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Author Topic: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?  (Read 270381 times)

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Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #60 on: May 15, 2016, 05:59:36 PM »
I like full keyboards on all my machines, I always use stainless ones with trackballs. Get them off eBay for reasonable prices but they only occasionally come up so you have to keep your eyes open.

I also have touch screens on all my machines, I usually get them on eBay as well, in fact the one on the Plasma was bought as a lot of 2 for £20 if I recall. They were not listed as touch screens but I noticed a USB socket on them so did some searching and found out that they were indeed touch screens, so snapped them up at the Buy it Now price :)

Personally never used a joystick, much prefer to use a MPG for everything, the CSMIO MPG motion is much nicer than the motion from Mach itself and it is very accurate in all modes unlike Machs MPG Velocity mode.

I fitted a hand wheel to my CNC Bridgeport as the manual controlled air motor was knackered when I got it. It worked fine by hand on the odd occasion I used it but normally I just left it set at one position which tended to suit most jobs.

Hood

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #61 on: May 15, 2016, 06:01:08 PM »
Oh and I personally like a lot more buttons than the few you mention, most machines have at least 9  I think and with the touch screen the others less commonly used can be operated without using the track ball.
Hood

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #62 on: May 15, 2016, 06:10:28 PM »
Here's a few pics of the panels I have on my machines, might oive you some ideas.

Hood

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #63 on: May 15, 2016, 06:12:03 PM »
One last one, this is the big lathe but I now have different buttons above the keyboard and on the right hand panel but the layout is similar, in fact most of the machines have a similar layout as it makes things familiar :)
Hood

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #64 on: May 15, 2016, 06:15:42 PM »
Found a pic of the button panel that is nowon the big lathe, here it is.
Hood

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #65 on: May 16, 2016, 02:17:24 AM »
That some nice panels there Hood, I think i have only seen one keyboard like that come up and it was about £200!

Will look to go for the MPG module as well and fit jog wheel/selector switches.

This is all a way off yet so i'm collecting ideas of course.

First job is convert from leadscrew to ballscrew...

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #66 on: May 16, 2016, 03:16:25 AM »
Just have to keep watching Dave, most of the ones I have were under £30, I once got a job lot of new ones and sold them on via the forum at cost, they went all over the world :D can't recall exactly how much but they were pretty cheap.

Hood

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #68 on: May 16, 2016, 04:41:58 AM »
Yes that would work but some slight rewiring would be required. If using as a hand held pendant (not keen on them myself for small machines) then you would need to fit a button on the feed to the rotary switches. If stripping and placing the MPG and switches on a panel then you do either do as I normally do and fit diodes and an off position or you could again add a button.

If using as a hand held I would probably want a pot on it as well.

Personally I think I would buy a MPG and rotary switches and pots and make my own up, whether for panel or hand held pendant, that way it will be exactly as you want.

Hood

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #69 on: May 16, 2016, 04:47:39 AM »
Handheld does have an attraction here - its a small machine but has a 48" table so the left end could be way out of arms reach when doing edge-finding etc.

Have you a link or any sketches to the wiring etc, I gather the button is needed because we need a pulse rather than the permanent switch output ??