LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Z axis free fall sounds all kinds of wrong.. I hope they make a revision and fix that issue.
| | |
Well, got my upgrade kit today, and have everything installed. Here are a few tips:
1. No need to remove the backsplash or Z column cover. You can reach the Y axis coupler cover bolts 2 from the back, 2 by reaching over.
2. I just taped a heavy cord to the old wires and pulled it through, then taped the new wires to it, and pulled it back through.
Everything came up just fine, and the axes are very quiet and fast!
Now the bad parts.
1. The warning sticker that comes with the new motion control board is to be heeded! If you kill the software before you estop the mill, your z axis free falls. You can hit estop to catch it. This is because the control board now has control of the brake relay. Not sure I like this, but it must be that way for a reason (ATC?)
2. I cannot reference the machine. It thinks every axis limit switch is tripped. I have to compare the Series 2 and 3 schematics as something has changed.
No wires were removed - you gently pry up the green hearers and put them back on the new board. I may have a bad control board, or a miswire due to a schematic change, or the logic has changed on the board itself. I will compare tonight, and call tech support tomorrow. I verified the switches (normal closed, open when tripped) and they all work as expected.
I can tell I will love the new drives/motors once this is solved.
UPDATE: Bad wire end on J2-4 (the common for limit switches) causing #2. Ohm'd out just fine when the connector was off the board, bad once back on the board. Now up and running just fine. Lightning out now so shutting off, but will play tomorrow.
#1 still very relevant. I usually do estop the machine first, but it now is a must.
Now I can say results are Excellent!
Last edited by dbrija; 10-18-2011 at 12:15 AM. Reason: Update
Z axis free fall sounds all kinds of wrong.. I hope they make a revision and fix that issue.
How "custom" are the motors and drives? Could non-Tormach machines be converted to these with "relative ease", or would be be a substantial undertaking (is enough documentation provided for an end user to do their own schematics and wiring interface on an existing machine?)? If you don't know, that's fine, but I am curious as these drives sound quite nice...
CAD, CAM, Scanning, Modelling, Machining and more. http://www.mcpii.com/3dservices.html
They look just like the drives on Keling's site...
Digital Stepper Motor Driver
I have them on my EMCO lathe, really nice.
pete
dbrija,
Have you put it through its paces yet? I'm very interested in how the new drivers and motors perform when doing high speed contouring with a ball mill.
I've got a program that I run on my Tormach to produce a polyhedron in a 4th axis. It uses fast feeds and lots of small steps, and the mill doesn't move very smoothly. I'd like to see how the same program works on the new version.
If you're interested in testing this, let me know and I'll get you the program. You don't even have to run a part, just air cut it and see how smooth the machine's movements are.
Cheers,
Frederic
[URL="http://www.pure-geometry.com/"]Pure Geometry LLC[/URL]
Vertical Lathe tool holders and more.
Shoot me the program, and I can shoot you a video of it cutting air. Better yet, give me stock dimensions and required tooling, and if I have what it needs, I can cut it. I am in between "projects" so don't have anything to run just yet. Let me know the zero locations, etc.... Sent you a PM.Originally Posted by TXFred
Last edited by dbrija; 10-18-2011 at 11:51 AM.
Actually I think that they are a little more advanced. While they are in fact digital, they also appear to be truely a PolyPhase Motor (don't want to call it a three phase since that implies something else).
Reading the Tormach white paper and looking at NYCNC's install video, one thing that leaps out is the three wires going to the new motor rather than four. The implication is that the motor has three active sets of coils rather than two and that they are wired in a Delta fashion. Also reading Leadshine's website these apppear to be very advanced digital drives.
gary
These are "off the shelf" from what I can see. The drives are Leadshine 3ND883 drivers (see 3ND883£*Product£*Leadshine Technology Co.,Ltd.) Only difference I see is that the Tormach part uses a ribbon cable to provide the pulse/direction/enable but the link shows a terminal connector.
They ARE 3-phase motors, wired in Wye, not Delta.
Regards,
Ray L.
I second that ! Thats just scary .
Thanks!
I sent you an email with the details.
Another local Tormach owner has volunteered his mill for testing. So I may get to try it myself.
For the record, the program is not a good one. I made it when I was learning Sprut. During the finish pass, the steps are as small as 0.0001", with a 51IPM feedrate. So it's not great for making parts, but it's really good for testing the limitations of steppers and drivers.
Frederic
[URL="http://www.pure-geometry.com/"]Pure Geometry LLC[/URL]
Vertical Lathe tool holders and more.
This behavior seems to have stopped once I loaded my full Mach3 version over the Tormach version for the Series3. I installed the Tormach software with a clean slate, but that older parallel port driver seemed to be causing problems. Perhaps the install was not as clean as I thought. Everything seems just fine now. I have shut down the software numerous times now, and the Z stays put.
I still plan to estop the machine first (which I usually do anyway...) just in case...
Posting Permissions
| | |
