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  1. #341
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    2
    Today i connected a rs485 Adapter and tryed to get some answers,....
    Somehow emco make that not verry easy.....
    Does anybody have a real RS485 Card and can try to log some data for me?
    Maybe we can find out the data rate , some start chars and commands?
    realterm would be a nice tool for that!!!! :-)

    Thanks Peter

  2. #342

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Has anyone ever seen error 2502 ORD Synchronisation-error AC? My machine happens to be Turn 325-II, but it uses the RS485 and AC95. Symptoms are the machine data (position, rpm, program line) lags machine movements. Then the machine begins to pause between moves and eventually errors.

  3. #343
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    15

    Question emco pc mill 50 & similar / CUSTOM CONTROLLER MACH3 Compatible

    I have made a board that is similar to RichJones board several posts back. Optical Isolation, blah, blah blah.... basically it pairs a cheap controller with RichJones ideas and ends up with a way to plug into a stock machine and run Mach3, Mach4, LinuxCNC, or others without changing your machine.

    Just Plug and Play.

    The question that i have is is there any demand for this for other users?
    If enough people were interested I could order some boards and either make some up or sell as a kit.

    I spent over a month working it all out (just 'cause I'm not that bright)... But it seems to work great.

    Let me know if there is any interest.

    cheers-

  4. #344
    jjkjkjkjhghjgkjgkjgkjgkjgjkhgjkghkjgjkfxj

  5. #345
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    11

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    I would be interested, if... It will plug and play on a PC Mill 30 (instead of 50).
    Board-only, or basic kit would be great, as long as there's good documentation, etc.
    Have a price in mind?
    (I'll confess I haven't gone back and re-read all 29 pages of this thread, but I'll get up-to-speed shortly...)
    Pvt. message or here is fine.


    Ok, just took a bit of time to go thru the thread from the beginning. Looks like my PC Mill 30 has a different architecture than a 50. So, 485 control of internal electronics instead of external magic cards.

    The PC that came with it literally had mouse nests throughout. Stuffed. Disgusting. Apparently failed due to non-cooling and mouse piss, so not sure what is recoverable. I have good older PCs, and quite a few legal W98 licenses & media, but if there's a plan that will get me past all that, and into this century, I'm all for it. Txcowdog was going down the path of gut and replace rather than run thru the RS485 port, but don't know his path or progress.

    Chip

  6. #346
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    60

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar / CUSTOM CONTROLLER MACH3 Compatible

    I would advise you to ask on the Yahoo Groups for all the emco machines. I know of three groups I'm a member of.

    I'm personally not interested, mainly because I want the added features of the retrofit, but there are many who do not want to get that deep into the change.

    I hope it becomes something.

    James L


    Quote Originally Posted by davidwest View Post
    I have made a board that is similar to RichJones board several posts back. Optical Isolation, blah, blah blah.... basically it pairs a cheap controller with RichJones ideas and ends up with a way to plug into a stock machine and run Mach3, Mach4, LinuxCNC, or others without changing your machine.

    Just Plug and Play.

    The question that i have is is there any demand for this for other users?
    If enough people were interested I could order some boards and either make some up or sell as a kit.

    I spent over a month working it all out (just 'cause I'm not that bright)... But it seems to work great.

    Let me know if there is any interest.

    cheers-

  7. #347
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    0

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Remarkably enough, I also just made a board inspired/informed by Rich Jones' idea, using optoisolators, etc. My design is specifically for a PCMill55, though, not a 50, so maybe it's not completely the same idea. I tried to make everything as plug & play as possible, changing the wires around as little as possible, so that the documentation and wiring diagrams for the machine are kept as close as possible for future reference. My board is specifically made for connecting to an Ethernet Smoothstepper and a CNC4PC C41 spindle control board (which converts the PWM signal and a direction signal to an analog 0-10VDC signal, a +20V enable signal, and a +20V direction signal, which is what the Lenze VFD in the PCMill55 expects). I used the original connectors as much as possible (which are Weidmuller 5.08mm pitch pluggable terminal blocks, btw), with the exception of the spindle control wires, which I wired up into an RJ45 connector to plug into the C41 board. The Lenze VFD also needed a slight wiring change to make it supply the 20V itself, rather than getting it from another source, which is what Emco did (if anyone else is trying this, the change which wasn't evident from the documentation is that if you use the internal voltage source, you need a jumper between pins 7 and 39 on the VFD). I wired in all of the inputs that the original had, even though some will probably never be used, for instance the 1/rev encoders on X, Y, and Z. I also added a MOSFET switching 24V to drive a solenoid valve to control coolant flow, which I might add in the future (I haven't tested that part yet). The signals going to the Ethernet smoothstepper dedicated inputs are connected via an optoisolator, which sinks to ground when the switch is turned on. The 1 signal that I have going to input/output pin on the ESS switches 5V on instead. The main mistake that I made on my board design was not taking into account the size/orientation of the connector, which caused an interference issue between X111/X103 and 5VPower/X100. I had to reverse the 5VPower connector and the X111 connector, and flip the wires accordingly.

    For anyone interested in trying it for yourself, I put the design up on GitHub: https://github.com/rb0087/emcoConnect55/tree/master . Pay attention to the FIXME file, it has the changes that should be made before using it. I designed it all in Eagle, which is available to use for free for hobby purposes. I had my board printed at Advanced Circuits (4pcb.com), and I was very impressed with their pricing and quality ($33+shipping for a 2 layer board, 5 day lead time. only complaint: 2 day shipping was $36) . The other component that I needed was a 5V DC/DC converter, which took in the +24V and output 5VDC. I used one which mounted on the DIN rail at the bottom, got the +24V from the terminal blocks next to it, and it works nicely. I put in an ethernet jack on the side so that it looks like it was made that way from the factory. Here are pictures of the board / installation, along with a few short videos of it jogging, the spindle turning, and it cutting a hole in some plastic. https://goo.gl/photos/thdMzhiHWhm6BxYF8

  8. #348
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    14

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Yes please, how much are you thinking? Any chance the board will also work with the Pc Turn 50?

  9. #349
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    2
    Hello, I have just purchased an EMCO PC MILL 50 milling machine for my small injection molding shop. When first operating the machine the x-/x+ axis both operated fine. Before referencing I was moving the x-axis around and accidentally ran it into the x axis max(power side). After this happened it was jammed, so I took the motor bracket off to manually roll the x-axis back to the left... I've since been unable to properly home the x axis as the motor only rotates clockwise (rotating towards power) and when it rolls over the limit switch, it slows but won't change direction or stop to home as it should. This is my first CNC mill, but I've built and tinkered on a half dozen 3D printers... Is there something I'm missing? Any/All guidance appreciated.

  10. #350
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    2
    Hello - I've just encountered an issue with the x axis on my EMCO PC MILL 50. When referencing the X axis only moves in the X+ direction. Could it be a proximity probe gone bad? Anyone ever encountered this? Much appreciated. ([email protected])

  11. #351
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    6

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    I have emco pc tun 55 and would like to learn from your experience how to interface it to mach 3, do you offer this board for sale ?

  12. #352
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Posts
    2

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Hey guys so i'm trying to interface with an emco pc turn 50. i got the x and z axis working along with toolchanger and encoders. However the spindle is killing me. it turns on and rotates at about 1 rpm but stops randomly and has no torque . anyone have any ideas or have done this before?
    i followed most the instruction on post#299

  13. #353
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    11
    Hi there
    I have a pc turn 50 with fanuc controller, the rs485 card, software disks..and everything intact, but i got myself the rs485 card, main spindle board, the stepper driver board and the axis controller from a pc mill 50. Everything looks identical except this spare stepper driver board for the pc mill 50 has an extra axis, the "y" axis of course, now i was wondering if i can swap the stepper driver in my pc turn, for the pc mill one and utilize an additional axis. Would this work or is there something im missing. Ive even picked up a couple 5 phase steppers. Help.
    By the way, my lathe arrived 2 days ago, the old pc i ordered hadn't arrived yet and ive just been cleaning so i havent actually used it. So I'll get that going as normal first of course. But i wonder about this extra axis thing....


    Quote Originally Posted by lanb View Post
    >JIQ,

    Welcome to the board/thread, as I said on the other thread,I wanted to keep everything here for convenience. As you can tell from the posting I have a PC Mill 50 and it is operational. I am using the Emco WinCAM software as both a CAM package and a machine controller. So I will try to answer your question for you now.

    >Could this be an optional spot for something else? Perhaps you can answer this questions first!

    From the sounds of it you Mill had a SPS 2000 card installed. This card controlled an optional programmable door and/or an optional spindle blow out device. The system will function fine without them. Mine also came less this card but with some of the wiring and a blank space but without any of the physical hardware.



    >I am starting to think that to get this machine to work with the original material is just not worth it. I am seriously considering to use my own bipolar stepper motors and discard the 5 phase steppers which are going to be hard like hell to get a driver for.

    I would take a little time and see if you can acquire the Emco RS485 board. This was the only piece missing on mine and ended up costing me around $500 on EBay. New ones are around $2000 if Emco still has them. I have also seen them go for less. The original WinCAM software costs $250 and that is about what a different controller interface also costs. You can set the 50 up with WinCAM or an emulator for a number of industry standard controllers which would then be able to download g-code from you favorite CAM package or editor. The other hurdle is acquiring an old enough PC with win98 to run the software. I suspect there is a way to emulate the RS485 card and use a standard serial port for output but I have not taken the time yet to find a serial analyzer and record the port communication between the PC and the card and the card and the mill. Another option soon to be announced by Emco is an upgraded ACC unit for the mill that can communicate over ethernet. This will be a $3200 upgrade and more than I care to spend at the present time. Along with that I would upgrade to the newer and more user friendly CAM Concept software which is $1700 or $525 to upgrade from WinCAM. BTW all this software is available from EMCO as are all the manuals.
    Support is available as well from EMCO USA at: http://www.emcomaier-usa.com

    As to a conversion to another controller, the interface between the PC Mill 50 controller board and the stepper drive board appears to be logic level step and direction signals. I believe, but do not know for sure, that you should be able to take a program like EMC on a PC with a parallel port and directly drive this board. I have not had the need to find out.


    For electronics, I have a few designs that are working well, so I will use those as well. I am thinking that 5A should be more than plenty for this machine.

    >But before I go there, is it possible to get a copy of the manual? I have read most of the posts and it is clear the manual is somewhere out there. I would truly appreciate it if somebody could share it with me. Thanks!

    I would be happy to send you a copy of the EMCO PC Mill 50 Electrical Documentation in pdf format if you contact me directly at lanb at pobox dot com This is also available from Emco in electronic format or you can still buy the manual in hard copy if you wish. (because of that I will not post it anywhere)

    I hope this answers your question and gets you started.

    Best regards and good luck,
    Lan

    >Best regards,

    >JIQ
    [/QUOTE]

  14. #354
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    11
    Hi rich

    You seem like the best person to ask regarding a plan i have for my machine. Basically i have a pc turn 50 all intact with fanuc controller, and i have the spindle driver, stepper driver, axis controller and rs485 card for a pc mill 50, my plan was to swap the stepper driver boards because the mill one obviously has an extra axis, is it as simple as that to get it running?


    Quote Originally Posted by richjones View Post
    Hi - I have a PC mill 50 that I've got working with Linuxcnc - the steppers, drivers, spindle and VFD are all as standard - obviously the main controller card is replaced by the computer running linuxcnc (mini-itx inside the control box). I put together a simple circuit to convert the 3.3v logic input/output of the computer to the differential drive required by the mill. The differential inputs to the drivers and VFD are 0v/5v - I used 26ls31 and 26ls32 chips to do the conversion for me.
    There are pinouts earlier in this thread - to complete the story:
    Axis:
    3x axis are driven by differential 0v/5v logic.
    E-achse doesn't seem to do anything (maybe it is enable, but leaving it floating is sufficient. Don't know, but works without it)
    SR X,Y,Z is a rotation sync pulse, but I'm not using it
    The connector doesn't have a ground, so you have to make sure the connection is grounded somewhere (grounding is important anyway)

    Spindle:
    Spindle runs as PDM, with 0v/5v differential clock input driving speed
    Differential 0v/5v dir drives direction
    Differential 0v/5v phase and index outputs (input to the computer, SR+/- and NI +/-) can be used for rpm - I've only used the index pulse for rpm so far, but it works okay like this.
    0v/5v Differential enable (E/AMD +/-) used to start/stop spindle. IMPORTANT - this triggers on the rising/falling edge, so if you just put a circuit together with these driven from the voltage rails it won't work if the circuit is on before the mill is switched on. But you might as well drive it from the computer using spindle enable. Also, I think this is different from the other inputs, in that you can enable the spindle with a rising edge on the +ve input OR a falling edge on the -ve input - but I'm not sure and I'm driving it using a differential signal anyway.
    Don't know what IAMD does - guess it is a current feedback, but all works okay without it connected.

    limit switches - normal open switches, so connect in using normal circuitry (ie, drive high using a resistor to 5v rail, then activating switch takes input low).

    If anyone is interested, I'll put some pictures together, example circuit, etc.

    I've also got a couple of interface PCBs spare as I had to order a minimum quantity - if anyone is interested I could send one for a contribution to the pcb printing fund - it isn't particularly elegant in layout, but works fine.

  15. #355
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    11

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Also I was wondering if its possible to add some other programmable functions to my machine as Im trying to make it very close to a pro machine, I have 2 5 phase steppers on the way, i was planning to use one on the extra y axis as a swivelling live tooling spindle on a new turret disc im making. And with regard to adding functions to the original control system i would like to be able to switch on/off that little spindle. Also as the machine had options like pneumatic chuck, door opening, air blower etc, I would like to use these functions but for different use, I would like a coolant system. And few other things but Im just asking about the actual electronic control side of things...

  16. #356
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    11

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar / CUSTOM CONTROLLER MACH3 Compatible

    Im interested
    I have a standalone controller that i would like to use to control my pc turn

  17. #357
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Posts
    11
    Quote Originally Posted by zmcdona1 View Post
    Hey guys so i'm trying to interface with an emco pc turn 50. i got the x and z axis working along with toolchanger and encoders. However the spindle is killing me. it turns on and rotates at about 1 rpm but stops randomly and has no torque . anyone have any ideas or have done this before?
    i followed most the instruction on post#299
    Hi there
    I also have a pc turn 50 and trying to get going. Could you explain how to interface with the turret please? Just what the original signals are and how/where to emulate them? Big Thanks

  18. #358
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    311

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Hey all,

    Looking for a clue about how to remove the spindle motor from the headstock on an Emco PC Mill 50. I have the head off the mill and the back cover removed. It looks like I need to remove the front cover but it's captured in place by the tool release lever. Does the lever have to be removed somehow?

    There has to be something simple I'm missing.
    Thanks!

    C|

  19. #359
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    311

    Re: emco pc mill 50 & similar

    Quote Originally Posted by cygnus x-1 View Post
    Hey all,

    Looking for a clue about how to remove the spindle motor from the headstock on an Emco PC Mill 50. I have the head off the mill and the back cover removed. It looks like I need to remove the front cover but it's captured in place by the tool release lever. Does the lever have to be removed somehow?

    There has to be something simple I'm missing.
    Thanks!

    C|

    Nevermind, I figured it out. The release lever is left-hand threaded and unscrews. I knew it was something simple.


    C|

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