Re: Bridgeport Crusader M Retrofit
I have done this exact retrofit. Not on a Bridgeport, but rather a clone, no practical difference. I reused the existing DC drives and motors.
In my case, my Anilam failed right in the middle of a production job, and I did the retrofit without even taking the job off of the table (not recommended), and was back up and running in 12 hours. I was planning the retrofit so had all of the parts on the shelf. I have done a number of retrofits so this was not new to me. https://www.cnczone.com/forums/knee-...24874-cnc.html
Would I do it again? Absolutely. I have a very low tolerance for antique controls.
The cost can be from cheap to crazy expensive. Running from a few hundred to thousands of dollars depending on the degree of sophistication. A good starting point would be the Dynomotion Kflop/Kanalog system because your servo drives are analog velocity control units, they can not be operated as a step & direction device. I went with a more mid range system and wrote my own CNC software.
I would also recommend using linear magnetic encoders for the feedback device to replace the existing encoders. Much more accurate than the original system.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA