Project Retro/rebuild Bridgeport Series IIA (2) NC

[JimPAC]

Starting today I am going to Breathe new life into this piece of machine Jewelery!!!
I have located another to do the same! Machine as is was $2,000

Each step will be posted w/ components , cost and Pics showing the total process!!
I will be using Mach3, Will add drive for the Quill, Will be using updated Steppers!
Oh" I need all the advice and help on components as possible! The budget for this is $3,500

Here it is!

[HillBilly]

I have a way to interface Mach 3 to the original drives and steppers. The drives are electronically the same as the BOSS3-6.

Darek

[JimPAC]

Thanks for the reply Hillbilly!

This BP has no control components!

I will be starting from Scratch, and I want to use the steppers on the machine for now!

[UKRobotics]

Hi JimPAC,

While it is not an identical machine, I'm nearing completion of a complete electronics rebuild of a Bridgeport Series II Interact 4.

I have a diary of my research/progress which may be of use to you, along with several wiring diagrams I drew up.

Bridgeport Series II Interact 4 Retrofit

Bridgeport Series 2 Interact 4 Wiring Diagram

Bridgeport Custom Power Supply Design

Please bear in mind some of these diagrams are not perfect and I've since made changes which I havent got round to uploading yet. That said, it should be enough to get you started.

[JimPAC]

Hi Dom!

That sounds wonderful!!

Got Pics?

I have done this before like 30 Years Ago with a monarch 150 and Fanuc!$$$$$$

My dad wouldn't believe that we can drive machines threw a PC much less a Open architecture.

Keep in touch Please!

Jim Salter

pac470@cox.com

[UKRobotics]

Jim,

The link I gave you on CNCZone has lots of photographs of my Bridgeport
progress. In case you missed it you can find them here:
http://www.ukcnc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4

Any questions you think I may be able to answer, feel free to email me
or telephone if you prefer. It would have saved me so much time if
someone could have just pointed out some of the basics from the start,
though it sounds like you are already pretty clued up about what you are
doing.

Good luck anyway! :-)

[tomindallas]

Boy, I wish my basket case looked like that when I started...

Using the original steppers means ~50% of the project is done - I spent most of my time figuring out how to put the servos on there. One of my biggest costs was timing pulleys (after the drives).

Can you do me a favor? Can you trace down the oiling system for me and help me get mine back into the correct configuration? I can not locate any documentation on which size valve should be going to which location...0 here, 00 there and 000, etc....

I think you'll find the quill drive the most challenging, as the rack on the quill isn't very good for fine control - I just drive the table on my machine. Also, it appears someone already changes out the Y axis stepper to a Slo-Syn or Superior?

[UKRobotics]

I was even luckier with mine; ok it didnt come cheap but i've got 1kw servos on every axis, a 5kw spindle motor and a powered draw bar.

[JimPAC]

Hey Tom!

Did you ever Find out about the machine in Houston that Cold Fusion had?

What's up with That!

I have all manuals for this BP I can send you copy as soon as I get around to scanning!!

Jim

[Al_The_Man]

Dom. I am a bit confused on the Custom Power Supply print as to why the two relays that are picking up the primary of the transformers, it would appear they may be redundant as the same power that energises them is also energising the primary's?
Al.

[UKRobotics]

Well spotted, Al.

The relays are time delay relays. When you switch on the power supply there is a 1 second delay before the first two primarys are powered up and then another second elapses before the second two primairies recieve power.

The reasoning for this is for the purposes of limiting inrush current. Eventually this will all be wired directly into the main fusebox for the workshop where it is less likley to cause a problem but during testing I need to be able to run it off a 13amp socket. Having the delay between the pairs of transformers allows me to do this without blowing fuses.

[tomindallas]

Jim - I called Cold today and he says he's got a buyer locally already in Houston...