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Author Topic: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?  (Read 270421 times)

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Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #70 on: May 16, 2016, 04:55:41 AM »
Look in the MPG Module manual for wiring diagrams.

The switch is needed if you wish to jog via keyboard at any time, if you dont have the switch then it will be permanently MPG only. On most of my machines I don't  use the keyboard jog except very occasionally. So I have fitted diodes to the  rotary switch for axis selection and take them from each position and tie them together and feed the resolution switches common from them. That way when the Axis select switch is turned to an off position (no connections) the resolution one doesnt get power and Mach is then back to Jog via Keyboard mode.

If you have your panel on an arm that swivels you should manage no problem to get to any end of the table for touch off :) but each to their own, lots of people like hand held pendants.

Hood

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #71 on: May 16, 2016, 05:26:10 AM »
Makes sense, have the manuals now.

That little pendant should fit in perfectly, I'm still leaning away from having a keyboard on the panel, heading towards a small numeric board, MPG, trackball instead.

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #72 on: May 16, 2016, 06:03:26 AM »
I think i am right in that when going CNC in metric units, it does not matter if the screws are metric or inch pitch as we are just telling it to move X amount of steps etc?

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #73 on: May 16, 2016, 06:34:51 AM »
Are you just going to use an on screen keyboard for editing code or doing MDI?

That is correct, steps per unit is all Mach cares about, doesn't care what the units are.
If you predominantly use Metric then set up native units as metric and if Imperial then set as Imperial.


Hood

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #74 on: May 16, 2016, 06:38:57 AM »
Hmm, always a catch, I completely forgot about manual stuff :(

Will keep searching for a keyboard but is there a smarter way to do this - you mention on-screen keyboard, can that be used with Mach3??

Offline Hood

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #75 on: May 16, 2016, 06:43:54 AM »
Yes you can use an on-board keyboard, in fact Mach has a numeric one, you can use for DROs, built in.
Operator menu the Auto Calculator and then each time, after you have chosen the option, that you click a DRO it will pop up.
It is only numeric though so does not work from MDI.

You can add an on screen keyboard, even Windows has one built in but personally I found they just got in the way and I didn't like them.

Hood

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #76 on: May 16, 2016, 06:48:31 AM »
Yes as i thought - they are a pain unless built in to the app in mind.

I will keep an open view on this part then.

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #77 on: May 16, 2016, 07:51:52 AM »
Ok, keyboards, once you figure out what to search for, they are there, some are silly pricy though.

Found one made an offer and was accepted so we now have a nice stainless keyboard, a separate stainless track-ball unit and the MPG pendant ;)

Ballscrews on the other hand are like chickens' teeth or rocking horse poo, will be an import job for sure, just trying to find a decent vendor.

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #78 on: May 17, 2016, 05:19:27 AM »
Using the CSMIO/IP-A,

each button on the panel, limit, etc needs one input on the unit yes?

Trying to work out how many bells and whistles I can play with without adding expansion I/O

Can it use one input for all homes and limits or do limit --/++ need to be separate? The book shows one input each which is a bit of a waste;)


Stainless keyboard just arrived, it's a start I suppose ;)
« Last Edit: May 17, 2016, 05:22:11 AM by Davek0974 »

Offline dude1

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Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?
« Reply #79 on: May 17, 2016, 05:41:56 AM »
with Mach3 you can have all limits on one input same with home, it just you don't know what limit is hit unless you can see what one is, you can also have home and limits as the same switch, but it a good idea to have home and limits, limits can be cheap switches. home switches for accuracy spend the money