Hi all,

My name is Mike Turner, a long time member but just now getting back into cnc work. Shut my business down to care for my wife who was battling cancer and she lost that battle in Feb of 2011. Took some time off but now trying to start the business up again with better equipment. Bought a used Onsrud router, moved it to my shop and the controller died on me.

I have been battling this retrofit for two years and I need some help to get this finished.

1. I need an electronics guru specializing in cnc that can me with a couple of schematic problems.

2. I have several questions about Mach4 and it's intregration with Vital Systems Hicon Integra controller!


Mach questions to get started.

1.  I know from having used Mach3 for many years that you can use all the limits wired in series on a single pin and that saves some input spots. Can you do the same with       homing sensors and then home the machine one axis at a time, or maybe some other sequence. I will always want to home the Z axis first!!!!

2. When using the Hicon controller to control the spindle, is Mach still involved in the process, i.e. setting speeds, changing tools etc

3. Hypothetical question.......would it be possible to use 3 separate safety circuits all wired in series but not connected on the single E-Stop pin? This would include overtravel limits, edge switches on the tables, both front and rear, and vacuum loss? Would any one of the circuits being tripped constitute an E-Stop situation?

Turmite,
You can do all those things with the HiCON card.
Have you downloaded all the manuals, there are examples in them.
Marc and Rufi from Vital Systems, if asked on there forum will help you with most of these questions and more.
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/board,89.0.html
You have to take great care on wiring up a controller both to your self and the voltages you set up on the HiCON card/s.
Please ask someone that you know to help you that knows electronics and also involve Marc and Rufi.
Q1.
There are many ways to wire-up limit and homing switches and there are also two optional cards to do this as well if you do not have electronics experience.
Each motor X/Y/Z/A etc. (6 max) is wired up separately on the HiCON.
For example:
J13 INP12/13/14/15 would be Home X/Y/Z/A.
J13 INP8/9/10/11 would be Limit X/Y/Z/A.
Sequencing of homing can be controlled by Mach4.
Q2.
Settings are made in both Mach4 Settings and the HiCON card firmware settings.
J12 would connect the VFD relays on the Card.
GND = ACM
DAC = VI
RLC = DCM
RL1 = FOR
RL2 = REV
Q3.
You can have as many E-Stops as you care to wire up.
For example:
One on the controller.
One or more on the Mill.
One on the MPG.
Yes pressing any E-Stop will perform the same function.
You will have to write some Script code todo some of this.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Mauri.

Hello Mauri,

At this point, anything helps!  

Seriously though, I hired to guys, father and son team to come do this for me and when the son showed me the little circuit board he was intending to use I told him there was not enough room to put all the parts needed and he informed me that he knew what he was doing. So, I shut up! They were only coming once a week for one day and sometimes would miss a couple of weeks, but it was not costing me very much, and at this time in my life that was important. The got the machine to where we could command it and it would move correctly, and I was told one more trip and they would have it usable. When they came back and started working, I heard the son say to the father, "there isn't enough room for me to get everything on the board"! They left for the day and have never come back, will not return my phone calls (the son) and refused to let me have any notes or schematics!

I have had two other people who was suppose to come out and they have never showed, so I decided to do it myself! I graduated the Air Force electronics school but it was a very long time ago! I absolutely understand the safety concerns you have and am ever vigilant to adhere to sound safety practices!


I have downloaded all the manuals I can find, and if there is more not on the site, let me know.
I was just in phone contact with Marc and Rufi just before I got the email alerting me to your post so I am going pretty close to your suggestions!

Everything that will be used with the Hicon other than input power is 24 vdc and 9 vdc.

I guess I wasn't too clear on the E-Stop question. I am not talking about the red E-Stop buttons, but rather three separate safety circuits all tied to one input to stop the machine in case any one of the three were triggered. Rufi just told me that I really needed each of those circuits on a separate input pin so I could know where the trouble lay in case of a trigger.

Mauri do you know of anyone who really knows schematics and possibly theory?

Thanks again for your help!

Mike

Hi Mike,
How is the build going? If all fails, let me know, I may e interested in buying the machine as is.
Thanks

Hi Mike, did you get the machine up and running?

Hi Mike, did you get the machine up and running?

Pm sent!