[damae]

It was a bit scary hauling a trailer weighing 13,000lb down I5, but I made it home with my two new (to me) Mori Seiki lathes!

One is a 1980 model SL-1 with the single-line Yasnac control. This is the machine that the machine shop manager was sad to see go, because it still held tolerance and was perfect, mechanically. Unfortunately, it is reported to have a power supply problem. They decided it was too expensive to retrofit and so reluctantly decided to let it go.

The "new" one is a 1981 with the CRT Yasnac 2000 control. The electronics are good, but the turret was reported to have problems sticking on occasion.

My plan is to attempt to get both running. If the controls are difficult/expensive to fix, I'll convert to Mach3. Anyone know a good 5HP DC Motor controller?

Anyway, the two machines are squeezed into my 2-car garage, waiting for me to install a large rotary phase converter.

[damae]

Who wants a car in the garage anyway!?

[damae]

Here's how I got these lathes into the garage.

I've done a lot of thinking about the best way to move machinery. This time I took a new approach and rented an 8000lb reach forklift. It was $230 for the one-day rental of a Gehl 35' forklift. They delivered and took it away for just $100! Not a bad deal, considering they had to bring it on a semi truck. It weighs 22,000lbs, so too heavy for me to trailer on my own. I consider the delivery $100 well spent! The thing is huge. In one picture you can see how it dwarfs my 8000lb Hyster S80.

Funny thing is that I rented a lift truck when I already have a Hyster sitting in my driveway. But it has a leaking main mast seal. The irony is that the rented Gehl forklift blew a hydraulic steering line while we were using it and I wound up with a few gallons of hydraulic fluid on my driveway anyway.

Back to the move. It was nice having this reach forklift, because most forklifts are too tall to drive into a regular 2-car garage, my Hyster S80 included. Conventional forklifts will help you get your machine tool off the truck and _almost_ into the garage. With the mast touching the garage door trim, your mill/lathe/surface grinder is still sitting part of the way out of the garage. That leaves you wrestling the machine the rest of the way by hand.

With the reach forklift, we simply drove up to the garage and with the flick of a lever, boomed out until the lathe was 12' into the garage! Of course you better get positioned correctly by the time you boom out that far. Extended 12' out, the forklift lacked the needed power to lift the 5500lb machine back up once we dropped it.

Did I say DROPPED? A very experienced rigger that I hired recently said "Drop?? We don't say drop. We say 'placed!' "

Anyway, it was very convenient to reach all the way into the garage and just set it down where I wanted it. The reach also came in handy when I had to reach the second lathe which was sitting too far in on the trailer to reach using a regular forklift with 48" forks. And it was nice that getting the forklift back to the rental shop was someone else's problem. I simply called and told them to mark it as "off rent."

[kek_63]

I recently picked up a twin to your 1981 also with a 2000GII controller. Did you get any documentation - manuals/wiring diagrams with yours? I'll be happy to pay for your time to scan.

My 3-jaw chuck is also missing some parts; if you ever have your's apart I would really appreciate a few pics.

If you are new to these machines, there is a lot of info on the Mori Seiki Underground Forum at http://nosala.com/phpBB2/ .

Later,
Keith

[damae]

Hi Keith,

I have a stack of manuals about 300mm tall! No need to pay me for scanning... it just comes down to when I can get time to do it all. If you need anything in particular, such as a schematic, I can hunt it down and scan those pages sooner.

I don't have a 3-jaw chuck. My lathes both came equipped with 3J Collet Noses and a heap of matching collets. Any hint on where I would go for a 3-jaw chuck?

More pictures coming.. just have to get some time to sort them out.

[kek_63]

I would appreciate anything you have for the 1981. What I need most right now is wiring schematics (for machine and controller) and ladder (logic) diagrams. I need help with the startup relay sequence - not getting any power to the power supply. This machine sat for about a year before I got it so it might be as simple as a stuck switch or ??

Might help to post a query on the Mori Underground for a chuck. Did you get any tool holders?

Thanks for your assistance,
Keith

[damae]

Hey 70Cyclone, I also sent you a PM -- I'm interested in buying the chuck.

Hope I didn't get scooped! =)

[kek_63]

Hey 70Cyclone, I also sent you a PM -- I'm interested in buying the chuck.

Hope I didn't get scooped! =)

Naw, I'll leave the chuck for you. You should see if the power supply will work on your single line.

Say, did you get any of the SL-1H docs scanned yet? Not that I'm in a huge rush for them. I just bought another Machine center and need to do some shop renovation to get it in.

[70cyclone]

well if kek doesn't want the chuck its all yours. I see that you must be local so I can bring it to you and possibly help get your machines running. I do have lots of working parts for them. I will give you a call.

[damae]

Sounds great!

You have my mobile # in a PM I sent. Yes, I am local - just across the river in Vancouver. Look forward to chatting with you!

[JHCHOPPERS]

Hi, I am considering buying an SL-1 for a conversion to MACH3. Can you tell me if the X and Z servo motors are DC or AC control? If you could post a picture of the motor plate, that would be awesome.

Thanks,
Joel

[damae]

It's been a while, but I finally installed a rotary phase converter and ran power to the first of the two machines, the SL-1H.

Lessons learned:
1. Door switch! The machine will appear dead if the service panel door is opened.
2. If you're going to run the machine without a tailstock, the lines must be capped! My first attempt had all of the fluid pumping straight into the coolant drain!
3. Capping the hydraulic lines to the missing tailstock is a temporary measure. They are still slowly leaking fluid into my coolant drain.

It was a great thrill to see the machine come to life! Very satisfying to jog the axes around with the MPG and see the toolchanger working! I'm sure it would have been great comedy to watch my facial reactions as I fumbled my way through the controls, trying to figure everything out.

So far, everything is working except the spindle. I'm looking for suggestions, especially the obvoius kind. Some of the switch labels are worn and I am not sure what some of the switches do... it's entirely possible there is a "disable spindle" toggle I missed somewhere.

Any ideas?

[nlh]

What control does this machine have?

I setup and run an SL-1 w/ a Yasnac 2000G control and no CRT on a near daily basis. I may be able to give you some pointers.

[damae]

What control does this machine have?

I setup and run an SL-1 w/ a Yasnac 2000G control and no CRT on a near daily basis. I may be able to give you some pointers.

The first machine is a SL-1H with Yasnac 2000G control with CRT. The second machine (which doesn't have power wired to it yet) is a SL-1A, also with a Yasnac, but with the single-line display.


I recently wired-in a rotary phase converter -- I might have the phase rotation wrong. Don't know how important that is.

[nlh]

Phase rotation is very important. If it is not correct, your pumps (coolant/hydraulic) will turn backward, that is, if the machines turns on at all. In my experience with my SL-1, if phase rotation is incorrect the machine can still be powered up but will be in permanent alarm mode until phase rotation is corrected.

I would say your phase rotation is correct if your able to perform tool changes and the tailstock lines are pumping out oil.

On my machine to turn the spindle on in manual mode, first the chuck needs to be clamped, make sure your MODE knob is turned to a setting that will allow manual movement (usually anything other than EDIT, MEM/AUTO, TAPE, or MDI). Then depress the spindle forward or reverse button and use the spindle speed knob to control rpm.

Another thing to try to get your spindle turning. Put the mode selector knob in MDI mode, the input M3 and S(rpm of your choice) and then push cycle start.

Keep in mind all of this may be slightly different with your 2000GII crt control. I have no experience with that particular variant. However it should be close.

Hope this helps, good luck!

[Waynno]

A bit of advise on running these old Moris on Phase converters. Make darn sure
the taps are correctly set on the transformers in the rear cabnets.

If not, the Spindle drive can blow making the machine nearly worthless.

Spindle drives are the weak link in those machines. If your not sure
how to check the taps, have a qualified tech check them for you

Wayne
http://nosala.com/

[underthetire]

And after you have completed the above items, press the foot petal for chuck clamp.

[nlh]

Yes, don't forget the foot pedal! lol

Any luck with it today?

[damae]

Yes, don't forget the foot pedal! lol

Any luck with it today?

Unfortunately, I still can't get the spindle going. The more I play with the controls, the more I realize I need to read through the operator's manual. I suppose I should have expected MDI mode to be very different from Mach, which I ran on my Bridgeport Series I mill.

I'm down to three likely causes:
1. Blown spindle drive (caused by installing 3 phase power wrong)
2. Stuck button on the control panel. Some of the buttons are a bit gummy. Spindle FWD is missing the plastic cap, although I can push the plunger with a pen.
3. Operator Error (Not knowing how to turn on the chuck clamp, for instance)

If I haven't blown the spindle drive already, then switching the phases would be one way to guarantee I did. =) The manuals I have don't have any instruction about how or where to adjust the taps. I need to take a closer look at the wiring schematic.

So I have two choices:

Option A: Hope that the phases are wired correctly and work through the list of things that could cause a normally functioning spindle to not turn on.

Option B: Assume that the phases are reversed and try switching L1/L2. I see this as more of a last resort.

[damae]

There's also an Option C: Tear down and retrofit.