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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    38

    Brother TC-S2A

    Hello Everyone,

    We just adopted a Brother TC-S2A-O for pretty pretty much scrap value.

    I got the machine powered on and the screen came alive. There is an alarm "5020 DC POWER ERROR (24V)". Any ideas on how we can get past that? Every button on the control panel has been non-responsive to any manipulation.

    There is also no pendant. Can the machine function at all without the pendant?

    I guess the real question is this. Did we buy a box of parts or a diamond in the rough? It's sitting on the loading dock until we decide to push it out to the door or hire a rigger to drop move it to the shop floor. I really love these machines and want to get it running if possible. I don't mind dropping some cash on it to get it right. I just need to find out if it's possible.

    TIA!!!
    David

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    132

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    Sounds like a dead power supply. Check for voltage coming off of its taps. If none, check the input voltage. If it's dead, find a suitable replacement from its supplied voltage and amperage output. AutomationDirect usually has cheap models that work well.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    38

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    I found the problem. Actually, I found a lot of problem. Parts on order so far are:

    I/O PCB
    ATC PCB
    Manual Pulse Generator
    ATC PCB
    ATC Encoder

    One of the screws for the turret cover pierced the red wire on the ATC encoder, effectively shorting it to ground. This fried the ATC and IO boards, burning out several components on each pcb. We fixed the short and will install the new parts on Friday.

    The spindle motor looks to be brand new. Having said that, there was a tag on the machine stating it couldn't read the spindle RPM. The spindle motor is also mounted loosely, meaning you can move it around by hand. The tag also said the machine can't find it's position and there is an error on the Y Axis.

    The goal is to have a good machine for around $10k. We're getting close now,,,,,, fingers crossed.

    Yamazen has been amazing to work with so far.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    3891

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    was this from hgr? i was eyeing them last month.

    i think you got a diamond in the rough even if the control is non working, but it sounds like yamazen will get you going. for the price some of these machines go for, they are worth it for the castings alone.

    i got a tc225 and 229 from hgr a while back, both, shockingly, in really good running condition though they are both pre g code models, so they need a control regardless. i tried a linuxcnc conversion on the 225 but the analogue servos were too hard to tune, i will revisit them both when i get a new shop.

    yamazen was great help with manuals, wiring diagrams, and other info and have all the way cover seals and little bits needed to make them production worthy again.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    38

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    This is the machine from HGR. It turned out to be a total diamond in the rough. Somebody spent some real money trying to fix it... brand new spindle... never used. They let a bunch of chips fall into the spindle so a tool was stuck in the spindle. They also put the turret on wrong. They also shorted a 24V wire on the turret, which fried two boards. We fixed most of it ourselves but hired Yamazen to figure out what was wrong with the spindle. He said the machine is in great shape. It' not too pretty but it's up and running. We got it done slightly under budget. Just getting ready to run first parts now.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    3891

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    Nice!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    38

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    Okay... we got it up and running. This thing RIPS!!!

    I would say it's not quite a diamond in the rough, though not a total turd either. It cuts nice parts but we noticed a problem with the surface finish in the X and Y axis. It turns out it needs new X and Y linear rails and blocks installed. This is more than we were hoping.

    It will be a nice machine at a good price if you can do the work yourself. I have the repair manual with instructions on how to do it. I've been told it takes 2-3 hours by Yamazen technician. I would guess that would be 4-8 hours for me to do it.

    It was a worthwhile gamble and a fun journey but it's time to cut bait. We need something that works NOW and have purchased two newer machines that are in better condition.

    We need the room so it's going up on ebay next week. First $5k takes it, as-is, where-is. We have a loading dock and will load it on your dock-level truck for free.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    3891

    Re: Brother TC-S2A

    Doh!

    For DIY those are super easy to swap out to new rails and blocks. run under $1000us most likely for SBC or surplus THK if you do some digging. yamazen is likely asking $2400+ for just the 8 blocks right?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Posts
    38
    We didn’t even price out the parts. We’re turning down jobs because it’s not running. Every hour without a machine is costing us money. We found an AWESOME package deal on two perfectly running machines. Now we have a storage / space problem. It already has a new spindle motor so it really could be an awesome machine for the right person.

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