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I upgraded to a Centroid acorn. I have some parts I removed during the conversion for sale.
Novakon rev 5.2 motherboard. $125
Ethernet Smooth Stepper rev 2 $100
Both for $200
$20 shipping each. If you buy both $20 total shipping.
I'm posting it here first in case someone wants original parts for their Torus Pro. If no one wants it I'm going to repost elsewhere because there may be some interest in the smooth stepper for other machines.
Are you going to post more about the Acorn upgrade?
I wrote about it in the Novakon upgrades thread. It's on the second page of the Novakon forum. Let me know if you have any specific questions. In summary I'm glad I put in the acorn.Quote:
Originally Posted by mklotz70
LOL.....dang my memory. I found your post about it and most of it was you answering questions I asked. I think I'm going to start buying the parts. I'm in the middle of a big project at the moment, so I'll have to leave the upgrade until that's finished. Maybe if I have the parts on hand, I'll actually do the upgrade when I've got some down time. :) Thanks!!!!
I did remember having the conversation with you but I did not remember what we discussed so I thought it would be best to point you back there.Quote:
Originally Posted by mklotz70
The acorn kit has almost everything you will need for the upgrade if you have a stepper based mill. I'm not sure about the servo system. In addition to the kit I had to buy a DB25 break out board. From the documentation you may be lured into thinking you can use the screw terminals instead of the DB connector. You can't so so don't waste time on it. I also had to replace the power relay to one with a 24 vdc coil. I also had to figure out the power draw bar it was not to hard to figure out but I did have a couple of wires left over that had to be connected to 5vdc to work.
After I did the change I was surprised how smooth things were. I also have none of the mach 3 weirdness bugs. No more axis runaways. No more failure to apply a tool offset.
If you do the upgrade start a thread on it and I'll help you out if I can.
Thanks for pointing me back there.
I'll probably just add it to my thread when I do it......but a separate thread might be a lot easier for others to find. I really like what I'm hearing about your conversion. Do you have sources or part numbers for the BOB and relay? I was just having an issue with the jog shuttle having runaway issues yesterday. I wanted to get a bit more done, but once it started doing that, I just shut it down. Basically, that's caused by a glitch in the USB function of windows. The easiest way I've found to fix it is to move all the USB cables to different ports....just swap them around....it forces windows to "deal" with them again....kind of a wake up.
I have a second hand Renishaw probe and tool setter I'd like to install when I do it.
I think I'll msg you my email. No point is cluttering up this thread more.
However you want to handle the upgrade is good. I do think a separate thread would be best so people can find it easier. We can also use email if you want but it would be better to put it into a thread so others can benefit. As for the jog running away that is a Mach 3 known bug. I had issues with it. Has never happened since I switched to an acorn. I use a Drewtronics probe and am happy with it. I don't have an electronic tool setter but that might be nice.
Here is a photo of the sort of breakout board you will need. They are probably cheaper in the usa where you live. They make wiring a lot easier Search DB25 breakout board on Amazon. As for the relay just pull out the one already in the mill and take it to any electrical supply place and tell them you want the same thing with a 24 volt coil. It will plug right in to the socket that is already installed on the mill. Should be less than $15. I did this because I powered the relay with the power supply that comes with the acorn.