[geckocycles]

Looking at one for sale here but it keeps getting a "emergency stop or limit switch encounter" and you have to reset it.
When you hit jog all is still good till you try to move XYZ.

I have checked all the limit switches and even tried unplugging the cables from the board. I do not here any noise when I hit the E Stop button. Shouldn't there be some noise?

This machine is pristine and was used to make wooden parts. All the flaking is still on the ways and the bed shines like a mirror. It was making parts, unplugged and moved across town. Cleaned off the wood dust and now this.

Any ideas?

Looks like these were made in Louisville, Co where I live by Colorado Numerical Control Corp.

[holbieone]

does it have a dead man switch ?

[geckocycles]

WOW!!!!! LOL
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RoboTool-00...EAAOSwYbdcTAJ1

[geckocycles]

I got my head issue resolved and maybe selling a control. I also have a Acorn BOB and 2 boards from CNC4PC to allow easy hookup using RJ45 cables. My pendant is cabled and was told that Acorn doesn't support cabled pendants like I have. Bummer. This system is working fine except that I am getting some noise when I run the spindle with the drives off. Teco said I need filters after the VFD for the spindle motor. I have a filter before the VFD mounted inches away. Should be easy fix, just need to find out what to get. Funny when I had the spindle motor on the table testing it all worked great with no noise. Mount it on the head and now if I turn on the spindle with the VFD and don't have the drives turned on, all - axis move slightly.

Why would there be a difference with the motor sitting on the table or mounted? Motor was on plywood on the table.

[geckocycles]

NOt sure what you mean. It has a main power switch and the emergency stop button that you push to stop and turn to reset, a small stop button on the panel. THe reset button is on the floppy drive.

[holbieone]

i don't remember what brand machine , but years ago i ran a small mill where you had a small hand held pendent with one button on it that you had to keep pressed to move an axis

if you let go or didn't press the button ,it gave a similar error


also check to see if you have power going to the drives

[geckocycles]

I'm still reading the manuals but have yet to see anything mentioned like that.

No power is sent to the drives as it won't get past this screen first.
My friend has a Bridgeport that is similar and he says that even if the lube system is not working you will get a similar error. There is a line not hooked up down there.
The main thing is that on his BP the E Stop triggers all kinds of switch sounds which this one is doing nothing.

[skullworks]

I would look for a lube alarm - but more likely is an air pressure sensor switch not seeing the minimum pressure to activate the spindle break as required for E-Stop.

[geckocycles]

THX for the suggestion. I did read that there is an air brake but didn't see anything in regards to a air hook up.
I don't have the Service manual though, all I have is the program and operation manuals.
I can't autohome either. On the cover of one of the manuals it says to type 96 to bypass autohome procedures which I do and it then allows me to continue. Not sure how you would find out how to do that without some support or maybe the service manual.

Does anyone have a service manual or for that matter one of these machines at all?

I did find out that the engineer for Robotool in Louisville, CO. that was giving support for these died in a plane crash last year. So sad.

If there was ever a machine that was a excellent candidate for a retro this is one. I can't afford to do that though at this time. I did see a post somewhere where a guy completely rewired one for about $2000 instead of the $4 to $5K that was quoted here local to have it done. He did the work himself. The guy is asking $1000 for this machine. I am going to either sell my J-Head BP or my benchtop knee mill to pay for this. I would rather not sell the BP if I can help it but I just may if this runs as is. Of course the fly's are lining up at the door to get the BP for $1000. The benchtop is more in line at $1000

[skullworks]

For the price of a Mesa 7i43 or so you could likely get the machine running using (EMC2) LinuxCNC nearly as is.

However, upgrading the encoders would be the first step - then maybe the amps then you would have a nice little screamer.

I pulled out my CVM-1 manual - and found the manual I have is just the "Programming Manual". I actually went to the Louisville, CO facility to look at the CVM-1 sometime 89-94 but they only had 2 left and had started fitting a newer 286 and 386 based controls vrs the Z-80A that the CVM-1 used.

The Z80A control had low count encoders so it could keep up - the later controls used higher count encoders but I don't think many of these newer machines were sold before the company closed.

[Ratdog]

Did a retro on a Mighty Comet, same thing..... Used MachMotion equipment, works great.
Have all the drives and boards off the machine, would part with them....., actually everything but the enclosure and the spindle motor.

[geckocycles]

I didn't use a shielded spindle motor cable. I bought a 3ph EMI filter and that cured the problem. I did buy a new cable and some toroidal filters I will try.
Got everything working except all the functions on the pendant when I started getting Mach4 issues. No word from Mach support.

I gave up on the Mach4 system with over $1200 spent on it and took it out.

Got another WIN10 mini computer, 22" touch screen both for $360
Got the Acorn plugged in and CNC12 installed and after CNC4PC sent me another C86 I had the Acorn system up and motion calibrated in a day! $430
What a waste of well over 2 months of 14/7 days not to mention the $ all for not.

Now to get it all in the enclosure and make parts!

[geckocycles]

Got the noise issue fixed. It was just the shielded cable. No need for the massive and pricey 3ph filter now. Didn't use the toroids at least not yet. I do have some small filters for the relays too.
Completely redoing the enclosure and putting everything in one. What a relief.

I'am almost done with my CNC plasma cutter frame too. I may just end up using the CNC4PC control for it being I have it if it doesn't sell. Would rather stay with one control type for all the machines now. I like CNC12.

[skullworks]

Looks like you made out like a Bandit (psydo pun intended)

Actually if you can run with the Robo-tool control it is more advanced than a Bandit. Great score!

[geckocycles]

THX for the encouragement Skull. Time will tell if I find anything.

I looked for air input and there isn't anything. So still confused on the air brake reference in the manual.
The lube system is not hooked up to any electrical. There is no cable at all going to it. I have no idea what pin number on what board is used to operate it either. One line isn't hooked up to the vertical way lube fitting. It won't reach. Not sure how this was routed. If this wasn't hooked up on the Bridgeport it wouldn't run at all.

as well as the coolant pin number. I sure wish I could find a service manual.


Being it did start going through the Auto process twice I don't think it was needed to run but needs to be hooked up.
I'm kind of confused being the manual says that it does have an air brake. There is a pin on the left side that I don't know what it does either. It is missing something as far as a lever goes. It may have something to do with a brake.








The lever on the right side feels like a back gear or spindle lock. I can't turn the spindle by hand with the lever pointing to the rear.

[geckocycles]

I feel like a bandit. I haven't turned the benchtop on in 15 years except for a couple of times for some quick thing. Apparently they are worth the $1000 as this one was not used much but abused lots before I got it. I bought it from the original owner in 95. Hardly a comparison.
I am having an electronic engineer come over in a few minutes. I'm stumped being it did run and now it doesn't. I thought I have checked very connection there is several times.

[skullworks]

OK - looks like the brake air cylinder assy has been removed and the oiling has been jury rigged.

I'm betting that oil line that is hanging loose went to the quill and Z ballscrew & nut. On the oil pump I think the power went into that silver item on the top of the box - looks like they were just using the manual "primer" pump to lube the machine.

I have a Hurco KM3P (cnc knee mill) - I'll shoot some pics of the spindle brake air cylinder and its mounts so you can see what would be there - and find the mounting hole locations so you can fab up what you need. May be over the weekend before I can take any pics.

If you can get into MDI mode - with someone else at the control panel - enter an M8 and start while you have your head in the control cabinet. M9 to shut it off. but you should be able to locate the coolant pump relay - and trace from there. I bet this machine uses "icecube" relays and you should hear them engage with ease.

Not sure but you could also try M5 - see if it triggers a relay for the spindle break air solenoid.

The lube pump might be powered via a relay that goes active when servo power is on, and the duty cycle maybe mechanically set inside the pump, Or the servo power relay may feed some other timing device.

The spindle brake is needed to lock the spindle when in high gear range so you can do a tool change. - you were correct that the lever on the right side is the high/low selector and with the lever locked to the rear the machine is in back gear (low). There should be a position just short of the full forward position which is a neutral spot. The actual latching positions can be adjusted for best operation.

[geckocycles]

I may have found a couple of people who have these machines and are hopefully going to send me a picture of what is missing as far as the brake nd oilier.

Being it did run a few times through the auto home sequence we thought that no other components feedback was needed to run. The engineer thought it could be circuitry issues. He is not a machine tool guy but just a guy that is familiar with electronics and it could take a week to possibly find a issue without diagrams.
I am still trying to find a local guy who is familiar with this. I don't want to spend allot on getting this running with the included controls. I am putting together a parts list for an upgrade keeping the servos for now and if I can't get the brake figured out then will go VFD. There is a guy who did one already on machsupport.com and has been very helpful so far. He has $2000 in it with VFD.

I will try your MDI suggestions.

[metalsmith32]

Hey geckocycles,
Do you still need some help with your Robotool mill. I am new here and I have one of those machines in working order that I use all of the time. I have the manuals that came with it also. My master disc has a bad sector on it so I can not make any extra operating disc's but still use the one operating disc that came with it. It has all the stuff like the automatic oiler, air braking, stop switch etc. that you were confused about.
Let me know if you need a picture or two of something to help out.
metalsmith32

[ngdayo]

Are you running the mill ?
I just got one and it is running
But I can't get the rs232 recive working ?
do you know how ?