MPG's, Hacking or Roll y'er own or?

[JerryFlyGuy]

So I want to put some mpg's into my console to move the mill around manually. We have these [of a type] on our lathe at work and they work fairly well. However, that being said I don't care for the teeny little handles that are on the ones [that I can find] for sale. What I'd really like is to be able to add a larger [4-5"] w/ a 'dog' or 'knob' on them. Anyone done this to a 'over the counter' mpg? Or should I be looking at using an encoder for this?

How difficult is it to wire up and encoder in place of an mpg [same connections?] I plan to use Mod-io and Mach3.

Jerry [it's all coming together..slowly.. ]

[Al_The_Man]

Most off-the-shelf MPG are basically a 100p/turn encoder with a indent mechanism for accurate movement per increment.
You don't need the indent, but it is nice for controlled movement.
You can pick up fairly cheap encoders and make one, but the cost of a Fanuc off ebay often does not make it worth it.
Al.

[JerryFlyGuy]

Ya, I've seen a few on Ebay, I'm wondering if I can pull that little dinky knob off the front and replace it w/ a reasonable [ like a normal Fagor control] wheel/handle? I've not actually seen a 'Fanuc' unit on ebay so maybe this is they way they are? I'll have to do some more searching..

Jerry [The list is SLOWLY getting shorter.. ]

[One of Many]

Check out these here Jerry,

http://www.maxmar.com/mpg.htm

By the way, these guys sell one compatible with Bridgeport DX32 machines as a part number OLM-1-2D, which I think is the ESM74 or ESM 84. I just purchased a couple for $90ea($145 list price direct through Micronor). The Euchner with similar output spec's listed at $700-900ea?

DC

[JerryFlyGuy]

Just the thing DC, have you ever taken that little dinky knob off the front there? I don't mind using that for an pendant, but for the main console control's that just to teeny..

Jerry [gotta do some more searching..]

[One of Many]

Originally Posted by JerryFlyGuy Just the thing DC, have you ever taken that little dinky knob off the front there? I don't mind using that for an pendant, but for the main console control's that just to teeny.. Jerry [gotta do some more searching..]

We remove that dial assy and replace it with one similar to what Euchner shows as an option. I do not know where else to get the rounded finger hole style knobs. We use the original that came with the machines, although ours has four divots. We like them smooth and rounded because there are less chances of hooking a shirt sleeve or bumping the peg style during setup. You should be able to remove that little dinky knob and replace it with a custom made disk of your own finger size recesses.

euchner-usa.com


DC