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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    1389

    Modifications to your omni turn

    Well I got tired of seeing this section go no where so,

    What are some modifications that you have done to your attachment, Attachment meaning an omniturn mounted on a hardinge base?


    I converted mine and a few others to run direct drive to the motor with no pullies(org hardinge ones) and only a belt.
    took out all the hardinge garbage and ran from spindle to motor.
    this quieted the machine 500% and you can barely hear it run. and I have absoluetly NO tourqe issues.

    Another one was to use the hydraulic tank as a coolant tank. and use the hydraulic cooler (radiator and fans) to cool the coolant. I use oil so it heats up fast.


    Delw

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    41
    I purchased a used Hardinge DV-59 / OmniTurn. It had only control of the slides; no relay box or VFD for motor control.

    I used the published OmniTurn schematics to make a relay box and added a VFD. I removed the stock Hardinge electric panel and re-wired the motor to the VFD.

    I replaced the CRT with a color LCD monitor made for a car. It fit behind the display window perfectly. OmniTurn sent me the color version of their program.

    I replaced the hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD) from OmniTurn.

    I see a couple of companies make a unit that replaces the floppy drive with a USB adapter. Floppies will be harder to find as time goes on. This would be a neat mod to read programs off a USB stick.

    I want to remove the dual motor belts and go direct drive for my next project. The noise is getting pretty bad.

    Ed

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    71
    I just picked up a Feeler lathe with an old Omniturn attachment.

    I'd be interested in some of the mods you guys have made.

    Do you use any different or special size pulleys for the direct drive? It looks like it would be pretty straight forward. I've not had the headstock of one of these apart, so I'm assuming the cartridge spindle comes out the front in order to get the new belt around the pulley?

    Also, I'd like to find the floppy to usb converter. I haven't looked real hard, but haven't stumbled across anything yet.

    Royce Bunnell
    Pool Cues | Billiards and Pool Cues | OB Cues

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    1602
    Royce,

    Search for "usb floppy disk drive emulator" on eBay

    bob

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    71
    Thanks!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    11

    Live Tool additions

    Do You guys use any Live tooling on your machines. I got a Gt-75 btw.

    I have used a Fordam Drive with a flex cable for drilling side holes in the parts, and also bought a PM DC motor with a gear box for doing a slitting operation. This worked out ok, I just needed more torque, had to turn up my RPM's and was running faster SFM than I really wanted to. Trashed a few blades, but learned a lot.

    I bought an Air spindle for using an end-mill to land a flat on the part, but didn't get that quote so I haven't used it. Location and mounting of all this gear is interesting at times.

    I struggle with tool locations and how to populate the gang plate the most. I try to keep the tools as close to the holders as much as I can, but have had trouble with getting good coolant flow into a drill hole when the drill is not hanging out to far. I was thinking of a nozzle that is mounted to the gang plate. Flow thru the ER collet holder, was going to see if that would work as well.

    I use oil BTW, and have had some oil mist/smoke issues on one part that required lots of material removal. Have you guys added any type of mist collection system? Stuff on the market is spendy, figured I would try and design my own unit.

    I'll post a few pictures of what I have done later. The USB upgrade is on my list and also networking the CNC as well.

    A part catcher and Air blow off is on my short list of upgrades.

    -John Linghunt

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    19

    Re: Modifications to your omni turn

    Currently doing a double USB emulator swap on my omniturn?
    Have you done this and do you remember changing the jumper settings?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    19

    Re: Modifications to your omni turn

    FYI: Notes on replacing two floppy drives with USB floppy emulators.

    Do a search for ipcas floppy emulator software. This is much better than the crap that comes with the emulator.
    If you're even thinking about doing this download it now in case they change their mind on giving it away.
    Not sure yet as I'm not totally back up and running but I think you need this software to save files to the thumb drive.


    The emulator was a Gotek that I bought from Newegg. Jumper settings from factory worked fine.
    The USB thumb drive I bought for the system disk was one of those SanDisk 8GB drives that's not much bigger that the USB connector itself.
    The software parses it up into, I think 99 separate floppy "folders" each folder accessible on the omniturn by changing the folder number on the emulator.

    The most startling thing to me is that you need to use the factory supplied system disk making program (sysgt.exe) available on the omniturn website.
    Copying a system disk files to the thumb drive will not work. Still not sure why but I know this is the case.
    I had to open my desktop PC and put the emulator in place of the floppy then run sysgt.exe and it created the system on the little thumb drive.
    The emulator was set to file #00. It doesn't really matter as long as you keep it on the same number forever.
    Remember that offsets will be zeroed out as well as lube calendar and axis greasing reminders.
    If you've changed to LCD monitor you need to mess with a couple things but I have notes on that.

    By the way, I was very disappointed that the machine will NOT boot any faster.

    When putting the emulators in and connecting them up I did put them in the same order with the system floppy on the bottom and the program files on top.
    The ribbon cable goes from the motherboard to the top floppy and the end of the ribbon cable goes to the bottom, system floppy.
    If I remember right this does make a difference as to which one is the A drive and which is the B drive.
    Keep the red edge of the ribbon cable going to the #1 pin or the one closest to the power cable.
    I had to remove a pin on the emulator to fit to my pc cable as it had a blocked off socket. Evidently had some standards changed in the early years.

    For the time I spent figuring this out I would have been better off buying the setup from omniturn.



    Hope this helps.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    54

    Re: Modifications to your omni turn

    I realize this thread is pretty old, but any notes and pictures you and anybody else could share about any upgrades would be great!
    Thanks to you and everybody that has posted so far.
    I've got a pair of Hardinge Omniturn retrofits that I want to revamp. Things I'd like to do:

    -has anybody tried a disk on module (DOM), IDE SSD to boot from?
    -replace old, burnt in CRTs. What LCDs fit/work well? VGA card upgrades?
    -DIY parts catcher
    -DIY bar puller
    -live tooling of some sort
    -spindle VFD and belt upgrades. Link belts to make changing easier?
    -...


    Quote Originally Posted by BFHammer View Post
    FYI: Notes on replacing two floppy drives with USB floppy emulators.

    Do a search for ipcas floppy emulator software. This is much better than the crap that comes with the emulator.
    If you're even thinking about doing this download it now in case they change their mind on giving it away.
    Not sure yet as I'm not totally back up and running but I think you need this software to save files to the thumb drive.


    The emulator was a Gotek that I bought from Newegg. Jumper settings from factory worked fine.
    The USB thumb drive I bought for the system disk was one of those SanDisk 8GB drives that's not much bigger that the USB connector itself.
    The software parses it up into, I think 99 separate floppy "folders" each folder accessible on the omniturn by changing the folder number on the emulator.

    The most startling thing to me is that you need to use the factory supplied system disk making program (sysgt.exe) available on the omniturn website.
    Copying a system disk files to the thumb drive will not work. Still not sure why but I know this is the case.
    I had to open my desktop PC and put the emulator in place of the floppy then run sysgt.exe and it created the system on the little thumb drive.
    The emulator was set to file #00. It doesn't really matter as long as you keep it on the same number forever.
    Remember that offsets will be zeroed out as well as lube calendar and axis greasing reminders.
    If you've changed to LCD monitor you need to mess with a couple things but I have notes on that.

    By the way, I was very disappointed that the machine will NOT boot any faster.

    When putting the emulators in and connecting them up I did put them in the same order with the system floppy on the bottom and the program files on top.
    The ribbon cable goes from the motherboard to the top floppy and the end of the ribbon cable goes to the bottom, system floppy.
    If I remember right this does make a difference as to which one is the A drive and which is the B drive.
    Keep the red edge of the ribbon cable going to the #1 pin or the one closest to the power cable.
    I had to remove a pin on the emulator to fit to my pc cable as it had a blocked off socket. Evidently had some standards changed in the early years.

    For the time I spent figuring this out I would have been better off buying the setup from omniturn.



    Hope this helps.

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