On 2012-10-09, Jon Elson wrote:
Bob La Londe wrote:



So... the guy then proceeded to try and sell me a Birdgeport Interact
1 with Heidenhain controls.
If you intend to use the control, make sure it has the G-code
option, otherwise it only has Heidenhain's proprietary language.

It should have enough memory to hold a modest program without
drip feeding.

If considering it for retrofit, it may have analog scales or encoders.
You can convert these to logic signals but it takes a bit of
hand wiring a converter chip to do that. It may be better to
replace the encoders with modern, higher-res units.

And, certainly consult with Igor Chudov ("ignoramus" he is NOT!)
who has one of these and is happy with his conversion.

I am also happy with Jon's PPMC control unit and Jon's support of it
post-sale.

If you really want to make parts with it, I'd strongly recommend
a retrofit for two reasons. My experience with old controls
(as in over 20 years of age) is they are a lot of trouble, with
several breakdowns per year. And, the newer controls offer a bunch
of advanced features and better performance.

It is like using an IBM PC XT in this day and age.

i