[iGG1e]

It's taken a few months but I've finally got the mill back together, but not tested in anger yet. Regarding the epoxy/granite fill, it adds a lot of mass to the base and should reduce vibrations. Previously the base would ring like a bell when tapped, now it just goes 'thunk'. Fill was done with 6-8MM granite chips and some smaller fill material. Epoxy ratio probably ended up around 15%.

Time will tell how effective the other mods have been (the counterweight system does seem to work well though).

[Ed from NY]

IGG1e:

I'm curious, do you have a pic of the counter-weight system?

BTW, got a shipment notice of the rigid vinyl sheets I'm using for the enclosure. Been busy with other things, but I think within a couple of weeks I may do the enclosure and install the motor upgrade.



Pablo:

How is your upgrade coming along?

[PEU]

Pablo:

How is your upgrade coming along?

I have no cables and I yet dont know if I can ditch the front panel controls, I saw Iggie mod but I still dont know if he put the frontpanel PCBs in other place.

[Ed from NY]

Why do you want to ditch the front panel? Are you going to put something else in its place?

[PEU]

Why do you want to ditch the front panel? Are you going to put something else in its place?

I have two choices, ditch the front panel because I dont have the cables to link it to the motor board, or wait for Xushuo to mail me a set of cables, time will tell

[iGG1e]

Ed the couple of (poor) pictures show the basic pulley from the head to the guide over the top of the column. As it is a 2:1 system to keep the weight down in both mass and size, it does give the problem of it needing to travel twice the distance. Luckily there is enough distance on the standard mill base for it not to hit the floor or bottom of the flood enclosure. The weight doesn't ride the wooden strips full time and if it does rotate into them (in practice just the wider one) it barely kisses them. So no drag issues. I finally found a use for the lump of mystery hard steel I could never machine!

Pablo the picture shows the box containing all of the contents that would be in the mill head. I didn't alter any cable length from standard as with the entire electronics now housed underneath in an enclosure on vibration mounts, it just about reaches to when I need it. Note the selected position of the spindle switch mode control grrrr :boxing:

[ataxy]

Ed the couple of (poor) pictures show the basic pulley from the head to the guide over the top of the column. As it is a 2:1 system to keep the weight down in both mass and size, it does give the problem of it needing to travel twice the distance. Luckily there is enough distance on the standard mill base for it not to hit the floor or bottom of the flood enclosure. The weight doesn't ride the wooden strips full time and if it does rotate into them (in practice just the wider one) it barely kisses them. So no drag issues. I finally found a use for the lump of mystery hard steel I could never machine!

Pablo the picture shows the box containing all of the contents that would be in the mill head. I didn't alter any cable length from standard as with the entire electronics now housed underneath in an enclosure on vibration mounts, it just about reaches to when I need it. Note the selected position of the spindle switch mode control grrrr :boxing:

ah-ha see syil this is how that front panel should be positionned and connected to mach3.

[Ed from NY]

iGG1e:

Do you know What is the IPM and the backlash that you are getting on Z with these changes?

Could you take a pic of the top of the head? I know you have the spidle lock, do you have an ATC? Where in the head did you hook the other end of the cable? Thanks!



I like you idea of having the mill panel/display on the side. I think I'm going to do that with the new Syil panel (pic #1). Just have to make a back for it so that it can hang off the enclosure.

I'll probably leave the old red panel on the mill head, but disconnected.

----------

I have started to take things apart for the upgrade.

A few things I'm not sure:

1) The old "PC board" had a 36-pin female centronics connector (pic #2) for the parallel cable. The new board has some sort of modular socket (pic #3). Not sure how to go from one to another.

2) Need to find out how to connect the limit switches: VCC, S, GND on the board (pic #4); and C, NO and NC on the switch (pic #5).

3) Need to find out how to connect the auto-zero-tool probe which in the old board was on pin #5 (pic #6). Not sure where it goes on the new board.

The documentation for the new "PC board" may be in one of the sites and that would help. I'll look for it.

[Al_The_Man]

I'll probably leave the old red panel on the mill head, but disconnected.

----------

I have started to take things apart for the upgrade.

A few things I'm not sure:

1) The old "PC board" had a 36-pin female centronics connector (pic #2) for the parallel cable. The new board has some sort of modular socket (pic #3). Not sure how to go from one to another.

That looks like a 20pin IDC (ribbon) connector, you can buy the IDC header and 20 conductor ribbon easy enough, the trick is connecting the other end, if it is 36 pin D, then you can get a 36 pin to terminal breakout board.
The other way is to strip the other end of the ribbon and connect the wires individually to a D connector.
The IDC header can be snapped to the ribbon in a vise.
The header pin 1 is marked and the ribbon has a red stripe on one edge.
Al.

[Ed from NY]

1) The old "PC board" had a 36-pin female centronics connector (pic #2) for the parallel cable. The new board has some sort of modular socket (pic #3). Not sure how to go from one to another.

That looks like a 20pin IDC (ribbon) connector, you can buy the IDC header and 20 conductor ribbon easy enough, the trick is connecting the other end, if it is 36 pin D, then you can get a 36 pin to terminal breakout board.
The other way is to strip the other end of the ribbon and connect the wires individually to a D connector.
The IDC header can be snapped to the ribbon in a vise.
The header pin 1 is marked and the ribbon has a red stripe on one edge.
Al.

Thanks Al

I just saw that the draft of the X4 manual shows a parallel port PCB, which takes in a ribbon and has a panel centronics soldered to it. I think I'm missing that little board (see pic) and the ribbon. Will try to get them.

2) Need to find out how to connect the limit switches: VCC, S, GND on the board (pic #4); and C, NO and NC on the switch (pic #5).

The NC is for normally-closed and NO for normally-open (duh!). So with that and the documentation of the old PC board it seems that we onlt need to connect the "C" and "NO" terminals on the switches to the "S" and "GND" on the board for inputs 1 and 2. Input 3 continues to be the same switch we had before for Z.

3) Need to find out how to connect the auto-zero-tool probe which in the old board was on pin #5 (pic #6). Not sure where it goes on the new board.

Again, based on the documentation of the old PC board, we connect the auto-zero wire to "S" and it will close the circuit when the probe touches the tool (ground).

So it seems that I'm only left with the LPT connector issue to resolve.

[Ed from NY]

I have two choices, ditch the front panel because I dont have the cables to link it to the motor board, or wait for Xushuo to mail me a set of cables, time will tell

I have that cable. Do you want me to check the pinning and report back to you?

[Ed from NY]

Oh... missing a relay for the coolant pump since it is no longer on the board. See pic.

[iGG1e]

iGG1e:

Do you know What is the IPM and the backlash that you are getting on Z with these changes?

Could you take a pic of the top of the head? I know you have the spidle lock, do you have an ATC? Where in the head did you hook the other end of the cable? Thanks!

I've not done any proper testing for speed yet. Currently it's set to about 48IPM. I guess it could go pretty quickly as unlike with the gas struts (or certainly mine when fitted), with the side plates removed, you can easily push the head up and down with one hand. Backlash I expect will be the same...this machine seems to be on the far end of the tolerances on all axis, with the Y being pretty poor, although it does seem to travel without binding. One thing the weight has greatly improved is the 'head nod' on direction change. Previously a DTI would move a lot, now it is just barely perceptible.

The other end of the cable is connected about 2" from the top pulley seen in the first picture of my previous post. You can just see the silver of the washer, with the rest of it being obscured by column.

An ATC would be nice, but it's manual change for me unfortunately. I do have the Tormach tooling system (expanding to number of holders is unlikely due to my wish of not being reamed by customs charges, the shipping charges don't bother me), but I also want to put in other tool holders and that negates the automatic system somewhat. Although I guess you could be selective in use and combine both methods of tool change during an operation. Currently I plan to do a impact wrench based power draw bar only.

[PEU]

[edit] made this post into a new thread so I do not derail this one

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92835


Pablo

[gn3dr]

I've not done any proper testing for speed yet. Currently it's set to about 48IPM. I guess it could go pretty quickly as unlike with the gas struts (or certainly mine when fitted), with the side plates removed, you can easily push the head up and down with one hand. Backlash I expect will be the same...this machine seems to be on the far end of the tolerances on all axis, with the Y being pretty poor, although it does seem to travel without binding. One thing the weight has greatly improved is the 'head nod' on direction change. Previously a DTI would move a lot, now it is just barely perceptible.

The other end of the cable is connected about 2" from the top pulley seen in the first picture of my previous post. You can just see the silver of the washer, with the rest of it being obscured by column.

An ATC would be nice, but it's manual change for me unfortunately. I do have the Tormach tooling system (expanding to number of holders is unlikely due to my wish of not being reamed by customs charges, the shipping charges don't bother me), but I also want to put in other tool holders and that negates the automatic system somewhat. Although I guess you could be selective in use and combine both methods of tool change during an operation. Currently I plan to do a impact wrench based power draw bar only.

Hi iGGe
I've sent you a PM. I was wondering if you would sell your Tormach system if you are not planning on using it exclusively?

[iGG1e]

Ger, replied to your message.

But it basically comes down to not selling them, but my intended plan of using them with an ATC system went out of the window with the Syil spindle speed control being so poor.

As a system they're great and are used the majority of the time.