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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Benchtop Machines > Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    I have recently purchased a turret for my Prolight 3000 lathe. It didn't originally come with one, so I don't have the cable to connect it to the control box. The turret is from a parted-out Prolight, so I do know it's the right one for the machine. The rest of the lathe is working fine on the original control and software, I just need the cable. I contacted Intelitek, but got no response, so I'm hoping someone here can help me.

    I figure I can make my own cable but I need to know the pinout. If you have a late 90's Prolight 3000 with the factory turret, can you please check the cable and post the pinout? The cable I am looking for has a round 8-pin connector on the one end, and a D9 connector on the other end. I need to know which pin on one end goes to which pin on the other end. I can source the connectors and make the cable, unless someone has an old one lying around they don't need any more... I'd rather buy it than make it, but I can make it if necessary.

    Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Still looking for this info. Can anyone help me out with this?

    Thanks!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    43

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    which cable are you referring to? i have a prolight 3000 with a turret, in fact i have an extra plc card also. Do you have the software on a 3 1/2 floppy disk by chance? i need to reinstall it but y old computer doesnt have a cd room so i cannot download the software from the intellitek site. thanks

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    The cable I need is the one that controls the turret. It goes from the back of the machine housing to the control box. The lathe end has an 8-pin round connector, and the control box has a 9-pin D-sub connector. Can you help me out by metering the ends of the cable, and indicating if the cable is straight through, or some other pinout? It would help me a lot!

    I received my system with a working copy of the software, installed on the computer. I don't think I have it on floppy. You might be able to get one of the external floppy drives that connect to your modern computer over USB, and transfer the software to a floppy that way. I have one of those drives, and my Win 7 main computer sees the floppy drive just fine. If you can't find one locally, I may be able to put a copy of the software on floppies, and send it to you.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    If you go to this link, the download is zipped, but unzips into 2 floppy-sized folders, which you can copy onto diskettes so you can reload it. It turns out I have the original software on 2 floppies, but my USB-floppy drive won't work right at the moment. I can't read the disks.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    334

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Quote Originally Posted by DSpeck View Post
    If you go to this link, the download is zipped, but unzips into 2 floppy-sized folders, which you can copy onto diskettes so you can reload it. It turns out I have the original software on 2 floppies, but my USB-floppy drive won't work right at the moment. I can't read the disks.

    DSpeck try reaching out to this link https://www.homemodelenginemachinist...etrofit.20566/
    they may be able to help you.

    The most important part to figure out is the DC Motor connections to the turret, this should be 2 or 3 wires, there may be a ground wire. If you have access to an oscilloscope, you should be able to decode the remainder encoder signals.

    Hope this helps,

    Iron-Man

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Thanks for the link, Iron-Man. It's a few years old, but they may be able to help.

    The turret on this one is driven by a stepper motor, not a DC motor, so 4 of the wires should be no problem to figure out. I haven't opened up the driver box for the machine yet, I guess that's a good next step. I can trace out the connections, and see if I can find out what else is connected. I don't know if there is any feedback to the control box for position sensing, etc.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    4415

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Does it have an electromagnetic pawl? If so it is bidirectional like the Dyna 3000’s. Most people dont seem to repurpose it and just go x amount of degrees (60 for a 6 tool etc) and back into the pawl.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    A lazy man does it twice.

  9. #9

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Here you go!


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    Thank you, Intelitek!! I'll order the connectors and build a cable for testing. I'll post back here after I build and test the cable.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    163

    Re: Need pinout for Prolight 3000 lathe turret cable

    I finally found the right circular connector (turns out you have to buy the insert and the back housing separately - Digikey US), and with some fiddling around, got it installed and the other end done as well. I got it installed on the lathe and tested it out this past weekend, and lo and behold - it works!

    The software configuration was basically a checkbox to state it has a turret, and away it went. Homes to a switch of some kind, backs onto the pawl, and is ready to go. Now I have to set up a tool table, and I will be all done.

    Thank you, intelitek, your drawing of the pinout was right on the money!

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