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Thread: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

  1. #1
    *Registered User* Tonyschalburg's Avatar
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    Default Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Hi
    I'm in progress of retrofitting an emco vmc100.
    Help needed for the ATC, how to control it from mach3. Need a plug-in or add-on screen and help on connection.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tonyschalburg View Post
    Hi
    I'm in progress of retrofitting an emco vmc100.
    Help needed for the ATC, how to control it from mach3. Need a plug-in or add-on screen and help on connection.
    I’m just about at the same point as you! Very interested to see what you find. It will be a great machine when it’s done.



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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Hey me too! I am in Norway.

    Mine is in transport so I havent seen it in the flesh yet. What is your plans regarding original motors, drivers and the original control? I will have a look at the stepper drivers (r3d413001) and see if its possible to drive them with a UC300ETH. I found a swedish guy who rebuilt two of them and he said he will send me his plans and his toolchanger macro. https://www.instagram.com/explore/ta...alengineering/



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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    the most difficult part of it is to control spindle (at least for me). I tought about putting there a separate PWM controller for spindle engine, and making a translater board for encoder signal.
    Rest of it is just based on controling Z axis motnion and input signals drom proximity sensors. these signals are on the mainboard of EMCO control system so its quite easy except for a little detail- some of sensors works with 24V and other with 12V so there is a necessary to use some relays or transoptors for these signals.



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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    I have started to look at the motors and drivers. I am in contact with oriental motors in Germany and they have a driver that would work with the Berger Lahr RDM 596/50 motors called CVD528BR-K, its only 24volts though so I am not sure if its strong enough. The best for me would be to use the R3d413001 drivers I got that is in my emcotronic controller but perhaps put in a smaller box together with the powersupply from the emcotronic. It seems a bit silly to have to have that big heavy box. I am not sure how to extract only the drivers and I have not figured out where the 50v comes from and if I also need -50v? For the toolchanger I am probably in the end going to do like Matal and modify the ATC turret and use a small stepper with a macro. https://www.instagram.com/p/BUkGf40jeO_/

    Also been taking apart the machine and looking at the possibility to change to 2phase steppers and common drivers. It looks very simple to do. Do you guys know exactly what the belt is and where one could buy new belts and pulleys if needed?



  6. #6

    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    I'm in the process of a similar conversion on a PCMill 100 - which appears similar to the VMC.

    At the moment I'm planning on driving the original VFD - which either operates as a spindle with 0-10V to control speed, or when an input is taken high (Tool Change Mode) uses step & direction inputs - quite clever really!

    If that fails, I plan to use a Servo Drive from CNCDrive https://www.cncdrive.com/DG4S_08020.html I've used these before - and they're pretty good.

    They use step & direction only, but if you're controlling it from Mach3, with a fast enough motion controller (CSMIO-IP.M in my case), you can spin it fast enough to be a spindle. This will probably require changing the encoder. While CNCDrive sell these encoders: https://www.cncdrive.com/AMT103.html I'm unimpressed with them! Mainly because they are open and suffer from moisture / condensation. My preference is to use one of the many cheap Chinese encoders from eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360-Pulse...YAAOSwPcVVs~lt. Although they are low resolution, it's plenty for this.

    There is a single proximity sensor for the turret position. There is one magnet for each tool position with an extra one between tool 7 & 8.
    The procedure for a tool change as far as I can see is:

    * Move Z up until the turret sensor activates. In this position, the spindle via a bevel gear connects to the turret.
    * If the turret has not been homed:
    * Rotate the turret until the next position the sensor activates and store the step count as MaxCount.
    * Repeat this. If the step count is lower than the last, store that as MinCount and set Tool Counter to 8. If it's greater, store count in MaxCount, Tool Counter to 9.
    * Rotate turret fast by (current tool - new tool) * MaxCount - 0.5 * MaxCount. (set direction by sign of (current tool - new tool)) this will stop half way between tools.
    * Rotate slowly in same direction until Tool Sensor Activates. Now selected tool is in correct location.
    * Activate 'Turret Exhaust' briefly - this uses air to blow swarf out of interface between tool & socket.
    * Move Z to Z Home position.

    I think the above will work! I'll write a macro soon & post it when it works.
    Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach-20190518_232724-jpg
    Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach-20190512_163616-jpg



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    Member K_Jensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Hello Simon

    I am curious if you have been working further on the macro you mention in the post?
    I own a EMCO PC milll 125 that i wish to control via mach, including the ATC.

    I would very much like to see what you have made, in case you are willing to share



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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    I retrofitted a VMC100 to use Automation Direct servos for all the Axis's including the Spindle. Currently I am in process of tuning the servos. Not so easy compared to Sanyo Denki motors.
    I have a tool change macro that mostly works except I am having issues with trying to use the spindle servo as a spindle and an A axis. The drive is controlled by one step and one direction line from the breakout. The spindle works as expected when setting a speed S3000 M3 turns the spindle on at 3000 rpm. The issue comes when I try and use it as a A axis. Mach 3 complains about the A axis and Spindle sharing the same step and dir pins. Whats the work around for this?
    I got it to change the tool once. But then it just goes up and down but does not rotate. I think its because Mach gets confused. I ran outta time last night to reboot the system. I'll try more this weekend. I could probably use a second set of step and dir pins to the same drive but I would like to save them in case I add a trunnion table to it.

    thanks



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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Quote Originally Posted by whiteriver View Post
    I retrofitted a VMC100 to use Automation Direct servos for all the Axis's including the Spindle. Currently I am in process of tuning the servos. Not so easy compared to Sanyo Denki motors.
    I have a tool change macro that mostly works except I am having issues with trying to use the spindle servo as a spindle and an A axis. The drive is controlled by one step and one direction line from the breakout. The spindle works as expected when setting a speed S3000 M3 turns the spindle on at 3000 rpm. The issue comes when I try and use it as a A axis. Mach 3 complains about the A axis and Spindle sharing the same step and dir pins. Whats the work around for this?
    I got it to change the tool once. But then it just goes up and down but does not rotate. I think its because Mach gets confused. I ran outta time last night to reboot the system. I'll try more this weekend. I could probably use a second set of step and dir pins to the same drive but I would like to save them in case I add a trunnion table to it.

    thanks
    Greetings Whiteriver!

    Like you, I am now the owner of a VMC100 and am considering doing a control system retrofit. I'm just curious, did you get your spindle/tool change macro working without the need for a separate set of step and direction pins? Wishing you well with this project.

    Thanks



  10. #10
    Member SlavaStels's Avatar
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    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Quote Originally Posted by luuude View Post
    Hey me too! I am in Norway.

    Mine is in transport so I havent seen it in the flesh yet. What is your plans regarding original motors, drivers and the original control? I will have a look at the stepper drivers (r3d413001) and see if its possible to drive them with a UC300ETH. I found a swedish guy who rebuilt two of them and he said he will send me his plans and his toolchanger macro. https://www.instagram.com/explore/ta...alengineering/
    Hello Luuude,

    Have you managed to recieve Swedish plans and toolchanger macro?
    I've recently bought my Emco Vcm-100 and prepearing to retrofit it with Mach3.
    I contacted the guy but unfortunately he does not have those plans anymore and suggested that I ask those who already recieved the files from him.

    I would really appriciate if you could help me out here!

    Thanks!



  11. #11

    Default Re: Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

    Quote Originally Posted by K_Jensen View Post
    Hello Simon

    I am curious if you have been working further on the macro you mention in the post?
    I own a EMCO PC milll 125 that i wish to control via mach, including the ATC.

    I would very much like to see what you have made, in case you are willing to share
    I am! (willing to share). I was sure I'd written this up, maybe on the Mach Forum - I'll have a look!
    https://www.machsupport.com/forum/in...8653#msg278653

    The macro is on this thread.

    I ended up using Mach4. The Lua Programming language is way better than VB on Mach3 - and it works! I really like the whole Mach4 ecosystem. Once you get used to it, it's much more coherent & reliable than Mach3 and much easier (IMHO) to develop for!


    Originally I thought I'd need a servo spindle to execute a toolchange, however it just uses a regular VFD. The macro is well commented so you can see what's gong on, and the video was shot with the spindle running very slowly for the toolchange while I got it running. Now I have it running reliably, 10x as fast.

    Instead of using positional control of the spindle, it just uses timing, figuring the spindle / turret will turn at a fairly constant speed.

    The turret has magnets which activate the sensor adjacent to each tool position, with an extra one at Tool 10. The macro rotates the turret measuring the time interval between each sensor activation. It calculates the maximum time interval.
    If the time between pulses is less than 75% of the maximum, it's at tool 10. It uses this procedure to home the turret.

    Then it just counts the pulses until it equals the tool number requested.

    It re-homes on each toolchange - which is not the fastest method, but it is reliable. This is never going to be a high speed production machine, so a few extra seconds don't really matter. The plus side is the TC macro does not have to remember the turret position is.

    Other than speeding it up (by increasing the S value in lines like: rc = mc.mcCntlGcodeExecuteWait(inst, "M03 S50\n"), I'm still using the same code a year on.

    You will need to modify the code to match the input numbers you've connected the sensors to, and fnd your own max speed. Mach4 timer resolution isn't very high, so that's what limits the TC Speed.
    Increase the speed until it gets it wrong, then use half that speed and it will be reliable.

    I'm happy to help, time permitting, if you need it. If I don't respond, PM me as I sometimes miss thread notifications in the Tsunami of emails I receive!

    Si

    Last edited by simonrafferty; 03-21-2021 at 07:36 AM.


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Emco vmc100 + ATC + mach

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