Problem- Boss 5 Control Locks up

[kewl_cat]

I have a Series 1 Boss 5 that the control locks up occasionally. My laptop is connected via rs232 and it says:
100100
@

The same thing does not pop up each time. The last time was
101334
@

Usually I can take the boards out and clean the edge connectors with an eraser and it will work again. It may run an hour or a day and then lock up. I have cleaned all the boards 3 times in the last week. Any ideas?

[HawkJET]

Originally Posted by kewl_cat Any ideas?

The electronics on these machines is really old. The more you have to clean the connector contacts, the worse the problem is likely to get. The technology of modern electronics is beyond comparison to what is in a Boss 5.

There really isn't any way to alleviate the periodic need for your eraser short of replacing the connectors with a more reliable design. Edge connectors are not the best.... At some point, the system will fail more completely and you won't be able to fix it with an eraser.

So sooner or later you will likely be replacing the antiquated electronics.

My idea... do it sooner. You won't loose any capability - as a matter of fact, you'll gain.

Mach3 (or EMC2), Geckos, and stock motors is pretty easy. You could probably do the conversion in the time it takes to clean the boards a few times. I just did my Boss 3 and am kicking myself for waiting so long.

The only way I know to fix your problem is to eliminate it.

[TarHeelTom]

I also have a BOSS 5.5 machine. Love the machine itself.

When I first bought it, I called Roland Fiesbad and asked him about it. He had a very simple reply: "Can you afford to spend $2000 per year trying to keep this machine running?"

"No"

"Then spend $1000 and replace the BOSS 5 computer with a PC."

I took his advice, and yesterday actually started making my first part on the Bp, which is a heat sink for the Geckos. The setup isn't quite right yet, so I'm running quite slow, but it runs. I'm quite sure that when I have time to address the setup, I'll eventually get it running much faster.

I'm using Geckos and EMC2. I bought a 52 volt power supply. Next time I think I'll buy a 70 or 72 volt power supply. I'm running the spindle motor on a VFD, and everything else is running on either 120 vac or 24 vdc.

More about my rehab project here:
http://tomwade.me/tw/machinist/nm/

Tom

[kewl_cat]

The ole Boss has been a work horse the last two years with virtually no issues. Time to put it out to pasture though. It paid for itself and then some. I just ordered some Geckos and going to Mach 3. I hope to get new steppers soon but am going to use the existing ones for now. My understanding is that the original Nema 42 steppers were around 800 oz/in? I have been looking at the Nema 34 ones on the Keling site. Any suggestions/ideas on stepper choices?

[HawkJET]

Originally Posted by kewl_cat Any suggestions/ideas on stepper choices?

The biggest issue with replacing the steppers is the shaft size/length. The Bridgeport OEM steppers use a non-standard length and diameter. It would be great to have someone chime in and show what they did to replace them. I have my own ideas but would still like to see other solutions.

Any of the Keling NEMA 34s above 800 oz-in should work fine.

Originally Posted by TarHeelTom Next time I think I'll buy a 70 or 72 volt power supply.

When you do your retro-fit, I'm with Tom - go with the most voltage you can. It is less of an issue if you also replace the motors though.

I don't have Geckos, I'm using Compumotor drivers. Compumotor drivers run on line voltage that is rectified and filtered internally which makes it about 170volts (with the higher voltage you need to watch the motor heat).

The nature of stepper motors is that they loose a lot of torque at higher rpm. The higher voltage will reduce this and help with reasonable rapid moves.

[kewl_cat]

I have been reading a lot of posts on the shaft issue. I can make a shaft step up/extension but am not sure how it is best to attach to the 1/2" shaft. Some mentioned that a set screw would be insufficient in the long run.