Fanuc 18T ladder help please - anyone know the symbol for Cyl' start?

[MadMax]

I just finished repairing my live tool drive on a Hardinge Conquest 42T with 18T controller. For some reason my "cycle start" button has gotten hinky. It takes several presses for my machine to register the press in MDI mode or automatic.

I've already tested the switch to see if it has a bad contact as well as the "feed hold" switch to see if was stuck on, but both switches are behaving properly. Strangely if I open the door the control consistently registers the switch press (door warning immediately comes up) so I no longer suspect a bad switch. It seems as though the control is registering the switch press, but some other condition is not being met on a consistent basis.

I've checked the live tool motor connections and they look good. All covers are on (no cover switches open) and all liquid levels and pressures are good. I'm not getting any error messages so I'm pretty baffled at the moment.

Further clues: manual jog is not working. I can open and close the collet in the main spindle, but I cannot jog it in any direction. All feed and spindle overrides are not at zero.

I'd like to look at any references to "cycle start" in the ladder, but I can't find it in the thousand or so pages. Does anyone know the symbol for this switch so I can search for it? I've found "feed hold" (FEHD.P) but figure out the symbol for cycle start because there aren't many references to it in the ladder.

Thanks for your help!

[dinesh]

Hi,
check for G 7.2 bit(pmc to cnc signal for cycle start) And G8.0(Interlock signal) for the axis movement in the PMC ladder logic,
gudluk

[underthetire]

The fact you cant jog the spindle would lean towards the clamp ok signal. Either prox switches on the actuator or a pressure switch. (seen both on Hardinge)

[FrankCNC]

Hi,

On our 15MA cycle start in the ladder is ST.P

[MadMax]

Thanks guys!

I managed to find the cycle start reference. It's CYCS.P on the 18T. I traced it and seem to be stuck on an input "6" which looks to be an amalgamation of checks which feed into a "STOKC" value (start ok C?). Backtracing 6 shows a pile of stuff which shows an "on" value except for a pair of parallel conditions:

-SSLKPN (non inverse)
-SSOPT (inverse)

Both are in "off" condition so I can't make 6 output an "on" to satisfy STOKC which is in series with a string to satisfy STOK and a final condition to satisfy "CYCLE START OK".

Any idea what SSLKPN AND SSOPT refer to?

[MysticMonkey]

On the ladder screen you can switch between SYMBOL and ADDRESS

give us the addresses

If they are Rxxxx.x type they are MTB specific

IF they are F,G type they are fanuc standard which we should be able to look up

[MadMax]

Thanks MM I didn't realize that there was an address behind the symbols.

SSLKPN: X5.6
SSOFT: K5.4 (some keeprelay I don't know much about)

[MadMax]

Fixed! I had a Fanuc guy by today to look at the ladder. He pointed out that X5.6 referred to a physical switch and K5.4 was a keep relay value. They eventually point to a sub spindle lock pin and a bypass keep relay bit.

Some months ago I tried to remove a seized collet in my subspindle. The lock pin broke so I removed it. It looks like the solenoid core has drifted down off the unlock confirmation switch so one of the "start ok" conditions isn't met "STOKC". Toggling the K5.6 bit bypassed the switch and fixed the problem. Now I'm diving into the subspindle to fix the switch issue.