[Fadal Error]

I have a 1994 VMC4020HT Model 906-1.

The spindle is giving me trouble. It was running fine until the spindle wouldn't start up one time. I shut the machine down, restarted and tried to run it again. The spindle will start once, run for a little while (the time seems to vary) and then it will shut down. It spins down slowly without any braking. It will not start after that. The same cycle will repeat if I shut down and restart the machine.

I got error #48 C Axis fault. Axis controller does not respond to NC one time. Another time I got error #10 Spindle overload.

This is my main machine and work is piling up so I may give up and call in the technician pretty quick.

[alex gitzel]

It sounds like the spindle drive is failing,but the spindle card not responding to nc would make me look at that first,reseat the card in the cage and retry.if you happen to have -6 control cards you can swap it with another axis (be sure to swap eproms and selector jumpers).look in the back cabinet and see if there is any faults on the drive and is powered up.

[Fadal Error]

I didn't get much done today. Trying to keep the other machines running.

I did pull the board and reseat it. It is a 1010-4S. I noticed that the spindle load meter is at 100% when I turn the mill on now and the spindle will not even start up.

[Neal]

FYI-- #48 is not an error code. It is a spindle command signal identifier that failed to complete it function. The cause could be in the drive, the controller card and connections, or even the spindle hall switch. Try a push pull wiring test, reseat the controller cards. When it happens observe any error displayed on the drive.

Neal

[Fadal Error]

I just checked all of the wires and reseated the 1010-4s card. I watched the display on the drive while I had the warmup program running. It displayed 2400 RPM when it was running at 1200. After a couple minutes I heard the spindle winding down. The display showed "d121" for a second and then "dcHI"

[Fadal Error]

The techs just left. They say it is the drive. Now to find a Baldor Sweodrive.

[denmar]

Before getting another Inverter:
Check incomming power to Inverter; 230v all 3 legs; Ohm out the spindle motor wires for short; (contamination from coolant) back cabinet relays, Hall effect switch ( top pulley).
Try running the spindle with M4 (reverse). Fuses inside Inverter.

[Fadal Error]

Thanks for the tips.

I have a local guy coming to look at it. He used to design circuit boards, so maybe he can figure it out. I really wish I had taken that electronics class in school.

[iess525]

Thanks for the tips.

I have a local guy coming to look at it. He used to design circuit boards, so maybe he can figure it out. I really wish I had taken that electronics class in school.

Give us a call if you'd like a second opinion over the phone. We can troubleshoot over the phone and will try to get you the best deal on a replacement spindle drive if that's what you need.

-Shelvin
TheFadalParts.com
(818) 678-9456

[alex gitzel]

I forgot to ask if the service tech ohmed the spindle motor,i just assumed it was done.the motor needs to be checked for shorts to ground before installing the new drive.a bad motor is a very common reason for the drive to fail,and will damage the new drive.I just wanted to put it out there,you never know,the tech may be new and did not check it.

[Fadal Error]

The tech said he checked the motor and ruled it out as the problem, but I'm not sure if he megged and ohmed it. I have a tech coming out today to install the new drive. I thought of attempting it myself since VMC Electric supplies the instructions, but I want to make sure everything is done right.

I think I may have found the cause of the failure. A couple months ago, I started the machine and got a message that the parameters had been lost. When I was reviewing them last week, I noticed that I had not set the high torque setting to "yes". I need to have the tech check all of the parameters to make sure they are right.

[alex gitzel]

the high tourqe parameter setting should not cause the drive to fail.having some of the others wrong may cause an issue, ie the spindle type(speed)or the vector(yes/no).the parameters the machine was setup with at the factory are printed on the inside of the monitor cabinet door,for the future.also when the tech is done type command SETP and copy the parameters for your self,also BL for backlash.most likely the drive just failed on its own.

[Fadal Error]

So the drive was installed today, but the tech tells me I need a new motor because this one is running a little rough. It was strange. The spindle sounded different with the new drive. I knew it had been running a little rough. It was most noticeable at low speeds.

There is a local motor shop that says they can service this motor, so I'm going to pull it and take it down there. Once they assess it, I will decide if repair or replacement is the way to go.

I really need to get this mill up and running. Work is piling up and I'm afraid to even send quotes out right now since I can't be sure what my capacity will be. I only have a VMC 20 and a couple old Bridgeport CNC mills on the floor to try to keep up otherwise.

[Fadal Error]

I believe the tech had megged and ohmed the motor, even before replacing the drive. He said the motor was fine, but now the vibration is noticeable with a good drive. That leads me to believe that it may just be the bearings that need servicing.

[alex gitzel]

call dave at vmc electric his number is on the instruction book that came with the drive.there are auto tunning procedures that may solve the issue.he will also be able to tell a lot by the reading coming through the screen on the drive, and tell the condition of the motor.dave is very knowlageable about these machines.

[Fadal Error]

Looks like the tech took the book.

I got the number from Dan. Left a message for Dave. Thanks for the tip.

[Fadal Error]

I found the installation instructions and did the ana tune. I set the RPM factor to 0 and messed with the ramp setting. It's currently at 21. It will sometimes tap (air tapping with no tool, so I'm not sure of the quality of the tapping) and sometimes it will stall out and give me an error message:

C axis fault
Error #7
Motor overload


The gain is set at the factory setting of 60.

[alex gitzel]

The error#7 is related to the feedback from the encoder and drive to the spindle card,i have seen crossed wires on cable that goes from the drive to the card cause this,and also if the wires are in too far the clamp may be just on the insulation and not the wire.I think you resat the card already.I am thinking the encoder is going bad,I would talk to dave again and see if the the feedback is good in the drive,also check the cable on the card pull it out and check the pins,if you took the card out you may have got a bad connection or a bent pin.there is a tool and program to check the tapping quality,but i almost never have to adjust the ramp+gain from the factroy setting,i would put it back it should work fine.

[Fadal Error]

I have been trying to run a program that taps a single hole. I can usually get it to work once, but then it will hang up the next time. Changing the settings doesn't seem to be improving anything.

[Fadal Error]

I checked wires 31, 32, 33, 34 and 38. The are connected correctly. The card and connectors look good.

I should note that I used to have this problem intermittently with the old drive. Maybe it is the encoder that is going bad. I wouldn't expect it to get worse with the new drive, but that seems to be the case.

The spindle seems slow in orienting for tool changes too. It's really making me suspect the encoder.