[stevieboy]

I have a BMC 20 with ultimax 3 control with colour monitors. I had them both repaired and serviced over a year ago but they've never really been that good. I'm thinking of trying to replace them with LCD monitors. I've found a company that specialise in this and made contact. They need some information.

video connection-
supply voltage-
video signal info-

Has anyone done this mod or can somebody help with any information that I need to do this. I can get them to fit on the pendant ok, even if it means making a new front panel. The bit I'll come unstuck with is the electronics side of things as I don't know anything about this.

I've tried to contact Hurco UK but it's like trying to get blood out of a stone.(chair)

[bloke]

Blood out of a stone? I doubt it.
Anyway, the info you need is as follows:
The monitors you have are either 24v or 110v. You can tell by the power connector; if it's a blue and white twisted pair plugged into the card under the keyboard, it's 24v.
A "kettle plug" type of connection means it's 110v.
The signals are VGA and may arrive at the monitors in a 10 pin IDC connector. You could nip this off and solder on a new 15 pin D-type or make an adaptor. It may already have adaptors if it was fitted with Melford monitors.
Hurco have pinouts for the 10 way to 15 way adaptors.

[stevieboy]

Thanks bloke.

I've looked and it's got the blue and white wires, so 24v then. There's also a pair of smaller black wires going to the same board as the blue and white ones on each monitor. What are these for?

[bloke]

They are for the de-gaussing coils. Not really needed or used after the original monitors have been changed.

[stevieboy]

Great, thanks.

Sounds like you know what you're talking about. I put a post on here recently about a problem with the manual axis jog remote unit not working sometimes. Any ideas on that one?

[bloke]

Could be a heat fault on one of the components in the jog unit if it only starts working after the power has been on a while.

[Rally]

Great, thanks.

Sounds like you know what you're talking about. I put a post on here recently about a problem with the manual axis jog remote unit not working sometimes. Any ideas on that one?

Change Buttons may work for you I had to change two of them We use our machine as plain 3 axis so the other 2 buttons are spares so to speak.

If you use the 110V Monitors you can run seperate circuit for power.

[stevieboy]

It's definitely not the buttons Rally.

Bloke, what are the Hurco pinouts? The new LCD monitors that I'm looking into have a 15pin input but I have a 10 way wire to the original monitors. Do you mean Hurco have adaptors that I can just buy to connect this up. Also one of the monitors comes on a chassis which I think would fit in the pendant quite easily but it runs on either mains or 12v. Is there anything on the machine that's 110 volts that I could run a supply from, or 12 volt DC.

[bloke]

I'll dig the pinout list out in the morning along with where to get your 12v in the console.

[bloke]

10-way cable pins are as follows:
1 red video
2 red video ground
3 green video
4 green video ground
5 blue video
6 blue video ground
7 horizontal sync
8 horizontal sync ground
9 vertical sync
10 vertical sync ground

12v power can be sourced at the J3 & J4 connectors (where the 24v is wired to for the old monitors) but on the following pins:
J3 pin 4 (12v)
J3 pin 5 (0v)
J4 pin 4 (12v)
J4 pin 5 (0v)

[stevieboy]

Thanks bloke,

So are the J3 J4 pins on the power supply then? Sorry, electronics aren't a good thing for me, wished I understood it better. Thanks for all your help so far.

[bloke]

Ooops, forgot to mention the J3 & J4 are the two connectors on the board under the keyboard where the original monitors were powered from. They are supplied with both 24v and 12v connections in case the monitors were switched for mono 12v displays.

[stevieboy]

Cheers bloke, found them.

Got another problem now though. Came to work on the machine today and the text screen has gone mad. I've had the machine switched on for a few weeks as I've got a job on with it, so it's been on overnight and not a problem with switching it on.

I tried swapping the wires over on the cpu in the back of the machine so now the text screen is on the right hand side of the pendant. The problem moved with the text screen to the right side so it's not the CRT.

I've hopefully managed to attach a photo of what's going on.

[bloke]

That's the VGA card gone west. There are two stacked on top of each other on the CPU. You could swap the two over as a temporary fix or get a new one from Hurco UK.
Part no. 415-0220-002 two in stock.

[stevieboy]

Cheers Bloke,

Got one on order, should come Friday. So that's my arse well and truly spanked then. Nevermind, I guess the monitors will have to wait a little while longer.

[stevieboy]

Ok so I fitted the new VGA card onto the cpu. I was extra carefull in doing it, even numbered all the wire connectors so nothing would get mixed up, cleaned all the contacts etc. Put it all back together and switched it on. Guess what, nothing on the screens at all. They're getting power, checked that. Checked the power supply and voltages are all ok so now what?

Usually when it's switched on, after a few moments there's a relay click and then all the green lights on the front panel come on for a second or so, then the main screen appears and the ultimax logo. This doesn't happen, no click or lights, nothing. However if I release the emergency stop and then press it again there's a relay under the front panel that clicks 3 times and the lights on the remote jog unit flash on, but still nothing happens.

Any ideas. Throw it in the bin would be nice.

[bloke]

Have you double checked the little standoff blocks between the cpu and the vga cards are the right way round? They normally have a location lug on them if I remember correctly.
Also double check the CPU is in it's slot properly.

[stevieboy]

Yes that's all spot on, you're right the blocks can only go one way round, even cleaned all the contacts. When I switch it on there are four small red lights on the X,Y,Z,Spindle board that flash four times then a small green light on the CPU board comes on but that's as far as it goes. I'm at a loss now, a sacrificial burial would be nice.

I've sent an email to [email protected] but not sure if I'll get a reply.

[bloke]

I assume you have tried the old card back on the CPU to make sure the replacement isn't causing the problem. I'll dig a CPU out in the morning to see if there is anything you may have done to upset it without knowing it.

[stevieboy]

Hi Bloke,

I put the old one back in but swapped it round for the graphics card so now the fault is on the graphics screen and not the text screen, At least I can operate the mill. With the old one back in it boots up straight away with no problems at all. Again there's a photo attached. Is it possible I could have been supplied with a faulty card?

I got a reply back from the guy at Hurco uk so I just emailed him back with the same.

Any ideas?