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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Benchtop Machines > Retrofitting Prolight 2000 4-axis mill
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  1. #41
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    43

    prolight

    firts of all i want to say thank you for all the help,

    i got the machine running better but not good enough i did change the com configuration but still have some problems, i order a windows 95 computer i gonna try it out and i doesnt work i gonna retrofit it,

    a least i had half of my firts part done lol.

    thanks again.

  2. #42
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    20
    Just thought of something else - you mentioned you got half way through the program... make sure you turn off the windows screen saver - it can cause issues.

    Glad your making progress..
    All the best, Henry

  3. #43
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    20
    Rosalio -

    How is it going any progress?

    Henry

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    43
    not yet im still waiting for my windows 95 computer, the good news is that the part what i cut for an RC car works well i was something easy but im glad i cut it. i will keep you in touch aftet i got the computer


    thanks.

  5. #45
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    20
    Good News! Keep us posted.

    alll the best, Henry

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    43

    prolight

    after all thoses problems i finally i got the prolight 2000 running good with a windows 98 computer,

    thanks a lot.

    i will be posting pictures of the part that i going to make with my prolight 2000 and 3000

    thank you again.

  7. #47
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    20
    Fantastic! Glad the group was able to help out

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    43

    prolight 2000 and 3000

    Hi everyone well here are the links of some of the videos that im posting in you tube.

    thanks for all you help. i never got it done without your help

    thanks.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmXbh2L7U_8"]YouTube - small machine shop[/ame]
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3lY7qZBG6A"]YouTube - cnc prolight 2000[/ame]
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FUfZiEZ_jg"]YouTube - cnc prolight 3000 turning center desmotracion(G77 DESBASTADO EN Z)[/ame]
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbx7gZ4ep2A"]YouTube - cnc prolight 3000 turning center[/ame]

    i will be posting more videos:banana:

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    8

    Prolight 2000

    Hi,

    Have you recently retrofitted a ProLight 2000? If so, please drop me a line, I have an interest in purchasing the original drive components.

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    25
    Yes, thanks for asking. Keeping servo motors and encoders, as well as Minarik DC motor control. The rst of the electronics will be on ebay at some point in the next few weeks. The machine (and electronics) are with the mill owner, who has to take photos first, and he's up to his whaterver in alligators with others things. Did you have a budget in mind?
    He had an offer of 100.00 for the lot, and decided to put it on ebay instead. Somewhere between 100 and 300 might shortcut that process. We have NOT tested the baords, but were told that all was working well until the PC used by the previous owner died. Send me a note to [email protected] as I rarely come over to cnczone.
    thanks / mark

  11. #51
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    0
    All you need to run a ProLight Mill with the ISA card is DOS - a single floppy to boot - then you run plm1000. That is the absoluter fastest way to get around any windows version issues you are having if you just want to be running...

  12. #52
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    33
    This is my final try...

    I've had a TMC-1000, for a few years, even posted here a couple of years ago, but no luck. If I don't figure it out this time, it's going in the trash, or wherever these things go when they become giant paperweights (on the sale list and/or E-Bay) Anyway, here we go:

    1. It used to work, I used it at work almost every day.

    2. One at a time, the axis drive motors quit working.

    3. When in Manual Mode, I can get the Spindle Motor to rotate.

    4. If I give it an axis motion, I can hear the hum change pitch. The contoller counts as if it is moving, yet nothing moves. If I hit the "space bar" on the screen, it sounds like a hard stop is being hit.

    5. If I open the cover, the indicator tells me, so that seems to be working.

    6. Yes, I pulled the "E" Stop.

    Again, one last try...

    Any help would be MUCH appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Jerry

  13. #53
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    31
    There is a fuse soldered onto the PC control card in this system. If the fuse blows, the X/Y axes stop working.

    I would check this fuse if I were you. It looks like a 1/2 watt resistor, and I believe it's marked F1.

  14. #54
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    6

    Repair or Rebuild Prolight 2000?

    I have a 3 axis Prolight 2000 I bought new 15 years ago with the New Style Controller with switch on the front. It has run great under DOS prompt with a WIN98 box. The computer finally died and would not boot so it has been replaced with an Athlon 1.25GHz antique from a friend. I installed WIN 98, and the COM1 and COM2 ports are configured to 19200 BAUD, Data Bits 7, Parity None, Stop Bits 1, Flow Control Hardware. I Setup the PLM2000 to COM1 or 2 with the Serial Cable in either port and always get the Violet to Red screen "ERROR INITIALIZING CONTROL..." when I try to run PLM2000. I did forget to power down the Prolight when changing the serial cable between computers, which Intellitek warns can fry the controller. My bad, but I am not sure that is the problem.

    Does anyone have any ideas to try to restore serial communication before I face scaling the MACH3 rebuild cliff?

    Would Intellitek still repair the original Animatics Controller?

    Thanks in advance for any ideas!

  15. #55
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    25

    Re: Repair or Rebuild Prolight 2000?

    You probably had a proprietary ISA interface board in the PC, no such slots in the Athlon. My advice: sell the Animatics, buy Gecko G3XX for each axis, keep the Minarik and power supply, buy Mach3, we used the Australian breakout board. You'll need to get a CAD/CAM package, unfortunately. Unless you can find another old PC, and have the original licensed software.

  16. #56
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    6

    Re: Repair or Rebuild Prolight 2000?

    The old PC just has a PCI Maxtor ATA133 dual IDE hard drive card and a PCI Ethernet card. No ISA interface card I can see. Would it be somewhere on the Motherboard?

  17. #57
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    6

    Re: Repair or Rebuild Prolight 2000?

    I have a seat of SolidWorks on a brand new overclocked Xi Tower with CamWorks Addin, so I generate posted Gode to floppys. It would be nice to use our LAN to download files but I have not figurr3ed out how to do that from the DOS prompt.

  18. #58
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    25

    Re: Retrofitting Prolight 2000 4-axis mill

    Then it is a different arrangement than the two I've seen. There may also be a virtual layer that new hardware has inserted between the hardware ports and the software; they may be a way around that but is above my pay grade. Something to pursue with windows weenies - I'll ask a friend, too.

  19. #59
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    6

    Re: Retrofitting Prolight 2000 4-axis mill

    I have no separate Minarik or Power Supply either. Just the Intellitek-supplied DB25 to DB9 RS-232 cable from the back of the Prolight Controller Box to the COM port of the PC. My understanding is the Animatics generates signals to the Servos from PC serial data.

    Thanks again for any clues!

    Bill

  20. #60
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    25

    Re: Retrofitting Prolight 2000 4-axis mill

    ok - then it's likely you need an older pc of the vintage of your original. Do you have the proprietary software? If I recall correctly, their licensing involved something deep in the registry or hidden on the HD. The Minarik is used to control spindle speed in the two I've seen. At one time, Mach were working on an interface for the serial port stuff, but I think they abandoned it. Sorry I can't be of more help /mark

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