[FannBlade]

Dad...can move back home! Wish i problems like that here.

[slowtwitch]

That is one nice lathe, Allen ...good luck with it

[allenj20]

Video update number 8

Making chips w00t! :rainfro:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W33eJi9_k4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W33eJi9_k4[/ame]

[Sweeney]

Looks awesome, Allen! I'm ready to order my motor mount now!
Do you plan to document all that you've done? ...could be a 'Best Seller' ;o)

[Brian L]

Very nice, and the way the machine should have come in the beginning. I'd like to see that same cut but .25" or .50" deep per pass and see what it sounds like then.

Excellent work on the refit, Phil should be taking notes.... and I bet your replacement parts would cost him less than what he's using in volume OEM purchasing....

[FannBlade]

Nice Job. Sounds really really smooth.
Sucks you had to go through all that work and money to get it right. But sounds like the end result was spot on.

[SWATH]

Yup ALL those issues you detailed with the original spindle are EXACTLY what I'm experiencing. I don't know why but I find if very hard to cut anything without chipping my endmills. I can do the most uninterrupted cut with the most conservative lead in but still manage to get chipped tools. In fact yesterday I was cutting a slot with a 3/8 rougher in 4140 and no matter what feedrate I had it would chatter and ended up chipped the flutes. I started to suspect that maybe it is again the spindle causing this somehow because the the RPM dips way down when the endmill contacts the part before it starts to stabilize within the cut. I've found Gwizard to be useless when trying to program feeds and speeds because of this spindle, even the most conservative setting on the turtle is waaay too aggressive. I suppose it works just fine if you just pretend it's a Taig or something and use it like that. In fact while trying to CAREFULLY wipe some weird staining off of the spindle face with a paper towel and mild pressure while spinning I could hear the spindle slow down from just the friction

Your new motor sounds fantastic in that cut, whereas mine sounds like a train trying to come to a screeching halt half of the time. I've got to wear earmuffs. Anyway I'm off to reorder tools now.

[allenj20]

Thanks Pete

Can't believe I signed up for another project. But at least this one I knew was going to be a project.

That is one nice lathe, Allen ...good luck with it

[allenj20]

Thanks John,

Your motor mount is on my list up next.

Looks awesome, Allen! I'm ready to order my motor mount now!
Do you plan to document all that you've done? ...could be a 'Best Seller' ;o)

[allenj20]

Hey Thanks,

It does suck don't buy a Mikini unless you plan on replacing the electronics would be my advice.

Nice Job. Sounds really really smooth.
Sucks you had to go through all that work and money to get it right. But sounds like the end result was spot on.

[allenj20]

I feel your pain is all I can say.

Yup ALL those issues you detailed with the original spindle are EXACTLY what I'm experiencing. I don't know why but I find if very hard to cut anything without chipping my endmills. I can do the most uninterrupted cut with the most conservative lead in but still manage to get chipped tools. In fact yesterday I was cutting a slot with a 3/8 rougher in 4140 and no matter what feedrate I had it would chatter and ended up chipped the flutes. I started to suspect that maybe it is again the spindle causing this somehow because the the RPM dips way down when the endmill contacts the part before it starts to stabilize within the cut. I've found Gwizard to be useless when trying to program feeds and speeds because of this spindle, even the most conservative setting on the turtle is waaay too aggressive. I suppose it works just fine if you just pretend it's a Taig or something and use it like that. In fact while trying to CAREFULLY wipe some weird staining off of the spindle face with a paper towel and mild pressure while spinning I could hear the spindle slow down from just the friction

Your new motor sounds fantastic in that cut, whereas mine sounds like a train trying to come to a screeching halt half of the time. I've got to wear earmuffs. Anyway I'm off to reorder tools now.

[allenj20]

Two more video updates, Man I should have done this retrofit about a year ago. The new spindle works.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjYMU8Wk-YU]Mikni 1610L AC motor and VFD replacement project video 9 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1xFkUpssA]Mikni 1610L AC motor and VFD replacement project video 10 - YouTube[/ame]

[slowtwitch]

This is going to be one of my top priorities this summer....converting my Mikini to an AC drive. Allen, I watch your videos and I'm in awe at what your machine does compared to mine. I would have been in a few spindle halts and alarms with the cuts you did.

Great job and thanks for posting the updates, it's really encouraging to see the full potential of this machine.

[Brian L]

Allen,

Great results and you can definitely tell that spindle can actually do some cutting now! You could hear a bit of load with the shell mill, but the 1/2" carbide rougher sounded sweet... I think you will find you have opened up a whole new world of kick ass metal removal now.

Oh... you don't need to slow down the rpm on that shell mill if you don't want to... carbide on aluminum can go way faster than 5400 rpm with a 1.5" diameter cutter, regardless of what the books and calculators say. I had a 10,000 rpm spindle on a Fadal and ran more like 4" diameter cutters... only rpm limit was what was specified on the body of the cutter.

[mcphill]

Allen, looks great so far. If you have the chance to cut some steel as well, so we can see the performance at a lower spindle rate, I would appreciate it! That's where I am "falling down" today with the current spindle.

[SWATH]

That's great! Although I have a hard time converting cutting aluminum to cutting steel as I have never really cut aluminum. The only thing I cut is 4140HT and ABS at least so far. All I know is that my hobbled spindle doesn't spin fast enough (3300 RPM) to efficiently cut ABS, and it doesn't have any guts to cut steel at least reliably of efficiently. I can barely get a drill over .5 to work especially a HSS one. It's like I can't do anything without a spindle halt or chipped tools or usually both. The max I can face mill is 3" WOC, .005" DOC and that is pinging around 60-70% spindle load.

Do you have a way yet to determine spindle load?

[Sweeney]

I just ordered my motor, VFD and main board for my Mik-Allen project. I'll need to pick your brain, Allen, for the rest of the bits like power supply, etc.

I really appreciate the work you've put into this!

[howecnc]

I am surprised that Mikini has not posted any comments on these modifications. They must still watch this forum.

[SWATH]

[Mikini] We do not condone the action of the poster due to the highly dangerous procedures and/or but not limited to the questionable outcome of varying the operating parameters outside of design specifications given that the origin of the "problems" the user claims to be experiencing are no doubt due to the unbalanced and unclean supply power as well as improper grounding that is common among ignorant residential users lacking appropriate accreditation from an institute specializing in isolating electrical anomalies specific to our industrial grade machines. We highly recommend in the strongest terms that no one attempt anything remotely close and/or otherwise similar to the detailed actions perpetrated by the user. Doing so will automatically cancel and void any remaining warranty or technical support privileges and may subject the unwise user to an inoperable or otherwise malfunctioning machine and serious injury or death of but not limited to the user and the user's family, pets, and/or neighbors. The AC modification of the spindle motor and driver is far inferior to the BLDC used in our industrial machines anyway so such actions are effectively taking a step backwards in technology and performance. (BTW Allen contact us, we would like to know how you did that, so cool)[/Mikini]

Just pullin' ya tit mate.

[Sweeney]

[Mikini] We do not condone the action of the poster due to the highly dangerous procedures and/or but not limited to the questionable outcome of varying the operating parameters outside of design specifications given that the origin of the "problems" the user claims to be experiencing are no doubt due to the unbalanced and unclean supply power as well as improper grounding that is common among ignorant residential users lacking appropriate accreditation from an institute specializing in isolating electrical anomalies specific to our industrial grade machines. We highly recommend in the strongest terms that no one attempt anything remotely close and/or otherwise similar to the detailed actions perpetrated by the user. Doing so will automatically cancel and void any remaining warranty or technical support privileges and may subject the unwise user to an inoperable or otherwise malfunctioning machine and serious injury or death of but not limited to the user and the user's family, pets, and/or neighbors. The AC modification of the spindle motor and driver is far inferior to the BLDC used in our industrial machines anyway so such actions are effectively taking a step backwards in technology and performance. (BTW Allen contact us, we would like to know how you did that, so cool)[/Mikini]

Just pullin' ya tit mate.

Crap... I guess I'll cancel my orders...