Re: My CNC Retrofit Project/Don't cut wires!

Message: 12
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 12:12:34 +0100
From: Andrew Werby <drewid@...>
Subject: Re:My CNC Retrofit Project/Don't cut wires!

The original message of Andrew's is cut up badly here!

>[This computer doesn't seem to be set up that way. Instead of being slid
>into slots like a modern computer, its 4 panels are screwed to a back
>plate, which mounts on the door of the control cabinet. The only tag on the
>computer said "Industrial Information Controls Inc PC-LSP-08." I think they
>made the rest of the control stuff too. The only way the machine reboots is
>by turning on and off the main switch, which looks like a car door handle
>mounted on the back of the control cabinet.]

Okay. With something like this, you need to kill all the power to the
machine and use some good contact cleaner. Take apart the plugs between
boards, one at a time, and spray both the board contacts and the connector.
If the connector slides onto the edge of the circuit board, there will be
a bunch of flat copper, tin, or gold foil contacts printed near the edge.
The connector has metal springs that slide over these flats to make the
contact. You can wipe off these flats with a pencil eraser and get them
shiny again. If the connector slides onto pins you can do some cleaning of
the pins with long narrow strips of paper. Run a strip around each pin
like a bootblack might his polishing cloth.

They've probably changed names since then. I'll see if I can find any more
info.

Industrial Information Controls Inc
14627 Martin Drive
Eden Prarie, MN 55244

It's on the plate block of your drawings.

>[I was thinking of a simple rotary table with a chuck, mounted
>parallel to the x-axis, with a tailstock like a lathe. I've got a spare
>motor and amp that came with the machine, so even if everything had to
>match that wouldn't be a big problem. How much do rotary tables cost? I
>know Max NC sells a little one for $535 with a stepper and control box- I
>figure I should be able to get a larger manual one for not much more and
>adapt it to my motor. So what I was mostly worried about was figuring out
>how to hook up the extra axis. I was also thinking about running it with a
>stepper, since the position and velocity information isn't so crucial, and
>the servo motor seems heavy for the job. Would it be possible to have the
>program signal the stepper to move a (certain settable) distance at the end
>of each linear pass, and accomplish the indexing function that way?]

I saw a mechanical indexer a few years back. It had a plunger on top that
would move the chuck. You just programmed a move to it and plunge and the
chuck turned the distance you set. I thought it was cleaver, some others
thought it a waste of machine time. You could do something similar with a
cheapo, a little ratched plunger and a brake. Or electric with a switch.

Computer controlled indexers are more expensive. A nearby shop bought a
rock-solid indexer with control that would step in arc minutes for 12k.
There are some older Yuassa indexers that sold new for 2-3k that would do a
nice job of small steps and would easily fit on your machine. You could
make your own with a stepper motor like you said and use the emc to run it
but I'd have to think about triggering it.


Ray