[Boltz]

Hi, I recently bought a 1998 vintage Komo Innova CNC router at auction. I didn't get any manuals with it, just a couple of schematics.

The first problem that needs to solved is restoring the position setting to the servo drives, since the backup batteries for all 3 axes ran down. I get that you move it to a position and then set a parameter to make that the zero point. I'm thinking you probably jog it until it trips the prox sensor and then back off a little bit, but who knows? I'm just guessing.

Also, the toolchanger needs to be reset. Any help from a Komo veteran would be greatly appreciated.

[greenb_60097]

Hi, I recently bought a 1998 vintage Komo Innova CNC router at auction. I didn't get any manuals with it, just a couple of schematics.

The first problem that needs to solved is restoring the position setting to the servo drives, since the backup batteries for all 3 axes ran down. I get that you move it to a position and then set a parameter to make that the zero point. I'm thinking you probably jog it until it trips the prox sensor and then back off a little bit, but who knows? I'm just guessing.

Also, the toolchanger needs to be reset. Any help from a Komo veteran would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have any input that would help you, but I'd love to see some Picts of your machine.


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[CNCMAN172]

Komo made some good machines. You might want to look at ajaxcnc.com and get the OAK board, since the controller in that unit is very old. There controller and parts can work with many commercial machines parts, bring the machine back to current capabilities. Often these older machines still have quality motors and drivers, sometimes you need to replace some bearings and seals on various parts of the machines, but post some pictures. Sounds like a big project.

Russ

[Boltz]

Komo made some good machines. You might want to look at ajaxcnc.com and get the OAK board, since the controller in that unit is very old. There controller and parts can work with many commercial machines parts, bring the machine back to current capabilities. Often these older machines still have quality motors and drivers, sometimes you need to replace some bearings and seals on various parts of the machines, but post some pictures. Sounds like a big project.

Russ

This machine was well taken care of and looks ready to run. It boots up okay and jogs. I just need to figure out how to properly zero the absolute encoders. I know which parameter it is, I just need some input from someone who's operated and taken care of a Komo as to where I should set the zero point. I also need to reset the turret.

If I were going to going to upgrade the control, rather than Macgyvering something together I would try to change to a 210i control, since these same machines were later shipped with those. The question I would need to answer is if the ladder would be directly portable.

[CNCMAN172]

Boltz,
I can't answer how you zero the encoder, but as long as your doing that I would put in brand new batteries for all absolutely encoders. My guess is you home all the axis and then write into three parameters like you suggested. You might be able to find the operator manual online somewhere, but I know they made some good steel, so you should have a very good machine once you get a few things addressed. I have a Komo 7.5HP spindle on my machine and it is a beast.

Russ

[Boltz]

Boltz,
I can't answer how you zero the encoder, but as long as your doing that I would put in brand new batteries for all absolutely encoders. My guess is you home all the axis and then write into three parameters like you suggested. You might be able to find the operator manual online somewhere, but I know they made some good steel, so you should have a very good machine once you get a few things addressed. I have a Komo 7.5HP spindle on my machine and it is a beast.

Russ

It's parameter 1815. I just need to figure out where "home" is. The reason the encoders lost their zero reference is because the batteries ran down, so I'm replacing all of them.

Also, as part of the ATC reset I'll need to figure out why the button on the shroud marked "drawbar release" isn't releasing the drawbar.

[CNCMAN172]

Boltz,

On the control panel there should be an enable button. Once the machine is enabled there should be a "Go Home" or "Reference all axis" or some button similar. This instructs the machine to start moving towards the homing sensors. The drawbar usually requires air, normally about 100psi supply as I recall do you have air hooked up to the machine?

Russ

[Boltz]

Boltz,

On the control panel there should be an enable button. Once the machine is enabled there should be a "Go Home" or "Reference all axis" or some button similar. This instructs the machine to start moving towards the homing sensors. The drawbar usually requires air, normally about 100psi supply as I recall do you have air hooked up to the machine?

Russ

:-)

Every other CNC I've operated has had this. If this Komo does I haven't been able to find it, and I've spent several hours looking through every screen i could find in Fanuc BOP, the PC based operator interface.

[Boltz]

There's an item in the same list (mode) as MDI, jog, memory, MPG, etc. labeled "home". I can't get it to do anything. Is this what I'm looking for?

[CNCMAN172]

Does your machine have a display and keyboard control panel similar to this machine? There is normally a button but this varies depending on the control installed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv8IDDzA9JU


Russ

[Boltz]

Similar screen on the PC, but with way fewer physical buttons.

Attachment 339150

Attachment 339152

[CNCMAN172]

OK, on this control you would check HOME like you did, now you have to press Cycle Start with the green screen button or the button on the console, that should start moving the machine towards the home sensors.

Russ

[Boltz]

No dice. I still have the ZRN alarms active. It seemed logical that you would run the homing routine to have it find the prox sensors, then set the zero point from there, but maybe I have to clear the ZRN alarms first? I just don't know where I should be setting the zero point for the axes if that is the case.

[CNCMAN172]

Interesting, is the ZRN alarm mean - Zero? I don't have one of these machines. Did you already replace the batteries in the absolutely encoders?

Or maybe the Z axis return?

Russ

[CNCMAN172]

Do a search on cnczone for KOMO ZRN alarm and you will find several posts. Apparently, there is a procedure you go through when the batteries die in the absolute encoders. The procedure has you move the axis and when they are position correctly you write into a register and then when you restart the machine those alarms will no longer be there. I tried to copy and paste it here but that did not work.

You need the service procedure on resetting the machine when changing encoder batteries, that will fix your machine. Do a search for service manuals on KOMO cnc machine. My guess is the routine is common on many models of this router.

Russ

[Boltz]

Resetting the position of the absolute encoders after the backup battery runs down is a pretty simple and straightforward process which is well documented. It's parameter 1815. I've found it and looked at it. You position the axis (or apparently all three if you want to) to wherever the zero point should be and set the parameter, which takes a snapshot of the current position and writes it to the memory.

What has me stumped is that all the procedures I've read have been for lathes and VMC's, and I really don't know where the zero point should be for this particular CNC router.

I've searched every way I can think of, and can't come up with a Komo operator or maintenance manual.

[CNCMAN172]

Look at the machine closely. There are normally proximity sensors on each axis when a given axis is at home. Start the search on the Z axis. The home position should be when the spindle is raised at it highest point. Look and see if you see an adjustment on the sensor and you can sometimes find them by falling small round cables.

Normal home is X all the way left, y is normally all the way to the front of the table.

You could jog close and do the encoder reset in the parameter. This will not be perfect but will be a good test.

Russ

[Boltz]

Yeah, I was just jogging it around playing with that. The first few times I tripped the overtravel, I tried using the overtravel bypass button and it didn't seem to work, but I just discovered it needs a couple seconds to kick in. So I could slow jog it until it trips and then do an incremental move back, and have something that would at least be repeatable, even if it wasn't exactly right.

[CNCMAN172]

YEAH, that is a good idea. The limits bypass is really a good way to at least approximate where the home should be it is often just 5mm or something beyond where that trips in the positive direction on each given axis.

Russ

[Boltz]

I tried moving each axis in the minus direction until the hard overtravel alarm was tripped and then backing off about an 1/8", then checking the ZRN box in parameter 1815 and restarted.

It was pretty quickly apparent that this was not right for Z axis. It was only able to move about a quarter of an inch between the hard limit triggered by the prox sensor on the bottom and a soft limit on the top which triggered a 500 overtravel alarm. Usually on a Fanuc machine you would do a P CAN restart to clear the soft alarm and be able to jog to where you need to be, but this thing has a PC front end running something called Fanuc BOP, and wasn't able to turn up an equivalent to P CAN. So I just unchecked ZRN on the Z axis in parameter 1815 and restarted, which disabled the software limits.

So, I jogged the Z axis up to the upper prox and backed it off an 1/8", and set ZRN there. The result was interesting. After setting ZRN, but before restarting the Z axis position read 0.0000, but after restart it read about 3.6 without moving anything, and there was a soft overtravel alarm. I jogged it down to zero and the alarm went away.

It looks like it might be able to run this way, although I doubt it's right, since there is no soft overtravel in the Z minus direction, it just goes down to the prox and trips a hard overtravel.