[Steve_Watkins]

The MP11 probe arrived today.

Looking good!
I did a quick test and all worked well. Great .

Now I have to make an adapter with a straight shank of 15mm to have it fit in my ER35 collet.
And of course a socket to plug it in.

Could I get you to take a picture of the connector on the MP11 Mine is not straight and I do not know which one is suppose to be pin 1...

[oldraven]

Attachment 370850

The connector has a half moon shape. that is the top.
the pin top left is #1 , top right is #2.
Bottom right is #3 , bottom left is #4.

The wiring diagram in the manual is good, just draw a half moon line over the top of the circle.
Mind that the plug on the cable is a mirror of the connector.
I found a drawing ( in russian) depicting the connection of the cable.
Attachment 370852

The picture of the MP11 I got from the internet.

[Steve_Watkins]

Thanks Old raven!

Mine is exactly 180 degrees opposite of yours... Now this brings up the question of which one is right as to the number one pin Did you trace out your pins and do you know which correspond to the fitting on your machine?

I working here with one hand tied behind my back as I can't open up the probe to check inside. I made a deal with the ebay seller that if it was DOA I can return it so I don't feel right in opening it up and then saying its DOA.... AND I don't want to return it if it is good so I really need to make sure things on my end are right.

[Steve_Watkins]

Just to make sure before I blow this up This picture shows what I understand from your description. Do I have it correct?

[oldraven]

Yes, this is correct.

The drawing of the plug on the russian drawing is correct too.
It is the view from looking at the front.

I double checked it and it works.
Reversing the + $ - 24V selects NO or NC contact. As in the MP11 manual.

[oldraven]

I finished making an adapter for my MP11.

Some pictures;
Attachment 371012

Attachment 371014

The shank is 16mm for an ER25 collet.

[Steve_Watkins]

Looks good... The one that came with mine is a factory one and about 1.5 inches in diameter where it touches the probe body.. Someone has taken a piece of cardboard and placed it between the body and the adapter in order to adjust the tilt of the probe in Z. IF I keep it I was thinking of adding three set screws that would push against the body to easily adjust it .


Could I ask another favor?? Would you mind marking out the pin #'s on the top picture of your post... Then I would be 1000 % sure of the locations before I power it up...

[oldraven]

Attachment 371062

Here is the picture. I cropped it a bit for clarity.
Can you post a pic of your MP11 ?

Jos

[Steve_Watkins]

Here you are... See how my plug is rotated..

Also notice how the logo on yours is engraved while mine is on a sticker... Wonder which is older?

[oldraven]

I think that the deviations in the position of the socket stems from the way the mounting thread is started.

Attachment 371092

Mine came with this SK30 adapter.

If the in-line Z is not OK, I would think that the bottom plane in not perpendicular to the Z-axis.

[Steve_Watkins]

This should be sooooo simple! Please check me on this, Pin one on the probe should go to wire # 40. Pin two on the probe should go to wire # 39. Pin three on the probe should go to wire # 170 and Pin 4 on the probe should go to wire # 228 ....

In another configuration I do see a red LED and it goes off when the probe is touched. When I go to #9 Jog Menu, press . and then probe an axis nothing happens when I trip the probe on the machine, the light does flash off though. Acts like the probe is getting power and going off when tripped BUT nothing showing up on the machine..

I might need sleep as everything is getting fuzzy in my head

[oldraven]

This should be sooooo simple! Please check me on this, Pin one on the probe should go to wire # 40. Pin two on the probe should go to wire # 39. Pin three on the probe should go to wire # 170 and Pin 4 on the probe should go to wire # 228 ....

Looks OK to me.

In another configuration I do see a red LED and it goes off when the probe is touched.

If you want the Red LED to flash ON during probing , reverse the +/- 24 Volts.


When I go to #9 Jog Menu, press . and then probe an axis nothing happens when I trip the probe on the machine, the light does flash off though. Acts like the probe is getting power and going off when tripped BUT nothing showing up on the machine..

I might need sleep as everything is getting fuzzy in my head

Did you try in #9 Jog menu , the PROBEPT mode? Something happening there?
It might be that there is no automatic probing in the operating program.

I found the manuals here;
https://app.box.com/s/pv6eg6135fo8rp...der/2484787123

I do not know how a Bridgeport mill works. Sorry.

Jos

[Steve_Watkins]

Success!

I've been off playing hookie and watching the Total Solar Eclipse from Nebraska so not much physical work being done. I took the manuals and wiring schematics with me and studied the problem. Sure was frustrating thinking I had a solution while the machine was 800 miles away...

To recap...

I bought the Renishaw MP11 on ebay for a decent price. It is a wired unit that is supposed to plug into the port on the machine spindle cover. NOT The man I bought the probe from did not know if it was working and had no way to test it. He assured me that I could return it if DOA so I took a chance. I was handicapped by that deal in that I really could not open up the probe and expect to receive a refund, I had to do all the testing without doing harm to the probe so that also slowed me down...

Adding to the problem was someone had cut the 4 wires leading to the probe port and taped them up inside the head. That cost me a night's work as it was the last thing I would have expected and I had no idea why it was done. Was something shorted out, fried or causing the computer to flake out? I had no idea and with some reservation I reinstalled the wires... Thank God no bang

The second big problem was with the probe cable. It did not have all pins inserted in the correct positions and my port on the probe head was rotated out of position so I was not sure on the pinouts. After a a nice guy took a picture of his were were able to figure out the correct pins and I thought my problems were solved... WRONG!

I finally figured out how the machine needed wiring after consulting three different wiring diagrams, two different probe manuals and assorted website posting.. I can safely say my machine is a one of a kind when it comes to wiring up the probe as nothing I have found works!

Tonight I kept at it and checked every wire back to the cabinet and reasoned out the wiring. One source of my wiring problem was a resistor that was "hidden" under the wiring block. Once I found that I changed a few wires around and it started working correctly!

Kinda loud, Please adjust your volume.



Next up on the list of repairs is a return to the X axis drive card... After working well for a week it stopped working when I was working on the probe. I don't think messing with probe killed it but I had to remove the card and replace it with the C drive card.

I had ordered a set of capacitors for the motherboard and while I was at it ordered the replacement caps for the drive card.. I'm going to replace the caps and run a repair wire to the damaged pad just for insurance, sort of a belt and suspenders thing. I need it working as I don't want to spend 800.00 to replace it and it's needed to get the 4th axis tested out..

Now I need to find out where to enter the probe ball diameter and I'll be all set.... Well until the next problem

[oldraven]

OK Steve,

Good to hear that the probe is working now.
Nice surprise to find the cut off wires.

I have look at a couple of your video's and I must say that you had a lot of work to do on that machine.

Jos

[forhire]

A user over on WW sent me a scan of the Bridgeport EZ-Digitize Reference Manual. I was starting to believe it was a unicorn... a thing of fables. I haven't had any time to mess with it. Enjoy.

[Steve_Watkins]

A user over on WW sent me a scan of the Bridgeport EZ-Digitize Reference Manual. I was starting to believe it was a unicorn... a thing of fables. I haven't had any time to mess with it. Enjoy.

Thank You Sir! I just saw this post and now I will be up all night

A question.... Is all the software inside the machine control already?

[arsenix]

I am a new TC22 owner and the probing/digitizing feature is one of the things I'm pretty excited about. Was savoring this thread. Is a bit old but was hoping one of the contributors here might still be around. Would someone be willing to send me the digitizing manual mentioned above? Is the "EZ-Digitize" software built into my machine? I haven't tried hitting the button yet. Mine doesn't appear to have come with the probe back in the day.

Thanks!

[forhire]

The manual is attached to post #56. You can use the touch probe for setting offsets without the software. I sent you a PM.

[arsenix]

Thank you I am a dope. For some reason I thought that was just a preview of the file. Got it and responded to your pm. Thanks!

[Mark McDade]

Hi, like others here, I have a Torq-Cut 22 with a DX-32 control and a Wildhorse probe. The probe works electromechanically - it will touch a surface and record a point. I cannot figure out how to enter a useful tip diameter, though, and if that information is in this thread, I missed it. When I call up a tool # and install the probe, say #24, and give that # a diameter in the tool table, the display shows "probe" and the diameter following it. However, I seem to be able to put any number in that field without affecting the location of a probed point. I also tried entering a diameter in the appropriate field in a Geometry calculation and then going back to probing from the jog menu - again, no effect on the measured point... Any ideas?

TIA!

Mark