Reply with QuoteHere is a closeup of the carnage.
Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
I took a gamble and bought a P1 that appears to have suffered a Saftronics VFD failure that resulted in melting one of the Glentek GA370-3 boards via the braking resistor. This seems like a common problem. With the machine I got a complete extra cabinet of controls from a scrapped machine but I'm not sure what I can use.
The P1 machine has a -C control, the extra cabinet is a -B, has servo dynamics SDFP1525-17-180 servo drives, and a giant black box for the spindle VFD (I also have the spindle motor off the scrapped machine).
I have the computer out of the P1 to get it bench test it, good news is it seems to have been updated sometime. It has a 1080mb spinning disk and no simdisk, the mother board has a coin battery so it's not the 386 or 486. It also has the encoder of the spindle so I hope I can get rigid tapping to work. Here is the whole box, it took some damage to the Z board and all the wiring from the caps to the boards.
Here is the extra cabinet.
So, it there much I can use from the extra parts or am I better off trying to fine a Glentek board and a newer VFD?
Does anyone know where I can get the connectors to the Glentek boards so I can remake the wiring harness?
My plan is to get the computer running, fix the wiring and see if I can get it to run with the Z axis and the VFD unhooked to validate the other two servo drives survived. I have a P0 knee mill with the same servo drives that I can pull borrow from for testing if I need all 3 boards hooked up to test.
Any help here is appreciated, I can't wait to have a machine running with a tool changer!
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Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Here is a closeup of the carnage.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
I believe the connectors on the Glentek board connectors are the same .156" spaced connector used on the Servo Dynamics boards. I'll dig up a Molex part number for one that should work - the originals are a Panduit style connector that takes special tooling to install. Is there just one 11 pin connector?
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
It melted the wiring to all 3 boards where they come down from the cap. So, I’ll need to recreate the whole thing or start cannibalizing the other cabinet.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Yes. I just need to source the 11 pin connector.Originally Posted by SEK22Hornet
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Do you have a photo of the connector, also the VFD can be replaced with a Yaskawa Saftronics back then where the same drive, post the spec's of the VFD Drive, and I can give you some numbers for a replacement, they where a good VFD drive so not sure the VFD caused this problem
Mactec54
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
I’ve read on other threads of people having similar meltdowns from the VFD. I guess when it fails it throws straight line voltage to the braking resistor. This makes me wonder if a slow burn fuse on the resistor could have saved a lot of electronics.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
May be a good time to put a single phase drive in if you dont have 3phase where your at...
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Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Yes, I don't have 3 phase so a newer single phase VFD would be best. I'd like to retain the rigid tapping, I've read that some VFD don't support what is needed to do that.
Any recommendations on a VFD?
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
The Molex 09-50-3111 should work - you can get them from Mouser . Two different pins depending on the wire gauge. This first is for heavier wires like 18 to 24 gauge. The second is for 24-26 gauge. You can crimp them with pliers if you are careful but if you do solder then as well.
Housing https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...JKO9Rn8VfrI%3d
Pin https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...DXO2So4rY23ql2
Pin https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...DXO42JblJ693Yd
Last edited by SEK22Hornet; 04-29-2018 at 08:20 AM.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
You don't need a single phase VFD, any 3ph VFD will run on single phase, up to what ever your single phase supply max amps are
Mactec54
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Another photo of the VFD with the cover off showing the low voltage terminals, this is how it is controlled, it appears to be just a standard VFD with those numbers
With the plugs I thought you needed something special
It almost looks like you would be better to dump all the electronic and start with something new like the Acorn Control, depending on the axes motors it would be a simple conversion
Acorn CNC controller, Step and Direction 4 axis CNC Control board with ethernet communication.DIY CNC kit
Mactec54
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
I’d rather not dump the Milltronics controls. I already have a running Cent 1 machine and I do a lot of my programs in the conversational on the machine. It’s really great for one offs and quick repairs that I normally do.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
I knew I had seen an inexpensive crimp tool for these - here is one for under $20 - it would probably be worth it with as many pins to crimp as you have. I notice Jameco also carries the KK series connectors and pins. Just search Molex KK on their site to see all the different sizes they have.
crimp tool for Molex KK https://www.jameco.com/z/W-HT-1921-W...ts_227491.html
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Are the axis drive cables on the spare cabinet cut? Your cheapest option if the CSM spindle drive and the spindle motor operates is to hang that cabinet and control on it.
Ron
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Unless you have the AC servos to go with the Servo Dynamics amplifiers it would take a fair amount of work to rewire the other cabinet for the Glentek DC servo amplifiers for the brush type DC servos on the machine.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
servo dynamics SDFP1525-17-180 are dc drives his servos are the same, not ac, his biggest obstacle baring the csm spindle not operational would be if the axis drive cable have been cut.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
oops - you are correct - didn't read the whole part number number. Ignore my comment. I saw Servo Dynamics and jumped to the conclusion that they were the same as mine.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
Even if the cables were cut the servo drive wiring goes to terminal block TBB next to cards.
He could unhook the card cage axis plugs and wires going to TBB from the axis cables, and the ground wires hooked to the upper terminal strip and fish them out carefully thru cabinet and back thru his spare cabinet.
Granted a lot of work, I wouldn't do it unless he can get verification from previous owners that the csm spindle drive was operational and the spindle motor they sent with that drive was ok, and it has the side cabinet still attached with
the shift contactors on the left side of cabinet looking at the door, that do the shifting for the CSM 3 speed spindle.
My CSM spidle has 1 cogged pulley he would also need to change that as his spindle has a 2 speed belt setup.
Re: Milltronics P1 VFD meltdown
All the cables to the spare box were cut just outside the box. The wiring seems similar but it’s a -B control and I currently have a -C so it would be stepping backwards slightly. Also I don’t know what the spindle drive is in the spare box but I do have to motor to go with it.
Good news is I got the computer running today. It’s a pentium-s chip with a 1gb spinning disk. So it much have been upgraded at one time. I was trying to get it to boot from a compact flash to IDE converter board but I can’t seem to get the CF card MBR sector formatted. Fdisk /mbr gives me an error.
