Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] BOSS Retrofit...Little details

Hi Brady,

>1. Aside from the spindle motor power supply, what else do I need to
>retain in regards to the spindle for the conversion? Are there
>electronics that handle the lubrication of the spindle? I am not
>interested in changing the spindle motor or mechanical speed control.
>It works fine.
>

The spindle bearings are sealed for life and don't need lubrication. All
other lubrication is taken care of by the auto oiler. All you need is a
contactor to turn the motor on and off. The varispeed works fine unless
you are doing heavy production work where you need to keep changing the
speed.

>2. Limit switches...I will be running Mach2. Do I need to swap out
>the limit switches, add switches or rewire them at all?
>
>

The limit switches are good quality and there is no need to replace
them. All you need to do is wire them into your emergency stop circuit.

>3. Bijur way luber...I haven't really run the machine enough to test
>out the lube pump to see if it is working or not...According to the
>manual, I should be able to pull up on the plunger to prime it...well
>it doesn't pull up. It unscrews and that's about it. Anyway...getting
>back to the electrical aspects of the pump. What do I need to keep? ~
>What gets canned?
>
>

All you need to do is feed the pump with 110V and it will do the rest. I
wired mine into the spindle control circuit so that when the spindle is
on the pump is running. The pump plunger is pushed up by a cam. It then
drops down under spring pressure, supplying oil to the machine. The cam
rotates quite slowly so you won't see the plunger move. To check it is
working, appy power and measure the height of the plunger. Wait a minute
or so then measure again. If it has moved it is working.

The plunger is quite hard to pull up by hand. You need to apply a steady
pressure and it slowly comes up. It could also be that it is being held
at the top of it's stroke by the cam. In that case you need to apply
power to make the cam rotate and let the plunger drop.

>4. Motor power cables....I was thinking of the Belden line of
>shielded cable from Jameco. Good/bad/cheaper somewhere else?
>
>

I reused the stepper cables for the servo power. The encoders have a
separate screened cable. Any good quality braided screen cable should
do. Avoid foil screened cable as the foil can break down after a while
if it is flexed too much.

>Here's a list of the components so far:
>
>1.5HP PMDC motors (will post specs later when it's running)
>Rutex R990H servo drives
>Rutex 990MB motherboard
>Rutex 990IO relay card
>USDigital E3 1000CPR encoders + cables etc
>Mach2/3 PC controller
>BOSS 75v PS (modified or new one from scratch)
>
>Am I missing anything? Suggestions?
>
>

You will need a contactor for the spindle motor - the relay board cannot
handle the current. If you use a 110V coil in the contactor then you can
use the same relay to control both the contactor and oiler.

At least one proper mushroom emergency stop switch. It should be the
type that latches down rather than the original BOSS one that springs back.

Les