complete conversion kit for AMA25LV

[Fatoftheland]

hello Everybody.
is there such a beast as a complete conversion kit for the Ama25lv (or its clones). I need everything from electronics to steppers, brackets and ball screws. Is there a decent one stop shop in the UK?
Thanks
Jon

[bogstandard]

Hi Jon,

I don't think you can get a COMPLETE system. You will most probably be able to get the ball screws, steppers and ali mounting plates in a basic pack, but that is only a tiny part of a conversion.

I am just about to start the conversion of a Sieg Super X2, and even though a totally different machine, conversion costs will be roughly the same.
I never start a job until I have EVERY little bit in position, I just won't stop once started.
Including an el cheapo second hand computer and a 15" bombproof touch screen (£114 for everything) off our favourite bidding site, the rough costs up until now have been somewhere between £850 -£900, but that does include a trailing Mach 3 control handset, and a new 4" fourth axis rotary table, which requires it's own conversion.

If I had gone for a commercial unit, by looking at ones supplied from the US, I would have ended up with lower standard ball screws and a compromised movement system for the Z axis, easy to fit but crap for moving the head up and down.

By doing it the way I will be, not only will I be getting a more rigid, better made and a more accurate system, it will also be of better quality and a lot cheaper, purely because I took the time to shop around.

Just to give an example, the whole control box for 4 axis with a USB breakout board and 4 stepper controllers has cost about £230 if I include all the smaller items such as cooling fans, plugs and sockets, crimps and smaller 12 volt power supplies as well.

It isn't the normal bits that cost the most money, but the ancilliaries you don't usually think about until you are half way through the job.

Take your time and plan well.

John

[Fatoftheland]

Thanks John for the heads up!
Wiring and controls are to me easy (I,m a controls engineer) The ball screws are confusing me, as to what length, size, C7 or whatever that means. What do I want on the ends. Can I turn the ends to suit on my lathe. Then there's the gcode to learn!

[Fatoftheland]

Thanks John for your help.
I am looking at these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CNC-Leadsh...item418644b274
Any thoughts??

[Fatoftheland]

Obviously plus ballscrews, balls, mountings, software, pc etc.

[bogstandard]

Jon,

Going along that route I would think you will run out of cash very quickly.

I can't give you exact items as most of mine will be different, as in ball screws.

These people have very good prices but you will need to find someone to give you the correct lengths you would require to be made.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1605776038...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I made the mistake of ordering machined ends on mine, but that won't cause me any troubles as I will just re-machine one of them.

Angular contact bearings for X & Y between stepper coupling and screw and Z between thread and pulley.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1904893549...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


For electronic bits, if going for 3 axis, the you require 3 off of these.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1407491526...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Plus one of these if wanting it to run off a USB port on your Mach3 computer and if ever you are going to fit a rotary table driven by CNC.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2613958360...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Plugs and sockets + other bits can be obtained from these places.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3612242481...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3103952509...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2715681514...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3014217997...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1214462544...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

For my computer bits I just searched on Ebay for a cheap 64 bit computer to run Windows XP for mach 3 and a 15" touch screen monitor.
These are just links to the ones I bought, you will have to search for your own

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1215661110...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1215635847...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Plus a few other bits

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3312092616...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

You don't want to go using a wireless keyboard or mouse, it can interfere with the touch screen.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2515955875...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Small power supplies for case fans and the back end of the breakout board.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2908836881...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Main supply case to put everything in, yours might be smaller (or larger) depending how tidy you are.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2313254312...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


These are just a few basic items, you will also need a 48 volt transformer for the stepper drivers and four steppers, which you can find cheap enough on Ebay, I was lucky, I got four steppers and my power supply from a good friend at cost.

On top of all this you will need lots of cable and thick pieces of ali plate to mount the steppers onto your machine.

I just can't list everything here, just most of the major stuff to give you some ideas on costs.


John

[Fatoftheland]

Wow!
Thanks John for taking the time to share all that info. That's probably about six months research for me. Now all I need to do is click on each link and understand what I am looking at....
Thank you again
Jon

[bogstandard]

Don't worry Jon, I was in the same position a few months ago when I started on my journey.
If it wasn't for a good friend guiding me along the way and explaining to me what everything was for, I would have been in the same position as yourself.
I am lucky in that I have almost 50 years machining in my background, and some of that in the computer peripherals industry, so I can understand that side of things.

It is the CAD/CAM and Mach 3 that is going to be the killer for me. As you get older, it gets more difficult to bump start the old brain cells.

John

[Tom J]

Done some research and will start to collect parts for my AMA25LV conversion.

For X and Y will use 5mm pitch 16mm ballscrew driven direct from Stepers Nema 24 4Nm
https://tinyurl.com/yyg2v3rk - hard to find get those Nema 24 with 4Nm

For Z will be 20mm ballscrew (double nut) 5mm pitch and Nema 34 - not sure what torque yet 8-10Nm (will use counter weight, 2spindle R8 and 2.2kw wet)
https://tinyurl.com/create.php 8.5Nm

Wonder if hybrid motor with close loop is not overkill?

Here is open loop version:

https://tinyurl.com/y53kcevf - Nema 24 X-Y
https://tinyurl.com/y5rcpmx9

https://tinyurl.com/y5zt582y - Nema 34 Z

Any advice kindly appreciated

[dazp1976]

Done some research and will start to collect parts for my AMA25LV conversion.

For X and Y will use 5mm pitch 16mm ballscrew driven direct from Stepers Nema 24 4Nm
https://tinyurl.com/yyg2v3rk - hard to find get those Nema 24 with 4Nm

For Z will be 20mm ballscrew (double nut) 5mm pitch and Nema 34 - not sure what torque yet 8-10Nm (will use counter weight, 2spindle R8 and 2.2kw wet)
https://tinyurl.com/create.php 8.5Nm

Wonder if hybrid motor with close loop is not overkill?

Here is open loop version:

https://tinyurl.com/y53kcevf - Nema 24 X-Y
https://tinyurl.com/y5rcpmx9

https://tinyurl.com/y5zt582y - Nema 34 Z

Any advice kindly appreciated

The motors look fine. I have almost identical on mine. However.
I had to run my nema24's on 60vdc and my nema34 is a bit junk on 60v and is crying out for at least 80vdc.
Bear that in mind when looking at drivers and power.

Personally. I would get drivers that can run on ac power and use toroidal supplies.
That's the route I'm going next (that's if I decide to change to a closed loop system).
Daz.