Upgrade to PC control?

[madkins]

Please bear with me as I am new to this CNC thing and "Thanks" in advance for your help.

So in case you missed it in another post I managed to zap all the parameters in my Fanuc 10M based (3-axis) milling machine. Bummer. Needless to say this leaves a bad taste in my mouth for the older CNC controllers. I am wondering what would be involved with retaining the servo motors and amplifiers and going to PC based control with something like Camsoft or another package... Previously I worked for a system integrator that used Camsoft so I'm vaguely familiar with that concept.

Has anyone done such a conversion? What motion card, PC, etc did you use. How much money did you sink into the project? How long did the conversion take? What software package did you use?

I am debating whether to invest time and money into recreating the 10M parameter set or going in a new direction.

Thanks,
Mike

[Al_The_Man]

If that is all that has happened to the 10M, I would look at resurrecting that first, If it is still performing OK otherwise, they were a good workhorse in their day (and still are).
One other deciding factor is to what kind of servo/drives are on the 10?
Many were DC motors and drives, some Fanuc, others were 3rd party, like Siemens etc.
Do you have the parameters including option parameters etc?
Al.

[madkins]

Well we are still struggling to try to get our mill back to operational, I am fed up with the 10M, too cumbersome and proprietary for my tastes... Being new to CNC machining (personally and company wide) we need something more user friendly and supported. So I am back to pondering an upgrade.

I'd like to keep the Fanuc Servo motor (A06B-0642-B011 X &Y, A06B-0651-B011 Z), spindle motor and their related amplifiers. Out with the 10M controller and display.

What would you put in its place? PC with Camsoft?

That is the first product to come to mind because I used to work for a system integrator that used it internally and for customer projects. I didn't directly work on any of those projects but just kind of observed from the periphery.

Thanks for any suggestions. Mike

[TOTALLYRC]

If the servo amps take +-10v and the spindle is 0-10v take a look at my build log and see if it meets your needs.

Mike


http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66994

[Al_The_Man]

The 10 system used either AC or DC motors.
I do not show those motor on the list I have, but if they are Yellow Cap motors (DC) you can use them with other systems, If Red Cap (AC), you may have a job finding suitable drives as the existing ones will have to be replaced and Fanuc have a odd commutation method, which might mean a motor change also.
Depending on the model, the DC drives may also offer a problem.
There is not much to choose from when going with PC based where the existing motors and drives can be used, especially Fanuc.
Apart from Camsoft, there is Anilam and Seimens, Fagor also have a nice system.
Even many of the PC based systems also use either proprietary hardware or software.
Also there is the issue as to whether the present system uses encoder or resolver feedback, the latter would need converting to encoders.
Al.

[madkins]

We have yellow cap, brushed DC motors with 2000 ppr encoders (x-axis: A06B-0642-B011). So I guess that makes us "lucky".

Thanks for your reply I will google the brands and see what they have to offer. I am currently reading through and viewing pic's of the BTC-1 retro from TOTALLYRC. It is an interesting read and I am impressed with his efforts. Our mill is in a neater state and I have a set of schematics, so if I pursue an upgrade I think I will have an easier time, relatively speaking. Very impressive.

Mike

[DareBee]

Doing a DIY retro will be the least expensive (as far as parts, etc go), but can turn into a lot bigger/longer project than expected.

There is something to be said for an off-the-shelf supplied retro system as well. Machine is guaranteed to be running again quickly. There is usually a decent warranty and training included. With a system like the FAGOR control you will not need a CAM system (or computer) because most all machining can be programmed "conversational" in the control (very fast). If you are doing free form surfacing the conversational won't be any advantage.

Good luck