"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in message
. 3.70...
"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com fired this volley
in . 3.70:

No, it's not a convenient machine, and it doesn't hold large parts
files or tool defs. But it works.

I should have added, Iggy, that there are _significant_ benefits to
converting this machine.

First of all, it's possible to convert it while using the existing drive
electronics. Although one might not get _modern_ precision from the
feeds, it does pretty nice work already.

Second, the machine lacks some stuff we think of as "normal" to automatic
equipment. There is no G-code to turn the spindle on and off, or change
speed. There are no codes associated with the coolant systems.

And nothing ever displays on the screen, except for g-codes -- there's no
graphical representation of the job, tool selections, path depictions,
etc.

So, I'm looking forward to a conversion. However, the old '68 Buick
still gets me to the grocery store, just without any built-in GPS.

LLoyd

One possibility I thought of doing with my Anilam Bridgeport mill. You
could put a limit switch on the table so that when the machine is in "Park"
or "Tool Change" position it kills the power to spindle and turns off the
coolant. As soon as the program runs and moves it, the spindle turns on and
the coolant, if selected, comes on. I thought of that after finding
additional I/O for my Crusader II control was pretty high. I also thought
the same thing could be done if I had an Indexer that worked like Iggy's,
have the table move out of the normal tool path to hit the switch and cause
an index. There are a few poor folk ways to get around the additional I/O
unless you have to move the total stroke on all axis.

RogerN