I have acquired a Compact 6P lathe with the tronic1 controller. After a little tlc and trouble shooting and minor repairs, it appears that the lathe is fully functional. It was running on utility 208v 3 Phase, however due to space constrains at my friends shop, I was forced to move it to my garage (was my original intent anyway but did not have 3 phase power at the house). It is now running on a Phoenix 10 hp RPC and appears to be operating as intended with some exceptions. Included with the lathe was the 380 V transformer and the cassette tape with the MSD.
One annoying issue is the spindle alarming out on 02 "main drive not ready" if the spindle is accelerated or decelerated to fast. This behavior was displayed on both the utility 208 v 3 phase and the 240 v three phase from the RCP. I have contacted a couple of people on this list privately for some solutions with some results pending. I am also open to any other suggestions publicly. One such suggestion was to modify the spindle parameter.
Also I believe that the ball screws need to be repacked or rebuilt. As there is some rotational free play on the z axis of about 5 degrees. Should not be a huge deal.
I have several questions with respect to the operation of the machine. Granted most would probably be answered if I had the service/operating/programming manuals. Any idea where one can quire these documents? Of course I am willing to pay a fair price for either original or copies.
Does anyone have any experience using the rs232 port for uploading programs? post processors, cable configurations, Etc?
Also, when the machine is powered up each time, it asks for a ref position, With my previous CNC experience, the machine needs to know where it is. This would be called the machine position. My guess (im flying blind without a manual) would be to put the two arrows within the zone of the two perpendicular arrows on the machine that are about eye level and ref from there.
Another thing on the bucket list is to replace all the belts. Motor, axis, and spindle orientation. Prob also need to replace the bearings in the main motor too. New brushes may not be a bad idea either. Any idea on sources for replacement parts.
Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Ben Renard
San Diego, CA