Messages

11

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: March 08, 2010, 08:24:01 PM »

I'm thinking about going with the controller on ebay that you listed. Just not happy about the way they ship it (no insurance or tracking and the length of time for shipping). I sent a message to them to see if they can ship it another way that can be insured and faster delivery.

12

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: March 07, 2010, 07:53:07 PM »

Ebay really has some good prices on the Galil Parts. I had not looked before because I had heard that Galil will not offer any kind of support if you did not buy from them and I wanted support. The pricing does make it tempting to give up the Galil Support and try and figure things out with out them.

I paid 4500 for the machine, got into a bidding war at the end so paid more than what I expected but still below what I had decided on for a maximum bid.

Looked at your videos, nice machine and good looking shop.

The inverter is wired up on inputs 8,10 so should be good to go.

13

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: March 06, 2010, 02:22:54 PM »

Battwell,

There is a single 11kw Berges acm-d2 inverter that has the output routed to the individual spindles by a group of relays. I have been able to download the inverter manual and it looks like I should be able to control it with +-10v. I can get the inverter to power up but have not had any luck past that, I think I'm just missing the control signal.

That makes sense about a sequence of things that have to be completed before it can start. I have the air pressure switch bypassed for now (need to case down some air leaks) and the safety for the head cover is bypassed as well because the cover is removed to work on things. There may be something else that needs to be bypassed.

I have the wiring diagrams and some of the other manuals but nothing for programing the controller. I have spent some time getting familiar with the wiring diagrams and trying to understand how things work and what voltages are used. All the communications are coming from the control box (there are several cards in the box) and wired to the terminal strips in the main cabinet.

I plan on using Mach to control the machine and using Galil for the controller. I'm thinking of starting out with the DCM-2153 and two ICM-20105 boards plus the DC24 dc converter. I want the 5 axis control because it has more IO and will give me the option to add a indexer later. Most of the IO is 24dc so I think the 20105 boards will make wiring things a little easier. Any commits or suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

I want to try and keep as much of the original components and wiring as possible. Trying to just get one or two spindles working and movement plus vacuum control to start and will add more things later. There is a lot of air components that I'm not concerned with right now.

There is two encoders for each axis, one on the servo (may just a tach) and a separate true encoder on the axis. Should I leave the one on the servo connected  to the servo amp and connect the other to the Galil board?   

Thanks for the help, it's good to know that some one else has done something like this.
 

14

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: March 06, 2010, 09:18:39 AM »

Battwell,

I not finding a fixed cycle screen but thanks for the suggestion. I did find a screen to manually change the analog voltage to each axis(1 -6), I think I will try to manually turn on the appropriate relays by jumping voltage to each one and then try to send a low analog voltage from the manual screen to see if that will get a spindle to turn on.  

BluePinnacle,

Here are some pictures of the head. There's a lot more there than what I need. I just want to get one or two spindles working first and than in time try to get more things working.

Matt

15

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: March 01, 2010, 10:09:40 AM »

This is an older machine (1996) but from what I can tell so far the x axis servo has a manufacture date of 2008 and two of the router spindles and the drill head spindle have a manufacture date of late 2007. There is a service log showing doing normal service as well as changing various parts including having the drill spindle head rebuilt. It looks like this machine has been kept in good running order before the company shut down.

There is no tool changer just the three main routers, a saw and 28 drill spindles driven from one spindle motor.

The electricians upgraded the service and put in the 100 amp circuit for the machine last week. It took a little trial and error to get the taps on the transformer coils wired properly. The transformer was originally set to have a 480 delta input and had to be converted to work off a 208 Y input. The main cabinet needs 380v to work.

I have been trying to figure out the original control software to better understand what needs to be done for the conversion. I can jog the head on all axes but not sure how to turn on the spindles. With the controller in manual mode it shows that there are 64 inputs and 110 outputs configured. The I/O’s are labeled in abbreviated Italian so not sure how much I will be able to figure out. I’m not too comfortable just turning on outputs to see what happens.

16

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: February 20, 2010, 10:03:54 AM »

The machine is finally here  .

I have been out of town for a while and had to delay getting the machine moved. Moving the machine has been a much bigger and expensive job than what I had planed on. The weight of just the machine was 13,000 lbs.  

Next step is to have the electrician upgrade the building service and put in a dedicated 100 amp 3 phase circuit for the main transformer of the machine. Need to have 380v into the main cabinet.

Taking time now to try and understand how the machine is wired up and functions. Trying to make flow charts of how things work and what wires will need to be interfaced to the new controller. I have the wiring diagrams and the cabinet is laid out cleanly with just about all the wires and components labeled. It looks like a lot of the safety and emergency features are handled mechanically (relays) instead of logically (the control box).

The machine has large dc servo motors and separate servo amps that I should be able to keep and use. Plus there are additional encoders on each axis.

All of the spindles are powered from one inverter. Relays are used to select which spindle gets the power.  (I think this is what BluePinnacle was suggesting)

So far no big surprises but this looks like this is going to be a big project. Hope to have power next week.

17

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: January 31, 2010, 10:45:40 AM »

Thanks, Monty

I have to catch a flight later today so I have saved the manual, docs and your macro's to read on the plane.
 
Should have some questions soon.

Matt

18

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: January 30, 2010, 10:10:10 AM »

The thought of using a tool offset sounds good.

I'm thinking of trying to make a macro that would -

make sure all spindles are raised up and turned off
set the tool offset for the proper spindle
energize the relay to pneumatically lower the proper spindle
zero the z on a touch off plate
move to a safe position
turn on the spindle

Once the first macro is made it should be easier to make additional macros for the other spindles. This will be my first time writing a macro for mach so it should be a good challenge.

Is it possible to link a macro to a tool number?

Matt

19

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: My Big Project am I crazy

« on: January 28, 2010, 07:43:08 PM »

Yes it's a 96 Busellato Supermaster 150

I will look forward to the new version, any idea on time when it might be released?

Thanks

20

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / My Big Project am I crazy

« on: January 28, 2010, 07:17:04 PM »

Hello,

This is my first post here. I have been reading the Mach and other cnc forums for several years now.

I have purchased an older used big router that I want to rebuild and update to be able to work with newer software like Aspire. The machine is in good condition and runs fine but is very limited to working with its original software. The plan is to use Mach for the control software and Galil components to replace the control hardware.

The machine has a lot of components (3 router spindles, lots of drill spindles, a saw and several locating pop ups). I plan on trying to just get  one spindle working and getting control of the three axis first so the machine can be used. With more time it would be nice to get the other features working.

I look forward to meeting and talking with people here about this project. There is a great amount of knowledge and experience represented on this forum. I will have a lot of questions and will be looking for suggestions on the best way to make this work.  

My work experience that should help with this project includes
aircraft electrician/mechanic for more than 15 years
information technology 9 years
technical hardware development and implementation 4 years
designing and cutting components on a cnc machine 3 years

Thanks in advance for all the help

Matt