CENTROID vs AJAX controls

[ANGAENGINEERING]

I have a lathe and a mill I'd like to fit an AJAX control to. I have several questions.

On the AJAX website the AJAX lathe has a 4 position automatic tool turret. Are these available seperately from AJAX for retrofitting to other lathes or does anyone know where to get such an item, possibly a 6 tool or 8 tool?

From what I've read the AJAX and Centroid controls are the same. On the AJAX website the control is shown with 4 axis controls but the Centroid is shown with 5 axis. If they are the same controller is it possible to use the AJAX mill control to control a 5 axis machine?

Is there a wiring diagram available to enable you to build your own PC/control console as I'd have to import such a thing from the US or is it easy enough to build your own based on a PC?

The Centroid website shows a console with 2 manual handwheels (MPG's i assume) to enable you to use the machine as a manual machine. Is this possible with the AJAX control?

Thanks for your help.

[cncsnw]

These are really questions for AjaxScott, but I can address some of them.

On the AJAX website the AJAX lathe has a 4 position automatic tool turret. Are these available seperately from AJAX for retrofitting to other lathes or does anyone know where to get such an item, possibly a 6 tool or 8 tool?

Centroid now offers an 8-position turret which you could use with an Ajax lathe retrofit kit. See http://www.centroidcnc.com/accessories.htm, part #10946 near the bottom of the page.

From what I've read the AJAX and Centroid controls are the same. On the AJAX website the control is shown with 4 axis controls but the Centroid is shown with 5 axis. If they are the same controller is it possible to use the AJAX mill control to control a 5 axis machine?

In general, Centroid has restricted Ajax to the more basic controls (DC servos, up to four axes) while offering more advanced controls (AC servos, up to five axes) under the Centroid brand.

I doubt that will change with the current generation of hardware, but it might change with the upcoming generation (which will allow up to six axes using two daisy-chained DC3IO units, or up to eight axes using third-party torque-mode servo drives).

Is there a wiring diagram available to enable you to build your own PC/control console as I'd have to import such a thing from the US or is it easy enough to build your own based on a PC?

The PC / console portion of the control has little wiring. It is an ordinary PC (which you supply anyway) with the Centroid CPU10 board plugged into one if its PCI slots. Besides the usual power, VGA, keyboard and mouse, the connections are: one DB9 encoder plug for each axis; one DB15 connection for the optional hand control pendant; and five optical fibers to the DC3IO. These connections are shown on the wiring diagram that Ajax provides.

The Centroid website shows a console with 2 manual handwheels (MPG's i assume) to enable you to use the machine as a manual machine. Is this possible with the AJAX control?

Yes.

This is usually done only on lathes, since there are not enough available encoder inputs to have a separate handwheel for each axis of a mill.

On either type of machine you can use the single-wheel MPG pendant with an axis select switch.

[cncjunky]

Centroids are in my opinion excellent controllers, I have a older centroid controller from the early 90's hooked up to a 3 axis mill with steppers . It's a excellent machine. I have a even bigger 4 axis mill that I'd like to get a Ajax retrofit kit for, but I'm kind of leary. How difficult is it to put one of these babies together? I have pretty much no experience with putting together electronics.