"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
...

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl

I used to work on a tree mill years ago at the shop I worked at. I didn't
know anything about the control computer but it had Baldor servo motors and
drives IIRC.

If the controls don't come up easily I'd consider converting to a more
modern PC based control. I like EMC2 because it's free, hardware is
reasonable, it's very configurable, and many users & developers to help you
get it working right.

RogerN

On 2012-07-10, RogerN wrote:
"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
...

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl

I used to work on a tree mill years ago at the shop I worked at. I didn't
know anything about the control computer but it had Baldor servo motors and
drives IIRC.

If the controls don't come up easily I'd consider converting to a more
modern PC based control. I like EMC2 because it's free, hardware is
reasonable, it's very configurable, and many users & developers to help you
get it working right.

I feel so lucky that you talked me out of repairing my old Heidenhain
control.

EMC2 is Awesome.

Thanks RogerN.

i

Karl Townsend wrote:

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl
I'm not sure what vintage it is, but the serial # looks
like a date, as in 1985. If so, I REALLY would advise
against repair if it is more than a blown fuse or loose
connector. If you replace a board, then another board
will die within months. I had a slightly older control
that I hacked onto a manual Bridgeport, and had to do
board-level repairs 3 times in 9 months. I was overjoyed
to become one of the first outside users of EMC back in
1998.

Since this is a servo machine, I would recommend using
LinuxCNC (the new name of EMC2) which is most at home
driving servos.

You may be able to save the servo amps, depending on
the make, some of them are quite reliable.

Jon

On 2012-07-10, Karl Townsend wrote:
"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Well ... it depends. I've never used them, but the serious
machinist where I used to work considered them mechanically very good,
but that there were mostly problems with relays developing poor
contacts. This was back around 1990 or so, and I don't know how old the
machine itself was. (No, I did not get a chance to see it -- except
once at a distance going past on a truck to the surplus sales place
(Army base, FWIW.)

If this is of similar vintage -- the first thing is to try
plugging in new relays and see what that does. If that doesn't do it,
and if you don't get better advice, plan to upgrade it to a modern
control.

It appears to have servo motors, and linear encoders, so it is a
really good starting point for a conversion using linuncnc (was EMC2),
but it might be more of a problem if you were using MACH instead, I
think that is more focused on steppers.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

On Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:51:27 -0500, Karl Townsend
wrote:

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl


Depends on what the control actually is After 2001..they were made in
Singapore

ZPS out of Illinois
www.zpsusa.com
http://zpsusa.com/3s.html


DynaPath 10 controls... http://www.dynapath.com/

That should be a good start. Determine what the control is and diagnose.
Look for parts on Ebay or the two links.

They are actually fair controls..and unless something is badly burned
up..might be fixable. But...buying boards ...may cost as much as a
retrofit. Depends

Book mark this one....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynapath-Del...-/360414198444

And this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Deltron-Q170...-/360431304740

And this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynapath-Con...-/360310886139


Humm...just checked the photos..Journeyman 325. Should have an
Anilam s1400 control on it. Or could have. But looking at the
photos..I dont think its Anilam. Probaby a Dynapath. Check.

"Journeyman 325 CNC Milling machine, made by Tree Machine Tool Co., 230V
3 phase, Serial number 9-25-85-5247, was working until machine got
moved. The reserve on this item has been met."

So it was working until it got moved. Now either they are lying..or
something came loose. If something came loose..it should be findable and
fixable.

Im sure you of all people know how to start checking. And when you say
"the control is dead"...when talking CNC...what actually happens when
you close the doors, turn the power to the machine on..and hit On?

First thing of course you do..is check for any safety disconnects on the
door..and disable them. Then with the door open. check all the plugs,
connections, fuses etc etc..then..and only then.try starting it up and
work from there.

Gunner

I'm not sure what vintage it is, but the serial # looks
like a date, as in 1985. If so, I REALLY would advise
against repair if it is more than a blown fuse or loose
connector. If you replace a board, then another board
will die within months. I had a slightly older control
that I hacked onto a manual Bridgeport, and had to do
board-level repairs 3 times in 9 months. I was overjoyed
to become one of the first outside users of EMC back in
1998.

Since this is a servo machine, I would recommend using
LinuxCNC (the new name of EMC2) which is most at home
driving servos.

You may be able to save the servo amps, depending on
the make, some of them are quite reliable.

Jon

1998 huh? That's the year i decided to go Camsoft after switching my
Bandit to Ahha and not liking steppers. I'm suggesting EMC to the kid
as it is SO MUCH more economical. Plus I expect Camsoft to be out of
business in less than ten years.

Now, I REALLY LIKE using Opto 22 brand isolated 24 volt IO and the PCI
bus cards to control them. what are the chance EMC will run this card?
http://tinyurl.com/cjb8ue3

Karl

Gunner Asch wrote:



"Journeyman 325 CNC Milling machine, made by Tree Machine Tool Co., 230V
3 phase, Serial number 9-25-85-5247, was working until machine got
moved. The reserve on this item has been met."

That serial number sure looks like a date code to me. If it really was
made in 1985, then the control is not likely to be very sophisticated
or reliable in the long term.
So it was working until it got moved. Now either they are lying..or
something came loose. If something came loose..it should be findable and
fixable.
That is so typical, for it to not work after a move, it is easy to believe.

Im sure you of all people know how to start checking. And when you say
"the control is dead"...when talking CNC...what actually happens when
you close the doors, turn the power to the machine on..and hit On?
Well, I think Karl and the "kid" need to get it home first.

Jon

Karl Townsend wrote:


1998 huh? That's the year i decided to go Camsoft after switching my
Bandit to Ahha and not liking steppers. I'm suggesting EMC to the kid
as it is SO MUCH more economical. Plus I expect Camsoft to be out of
business in less than ten years.

Now, I REALLY LIKE using Opto 22 brand isolated 24 volt IO and the PCI
bus cards to control them. what are the chance EMC will run this card?
http://tinyurl.com/cjb8ue3
Umm, it was discontinued 6 years ago, and is 5 V PCI ONLY! You may have
trouble finding a motherboard the card will even FIT into the connectors,
now.

My interface boards for LinuxCNC already have optoisolated inputs
built in, and place to plug your SSRs for output. Mesa can interface
to Opto-22 boards, I think. But, you really won't need much digital
I/O on this machine. Spindle forward and reverse, coolant, and
servo amp enable are the outputs, and maybe there is a tool release
cylinder. And, a few limit and home switches for inputs. Does it have
a spindle encoder? If so, then you really want to go with LinuxCNC
for rigid tapping.

Really, the cost of the control program is small. But, with LinuxCNC,
you know you can get stuff fixed, often within a day or two, when a problem
is discovered.

Jon

I know nothing about this mill. But, since you say that the "control is
dead", I assume you mean that nothing works at all.
I'd say this is likely to be good news. It could be as simple as a blown
fuse or a bad power supply. I'd start with google.
Apparently, at least, the company is still in business. I got to a site
(findamachine.com) that says it'll give me a phone number if I sign in.
I'd call them and ask some basic guidance and then for service and
operations manuals and see where it goes from there.

Even if they say you need to buy a new control or whole new machine, you
will be ahead of the game.

A couple of years ago, a friend had a failure with his optical/torch cutting
machine. The mfr said they didn't repair boards or sell them, but did
supply a manual that included a schematic. The friend took the problem to a
local electronics guy who diagnosed the problem and fixed it. I think it
was a $10 IC. If you can find a good old-fashioned TV repair type guy who
really understands discrete component electronics, that would be the way to
go.

Pete Stanaitis
-----------------

On Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:36:15 -0500, Jon Elson
wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:


1998 huh? That's the year i decided to go Camsoft after switching my
Bandit to Ahha and not liking steppers. I'm suggesting EMC to the kid
as it is SO MUCH more economical. Plus I expect Camsoft to be out of
business in less than ten years.

Now, I REALLY LIKE using Opto 22 brand isolated 24 volt IO and the PCI
bus cards to control them. what are the chance EMC will run this card?
http://tinyurl.com/cjb8ue3
Umm, it was discontinued 6 years ago, and is 5 V PCI ONLY! You may have
trouble finding a motherboard the card will even FIT into the connectors,
now.

You seen that too. I asked camsoft and they told me any card using an
8255 IO chip will work with their software. This just happens to be
the vendor I've bought from.

Doesn't have to be this card, I'm just asking if LinuxCNC can do 96
I/O cards or similar with cables to Opto 22 modules





My interface boards for LinuxCNC already have optoisolated inputs
built in, and place to plug your SSRs for output. Mesa can interface
to Opto-22 boards, I think. But, you really won't need much digital
I/O on this machine. Spindle forward and reverse, coolant, and
servo amp enable are the outputs, and maybe there is a tool release
cylinder. And, a few limit and home switches for inputs. Does it have
a spindle encoder? If so, then you really want to go with LinuxCNC
for rigid tapping.

Really, the cost of the control program is small. But, with LinuxCNC,
you know you can get stuff fixed, often within a day or two, when a problem
is discovered.

Jon

I'm used to TONS of I/O. Don't think I can go back now VBG Most of
it is inputs for a real nice operator panel. From my perspective this
is the only area LinuxCNC is still lacking. Of course all this I/O
must be opto isolated and I think 24 VDC is the best for control
power.

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:

On Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:36:15 -0500, Jon Elson
wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:


1998 huh? That's the year i decided to go Camsoft after switching my
Bandit to Ahha and not liking steppers. I'm suggesting EMC to the kid
as it is SO MUCH more economical. Plus I expect Camsoft to be out of
business in less than ten years.

Now, I REALLY LIKE using Opto 22 brand isolated 24 volt IO and the PCI
bus cards to control them. what are the chance EMC will run this card?
http://tinyurl.com/cjb8ue3
Umm, it was discontinued 6 years ago, and is 5 V PCI ONLY! You may have
trouble finding a motherboard the card will even FIT into the connectors,
now.

You seen that too. I asked camsoft and they told me any card using an
8255 IO chip will work with their software. This just happens to be
the vendor I've bought from.

Doesn't have to be this card, I'm just asking if LinuxCNC can do 96
I/O cards or similar with cables to Opto 22 modules


My interface boards for LinuxCNC already have optoisolated inputs
built in, and place to plug your SSRs for output. Mesa can interface
to Opto-22 boards, I think. But, you really won't need much digital
I/O on this machine. Spindle forward and reverse, coolant, and
servo amp enable are the outputs, and maybe there is a tool release
cylinder. And, a few limit and home switches for inputs. Does it have
a spindle encoder? If so, then you really want to go with LinuxCNC
for rigid tapping.

Really, the cost of the control program is small. But, with LinuxCNC,
you know you can get stuff fixed, often within a day or two, when a problem
is discovered.

Jon

I'm used to TONS of I/O. Don't think I can go back now VBG Most of
it is inputs for a real nice operator panel. From my perspective this
is the only area LinuxCNC is still lacking. Of course all this I/O
must be opto isolated and I think 24 VDC is the best for control
power.

Have you ever looked at these? 16 relays per board, with 16 control
inputs & SPDT outputs. A couple 8 bit parallel outputs can easily give
you 256 relays. You could even do it with a couple USB to parallel
adapters. It can be done with a single parallel port, if you use a
microprocessor, or a string of 74HC595 ICs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/170745300786

Jon Elson fired this volley in
:

Ah, there are a number of solutions for operator panels, such as USB
and serial, that get rid of the massive cables and dozens of Opto-22
modules.

And if you're just bent on scanning the keyboard yourself, you could use a
matrix instead of a separate input for each key.

There are lots of very simple ways to save on inputs. One 8255 (antique as
it is) could handle hundreds of I/Os, properly arranged.

LLoyd

Karl Townsend wrote:


Doesn't have to be this card, I'm just asking if LinuxCNC can do 96
I/O cards or similar with cables to Opto 22 modules
Well, in general, somebody has to write a device driver.
I see a driver for an Opto-22 AC5 card, don't know what that is.
It apparently handles up to 4 of them, however.
Also, there is an 8255 driver, it can handle up to 16 of those.
Can't say for sure it is compatible with your particular board.

I'm used to TONS of I/O. Don't think I can go back now VBG Most of
it is inputs for a real nice operator panel. From my perspective this
is the only area LinuxCNC is still lacking. Of course all this I/O
must be opto isolated and I think 24 VDC is the best for control
power.
Ah, there are a number of solutions for operator panels, such as USB
and serial, that get rid of the massive cables and dozens of Opto-22
modules.

Jon

Gunner Asch wrote:


Humm..if its a 20...you can drip feed it. Cool!

Urrk! That's SO 1980's. I can't IMAGINE drip feeding today,
it would be like torture. (water torture??)

As for the wiring diagrams, they are only of the "top level",
with no schematics of the boards.

Jon

Jon Elson wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:

Doesn't have to be this card, I'm just asking if LinuxCNC can do 96
I/O cards or similar with cables to Opto 22 modules
Well, in general, somebody has to write a device driver.
I see a driver for an Opto-22 AC5 card, don't know what that is.
It apparently handles up to 4 of them, however.
Also, there is an 8255 driver, it can handle up to 16 of those.
Can't say for sure it is compatible with your particular board.

I'm used to TONS of I/O. Don't think I can go back now VBG Most of
it is inputs for a real nice operator panel. From my perspective this
is the only area LinuxCNC is still lacking. Of course all this I/O
must be opto isolated and I think 24 VDC is the best for control
power.
Ah, there are a number of solutions for operator panels, such as USB
and serial, that get rid of the massive cables and dozens of Opto-22
modules.

Jon

Look at X-Keys for some nice programmable, legendable and keycap
reconfigurable keyboards are very reasonable prices.

"Pete C." fired this volley in news:4ffc9c4b$0$14668
:

Look at X-Keys for some nice programmable, legendable and keycap
reconfigurable keyboards are very reasonable prices.

Nice! That Jog and Shuttle job would be good for EMC!

Lloyd

On Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:34:54 -0500, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:

"Pete C." fired this volley in
news:4ffc9c4b$0$14668 :

Look at X-Keys for some nice programmable, legendable and keycap
reconfigurable keyboards are very reasonable prices.

Nice! That Jog and Shuttle job would be good for EMC!

I'd like that XK-12 joystick for EMC! Very nice indeed.
Thanks, Pete!

--Winston

On 10 Jul 2012 23:00:37 GMT, Winston wrote:

On Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:34:54 -0500, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:

"Pete C." fired this volley in
news:4ffc9c4b$0$14668 :

Look at X-Keys for some nice programmable, legendable and keycap
reconfigurable keyboards are very reasonable prices.

Nice! That Jog and Shuttle job would be good for EMC!

I'd like that XK-12 joystick for EMC! Very nice indeed.
Thanks, Pete!

Speaking of which, kindasorta, has anyone bought and used one of these
Chinese thangs on a CNC router? I'm wondering if they would be useful
for signmaking/carving. http://tinyurl.com/7mxbrzc

--
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails,
admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

http://tinyurl.com/7mxbrzc

Oh, man... even if I have to put a restaurant condom over it, I'll use a
'real' keyboard. I don't want no stinkin' membrane keyboards.

Just when you need them, they start to bounce or balk.

LLoyd

"Ignoramus8757" wrote in message
...

On 2012-07-10, RogerN wrote:
"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
...

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?

Karl

I used to work on a tree mill years ago at the shop I worked at. I
didn't
know anything about the control computer but it had Baldor servo motors
and
drives IIRC.

If the controls don't come up easily I'd consider converting to a more
modern PC based control. I like EMC2 because it's free, hardware is
reasonable, it's very configurable, and many users & developers to help
you
get it working right.

I feel so lucky that you talked me out of repairing my old Heidenhain
control.

EMC2 is Awesome.

Thanks RogerN.

i

I may have persuaded you in that direction but it seemed a natural fit for
you with your programming, linux, and machining interests.

Thanks for taking the photos and taking us along through the conversion
process with you. It gives others details of what's involved and hopefully
some encouragement to convert old controls instead of paying big money for
old obsolete controls.

Making anything else on it? AR receivers or anything?

RogerN

Karl Townsend wrote:

"The Kid" just bought a mill.
http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria330/76

The control is dead. Anyone know if this control is worth repairing?
Or has my son just bought me a winter project?


That has a nice size control cabinet. If the controls are
unrepairable, I would hang an old server in there. I bought a couple
for under $50 on Ebay for someone a few months ago and thought that the
little Dell 725N I won for them would make a great controller.