bridgeport boss5 stepper to servo retrofit

[jshumer1]

Hello all, this is my first post in the zone. I have found tons and tons of info on this retrofit. (Thanks to all of you) This is my first retro to servo motors. Kind of a slow process for me. My dad started a small tool and die shop about 15 years ago outside our house in a barn he built. This boss 5 was the first cnc he bought, about 10 years ago. It’s always been a pain to keep it running. I spend more time trying to fix it then I do cutting on it. So I decided to bite the bullet, gut the sucker and start anew. Of course the servo motor will not fit with the same motor mounts. And I don’t want to mount the motor off the front of the machine. I want to mount the motor off to the side on a 45 degree angle or so. I was wondering if anyone already had prints to make up this mounting case. Any help would be much appreciated. I am very excited about finding the cnczone. A wealth of information at my fingertips.

[jshumer1]

Ok ok. Maybe I was asking a little much. My goodies from Camsoft should be here on Wednesday so I’ve started to design up the bracket to get this money maker back in business ASAP. I will post my pics as it develops.

[mactec54]

Hi jshumer1

What motors are you using AC or DC I did my Boss 5 with AC servos and has been
great for 8 years now but I would mount the motors as they were mounted and
keep the 1 to 1 drive setup unless your motor is to long to go under the knee were
the old stepper motor was mounted

[colin1544]

Hello log onto AJAX CNC site they give you a full info for a retrofit on a Boss 5 machine dead easy. Cheers Colin

[jshumer1]

..

[jshumer1]

I have been on ajacks, camsoft, you name it. I just wish I knew about this site earlier. My amplifiers, drivers and cables should be in today. (very excited) Anyways, I have designed my x and y axis cover and bracket. I cut the x-axis bracket last night. I am posting some pics, and some .pdf’s of the design. The pics are taken with my cell phone so I apologize for the poor quality. I will take better pics another time.

[jshumer1]

Originally Posted by mactec54 Hi jshumer1 What motors are you using AC or DC I did my Boss 5 with AC servos and has been great for 8 years now but I would mount the motors as they were mounted and keep the 1 to 1 drive setup unless your motor is to long to go under the knee were the old stepper motor was mounted

They are DC motors. I have a Shizuoka mill with a Bandit control that has never run. My dad bought it about 8-10 years ago, dumped a lot of money into it trying to get the control to work and renovating the machine. In the process had the servo motors rebuilt. I also have a Boss 3 Bridgeport with an Ah-ha control box. (Out of business) This one has worked great for years after I got rid of the control. I bought a package from Camsoft for everything but the motors. Should arrive today. After I’m through with the Boss 5, I plan to just break down and buy one of the bolt on controls for the Shizuoka. I just wanted to take the cheaper way first. Right now I’ve got all my eggs in one basket as the Boss 3 is my only mill running. The Shizuoka will be great to have running because the table travel is about double what I can do on the two series 1’s.

[jshumer1]

Ok, the z and x axis are mounted. I had to order some aluminum in order to cut my y axis bracket\housing. I also had to order a larger belt for the y axis in order to increase the center to center distance from 7.5 inches – 11.5 inches. This will allow me enough clearance to mount the motor back and off to the side, instead of out the front. A bit more work, but I think it will be worth it in the end. I have a few more pictures just because.

[Barry_ward]

Take a look at a few of the photos of my Shiz. IMHO the belt drive mount is the only way to go. I've seen a lot Shizoukas with the direct drive (motors in the way of your body) and I highly recommend spending the time and money to add the belt drives and get (at least the Y axis) motor out of your way.

With the motors sticking out, you ar bound to end up getting brused..

[jshumer1]

Finally finished the y-axis mount. Would have been done a day or so earlier except I did notice the bearing center was above the mount’s bolt pattern. DUMB screw up…. So I had to pocket it out, and machine up an insert with the bearing center in the right spot. I admit the mount and cover is a little elaborate, but I figured if I was going to do it, do it all the way. I think the lid is a nice touch.

[Barry_ward]

I assume that you have another CNC machine that you made these parts on.

Did you solid model them? If yes, what software? If no, how did you rough in the design?

Please detail the steps, tools, and feeds that you used to make one of the larger parts from solid. It would be very helpful to a uneducated, low experience hack such as myself.

Very cool. You really must have a good feel for shapes and how to turn them into reality.

best regards,

Barry

[jshumer1]

Originally Posted by Barry_ward I assume that you have another CNC machine that you made these parts on. Did you solid model them? If yes, what software? If no, how did you rough in the design? Please detail the steps, tools, and feeds that you used to make one of the larger parts from solid. It would be very helpful to a uneducated, low experience hack such as myself. Very cool. You really must have a good feel for shapes and how to turn them into reality. best regards, Barry

Yes, solid model. I have used OneCNC for the past 4-5 years. Before that it was an out-dated SmartCam. (Not very smart) One CNC isn’t the best system out there, but you can’t beat the price. I machined all these parts on my Bridgeport Boss 3 with an Ah-ha control. As for speeds, and feeds, I roughed out with a ½” carbide end mill at about 15-20 ipm, and about 1600-1800 rpms. My spindle is manually controlled, so I typically write the code with the feed rate close to what I think I want. Then just manually override them to tweak the program. I am twenty-six years old and have been a Tool and Die Maker for about eight or so years. I was homeschooled most of my life and trained as a machinist/tool maker by my father growing up. Designing and machining parts is the easy part for me, but wiring this control and servo motors is a real pain. It’s coming along ok, but it has been a learning experience. Not sure if this helps Barry, or answers your question, but thanks for the compliment.