[Scrambled1]

I have an AMADA NC ironworker where the computer has died. I need a replacement.

It is a simple machine, I enter a length, say 4.00 inches. Then hit enter, then the number of times it repeats.

Press the foot peddle, the indexer moves to 4.00 inches, then the machine punches. Press the peddle again, and it moves 4.00 inches. This repeats until it reaches the repeat number.

There is a hydraulic pump, a few solenoid valves, a few 24 VDC switches and proxes and some 4 digit displays.


What would I need to buy?


I use this almost daily, so I need to find a solution



Steve

[Eddard_Stark]

Since you have to ask if a micro controller is suitable, then I would first say this isn't exactly a beginner project for a micro controller. (depending on what skills you have)

Having said that this isn't a super complicated project and one that a micro controller (I'm a relative novice and found the Arduino pretty intuitive) should easily be able to handle. Did I mention I'm a novice....so take my advice fwiw.

Adding a rudimentary HMI will add another layer of complexity, but it's not bad. (especially if you only need to enter two values: interval and quantity) You can get some cheap 8 channel 24V relay boards from dx.com or Ebay for the solenoids and switches. (also source an LED HMI here probably too)

If I were doing it the only potential road block I foresee would be interfacing with whatever type of motor and/or encoder currently drives the indexer. You would need to see what type of signal the existing hardware needs and how much complexity it will add delivering (and/or reading) said signal to the motor and driver. If all else fails you can swap out existing linear motion hardware stepper motor based system. There are good Arduino stepper libraries and plenty of examples to learn from. I found AccelStepper very easy to manipulate. A motor, driver, and PSU can be had pretty cheap depending on the size needed.

If you need more complicated motion you could go full CNC with based on your software of choice (LinuxCNC, KFLOP, etc.) using parametric G Code for your motion and M Codes to operate your switches and solenoids. Or if parametric isn't powerful enough, you could write a simple script to output the code based on any number of parameters you enter.

[Eddard_Stark]

Also, you will probably find much better advice on the Arduino forums. You should add some information like what type of motor drives the motion, if it has encoders, any info about motor drivers, and if you need a more complicated motion profile than a simple 2 parameter interval and quantity. Also I would forget trying to use existing LED readouts, but that's just me.

[Scrambled1]

Eddard-

I am not a beginner as far as the electronics go. I have built my cnc flame/ plasma table using Mach3. At my day job I program and repair industrial PLC controllers.

The reason I am not using an Industrial PLC is I cant figure out a way to get the measurements into the controller.

I don't want to use Mach3 / Mach 4 because I don't want to have a computer. I power this ironwork on and off all day. The time waiting for the computer to boot would drive me nuts.

I am also thinking about doing Mach 3 on an embedded windows XP touchscreen.


Just trying to get all my options together before I gut the electronics on the ironworker.



Steve

[Tkamsker]

hi have a look at ramps 1.4 and marlin i changed an little cnc machine to that doing pcb s with it it does decent g code from sd card so even g0 g1 g2 g3 and some m codes maybe it suites you needs


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[Tkamsker]

Hi
and if you like an touchscreen then maybe do it with linuxcnc (as we do it ) or have an look at Machinekit Blog: BeagleBone Hardware Capes
whiz port may be closest to your headless requirement
even if you look at xp and touchscreen then you have to reboot sooner or later

i think there are a lot of possibilities

i was to decide how we deliver our machines that is why i looked into
mach3 (or 4) win-cnc pc

i looked at the ncbox but being in it for > 30 years i stay away from windows if i can

so i played around with beaglebne and arduino which is ok for small tasks like 2d lathe or 3d print or 2d milling (like pcb cutting is )

So we deliver now our machines ready to go with an itx board preconfigured linuxcnc and if customer want even an toucscreen using gmoccapy (they have a plasma config as well)

and the reasons we decided that way is
simple config , no hassle with the operating system it runs rock solid (even tormach decided then this way )
and i can in case of remote access the machine and i have millions of configuration options

we did an list with wat we need we want we like pro con and weighted it (to remove feelings ) maybe that ll help you as well thomas

[Eddard_Stark]

Eddard-

I am not a beginner as far as the electronics go. I have built my cnc flame/ plasma table using Mach3. At my day job I program and repair industrial PLC controllers.

The reason I am not using an Industrial PLC is I cant figure out a way to get the measurements into the controller.

I don't want to use Mach3 / Mach 4 because I don't want to have a computer. I power this ironwork on and off all day. The time waiting for the computer to boot would drive me nuts.

I am also thinking about doing Mach 3 on an embedded windows XP touchscreen.


Just trying to get all my options together before I gut the electronics on the ironworker.



Steve

Ok, then you should be able to do it. If you have any experience with C or C++ that would be even better. The Arduino libraries are pretty straight forward, but you will need to know some programming fundamentals in order to write a script to perform the functionality you want. I still think the motor and encoder are a potential hang up, but I hope you prove me wrong. Keep us updated.

[dharmic]

From someone who plays the "Get bit of kit A talking to bit of kit B, throw some logic and a UI in the middle" game for a living:

First step is to work out what you want to do. Is it a simple case of "turn on the motor, move in one direction until we hit the right place on the readout, open a valve to drop, wait a time then switch the valve to bring back up"? Or is there more to it that you want?

Once you know where you're headed, work out all your inputs and outputs. 24V solenoid switches? Variable voltage on a DC motor? Or step/direction control to a driver? What current do they draw? What format does the DRO use to spit out coordinates? How are you going to determine a reference position?

Until you know what you have and where you want to get to, there's no point in trying to work out how to get there. An Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Giant Gecko, RAMPS or RAMBo board, Windows embedded tablet or whatever may or may not do what you want and they'll all require different amounts of time and energy from you (and down time on the machine) to get going. Do the analysis first and it'll make it much easier to judge suitability/total cost of the different options and choose the best one for you.

[Scrambled1]

Hi everyone- Thanks for the help.

I had made my mind up to gut the ironworker today. I went out and turned the power on. It turned on. What do you know.

It worked for about 15 minutes then stopped. Might be a loose wire. I am going to try and fix it since I have a glimmer of hope.

I am still going to keep the arduino option going.

I am going to start to order a starter kit and other bits and pieces.

Is there a better kit or parts to order.?


Steve


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[dharmic]

They're all different. Asking which is better is like asking whether the local supermarket, hardware shop or pharmacy is a better shop. They all carry some stuff in common but some offer things the others don't. Without your shopping list - what you need in terms of I/Os, processor, memory, features etc - you're just guessing at which one to get.

If you MUST do it this way, get the biggest capacity most expensive arduino you can. In effect, go to Walmart. Your chances of getting everything you need are then increased enormously.