Messages

81

General Mach Discussion / Required spindle power

« on: September 28, 2010, 02:59:41 PM »

Does anyone know of a program that will advise the required spindle power /torque needed for a specific set of cutting parameters?
For example, 10mm milling cutter, cutting a slot (10mm wide), 5mm deep, when using, say, 1100rpm, 90mm/min feed and cutting mild carbon steel?
I only have 0.75kW (1hp) spindle motor so would like to make sure i'm well within the motor's performance when writing programming the machine. obviously a stall situation would not just stall the spindle but all my axis steppers as well - not good.

...Sweep

82

General Mach Discussion / Re: M3 & M4 relay configurations etc...

« on: September 28, 2010, 07:37:52 AM »

Thanks Hood,

I'll have a look tonight.

...Sweep

83

General Mach Discussion / Re: M3 & M4 relay configurations etc...

« on: September 27, 2010, 07:10:47 PM »

Sorry for not replying sooner but i've  been busy with work.

Hood, tried to find the Macros menu but couldn't find it on any of the tool bars. Is this option only available with the 'full licence' version?

...Sweep

84

General Mach Discussion / Re: M3 & M4 relay configurations etc...

« on: September 21, 2010, 07:38:03 PM »

Hi Angel tech,

Mine has a Lenze DC motor and Lynx 08 controller. I have built a PWM to 0-10v converter onto one of my boards and it works ok. The 'close to run' is part of the design of the Lynx and is pretty straight forward to hard-wire into one of my relays as it has its own power supply. As I mentioned above,if I don't break this link when S=0 then the spindle still creeps round at, say, 10rpm.
The Lynx, whilst quite old, is pretty robust. A while ago whilst i was test running the spindle from the PWM. I went upstairs to check something or other on the internet only to find the cellar full of smoke when I returned. One of the large capacitors on the Lynx had burst and it was pretty scary. All I did was replace these components with the exact same new ones bought from RS for about £1 and the thing worked again. Great big components that you can actually replace. That ain't going to be the case with a modern inverter, though I do have a new ABB ACS50 on stock just in case!
I appreciate your offer of a chat and will take you up on it later this week.

thanks ...Sweep

85

General Mach Discussion / Re: M3 & M4 relay configurations etc...

« on: September 21, 2010, 05:08:18 PM »

Hi Hood,

Thats correct, but I still need to 'throw' the 'close to run' relay to energise the spindle in either direction. I agree that I could have M4 as a valid output linked to the reversing relay, and M3 to a phantom output, say 57 or 91 etc, but I still can't 'close to run'

Hi Angel tech,

The Triac is a very early model with the electronics underneath. In fact, well probably, it is the very first Triac ever to have an ATC as the tool changer control has serial number 001.
I have moved the electronics into a seperate wall mounted enclosure, away from any nasty coolant, made various circuit boards, all fully opto-isolated, for datums & overtravels, step & direction, two lots of output relay boards, each with 5 relays, and am curently working on a board for the inputs. All of this is for the fun of it as I have no use for the machine when it's done ...the rebuild is the hobby and I have had to learn about everything i've done at every step as i have no electronics training. So, for example, when doing the boards i had to learn not only about optoisolators, transistors, and Zener diodes, and the correct choice of resistors for each choice of these items, but also how to produce pcbs using Circuit Wizard and Press n Peel paper which forced me into picking up a clothes iron for the first time in my 42 years ...very scary! 
Just out of interest I checked back on the Denford forum and my first post, asking whether I should buy the machine or not was posted on the 16th November 2006. Sad or what?
http://www.denfordata.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=553
I have been a member of this site since buying the Triac and everytime I have asked for assistance it has been provided freely and willingly, and I have never been asked for anything in return. So, sincere thanks to everyone who has helped me so far, and hopefully I will be also be able to repay the favours to any Triac newbies out there. Please remember though, my comments are experiences not expertise.

...Sweep

86

General Mach Discussion / M3 & M4 relay configurations etc...

« on: September 21, 2010, 08:35:20 AM »

I have built a cicuit board with relays and opto isolators to interface various commands from Mach3 to my Denford Triac that I am upgrading from the original 1980's spec.
The original machine changes the direction of the DC motor using just one relay to switch the positive and negative connections. This relay is normally closed for CW running but when energised switches to CCW. I want to control this large relay from the relay on my circuit board.
In addition to this there is a 'close to run' function on the DC controller that starts and stops the spindle. If these terminals are just bridged then the spindle still creeps round when the PWM from Mach3 is sending 0rpm. I also want to contol this function from a relay on my circuit board.
So, the question. How to I wire up the machine so I can still use M3 and M4 which will be generated from normal CAM programs.
I can energise the reversing relay from M4 (CCW) command but I cannot use M3 (CW) command to swith the 'close to run' relay for CCW as this means that both M3 and M4 will need to be operating together which is a problem.

...Sweep

87

General Mach Discussion / Re: Pretty little lights or something else

« on: June 13, 2010, 10:34:38 AM »

Good call !
I suppose the beer dispenser wouldn't be any more difficult than plumbing in a coolant system. No, in fact it would be easier as there would, obviously, be no need to have any recirculation pipework; a 'total loss' system is, I think, the correct phrase 
As far as the relays are concerned, I have the coils fed from an independent 24Vdc supply switched, via optoisolators, from the computers 5Vdc. Diodes are fitted to between each coil feed and 0V.

...Sweep

88

General Mach Discussion / Pretty little lights or something else

« on: June 13, 2010, 08:00:39 AM »

I am building a circuit board for my machine upgrade which will carry a total of 5-off SPDT relays. The reason for the quantity is because that is the maximum I can fit on my 100mm x 160mm circuit board so I thought I would utilise all the space.
Not really a problem but can anyone suggest what I might use them for  
All my I/O connections are made through 2-off 25pin plugs.

1) Spindle Run
2) Spindle Fwd/Rev
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?

I thought I might mount some signal lamps on my control panel and have one showing program cycle run/stop, and another indicating when a tool change cycle has been initiated but I don't know how, or if it is even possible, to configure outputs to do this kind of thing (a kind of OEM triggers in reverse, I guess).
I could also use one to control a coolant supply, though my machine has neither a coolant system, coolant tray, or drain holes in the table, though I suppose I could control an air solenoid.
So any ideas; practical or pretty, it doesn't matter !

...Sweep

89

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring of 2 wire proximity switch

« on: June 04, 2010, 04:51:12 PM »

ok, back to the project...
I think I have figured why I keep blowing the 82R on the simulation when the switch is already closed. Maybe it's because I have the simulation set up with a SPST mechanical switch instead of the correct proximity switch, but what blows the 82R is charging the 10uf capacitor taking the power over the rated spec of the 82R.
Now I can cure the blowin of the 82R by dropping the capacitance of the 10uf down to 1uf but i'm not sure of the effect on the rest of the circuit.

...Sweep

90

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring of 2 wire proximity switch

« on: June 01, 2010, 05:26:21 PM »

I built the circuit earlier tonight but the 82R resistor got very hot and started to smell like it was losing the will to live.
I had taken the precaution of fitting a 1amp fuse, the smallest rating I had, as I was wiring directly to a spare 6amp/hr 12v battery from an alarm system.
I switched off the supply and checked the fuse which was ok and checked the resistance of the 82R which measuered ok.
I then tried again but the same happened, that is the heat and the smell, so I gave up. Whilst the supply was on I did try to detect the 9V but couldn't get a reading.
So, considering that the simulation highlighted this issue, how does a tiny little resistor hold back the pressure of the battery and, if this is a problem, how do I limit potential high currents that might damage some of my components. Ok, my supply is never likely to have the capacity to deliver current like a battery but i'm still curious about the logic.
This is probably a pretty rudimentary question to all you with electronics experience but I am trying to learn as i'm doing the project.

thanks ...Sweep