Best cheat Chinese lathe controller

[Colin Barron]

Best cheap Chinese lathe contoller.

There are several of these lathe contollers from different manufacturers. Does anyone have any opinions/ experience on which make to buy or not to buy or are they all ok/ generic and buy on price?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/lathe-controller-system-macro-programming/dp/B06XHGL4B7

[Muzzer]

I've got something very similar for my milling machine. Mine's actually a Newker (not Newkye) but the experience is likely to be very similar. They seem to be very capable but the main challenge is decrypting the user "manual" which has been machine translated and contains some very strong Chinglish. It's only after using mine for a year or so that I have been able to understand WTF some of it was on about. Consequently, I've pretty much rewritten the manual myself in Queen's English.

Note however, that the lathe version will have different functionality (it's a different product to the mill version, with different front panel switches and software). Also note that Newker and Newkye actually have different software, as they are quite different companies. I discovered this when I emailed Newkye for support and they pointed out I had a Newker...

So yes and no - they are apparently identical physically but contain different software at the very least. Your link shows a discontinued product but IIRC, I paid about £300 for mine when I was in China and TBH it wasn't a bad deal. I have it fitted on my Bridgeport conversion, having taken it off my larger Shizuoka mill which now has a Centroid Acorn. The reason for that was partly so I could do probing on The Shiz and also I couldn't get the tool length offset measurement macros to work. I suspect this was because they were intended for a bed mill - I have a turret mill.

You can buy these direct from the manufacturer via AliExpress, which is the route I'd go, although you will get ripped off blind on the way into the UK by the combined forces of the tax man and the parcel courier.https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33052688069.html

[Colin Barron]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Did you get cables, switches and potentiometer with the controller? Do you use steppers or servo drives?
Their info is more helpful than other chinese companies, are they helpful with technical info.
Is there any chance of a photo of your control panel layout please?

[Muzzer]

Will do but I'm working ATM. Will dig some pics out later, perhaps this evening. I think I even have some Pootube videos I can point you at.

[Colin Barron]

This is the An szghcnc 1000tdb 2 axis lathe controller. There is another Emco rebuild on the net if i can find it again!
http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/11102-Emco-120-cnc-lathe-retrofit.

[Colin Barron]

GSK appear to be popular on Chinese machines:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/uncategorised-metalworking-machines/355416-cnc.html
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/gsk-980tdc.html
GSK Manuals:
http://cncmakers.com/cnc/Download/
GSK CNC Lathe GSK 980 TDc on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBbB1-f26Iw
928 retrofit nd setting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulGd0iHmVKg
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CNC+Lathe+GSK+980+TDc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTPluUa6be0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph79hia_LTw

[Colin Barron]

Newkye, Newker, and CZGH:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/controller-amp-computer-solutions/333696-cnc.html

[Muzzer]

I think they are probably used quite widely on Chinese industrial machines ie not just for export to Western hobby users.

Mine came with connectors and rather long tails with all connections labelled up. They all come out of the controller on D connectors of various sizes. The main criticism would be that the wire gauge is very fine indeed which makes attaching crimps or ferrules rather tricky. When I shortened the tails, I transferred the labels which was a PITA.

These controllers are self contained, so include display, membrane keyboard, IO circuits, USB socket and power supply (for the controller, not the servos). The outputs can be connected directly to the stepper / servo drivers using step / direction signals. If you want a closed loop system with external encoders feeding back to the controller, I think you need a different version. The limit switches, VFD controls, probe input etc are also direct connection.

I first used it on my larger machine (Shizuoka). The original controls cabinet was big enough to climb inside and I managed to fit everything into the operator console box (at head height) but that was a bad move. Apart from cricking my neck, it was a real pain in the dick trying to access all the connections when building and commissioning it. That's when I changed it to the Acorn system in a sensibly sized cabinet, with an all-in-one PC on the desk alongside. Much better and it means I can do Fusion 360, email, music etc as well.

I now have the Newker controller on my Bridgeport. It's not the tidiest installation but there doesn't need to be a lot in the cabinet. I have DMM Tech servos for X and Y and a Leadshine Easyservo closed loop stepper for the Z axis. The Z axis assembly is partially disassembled in the photo, as I am fitting a revised, simpler concept.

Here's the Bridgeport (clone) machine
27699

The inside of the cabinet showing the rear of the Newker controller
27700

And the front panel of the mill version (990MDCa, 4 axis version)
27701

Here's my first cut on The Shiz using the Newker controller. I wimped out and used a piece of The Brown Stuff but it all worked out fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efoUM0ptaT8

[Colin Barron]

Interesting videos of Lathe SZGH controller. Why to use an industrial type controller instead of mach3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5o8BFJJm3I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpO3RhF6kp0

[Colin Barron]

Interesting link for lathe SZGH controller:
https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/churchill-computurn-290-retrofit-again.88781/
Good info on wiring and labelling of cables.

[Colin Barron]

Interesting videos of Lathe SZGH controller. Why to use an industrial type controller instead of mach3
Episode 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8r0ZsTKGE0

[Colin Barron]

SZGH more video, with each one there is a small step forward:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Z22F6J7f8
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=szgh

[Colin Barron]

SZGH1000TDb controller set up on bench with their hybrid stepper drivers 2HSS57 and motors 86BYGH4118ec-1000.
1. Motors both work + and - direction using the panel buttons but when i press the hand wheel button which hands control to the pendant, it will only operate + increments?
2. How do i cancel the pendant handwheel to reuse the XY buttons +/-, on the panel, apart from rebooting.
3. The panel hand wheel does not operate the motors, only the buttons.
I can get it to hand back control to the panel buttons by pressing the step button but only as steps.

Any ideas please.
Answers from Mike at SZGH, i thought i would post his reply to each question to reduce head scratching.
1. Only have one handwheel connected at one time.
Remove pendant handwheel
set P27 in other parameters from1 to 0
How: press parameter, press F5 other parameter, arrows up/down to 27, press enter, change to zero, press enter, press escape.

2. When the remote pendant is removed 'emergency stop' is highlighted on the panel. To remove this and allow the panel pendant to be used:
If handwheel on panel is set to P=1 in other parameters it must be set to P=0
Then press handwheel key again to shift rate.

IE
Press 'parameter' on panel
F5 (other parameter)
Item 1 is selected, if not use up down buttons to select P1.
Change to zero (press 0 and enter)
Press escape
Press handwheel button.
Panel handwheel is now in control.

The axis that is flashing (in my case 'x' or 'z') is the axis that the handwheel has selected.
To change axis press the 'step' button and the other axis will flash.

Hope this helps, like most things it is easy when you know how.

[Colin Barron]

Setting SZGH-CNC1000TDb slide movements.
In the case of my SZGH CNC1000TDb it uses: set P16 on User parameters,diameter or radius programming.
The stepper pulses need to be matched at 10,000 on the stepper drive and in Axis Parameter No.17 Numerator of X Electron gear also set to 10,000.
I will set the No18 moved distance in diameter (P16) and see if that is correct.

The F1 user set p16 was default (0) diameter programming, so cross slide movement should be half readout.