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Author Topic: Mach3 pendant  (Read 15838 times)

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Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2011, 07:46:37 AM »
 Hi Hood and Mach forum users, I have put this video on you tube to show the pendant. Sorry about not being able to show table movements but would have to have taken the side of the workshop out. Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7N9_FGvsdI

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2011, 12:07:01 PM »
Was going to say it lks to be working well but really it sounds to be working well ;D
What make of mill is that? Looks like a solid wee machine.

Hood
Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2011, 01:10:02 PM »
Hi Hood its Denford triac bench mill. Its brilliant and cuts well, using 10mm reground carbide endmills, I can take 2mm full cuts in steel with no problems, I make model steam trains on it so mainly Mild steel or Brass cutting . Have a look at my latest creation a mini bending roller fixture. All made on the triac and a Myford ML7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU7QFhHzRfc

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Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2011, 01:15:51 PM »
Looks good Jim. Funny that, someone just PM'd me today saying they have a Triac and they are wanting to convert to Mach. Their Triac has AC Servos with resolver feedback so its not straightforward. What kind of motors does yours have?
Hood
Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2011, 02:57:42 PM »
Hi Hood mine had D34 steppers and a tray full of electronics. I think the 240 volts were fed sraight into the stepper boards where the voltage was reduced. As you know I aint very good at electronics, however I have the manual on the origonal Denford Traic if you want a photocopy. all I used of the origonal machine was the D34 stepper motors and the spindle drive. The rest I purchased from Roy at diycnc and the steeper drives off ebay (Hong Kong i'm afraid) they were half the price and 2 weeks delivery. If I had got them from the UK they were £70 each and 8 week delivery. I think the total cost of the conversion was about £300 as I blew up my first set of stepper motors because I cross wired two motors (told you I'm no good at electronics). If it moves and is covered in grease i'm OK, I know what i'm doing

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Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #15 on: November 13, 2011, 03:06:20 PM »
;D
Well the guy is talking about going with steppers, personally I wouldnt. Nothing wrong with steppers as such but once you have used servos and see the velocity and acceleration that can be had steppers dont look so good ;D

My Bridgeport was steppers and to be honest it worked very well for a lot of years but just recently I have been converting it to servos. Suppose it really didnt need it but it just seemed so slow, especially on acceleration, when I went from the lathe or the beaver mill to the Bridgeport.

Seems like yours must be an older model as this guys one has a toolchanger and AC servos as standard so the manual likely wont be much good but thanks for the offer anyway.
Hood
Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2011, 03:40:26 PM »
Hi again Hood, mine is a 1988 model and it had a tool changer on it. I took it off as it relied on pnuematices to open and close the tool lock and the electronics needed to spindle to be locked in a set position, the table at a home point and pnuematics also fed the tool towards the spindle. It jammed more times than it worked correctly. I dont mind standing with my hands in my pockets waiting for me to make manual tool changes. (keeps me awake). Jim

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Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2011, 05:36:48 PM »
Jim, does the manual have electrical drawings or info on the operation of the toolchanger?
Hood
Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2011, 02:18:31 AM »
Yep it does have electrical diagrams but no mechanical drawings. Hood I looked at several ways of adapting mine before taking it off and flogging it. lots of problems with orientation of spindle and pnuematics so give up. The process to change a tool went someting like this
Call for tool number
machine goes to TCP
Proximity sensor on spindle orientates spindle to set position to line up driving dogs by reverse and forward spindle actions along with an electronic drive locking of the spingle motor
pneumatic cylinder drives the T changer towards spindle and engages into spring loaded tool holder on carousel (sometimes)
pneumatic release of tool holder from spindle (sometimes)
Pneumatic tool changed goes down to clear spindle and allow rotation to next tool
carousel rotates to new tool requires ( uses a stepper and a proximity sensor on the carousel)
tool change comes up with new tool  and locates in spindle and driving dogs (sometimes)
TC retracts (pneumatic)
spindle starts and continues with machining

The machine needed 100psi mainly to release the tool holding locking clamp, and unfortunately if the spindle got warm I used to tap the tool holder with a copper hammer to help release the tool. I used to be an engineering lecturer (mechanical not electronic) and this machine was in my department from 1988 to 2000 when I purchased it for home. It used to make chess sets on a machining cell with a denford Orac lathe, 2 robots and a conveyor. You are right about stepper driven axis by the time we had made 20 chess men the last one was 0.5mm smaller then the first. My machine now holds its size well so it must have been the Denford electronics at fault.

Hood there was 2 boxes full of electronics which I threw away when I got ride of the tool changer to a bloke from down south who bought the unit from me off eBay. When it gets light I will go down the shed (workshop) and look to see if I still have the wiring diagrams or pictures of the tool changer, if I have I will scan them and post on the forum.
Jim
Re: Mach3 pendant
« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2011, 02:26:23 AM »
Just found this on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_sFbcKekM

Would have saved all that writing on the previous posting