Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:

Long story short, don't go in to this thinking its a quick easy job.
You'll
also spend a fair bit of bucks on servo drivers that work with EMC and
run
your servos.

Karl, if you can give me a rundown of what I would need/how much time
it will take/how much it will cost, it would be greatly appreciated.

The major cost here will be your time. A lot to learn. My pure guess would
be about two man months. The more equipment you can reuse the more you save
and the more time you'll spend. Its easier to do a simple machine first,
this one isn't it. Look in to how you do the servo drives with the
Heidenhein scales and what all you'll need to interface all the I/O to your
Linux box. These will be the two largest costs.

You'll end up with a machine you control from a computer keyboard - fine for
hobby work. Most of my experience is with refitting a machine so its a
professional job that is better than new. Costs easily run 15K to do this.


So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

i

My recommendation would be to use the existing controls if it's a simple
thing like replacing a monitor. Then investigate those controls to see
if the servo drives and encoders would be reusable and plan the EMC2 or
Mach3 retrofit while you use the current controls. When the current
controls finally die and can't be repaired you'll be ready for the
retrofit.

So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:

So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

Karl

I don't think Iggy has the space or desire for a full VMC for hobby
stuff. Even a small nice machine like a Mycenter 1 is pretty big
compared to the Bridgeport.

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:

So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

Karl

I don't think Iggy has the space or desire for a full VMC for hobby
stuff. Even a small nice machine like a Mycenter 1 is pretty big
compared to the Bridgeport.

None of the full CNC machines will fit. If my spouse sees me bring one
in, I may have to sleep inside of those machines.

The Series II Bridgeport will fit, with some adjustments, such as
getting rid of some of my stuff for sale.

If I can get it to work, and if I can use it for small hobby projects
that one normally does with a manual mill (like drill three holes and
round two corners), as well as for CNC projects, I will be very happy
and it will be a useful upgrade over my existing Bridgeport.

i

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Er, no. But I think building an adapter may not be very difficult.
You'll have to look up the signal specs for both to see.

"Pete C." wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Er, no. But I think building an adapter may not be very difficult.
You'll have to look up the signal specs for both to see.

I can't seem to find good detailed specs at the moment, however:

EGA uses TTL signals and has separate H and V sync signals as well as
two bits each for R, G and B, hence the 64 colors it had.

VGA also has separate H and V sync signals (can't find signal level
specs), and has three analog R, G and B signals.

Get out your scope and check the signal levels of the VGA output of a
PC. You should be able to do a simple resistor ladder D/A converter type
setup to convert the two TTL color bits into a four level analog signal
for the VGA monitor to take. The HV sync timings will be within the
capabilities of the VGA monitor, you may or may not need to adjust their
levels.

A key thing to keep in mind here is that this is a CNC control, not a
gaming PC and getting those 64 EGA colors to display perfectly doesn't
matter as long as they are readable.

"Pete C." wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Er, no. But I think building an adapter may not be very difficult.
You'll have to look up the signal specs for both to see.


No. SVGA is analog. EGA is an odd monitor choice, since they
weren't in use for long. It uses a TTL level interface. Wikipedia has
the various pinouts to help identify the monitor. There are several
pins that tell the video card what type of monitor is in use by pattern
of grounding of the 'ID' pins. MDA, Hercules, CGA and EGA used a DE9
connector, with different pinouts. Some of the scan rates inverted the
Vertical or Horizontal sync, as well.


The only thing worse was the PGA 'standard'. Luckily, that turkey
died a quick & horrible death.


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

On Feb 24, 2:15*pm, Ignoramus26960 ignoramus26...@NOSPAM.
26960.invalid wrote:
On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:





Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Check this out. They show currently out of stock, but my have more by
now.

http://www.jammaboards.com/store/cga.../prod_291.html

Paul

On 2010-02-25, wrote:
On Feb 24, 2:15?pm, Ignoramus26960 ignoramus26...@NOSPAM.
26960.invalid wrote:
On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:





Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Check this out. They show currently out of stock, but my have more by
now.

http://www.jammaboards.com/store/cga.../prod_291.html

Paul

Here's one that looks like it is in stock, though I cannot find a link
to buy it. I will call them tomorrow.

http://www.arcademvs.com/ARCADE_ACESSERIOR.htm

i

On Feb 24, 3:51*pm, "Pete C." wrote:
"Pete C." wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

On 2010-02-24, Karl Townsend wrote:
So, Karl, what would you (with your skills and all) do with this
bridgeport, would you just try to restore its Interact 2 controls?

If you're looking to make some money:

I'd part the machine out. The servos, scales, and head - sold separately -
will bring you about a 4:1 return.

That's a great baseline. I do like to part things out. When I was a
kid, I took a lot of my toys apart.

If you want a CNC machine:

I'd spend a short fixed amount of time, say 2 days tops, trying to make the
old control run. It it works, great, but it won't last long. Either way,
start learning EMC2, you're used to linux so its your best bet.

Karl, I had a huge discussion with a guy at Heidenhain USA today. He
was there for 29 years. We spent 30 minutes talking and he gave me the
complete skinny on Heidenhain controls, fate of the Bridgeport
company, etc.

It is too much to repeat in a short post, but in his opinion, if I can
just swap the display for LCD and that would fix the problem, it is
the best course of action.

He told me do not buy a used CRT monitor. What he says is that after
all these years, the monitors are flaky, but the rest of the control
is good and reliable stuff.

The issue with the monitor is that the monitor is EGA, which is a
completely obsolete standard by now. It is nothing really special,
just an EGA monitor that fits the enclosure.

So really, any EGA monitor will work, and if I can find one that fits
the enclosure nicely, it is a plus.

The Heidenhain guy told that it could be either a bad monitor or a bad
graphics card. He explained me how I can test if the flyback
transformer is working on the monitor and how I can narrow the problem
down. Replacing the card is something that they do, but it is big
bucks and moving to a PC based control makes perfect sense.

I fI can spend $300-400 and get a suitable EGA LCD monitor, I would
rather do that.

Iggy, you're in the heart of a dying industrial machine town. You can find a
professional working CNC machine real cheap. IMHO, spend maybe 5K and get a
real CNC machine. Have Gunner tell you what to get.

I am totally intimidated by their size, and complexity, and cost, and
weight, a Series II is as far as I can go.

i

Been a long time since I messed with EGA, but I recall that was just TTL
RGB and separate H V sync signals? Timing probably well within what any
modern LCD monitor will sync to. I'd think you should be able to adapt
it pretty easily.

Are you saying that I should just plug in a VGA LCD monitor into a 9
pin EGA output? And it will work??? Why all the fuss then? Somehow I
think that the world would not miss something this great. Am I missing
anything?

i

Er, no. But I think building an adapter may not be very difficult.
You'll have to look up the signal specs for both to see.

I can't seem to find good detailed specs at the moment, however:

EGA uses TTL signals and has separate H and V sync signals as well as
two bits each for R, G and B, hence the 64 colors it had.

VGA also has separate H and V sync signals (can't find signal level
specs), and has three analog R, G and B signals.

Get out your scope and check the signal levels of the VGA output of a
PC. You should be able to do a simple resistor ladder D/A converter type
setup to convert the two TTL color bits into a four level analog signal
for the VGA monitor to take. The HV sync timings will be within the
capabilities of the VGA monitor, you may or may not need to adjust their
levels.

A key thing to keep in mind here is that this is a CNC control, not a
gaming PC and getting those 64 EGA colors to display perfectly doesn't
matter as long as they are readable.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Just as I remembered from waaay back, there's a 9-pin to 15 pin
adapter:
http://www.controlcable.com/custom.asp?i=65032
There are other outfits that have the same, probably not too popular
an item these days, though.

Can get one to go either way, EGA card to VGA monitor or the reverse.
Fairly cheap, too.
Back in the stone age, the VGA monitors used to come with EGA video
card plug adapters. Used to have to do this when the Navy was too
cheap to pony up for a VGA card after an EGA monitor burned out.

Basically, EGA was digital and VGA was analog, but the digital video
signals could be represented on the analog monitor. An LCD might work
with the adapter. Cheap enough to test out if you can scrounge a
spare monitor and get the adapter.

Stan

Ignoramus26960 wrote:

If I can get it to work, and if I can use it for small hobby projects
that one normally does with a manual mill (like drill three holes and
round two corners), as well as for CNC projects, I will be very happy
and it will be a useful upgrade over my existing Bridgeport.

I think it will beat the heck out of a Sieg X? conversion. Go for it!

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

On 2010-02-25, Wes wrote:
Ignoramus26960 wrote:

If I can get it to work, and if I can use it for small hobby projects
that one normally does with a manual mill (like drill three holes and
round two corners), as well as for CNC projects, I will be very happy
and it will be a useful upgrade over my existing Bridgeport.

I think it will beat the heck out of a Sieg X? conversion. Go for it!

I think that it will be a great machine if I do not screw it up.

i