I am currently looking at an Eagle Knee Mill with a Anilam Crusader M control. The Machine looks mechanically sound but the control is not working. I am planing an AjaxCNC retrofit. In my home shop I have a 5hp phase converter, this mill is similar to a Bridgeport in that you turn the spindle on with a drum switch it is not controlled by the CNC controller. My question is this. Does the cnc control of the AjaxCNC need 3 phase power? Or does the control work of 110v and just the spindle need 3 phase? Any info on how some of you are powering you cnc's in a home shop would be great.

Thanks,
Eric

Ajax requires a 110 volt input. I have one of there retro fits for my mill,I have not got it running yet, but I have powered up and the control is just outright awesome.
Been there and done that, on all these pc, step,direction, hobby controls, which have a ton of bugs that never end.


Good luck.

Hello I have a series 1 CNC Bridgeport that I have converted to run on an ajax control system which in the UK I can run straight from the domestic 240 volt 13 amp single phase supply you are correct in what you think the control does only need 110 volt on mine I run the spindle motor on a single to three phase inverter and with the additional extra for motor speed control from Ajax this gives me full programable speed because in the PLC supplied with the control it lets you use an input / output for the two speed gearbox so speed from 1 to 3500 rpm. the system works very well and is relatively easy to learn on and program in use. There are a few critsisms things I had got used to on the old Boss control are not in the new control such as the goto control which was useful when checking out tool length offsets and goto X0. Y0. & Z0. to check the setup position of the fixture zero. hope this helps Cheers Colin

Colin1544, Use the MDI mode to G0 X0 Y0 to check location.
MDI tool change and move to Z location for tool length verfication.
Same as the BOSS GOTO command
I do not have there control, but they advertize MDI control!

Stephen, Cartesian Machine Works.

Thanks for that stephen works great its just that you get so used to the old mechanical switch controls that you forget about the keyboard commands. Cheers Colin

I already made a retrofit to my eagle machine with Ajax. The control works with 110 v. I can tell you, This is one of my best moves in my life. My machine now is as fast and precise as a $100.000.00 worth cnc machine.
I have available the Crusader M controls for sale..

Good Look.
Luiguicam

I am going to get my mill fired up in the next week, I am very sure I will be happy.Centriod has been around for years, and there stuff works....
I tried all the mickey mouse pc pased controls, more hassle than what there worth.

Luiguicam,
Thanks for the info. How much are you asking for the Crusader control? I would like to see some pictures of your Eagle if you have time.

Thanks,
Eric

Eric,
Attached you will find some pictures of my machine. I included a picture of a wodden sign that I just finish for a costumer. With this new control, my machine is able to cut at 200 ipm precisely. I am using a Precise Jig grinder controlled on and off from the control attached to the machine spindle that reach 45.000 rpm allowing me high speed machining smoothly. I am really happy with this new toy!.
Regarding the Crusader M control I am asking $1400.00 for everything (control panel, monitor, board cage with all the boards (the orange board is damage) and the 3 servo drives)

Any question. any time!

Regards,
Luigicam

Hi

That is a nice sign. What software did you use to program it with? How
long did it take to create the program?

Thank You

I spent three hours in the design and programs, I use photovcarve and Artcam. To make the whole sign took about 4 hours in the machine.

Luiguicam

Luiguicam,
Your machine and work look great. I am attaching some pics of the machine I just brought home. The machine only has 3200 hours on it. From what I was told from the previous owner, the control no longer works. The overall machine is in excellent condition and came with a good selection of toolholders. My question is this, I would like to put the existing control under power to see what happens, do you know how I can power up the control on single phase 110v rather than using three phase? I have a rotary phase converter, but for testing and playing purposes I would like to use single phase. Also, if I go with the Ajax retrofit can you give me detailed info on what you kept out of the existing control? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

Eric,
You can power up your machine by just plug in a 110v outlet. You will know that the control works or not almost Immediately, as soon as you turn on the control the display should come alive with a message "complete". if so, you can move the axis to check the feed back in the DRO. At this point press the reset switch to power up the servo motors (make sure that the switch Manual/Auto is in Auto). If everything work properly, you are able now to test the machine with a program. If you want to cut something, then you need the phase converter to power up the spindle. (this has nothing to do with the control). Now regarding to the retrofit with Ajax, I kept from old control the servo motors,the electical wires to power up the servos, limit switches, the spindle and coolant magnetic contactor, the emergency stop botton, some of the fans, the power supply for the servos, the capacitor and bridge. I bought the basic kit from AJAX including the 3 encoders, I bought also the capacitor but I did not use it (I bought it just in case), besides I bought a new computer to fit it inside the electric cabinet and a 17" flat panel monitor hooked to the old control arm. Total spent Ajax,computer and components around $4000.00 and a part time week to install everything. I could compare the performance of both controllers (Anilam and Ajax) because I ran the same job for testing purposes, this was a 3d complex design on a cabinet wooden door. Result: with the old control took more than 12 hours and very poor quality ( I quit trying complex design with anilam control since then) with the Ajax Control 2 1/2 hours nice and sharp. Another remarkable feature of Ajax is the costumer service and their quick response. I called Jesse from Ajax more than thousand times before and after retrofit(this was mi first retrofit) he always was very kind and he gave the right answer all the times.
If you have more questions do not hesitate, contact me any time.

You can reach me also to my cel phone 787-538-1775

Yo hablo español, but I can deal a little bit with the english.

Regards,
Luiguicam

Luiguicam,
Thanks for all your info. I will keep you informed. I am also leaning toward the Ajax, but I would like to see what happens when I power up the existing control.

Thanks,
Eric

Luiguicam,
Powered up the control last night, I get power all fans power up, but I get no display and when I hit buttons on the control panel I get a beeping sound. What this tells me and the info you have given me is not to mess around to much with the Anilam and retrofit with the Ajax.

Eric

Eric,
Did you try to power up the servos by pressing first the emergency stop and release it then the reset button (The one beside the yellow coolant button in the front of cabinet) with the manual/auto switch in auto you should ear a "clunk" sound and you will ear also more fans working. If this happens, means that you have power in the servos and you can feel them powered because you cannot move the axis manually. At this point your problem maybe the monitor burn or something else. Which it is posible to save the control without much problem. Otherwise, you are ready to Ajax.

Luiguicam

Luiguicam,
When I press the green reset button all I get is a clicking sound. The fans under the servo drives do not come on and no power to the servos. The previous owner told be it has a bad "CT Board", not sure what he meant by that. I did not get any of the manuals with the machine he is supposed to be looking for those. Would you have a electrical diagram you could scan? Everything leads to Ajax, but I am just trying to see what I have so far. Thanks again for the help.

Eric

hsmcnc,
If you decide to sell any or all of the Anilam control components please let me know. I have 2 of them running and like to keep spare parts.

Thanx
Bob

Eric,
I have all the electrical diagrams, I bought them from anilam along with the user manual, I think the the previous owner refered to the CTR board, the board that controls the CTR Monitor, I have seen something in the diagrams about it. When I get home this evening, I am going to scan the control panel Diagram and send you the image to your email.
Another thing you may check is the board cage (attached to the door inside the electronic cabinet). Be careful, and power up the machine and look at the boards, the first board from right to left (the tab orange one) it has a string of 5 leds that should be lit and 2 or 3 of them (not sure) must be blinking, this means that the communication among the system is correct, and you have the boards in good condition.

Regards,
Luiguicam

Regards,
Luiguicam

Bob,
I have the whole crusader M control to be sold. I am planning to post it in Ebay, but if you are interested make me an offer for everything or part of it.

Regards,
Luiguicam

Luiguicam,
I'm interested. My offer will depend on what "the whole crusader M control"means and the condition at the time you removed it. Also need to consider what it will cost to ship it.
Send me some pictures of what you want to sell and if you can provide an estimate to ship to 43465. I'll look it over and make you an offer or so as not to affend you just tell me what you'll take for it.

Thanx
Bob

Luiguicam,
I would be interested in part of the control as well. If I can determine which part I need? When I power up the control on the first board there are 7 LEDs 3 of them are lit solid and 1 is flashing faintly. Not sure what that tells me. If you can scan that diagram that might help.

Thanks,
Eric

hsmcnc,
If your looking at the LEDs on the oarnge tab card from top down you could have 2 & 3 or 2,3 and 4 steady # 7 will be flahing very fast as if dimly lit. Your display should be displaying the axis positions now. If the display is dark it is either the white tab card, the 12 V supply or the monitor itself.
On my machine to get the servos to fire the Estop has to be out and the there is a green button on the front of the machine called Drivers.

Bob

Bob,
Thanks for the info. The LEDs are like you said, from the top down 2,3 and 4 are steady and #7 is flash very fast, looks dimly lit. I guess now I must determine which is bad. Is the 12v power supply located below the monitor? Is the white tabbed card called the CTR or CRT board? I have tried pushing the e-stop in and pulling out to reset it, then there is a green button labled reset. When I push the green reset button I get a clicking sound and no servo power up. Thanks again for the info.

Eric

hsmcnc,
The 12 V supply is on the main power supply. On my machine it is mounted on top of the card cage. There is a row of terminals labled with all the supplies for the control( 5 & 12 and I beleive a -15 and +15). 5V is obviously good due to led's flashing.
I have never heard the white tab card called the CTR or CRT but there is a circuit board for the monitor (CRT) in the cotrol head. You can remove the cover from tha back of the control head and check the 12V there as it is what powers the monitor. To go any further in determining if it is the monitor or card you are going to need a scope or meter capable of reading freg. This is a TTL compatible monitor so you need the following signal to drive it. on the edge connections pin 6 is the Horz Sync (15.3 Khz) & Pin 9 is the V sync (60 hz) and pin 8 is the video. If you have these 3 signals and the 12 VDC to the monitor I'd say you have a bad monitor.
Once you get the display up it may give you an error that will help with the servos.

Bob

Bob,
Thanks you again for the info. Attached are some pictures of the power supply that is attached to the card cage. I do not find any terminals labeled. Can you tell me which ones go where? Also how would I check the voltage? I have a voltage meter, but I am not an electronics expert and would hate to short something out. Do I just check from one wire to a ground? I am going to check with some of the maintenace guys where I work to see if they have a scope or meter to read frequency. I have also attached pictures of the back of the monitor. If you could be so kind as to how I check voltage to it.

Thanks,
Eric

hsmcnc,
The Oarnge (+) & Black (-) wires to the terminals on the circuit board of the monitor are the 12 VDC supply. When you check the other voltages on the monitor use the black wire as the common. As far as the lableing for the power supply I'll have to get that off the machine.

Good Luck
Bob

Bob,
When I check the voltage across the Orange and Black wire it reads 12v. When I check from the Orange to Ground I get -12v and Black to Ground I get 0v. I am not that familiar with DC voltage, but should't it read 0v across the Orange and Black and +12v from Black to Ground? I have attached a picture of the Orange and Black wire I am checking, they are circled in red. Bad power supply or do I not know what I am doing?

Thanks,
Eric

Eric,
If you have 12 volts between the oarnge and black then you have the supply to the monitor. As far as checking between the wires and chassis ground you may get a reading but in reality the control side of the machine should be isolated from the metal cabinet.
So far it looks as though the power supply is good and the problem is either the monitor or the card that drives it.
There is a brightness control on the ciruit board. This is the control that you see on the very back of the montior. With the power off remove the video connector (black plug with 3 red wires & 1 Black) and turn the brightness control full clockwise. Power the machine up and the screen should be lit green. If not I'd say you have a bad monitor (CRT).


Good Luck
Bob

Bob,
I have some good news, but first the bad. I turned the brightness control full clockwise and no green screen. My dad has a friend that owns an electronic/TV repair business he is going to come by tommorow and take a look to see if he can help. Now for the good news, as I was nosing throught the control cabinet try to learn what is what. I saw a plug of wires unplugged from a board(see attached picture), I thought whats the worst that could happen. Plugged it in, powered the control, hit the green reset and boom power to the servos. So as of now maybe just a dead CRT. Any suggestions on who repairs them and how much it could cost? Thanks again for all of your help.

Eric

Eric,
That is good news. As far as repairing the monitor goes I have found places that sell rebuilt ones for around $400.00. If you do a search for a Computron 115DMX you'll find them. You will also come across places that repair them.

Bob

Eric,
I am glad you find a way to make your machine work. If the problem is the monitor, it is not big deal to fix it. When your machine is finally working, you may need to put some programs into the control. I was dealing a lot with the communication settings and I added to the machine dripfree capability by inserting a relay and connecting some cables, getting enough memory to run large jobs. I have all machine squematics and manual in case you need them.
Regards,
Luiguicam

Luiguicam,
Do you have board level schematics or wiring diagrams? Did you ever come up with a price for the used anilam control?

Bob

Bob,
I bougth all squematics available for the Crusader M from Anilam along with the user manual. As I mentioned before, I am planning to place that in Ebay.The whole package: Squematics, manual,Control panel with monitor( the only thing missing in the panel is the emergency stop botton(I use it with the new control); complete board cage with power supply and the boards, the orange tab board 503 is bad (I replace the control because of that), this control version is Crusader M CM02 48K memory (maximun ram memory for this controls); 3 servo drives; relay board, power supply 24v, board 802. I have to check if is something missing bacause I am away from home (I am working..). Anyway I am asking $1400.00 for everything.
If are interested let me know.
Regards,
Luiguicam

Hey Guys,
Here is what I found when I pulled the monitor out and the attached picture shows the card attached to the monitor cage. See the red circled area in the picture. Again I am no expert, but I do believe that this is no good. I am going to see if I can get it repaired. I will keep you informed of my progress.

Thanks,
Eric

Hey Guys,
It has been a couple of weeks, sent the monitor to CNC Repair in Washington. $400 later and I have a running cnc. I really appreciate all of the help. Now all I need to do is figure out how to load programs thru the RS-232 port. Again thanks for the help.

Eric

That's good. As far as loading the programs it is all down via a text trabsfer using Hyper-Terminal. You first have to set the aux codes on the machine. This codes are in the manual. Make sure the battery on the oarnge tab card is good, otherwise the next time you start the machine you will have to add the codes and program again.

If you ever run across a ball screw for the z axis for that macnine let me know.

Bob

Bob,
Do you know if I can send regular G-Code to this control or do I need to follow the format I use when I program at the control? Basically will it accept G00, G01, G02 etc. The manual is not very clear about this.

Eric

Hello the machine is looking good Could you please take some pictures of the mounting of athe z axis servo mounting onto the machine head is it like the elrod system which apparently you can disconnect the ball screw nut and the use the head manually with the quill lever for drilling I ask this as I'm looking at buying a Avon350Z with a Anilam crusader m series control is it easy to program and is it just plain G code input for programming or is it coversational graphics on the M series. Thanks Colin

Colin,
Here are some pictures of the z axis. I would think you could disconnect the ball screw and use the z axis manually if you would want. I have only had mine running for a couple of weeks, it seems easy to program. I am working on the RS 232 communications so I can load a program from the pc.

Eric

Colin,
I don't know why your disconnecting the ball screw but if you want to take it out an sell it I'm interested in buying it. If you do remove it be very careful to not let the ball nut run off the end of the screw. If you do you'll have a few balls to find.

Bob

hsmcnc,
Here is a file from my archives. It makes a header plate for a small block chevy cylinder head.

Have Fun

Bob,
Thanks for the code. Everytime I power down the machine I lose the program I have entered. I assume the battery is dead. I have attached a picture of what I think is the battery on the Orange tabbed board. Can this be replaced? It sure dosen't look good.

Eric

It is very simple to replace. try jameco.com for the battery.