[l u k e]

I'm looking into adding an indexer to my 2008 VF2, it is currently wired for the 4th axis. My local HFO said in 2010 Haas went from a brushed motor to brushless. He said I can add the Sigma-1 servo drive to run a brushless indexer on my machine but it's an extra $1500 (new). I've been shopping ebay and the older indexers are all 17 pin round plugs, mine has two rows of pins like a computer cable (not sure what their called) for a plug like this (random image)>


I was wondering what years used the new style plug or if I could just rewire one with the correct cord?

[Ydna]

The brushless systems have two plugs for the rotary axes, but they're still "round" in shape. It looks like the one you posted is for the RS232 communications.

You can see the two pugs on the LEFT in this picture: https://haascnc.com/sappi/documents/...XDZWD00000.jpg
Do you have plugs like that for the A and B ports? If so I would think you're good to use a brushless system.

I was told you can use a brushed indexer on a newer brushless machine if you purchased some kind of adapter between the two plugs (which combine into a single plug for the brushed wiring). I never looked into it so I don't know for sure. However I was also told you can't use a newer brushless motor on an older brushed machine. There's a lot of stuff out there over the years so I may be wrong.

[l u k e]

Here's a few pictures of my setup>

These are the only plugs on the side of the electrical cabinet>




So this is setup for the brushless indexers?

[Ydna]

Those 25-pin ports are for the serial communications. You gotta look lower down on the enclosure, with another empty round plug (or plugs).
From the inside of the enclosure, follow those wires coming out of your A-axis servo drive and see where they lead. Do the wires attach to two plastic round connectors on the inside of the enclosure, or just one big metal connector?

I attached a picture of an much older machine to this post, you can't see the connectors but you can tell where they go. In that picture, all the machine's axes are wired on the outside of the machine, which is different from yours, but you get the idea.

Anyway it looks like you have the newer "smart" servo drives, which I thought were all brushless. The older brushed ones usually have an exposed circuit board and whatnot, they look VERY different.

oh but there is one other thing. Even with brushless servo drives and a brushless indexer, the indexer is built to modern standards while the settings in your machine will be from 2008 (or whenever it was last updated or changed). Indexers from different years have different parameters, so sometimes you need to change things around. For instance I have a couple real old brushed indexers that need to be tweaked when we use them on different machines. But those machines are much older than yours so hopefully it's not as much of an issue anymore. I can't speak to that since I only have one "modern" indexer for a newer brushless control, so I didn't have to deal with the same stuff as the older machines.

[l u k e]

The only plugs on the side of the electrical box at the back of the machine is the two I showed in the3rd post of the RS232 and a 110 outlet at the bottom of the panel, all of the other round holes are plugged.
This is what I see for the wiring inside the box>

The wires going through the routing panel marked A axis starts here>


Then ends here with jumper wires going to the other two servo amps


Should there be a 4th servo amp for the a axis?

[Ydna]

oops...yes you're correct, there should be a fourth servo drive installed. I didn't notice it was missing in your picture.

Yea so you have a problem now...it appears the machine is not wired for 4th axis, unless you received the additional servo amp somewhere spare when you bought the mill.

[l u k e]

Before I purchased the machine (used) I called the Haas factory and had them check the serial number to verify the listed specifications, they did said it was wired for a 4th axis direct from them. I just pulled out my original notes and hand written on the sale sheet was "4th axis wired, confirmed at Haas factory"
I contacted my local HFO a few days ago and he said that it wasn't wired for the 4th which sent up a red flag because Haas said it was a few years prior. I sent the salesman the pictures of the wiring and he said he made a mistake that it was indeed wired and ready. At that point I got suspicious that he was trying to rip me off. That lead me on this wild goose chase trying to figure out what I needed to just buy one used. The suspensions were compounded when it looked like my machine could use a brushless indexer because the salesman said I would need Servomotor Drive to run a brushless motor, all that with a $3300 service call to boot.

Well at the least I know where I sit and that my HFO are not crooks!

Ynda, thanks for your help straitening this out for me.

[Ydna]

Boy that SUCKS. For what it's worth, we had something similar happen with ours (the one pictured in my earlier post) the machine was a bastard in-between-year that the factory THOUGHT was brushless, but was actually wired for older brushed servos. It even has a sticker on the front that says "brushless!" but was incorrect. So we bought a brushless indexer and brushless servo drive set from the HFO, neither of which could be installed. The problem was we couldn't return the unit because (basically) we waited too long. Eventually we got it straightened out, but it required a lot of work.

Anyway, I wonder if you have the 4th axis option installed in your list of purchased options? It might be paid for, just not with the hardware accompanying it. Check parameter number 315 then bit number 14 "fourth axis". It sounds like you don't have it, but hell it'd be lucky if you did...

[l u k e]

This?