Convert MillPwr->PC based control?

[arsenix]

I have a Acu-Rite MillPwr based CNC machine. The control box has been destroyed.(it was broken but fixable... shipped for repair and now is a total loss) The machine has perfectly good glass linear scales and 3-axis servos with integrated power supplies. Has anyone done a PC based controller for these machines to replace the MillPwr? My options are to do this or to buy a new (upgraded) MillPwr from Acu-Rite which I suspect will be expensive.

James

[pofo]

What did you decide to do? I have a similar situation.

[jmelson]

Originally Posted by arsenix I have a Acu-Rite MillPwr based CNC machine. The control box has been destroyed.(it was broken but fixable... shipped for repair and now is a total loss) The machine has perfectly good glass linear scales and 3-axis servos with integrated power supplies. Has anyone done a PC based controller for these machines to replace the MillPwr? My options are to do this or to buy a new (upgraded) MillPwr from Acu-Rite which I suspect will be expensive. James

If you can get connection info on these glass scales, and they have digital output, the rest shouldn't be too hard. Do you have electrical specs on the motors (volts and current)?

I'm assuming the servo amps and motor power supply were in that control box that got wrecked, so all you have now is motors and encoders.

I have some boards that most likely will work. I have a PWM controller that connects to the PC and reads encoder position and sends out speed commands. I have servo amps that take those signals and drive the motors. You'd still need to come up with a power supply for the motors, but that won't be terribly expensive.

Anyway, you can see the boards at
http://pico-systems.com/oscrc4/catal...ex.php?cPath=3
The items you are looking for are the Universal PWM Controller and the PWM servo Amplifier.

These are supported by the EMC2 CNC program, which you can take a look at at
http://www.linuxcnc.org/

Jon

[pofo]

Thanks Jon. You have a PM.

[WESTERNTOOL]

ARE ANY OF THE MILLPWR PARTS ANY GOOD?

P.S. THE SCALES ARE MORE THAN LIKELY ACU-RITE SCALES, WHICH ARE NOW OWNED BY HEIDENHAIN.

[pofo]

I've learned a bit more. The Millpwr puts a power supply, servo amp, and some portion of the controller together with the motor case. Millpwr uses command voltage, not step/direction to control the motor (ala Servo Dynamics). So controllers like Mach 3 will not work.

I simply can't afford or justify the cost of the Millpwr console. As this mill is a hobby, just for fun to learn about CNC, and make a few parts for my car, it makes no sense to make that huge expenditure. So I would ideally like to know what the pin definition is of the controller unit interface to the console to see if I can put together something cheap.

The Millpwr unit is brilliant. The motor castings and boards, tight fittings, substantial cables, all look absolutely top-notch. That coupled together with their glass scales, makes for a really nice system. It would be a shame to hack that up, throw away the electronics, and put together something a 10th as nice as the Millpwr units. So, I'm hoping Millpwr will share the information with me and help out a hobbyist.

[grecout]

Hi pofo I have a millpwr control I need servos and glass scales do you want to sell or trade

[Lohmeyer]

I have a Millpwr with milslide 3 axis conversion on an Acer mill, but using a PC based (Camsoft) controller instead of the original. The Millpwer controller was replaced by a professional built box using a standard PC, A Galil PCI motion controller, and three Glentek DC Servo boards. The encoders come off the ends of the motors, no glass slides. My Millpwr motors are just DC motors, no integrated servo or controller boards.

The Galil card has inputs for encoders, and should support your glass slides (most these encoders use the same A-B signaling). For your motors, again a Galil card probably supports it. The fact that the servo amps are integrated with the motors is a good thing for you. Since Mach3 has Galil drivers now, you are probably in good shape.

[pofo]

Thanks for the notes. I did look at Camsoft and Galil, but decided to go with DSPMC and Mach 3. Contrary to what I said, Mach 3 can be used with +/-10V servo amps. I'm learning.

My choice was made strictly based upon the web site documentation and posts on this site. I found Camsoft and Galil documentation too confusing and complicated. The DSPMC seems very straightforward. Decisions like this are a shot in the dark having to buy without a chance to use or demo before use.

[john@percor]

How do I post a new thread? I'm sure the link is in front of me, but I cannot see it..please help.

[cncsnw]

Go back to the forum index (list of threads). There the button at the top left of the list is "New Thread" instead of "Post Reply".