Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] GE 1050CM control

accellodyne wrote:

> Anybody know about GE 1050 controls (1981) on an old Monarch VMC75?
> I have a 4-axis model and want to add an axis to make it five.
> According to GE, they think it will work but I'd like to hear from a
> nuts and bolts guy that it will work if done properly. I understand
> I will need to rewrite the MSD tape and install some more boards,
> calibrate, etc. Before I go thru all that I want to be sure the
> control will produce simultaneous 5-axis movement at 250 SFPM. I
> want to drip feed 5-axis code to the control with a BTR and a PC. I
> don't need compensation and all the fancy canned cycles that are
> normally in most controls.

Does this system provide simultaneous 4-axis motion at 250 IPM?
That's pretty amazing. I had an Allen-Bradley 7320, a contemporary
of yours, and it was VERY sluggish, as it only had a 100 Hz servo update
rate. That gave it about a 3 Hz system bandwidth. Unless the machine is
really huge (like 50-foot bed) I can't imagine going 250 IPM with the AB.
(You must have meant 250 IPM, not SFPM in your message, as that would
be 3000 IPM! Anyway, SFPM is usually used to measure cutting tool
motion, and IPM is used for feed rate.)

Do you have the facilities to change the executive program? (I assume
that is what you are talking about with the "MSD tape".) I didn't, as that
was done at the factory, I guess. I made some small changes by editing
the binary code, but I wouldn't waste that much time on it again.

The main reason to have a long think about this is the reliability of these
old controls. I ran the A-B for about 6 months, and had 3 major breakdowns
on it. Although I could diagnose and repair these problems, it was becoming
a pain. I replaced it with a PC and the EMC program, and have had no
problems with that, in 2+ years of use. Look up the prices of repair boards
for your GE control before going any further.

Jon