[Cedwithcs]

I have a mitek mill with a Siemens achromatic 2100 and it's not loading up it's been shut off for 7 years batteries were dead and I replaced them and now I'm just getting a message on the monitor that says insert bootable media in an appropriate Drive. I've been told all these things are all about worthless, and that
the hard drives go bad and the MB and RTB go bad is there anybody out there that's ever changed one of these over to a different kind of controller and kept all the Servo drives and servos maybe even the control panel and pendant I don't know a lot about these things just learning I see they got a controller called grbl and I was wondering if anyone has ever used it. I don't have my high school computer any longer so I would have to source one of those to interface with it at least that's my understanding. I talked to Dave @ siemens and he can make me a drive that's solid state and has the bios and I don't know what all else for it not a bad price at 840$ but it looks like I can get a stand alone controller and control panel just off the shelf type pc based system for about 1100$. I'm lost please help and if anyone has a manual on this it would be amazing thanks in advance for any help.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
if your decision is to retain the existing servos and drives then you will require a 'closed loop controller' and be required to program and tune the servo PID loops.
A bold undertaking for the inexperienced.

If you were to replace the servos and drives with modern AC servos and their matching drives, then you could use much simpler and cheaper controls and be an easier proposition to integrate.

Most newcomers baulk at the idea of paying say $500 and axis for new servos.....'surely I can save money by retaining the old servos' only to find that the closed loop control costs nearly as
much (as the new servos would cost) and that its way WAY harder to integrate.

This is a current thread which is basically the same:

https://www.cnczone.com/forums/dynom...questions.html

Craig

[Cedwithcs]

I believe that they are ac servos and I don't have a problem with 500 it 15000 they wanted to update my old bridgeport series II cnc that I had a problem with that was crazy talk. If I can put new stuff on and have a updated system to run for 10 years or so I'm my home shop for less than 2k I would be thrilled. I mean 1500 sounds even better but who knows.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

I believe that they are ac servos

Yes, I can well believe they are AC servos but the drives are analogue input, and its that analogue input that requires a closed loop control.

I think it would be highly worthwhile to post exactly what servos and what servo drives you have. You need to be very clear-eyed before you swap servos, and so you must have absolute certainty of what you have currently.

Craig