BP S2 Interact II - When to say when?

[hmc710]

Chasing motor / encoder / control issue on our Interact II. Motor smoked yesterday while doing a repeat x move to check position error and encoder voltage at motor and control. Just a wisp of smoke, but still smoke. Motor was not hot at all. Called Steve at Clarkson Co. Very nice guy. $325 - $1200 for a motor: SEM MT30R4-58. When do I stop putting money into the old system and just go for an upgrade. Using TNC145 which is limited in program length and I still have not concluded that the control is ok. I was going to swap motors when the x one shuddered I stopped the mach and pulled it off. I was going to swap wires to y and test but I remembered the control is off so the mach will want to ref first and I dont have the x motor on. Would it be possible to fake out the x ref switch to power the mach up to test the x control? I use the machine on a regular basis.
Thanks for all the help and comments.

[gridley51]

You can get the machine to ignore one or more axis for the purpose of testing by changing a parameter.Enter the parameter which tells the machine to look only for the axis you want to use.
If you want to test a drive you will have to swap them at the panel.
I currently have an Interact 11,Ser 11 set up with only the X axis working.The encoders are shot on Y and Z so changing the parameter to make it a single axis machine lets me reference the X and I can test motors/encoders on that axis.
BTW there is someone selling the SEM motor that you require complete with encoder for about $800 on Ebay UK.
Mark.