DIY- CNC Embroidery Machine

[kiefer]

Hi Jtoven,
maybe I can help with some advises - so let's start.
Before we start, it would be helpful to know how much experience with CNC machine you have?
Your embroidery machine is in fact a CNC machine. To run G-code generator we use MACH3 software. It's a software for home PC.
Do you have this software?
If you have this software, you have to connect all your hardware to MACH3. This might be tricky, and I think this is the hardest part of your project.
You're going to exclude the Motherboard of your Melco machine ( there will be no use for this any more). Home PC with MACH3 & G-code generator will be your new Motherboard for this machine.
So, I'm assuming - the hardware of this machine ( all servo motors etc) are connected directly to the motherboard ( there is no breakout board?). To connect the same hardware to MACH3 - you're going to need the BOB ( breakout board) .
Before I continue, let me know how much you know about all this.

[jtoven]

Kiefer, thank you for your help...

I also have a 6 color Brother PR620 Embroidery machine that I currently use as a hobby for embroidery with Wilcom Software to digitize. So I will be able to compare any samples with both machines and software.
I don't have much experinece with CNC other than this embroidery machine I have had for the last few months.
I don't have MACH3 software (how can i get it?)...But I do have Windows7 computer. I have built several computers over the years and have built a couple of drones so I have no problem to wiring and connecting motors and components with instructions.

Hardware- It looks like all the XY motors have encoders...does this make them servo motors? The brushless main drive motor has a speed controller and the motor has a little board ( maybe encoder) attached to the end shaft with a ribbon cable (10 pin maybe?) going straight to the mother board. There is just a motherboard and no BOB I believe! There is also a little board near the color changer that Im not sure what componets they all consist of to change the needle color position...

Please let me know which parts I will need to order so I can get them ASAP? Will I be able to use all the original XYZ motors on the machine?

Hope I have given you enough info...Thanks again for your help...really looking forward to this project.

PS: I also have another Melco single color machine with all the same XYZ motors and board... without the color change.

[kiefer]

jtoven,
I guess, you are going to start CNC adventure.
First, you can download DEMO version of MACH3. Mach3 - Newfangled Solutions
Don't pay for the licence, before you understand and learn a little bit about this matter.
You can buy inexpensive BOB here: C10 - BI-DIRECTIONAL PARALLEL PORT INTERFACE CARD - Breakout Boards - Motion Control
or here: 5 Axis CNC Interface Adapter Breakout Board for Stepper Motor Driver Mach3 w USB | eBay
Before you spend any money, try to understand the whole matter. To learn about CNC takes a lot of time - a few months.
Post here your questions and experience, and I'm sure, you'll have the answers.
Cheers

[jtoven]

Ok..I ordered the 5 Axis BOB you linked... Very eager to learn, been watching a lot of videos about CNC... Any recomendations to videos or docs that may help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[jtoven]

Are the motors in my MELCO all compatible? I know the XY motors have 6 wires and the Z motor(brushless) has a lot more? Are they considered Servo motors?

[KOC62]

Ok..I ordered the 5 Axis BOB you linked... Very eager to learn, been watching a lot of videos about CNC... Any recomendations to videos or docs that may help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Are you able to get a service manual for your machine which may assist in identify what you could possibly keep, or need to replace?

[KOC62]

Are the motors in my MELCO all compatible? I know the XY motors have 6 wires and the Z motor(brushless) has a lot more? Are they considered Servo motors?

According to your photo the "BL540A-24LSA " is a brushless motor (MOTOR BRUSHLESS 24VDC 1-1/2IN SHAFT 4MOUNT) and you have a builtin brushless motor controller . You may be able to use it, or it it defective?

[jtoven]

I believe this is the service manual for my machine...

http://www.melco-service.com/docs/legacy/110041A.PDF

Thanks for your help.

[jtoven]

From what I was told...Everything on the Melco machine is working. The computers hooked up to them were the problem. I have another single needle machine with the same brushless motor and controller.

Looking at the manual...The Z encoder that connects to the brushless motor shaft pulley with a 10 pin Ribbon Cable going straight to the motherboard looks like the only odd connector?

[kiefer]

I'm gonna try to be short and simple. With the time, you're gonna find out more about servo motors, stepper motors etc, but for now - just very simple explanation.
Servo motor as well as stepper motor is special motor that needs PC ( PIC microcontroller) to run. It's like this: you'd like to run your servo ( or stepper) 5 full circles by certain speed. For this purpose, you need a software ( eg MACH3) to give this order to the motor.
The motor is just a simple hardware and doesn't understand what you want - so, for this reason, the motor use a driver ( somebody calls it controller) to take this order. Once the driver has the order from the main software, it converts it in digital pulses. Each pulse
causes the motor to rotate a precise angle ( typically for stepper motor is 1.8 deg).
The driver is the brain of the motor, and the servo or stepper motor can't move without a driver.
Servo motor can have many connection wires, and it would be helpful to find who made the motor and then maybe the data about this.

[KOC62]

From what I was told...Everything on the Melco machine is working. The computers hooked up to them were the problem. I have another single needle machine with the same brushless motor and controller.

Looking at the manual...The Z encoder that connects to the brushless motor shaft pulley with a 10 pin Ribbon Cable going straight to the motherboard looks like the only odd connector?

Yes, your manual confirms that your encoder is driven from a belt to your Z-motor. It also says that it has two channels with an index channel. This tells us that the index is a position relative to a 360 deg rotation of the shaft.. At this point I don't know its reference. The two channels tells us that it has a x-amount of pulses per revolution and that it can tell whether the rotation is clockwise or counter-clockwise. This data can also tell the rpm of the motor. All helpful info to understand what your hardware consists of.

[jtoven]

X motor is
Clifton Precision
AS-780D-102E
00058901 REV C
DC 9128 L



Y motor is
Litton
Clifton Precision-North
CPN JDTH-2250-GZ-1C
D/C 9046

[jtoven]

Just a thought...would it be better to just replace all motors with newer ones that are more compatible and are easier to repair and trouble shoot in the future? I'm not 100% sure everything works on the machine and if something does fail because they are older it might be hard to replace?

Any thoughts would be appreciated?

[kiefer]

To repair this machine, I'd try to contact other people on embroidery forum. If you try to retrofit this machine using CNC software and G-code generator, then this forum is OK, but..
I explained that something like this takes a lot of time. To find out everything about a specific motor, driver etc takes even more time. Do you have something like this on this machine ?
Melco Embroidery Machine Z Motor Controler for EMC Part 34438502 | eBay

[jtoven]

I do have the Z motor controler like the one you linked on ebay.

I definately want to retrofit this machine using CNC software and G-code generator...And I really appreciate your guys time, just a little eager and I have a lot of time on my hands right now to build and learn.

Thanks again

[jtoven]

I recieved my breakout board today...Will I need a computer with parallel port or will I be able to use the USB cable that came with it?

[KOC62]

I recieved my breakout board today...Will I need a computer with parallel port or will I be able to use the USB cable that came with it?

Mach3 requires a parallel port. Your BOB does have USB port but I think it used to power the board.

[kiefer]

You need for this BOB a parallel port. USB is for the 5 VDC ( to power the BOB). There is a another way ( expensive) like UC100 to connect BOB to PC.
Software - CNCdrive - webshop
Because you started to learn about CNC, I'd go with a parallel port ( you'd need PC with parallel port connector)
After you have the software ( eg. MACH3), and everything is connected to PC, you can try to connect a servo or stepper drive to BOB and start to "play" with this.
You gonna have for sure to watch some youtube tutorial videos and read a lot about all matter.

[jtoven]

You need for this BOB a parallel port. USB is for the 5 VDC ( to power the BOB). There is a another way ( expensive) like UC100 to connect BOB to PC.
Software - CNCdrive - webshop
Because you started to learn about CNC, I'd go with a parallel port ( you'd need PC with parallel port connector)
After you have the software ( eg. MACH3), and everything is connected to PC, you can try to connect a servo or stepper drive to BOB and start to "play" with this.
You gonna have for sure to watch some youtube tutorial videos and read a lot about all matter.

Thankyou... I have a parallel port card on order for my PC...

[jtoven]

You need for this BOB a parallel port. USB is for the 5 VDC ( to power the BOB). There is a another way ( expensive) like UC100 to connect BOB to PC.
Software - CNCdrive - webshop
Because you started to learn about CNC, I'd go with a parallel port ( you'd need PC with parallel port connector)
After you have the software ( eg. MACH3), and everything is connected to PC, you can try to connect a servo or stepper drive to BOB and start to "play" with this.
You gonna have for sure to watch some youtube tutorial videos and read a lot about all matter.

What type of stepper motor can I use with the BOB you recommended from ebay? Do I need drivers for them? I have watched a lot of videos and it appears they all use a seperate driver box to hook up the steppers? Is this only needed for larger steppers?