleys with fixed ones and putting in a 2.2 KW VFD for spindle speed control. On another one I used DC servo drives from cncdrive.com with SEM motors (don't forget to use the original inline coils with this setup). Another couple of machines with Smooth Stepper and AC servos. The last one with UC100 motion controller from cncdrive.com. For the DC servo drives (both Rutex and cncdrive) I had to replace the encoders with TTL ones.

I guess the most cost effective way to retrofit these machines is to use DGS drives from cncdrive.com, VFD with fixed pulleys (the variable pulleys need a lot of mechanical maintenance) and UC100 (or UC300) as motion controllers.

The most efficient would be with new AC servos, UC300, new MPG, VFD and of course Mach3.

Zafar

73

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: cncdrive.com UC-100 and UC-300 any views, review?

« on: October 18, 2013, 10:05:48 PM »

I've just finished installing UC100's on two machines and am very happy. The installation was very straightforward, just following the instructions in the manual. They have also let me convert to running Mach on laptops with USB which makes space management in the workshop easier.

Best of all is the performance improvement. I cut some tests this afternoon and was able to run at more than twice the normal feedrate with absolutely no loss of definition from "smoothing". Basically a no fuss upgrade for very little money.

I am also running my vertical machining center with UC100. No problems so far except for a few auxiliary functions not working as they are supposed to be. Balazs is working to iron them out. I have MPG, VFD (with PWM control) and Arduino installed on that machine. All gave me no problem. Superb performance overall.

Zafar

74

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: CZ300 Chinese Lathe conversion

« on: October 13, 2013, 07:41:02 AM »

You are right. Low speed cutting torque needs a big motor like yours. An open loop induction motor would have stalled even with step down pulleys.

Enjoyed seeing your threading video. Let's see how good threads I get with my setup of C300 and Delta VFD-E series inverter.

Zafar

75

Brains Development / Re: Help Please

« on: October 11, 2013, 09:47:17 PM »

Button presses are easy to program in macros. It's very simple to do it in a macro.

Zafar

76

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: CZ300 Chinese Lathe conversion

« on: October 11, 2013, 10:05:43 AM »

Nice videos. I like your spindle servo. It's almost 10 hp. Isn't it too big for a machine this size. The spindle in position mode should be called C-axis, I guess.

Zafar

77

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Prima Lathe conversion

« on: October 11, 2013, 06:14:35 AM »

Yes, it's 10mm pitch. Rather coarse for the cross slide. But it was the best I could get without waiting. I am going to put a 1:2.5 reduction on it through timing pulleys.

Zafar

78

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: CZ300 Chinese Lathe conversion

« on: October 11, 2013, 05:42:48 AM »

Great work. I am doing a similar project on a Pakistani lathe. x-axis ball screw installation is in progress right now. It would be exciting to see your lathe in action. Post it's videos whenever you put it in work.

Zafar

79

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Prima Lathe conversion

« on: October 11, 2013, 03:57:40 AM »

Replacing x-axis acme lead screws with a ball screw is always difficult for conventional lathes. I had to replace a 5/8" lead screw with a 15 mm ball screw. The nut wouldn't fit in the recess on the x-axis saddle. Ended up with machining off one end of nut mounting flange and machining a pocket in the slide to accommodate the other flange. The recess in the saddle had to be machined 1 mm at one side.

80

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Prima Lathe conversion

« on: October 09, 2013, 09:42:30 PM »

Here is the PC front panel after fitting all the stuff.