Last ditch attempt this weekend to see if I can get this up and running with its original controller. Being based in the Uk, these Bridgeport Romi lathes are few and far between,, and parts availability pretty much zero. I am loathe to spend any money on spares for it from the states, given its reputation for being plagued with electrical gremlins from the start. So, its decisions time.
It's basically a low mileage 16,5x40" engine lathe,fitted with ballscrews anda pc based controller from Bridgeport.140v dc servo motors,the one on the x axis showing signs of being rebuilt at some point,( rebuilding company's sticker embedded in a thick coat of paint). Given it's unreliable status,and showing signs that the previous owner had thrown a fair amount of money at it,coupled to me not being able to test if the servo drivers and servo boards are any good,makes me think he best way forward would be to rip it all out and start again. Financially ,at this point,it would make sense to use a controller that would drive these existing servos,hence my thinking of using a csmio IPA. If it turns out that the servo or drivers are shot, I need a cost effective solution. I do like the look of the ac servos,they would make fir a very clean and tidy installation.Here in lies the problem...
Being totally new to this and having never done anything like this,how do I size the ac servos? I want to use servos,not stepper motors. These most likely will be sourced from China.Having read up a bit,there are calculators out there, but not knowing the weight of the saddle ,etc, they seem pretty useless