[markotime]

Haven't gone inside the electronics yet, (haven't seen it yet) but will be pulling everything we can out of it, and retro with (probably) Gecko 3XX servo drives (2000 does use servomotors), run with Mach3. Using the original software is out of the question, for other reasons.

Is the servo electronics stuff proprietary to Light Machines or does it use OEM boards / modules? (This is pretty old, now, but worth the question..)?

Presumably all 4 axes use conventional quadrature encoders, but just in case, anyone know for sure?

Anyone retro'd a 2000 before?
(I've done my own 1000 and another Prolight 1000, so am comfortable with the process....)

Thanks / mark in BC

[jskene]

My Prolight 2000 (that I just bought a month or so ago) uses a commercial 3-axis Animatics servo driver. This takes an RS232 input from the PC.

I'd be interested in hearing how your retrofit project goes. I'd like to be able to use Mach 3 with the mill, as the original software is very old and difficult to use.

[markotime]

The Animatics controller takes serial messages from the proprietary software and translates those into axis motion, driving DC PM motors having some kind of rotary encoder (I hope) or resolver. Haven't found any data on the Animatics unit, and haven't looked at the motors / encoders any more closely, but here's what I think I'll do...
1. pull all the electronics save the power supply and spindle controller.
2. Install Gecko 3XX drivers on each (4 of 'em) axis.
3. Run it with Mach3.
Probably need a breakout board / interface to handle the spindle motor
speed control from software, but manual control works fine for me and my
stepper-driven Prolight 1000.

While I am a licensed user of mach3, I also have CNCPro which I still use with an older, slower PC, and which is perfect for quick and easy setup and testing.

The limit switches I find to be a pain on my 1000, so ignore them.
On the 2000, I shudder to think what kind of havoc could result from
a silly programming error, like a rapid X move at dozens of inches per minute,
without a limit switch to catch things...
You may pm me to take things off line, if you wish /mark

[jskene]

PM sent.

[dannystooblue]

I have a benchman vmc4000 and like it ok, I bought a prolight 2000 with a 4th axis and couldn't stand the thing, it was slow and ran on a really old pc. I was unsure if it was the pc or the machine causing my problem. The motors should have encoders.

Danny

[c384id70]

I'm tracking down how my proLight 1000 limit switches work. My mill has a red and a black wire heading to all six switches plus a proximity switch that forces to operator to close the clear plastic guard. I'm guessing that probably the red wire SB caring a low voltage DC current and when any limit is tripped that power is transferred to the black wire. Somewhere in all these wires I need to trace where these two wires exit the mill. If a limit switch is tripped, how do you force the mill back off the limit? Also any ideas on tracking down these two wires?

[hh8m]

Mark,

I just purchased a Prolight 2000 and planning the same retrofit of controller you are.

please keep us informed on your progress I am ok at the machine part part not good at the electronics. Hopefully we can learn how to retrofit this together.

I also have a prolight 3000 lathe I need to retrofit as well.

All thebest, Henry

[chalio]

My name is Rosalio Moreno, i have a prolight 2000 but for some reason i cant get comunication between the computer and the machine, everything looks fine anyone has any ideas what i could be the problem thanks?

[hh8m]

Rosalio -

Check -

Fuses are all OK.

Your parallel port (for tool changer) and serial port is set up and communicating properly in your computer.

The Prolight software has been set up for your machine (proper port and control box etc.)

The mill has to be powered on before loading the Prolight software.

The magnetic safety switch for the safety shield

The E-stop must be pulled out.

Henry

[chalio]

i have a old prolight 2000 with the on/off swith on the back.
i did check the fuses and they look ok, i downloaded the software and run the set up program, i hooked up rs232 cable the 25 pin on the machine and the 9 pin on the computer on the com port 0/0, but i still not getting comunication, is it something i have to do with the computer? or is a controller problem??

i really need some helo with this!!
thanks.

rosalio

[hh8m]

Rosalio

You mentioned com port 0/0 I think you need to be on one or two. Double check your comm port settings and re run the set up program and choose the corrospoinding port.

Make sure you start the machine first then run the software

Henry

[jskene]

You should test your serial port connection by running this or another test:

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3450

Be sure to run the 25-pin test at the connector that plugs into the mill.

Then check that your serial port is configured for the correct speed for your mill (19,200 bps). This is indicated on page E3 of the ProLight 2000 Dos manual available on this site:

http://www.intelitekdownloads.com/Manuals/CNC/

Windows XP and possibly other version handles serial port timing differently than does DOS, so you should run the PML2000 control software inside a DOS emulator shell, such a DOSBOX, otherwise it won't connect reliably to the mill.

Also, make sure that the Manual/CNC toggle switch on the front control panel of the mill is set to CNC.

[hh8m]

jskene -

You are correct - I looked over the basics. DOS is a must.

Henry

[markotime]

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

[WilliambEricson]

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...

[44 Echo]

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

[jskene]

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.

[Bill Bowers]

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!

[markotime]

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.

[Bill Bowers]

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?