Centroid Acorn Controller - Has anyone tried one?

I have a Bridgeport Series 1 milling machine, which I am in the process of converting to CNC - I'm looking to a 4 axis setup.
For the moment I am using 1600oz inch steppers, eventually I'll change to something like Technic Clearpath, with shaft encoders.
I have some experience with Anilam, Fanuc and XYZ Prototrak controls so I have some ideas about what I want from a controller.

My PC of choice is a Dell Optiplex 755 with parallel port, ethernet and USB ports.
I have tried a few controllers with varying degrees of success...

First Controller - Mach3 using a Chinese parallel port BOB.

Not great with my setup - not accurate losing steps etc, despite hours of research and motor tuning.
Deciding it was probably the BOB/parallel port, I gave up

Second Controller "Masso"

This worked well but did not support the full range of codes - no G40/G41/G42 looks at present to be more suited to router applications the milling. Excellent support from the company, but decided it's not for me.

Third Arduino with GRBL 1.1 and the latest UGS software.

It works really well, supports most Codes (does not like tool change T1M6, throws up an error message), but positions accurately and motor tuning is a breeze. For me this is the best so far.

However I'd like to use a controller which supports 4 axis, has a professional looking interface, and doesn't cost the earth.
I came across the Centroid Acorn Controller at under $300.
The software has the same look and it seems, most of the functionality of Centroid's industrial controllers.

I have one on order, but would be grateful for input from anyone who has experience of the unit.

There is no dealer selling the in the UK, but I am in touch with a Centroid agent in France who can supply at a sensible price.
Thank you!

Here's a link to Centroid.com for anyone who is interested.
http://www.centroidcnc.com

You need the "Pro" software at an extra $99 for 4 axis G Code moves ;-)

Nice

I understand that the "free" software does 3 axis simultaneously eg X,Y & Z or X,Y & A.

Have you actually tried the Acorn board? (which was the question posed in the original post)

The acorn was discussed recently, and the general consensus was there were better options for less money.

My main concern with it was the limited IO, with no option to expand. 8 inputs don't go very far on anything other than a basic machine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DY10CNC

(which was the question posed in the original post)

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As was "4-axis" and "Under $300", and any 3 from 4 simply isn't 4-Axis.
I added the information to save others from thinking the price had dropped for the 4-axis functionality :D

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Originally Posted by DY10CNC

First Controller - Mach3 using a Chinese parallel port BOB.

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Unless you just bought the cheapest BOB, PSU, Drivers etc. with no research then there's no reason you couldn't have got that working, thousands of people have?

Thank you for your comments.
As I said in my original post, I did use the cheapest BOB, which as I also said, was probably the problem.
As to the rest of the components, they are working fine with an Arduino and GRBL, which suggests that the problem was with the parallel port and Bob combination. It was not my intention to denigrate Mach 3 or any of it many successful users.
Hopefully we can return to my original question - Has any member of this forum an actual experience of the Centroid Acorn Controller?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DY10CNC

Has any member of this forum an actual experience of the Centroid Acorn Controller?

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As Stated above this has been discussed before and no one had used one or wanted to

Have you tried joining their community support forum?

http://centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=20

Like the Mach3 Forum and BobCAD-CAM forum on CNC zone it should be a very good place to see both successes and shortcomings with the product,
Regards,
Nick

Yes I joined the Centroid forum, and as you say it is a good place to see how the product performs.

My reason for posting on MYCNCUK, was to solicit unbiased views on what is a relatively new product.

I take delivery of the Acorn controller on Thursday so thats probably "end of story" for my post.

Thanks for all of your posts.

whats the verdict on the acorn?

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Originally Posted by battwell

whats the verdict on the acorn?

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Ye, I've got one and For Mill Retrofit it's spot on but for DIY Router then it's missing few things like Independent Homing for slaved axis etc but those are in Beta and hopefully out in next software release.
The software is rock solid as it's exactly same as used on High-end systems and hardware is nice neat well made with a decent amount of I/O. Also Got spindle encoder input so can do Ridged tapping which is nice to have.

One small drawback for me is the fact it only works on Win10 and needs decent PC with plenty power. Suppose that's price progress.!!

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One small drawback for me is the fact it only works on Win10 and needs decent PC with plenty power. Suppose that's price progress.!!

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I was trying to download the software today and it seemed to indicate win version 7,8 10 but they recommended 10. I failed because it says you need the board. It would be nice to see the front end.

Edit looks like I was wrong. From the forum:-
CNC 11 is supported under Windows 7, 8, and 10.
CNC 12 is only supported under Windows 10.
If you are building a new PC, it is highly recommended to use Windows 10 so it is future proof.

Centroid Acorn

I have one that i am currently installing on a CNC plasma Cutter. So far it look good it supports most g codes and looks like it might be a great alternative to Mach 3. I have used both Mach 3 and Linux based CNC controls with mixed results. Mach 3 is very old technology and so far the amount time required to get a Linux, or Kflop control to work is just not worth it.

I benched the Acorn getting three motors work in less than 2 hours. I will post some pictures and a link to a running machine n about two weeks.

I also use Siemens for my larger machine build projects. For a home or small shop application the Acorn looks like a great option.

I now have my Acorn based Bridgeport conversion working, and am pleased with the Acorn board and CNC 12 software (with December 2017 update)
I am still using the free version as I am undecided whether to go for Pro Version at $139 or the Digitising package at $399.
There doesn't appear to be a CNC12 manual, but I'm using the generic Centroid manual downloaded from the website and it looks to be pretty compatible with CNC12.
I am using a refurbed Dell Optiplex 755 with Windows 10, (Amazon or ebay) which has a CPU which falls a bit short of the recommended single thread performance stated by Centroid but it works ok.
CNC 12 has a nice front end - looks professional - can't wait to find a sensible priced touch screen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JAZZCNC

Ye, I've got one and For Mill Retrofit it's spot on but for DIY Router then it's missing few things like Independent Homing for slaved axis etc but those are in Beta and hopefully out in next software release.
The software is rock solid as it's exactly same as used on High-end systems and hardware is nice neat well made with a decent amount of I/O. Also Got spindle encoder input so can do Ridged tapping which is nice to have.

One small drawback for me is the fact it only works on Win10 and needs decent PC with plenty power. Suppose that's price progress.!!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by DY10CNC

CNC 12 has a nice front end - looks professional - can't wait to find a sensible priced touch screen.

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Here you go just got one and very nice. NO stand thou.!!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Views....c100011.m1850

has anyone tried the radius offsets to destruction- by that i mean doing something all the others fail on?
i have a dxf which fails on everything ive tried. mach, linux dynomotion, uccnc ( first tester of its g41/42)
its a very simple fail- where the tool comes to a segment smaller than its tool radius (which can happen in any .dxf really)

im running uccnc for all my routers- as i havnt found anything so far that comes close in respect of its motion planner for cv (for fast machines)- its giving me perfect parts every time while keeping up the pace etc.

anyway- il send anyone that has acorn the .dxf to try- its very simple and easy to run.

il probably stay with uccnc for the routers and plasma, but the lathe package is where i think it will be way ahead... lots of features not yet implemented into uccnc.

[QUOTE=

One small drawback for me is the fact it only works on Win10 and needs decent PC with plenty power. Suppose that's price progress.!![/QUOTE]

i hate anything after windows 7- i only upgraded to 7 last year reluctantly! but i do have some high spec machines i could put it on.
just got a denford fanuc atc in to retrofit for myself. could maybe try one on there. i have someone that wants to buy the fanuc stuff out of it so il be putting mitsubishi servos etc in instead.

by the way- re macros for acorn- what language are they in? can unlimited be created and stored? does it have the equivalent of a macro loop etc? (these are must haves for me to have full control over what i need to do.

ATCs is where the Acorn board may struggle for IO.

Taking a Triac ATC, it needs 5 inputs (Carousel In, Out, Up, Down, and index sensor) and 5 outputs (Carousel CW, CCW, In, Down, and drawbar) for the ATC alone.

That only leaves 3 and 3.
Input wise, allow one for E-stop/limits (combined on Triac's), one drive fault, one for a probe, and you're out of inputs.
Where do you connect the homing switches/sensors?

Output wise, spindle CW, CCW, coolant, and you're out of outputs.
I'm assuming the drive enables are a separate output on the step/dir headers, if not you're definitely short on outputs.

I will say the software does look good, and it could be the best software in the world, but if you can't get enough inputs and outputs, it's useless.

hmmm- that could be a sticking point then. wonder if their add on boards work?- but then its becoming an expensive system.
some of my machines ive converted have over 110 i/o in use . thats always been the crunch to what controller can be used .
does it suport modbus? if so i have arduino megas running here for extra i/o (ive had 6 running 300 i/o no problem with uccnc and mach3)

From what I've read, the Acorn does not allow for any expansion, which is how they've limited it's usability.

To get IO expansion, you've got to buy one of their other controllers, which the next cheapest one is the Oak, at just a shade under $1600, but looking at the overview/comparison table I'm not sure if it's step/dir capable, or some combination of step/dir and analogue.

yup- saw the oak- but thats way too expensive for a hobby control in my opinion. even the oak- the expansion cards cost loads !

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Originally Posted by m_c

I will say the software does look good, and it could be the best software in the world, but if you can't get enough inputs and outputs, it's useless.

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Always ways around this stuff and £140 buys you PLC with 32 I/O for the simple in/out/up/down/spin etc stuff.

Just like many other boards which come with restricted I/O then it starts costing you for more with expansion cards so not much difference really.
Main and BIG Difference is the software is Rock Solid and is supported by people who know what there doing.

http://www.audon.co.uk/cubloc_plc/MSB764T.html

I've heard very good things about the acorn, and if you can live with the limited I/O, and 4 axis, it may be the best hobby level control there is. Especially for lathe users.
It just doesn't have enough customization features for my needs.

Ha- no money if you can't sell a screen set :-)
I may try one on the lathe
Maybe il wait until a few more are running well in the uk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ger21

It just doesn't have enough customization features for my needs.

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Visually not so much but don't judge a book by it's cover.!! The built-in PLC is a very powerful tool and along with macros can pretty much make it do whatever you want.!... Provided you speak the Lingo.!!

Must admit thou shame about only 4 axis. I/O can be got around but not # axis.!!

So I bought one of these and have replaced this Pokeys on my CNC lathe. Happy this far, anyone know how to do code up an ATC 'macro' for Centroid?

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Originally Posted by Chaz

So I bought one of these and have replaced this Pokeys on my CNC lathe. Happy this far, anyone know how to do code up an ATC 'macro' for Centroid?

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What type of atc.?

Check this out.
http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopi...52327af32d86da

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JAZZCNC

What type of atc.?

Check this out.
http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopi...52327af32d86da

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Thanks, seen that topic but still a bit stuck. Pity, cant play with the PLC code unless connected to the Board (now in the garage).

The turret is one of these:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cCDulVashA

Standard ratchet / pawl setup.

Chaz give me some more info on turret ie: Distance to move per tool change.
Do you have this working on Mach3 if so then post M6.macro as it should tell everything needed to write Macro for Acorn.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JAZZCNC

Chaz give me some more info on turret ie: Distance to move per tool change.
Do you have this working on Mach3 if so then post M6.macro as it should tell everything needed to write Macro for Acorn.

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Thanks. I did try and email you yesterday however got a bounce from your hemsworthlad email address.

My understanding is that I need some code in cnctch.mac. I then also need to change some parameters to tell Centroid that there is an ATC. Finally, I believe the actual PLC code (not sure / where / how to edit this) contains the actual movement logic or macro. Here is the Mach 3 macro that works with this turret. The logic is fairly straight forward.



If IsLoading() Then
' Do Nothing, program loading
Else

' Dim Variables

Dim Num_Tools As Integer
Dim CW_Steps_Per_Tool As Integer
Dim CCW_Steps As Integer
Dim HoldingDRO As Integer
Dim Requested_Tool As Integer
Dim Current_Tool As Integer
Dim CW_Feed As Integer
Dim CCW_Feed As Integer

Dim moves As Integer
Dim total_move As Integer


' set up some vars

Num_Tools = 8
CW_Move_Per_Tool = 360/Num_Tools
CCW_Move = 10
HoldingDRO = 1050
Requested_Tool = GetSelectedTool()
Current_Tool = GetUserDRO(HoldingDRO)
CW_Feed = 1500
CCW_Feed = 1000
Current_Feed = GetOEMDRO(818)


' start tool change

Message ("Requested Tool No=" & Requested_Tool)

If Requested_Tool > Num_Tools Then
Message "Requested Tool No. too high, program stopped."
Code "M30"
End
End If

If Requested_Tool < 1 Then
'Message "Requested Tool No. too low, program stopped."
Code "M30"
End
End If

If Requested_Tool = Current_Tool Then
' do nothing
Else
' lets do some changing
If Requested_Tool > Current_Tool Then moves = Requested_Tool -Current_Tool
If Requested_Tool < Current_Tool Then moves = Num_Tools - Current_Tool +Requested_Tool

total_move = (moves * CW_Move_Per_Tool)+(CCW_Move/2)

Code "G91 G94" 'incremental & Feed per minute
Code "G0 A" & total_move '& "F" & CW_Feed
Code "G0 A" & "-" & CCW_Move '& "F" & CCW_Feed
While IsMoving()
Wend

SetCurrentTool Requested_Tool
SetUserDRO HoldingDRO, Requested_Tool
Code "G90" ' back to absolute movement
Code "F" & Current_Feed
End If
End If

If you watch this video, you can see the cnctch.mac Tool Change Request Macro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XxCzerDKGU

Ive paused it and written (copied) the code.

IF #50001 ;Prevent lookahead
IF #4202 || #4201 THEN GOTO 1000
IF #4120 == #90014 THEN GOTO 1000

N100

G10 P1906 R1
G4 P.5
M94 /6
M101 / 70001
M95 /6

N1000

The actual logic of movement is:-

Code "G0 A" & total_move '& "F" & CW_Feed
Code "G0 A" & "-" & CCW_Move '& "F" & CCW_Feed

I assume this is the logic you need to do in the PLC?

If you watch one vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qa_SN9n-MY they open an acorn_mill_plc.src file. On the lathe software, there is no such file. I can reinstall and do the Mill bit on this main PC of mine to try it. The other issue is that the board and machine is in the garage, without removing the board and bringing it inside, I cannot 'play' on my main PC in the house.

I also looked to see if we can change the IP address of the board so that I can 'lan' it. At the moment, my garage PC has only 1 NIC which means that whilst its connected to the board, I have no internet access.

Quote:

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At the moment, my garage PC has only 1 NIC which means that whilst its connected to the board, I have no internet access.

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How about one of these:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-...YAAOSwuQxaZ1vz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clive S

How about one of these:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-...YAAOSwuQxaZ1vz

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Thanks, got something like this already, would just prefer to use the wired connection in the garage if possible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chaz

If you watch one vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qa_SN9n-MY they open an acorn_mill_plc.src file. On the lathe software, there is no such file.

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The PLC source file is created when controller is started so will only show after it's successfully created. When you start controller watch first screen saying initialising MPU and if you get error then source file won't be created.

If get MPU error the go to wizzard and reset by writing settings to controller.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JAZZCNC

The PLC source file is created when controller is started so will only show after it's successfully created. When you start controller watch first screen saying initialising MPU and if you get error then source file won't be created.

If get MPU error the go to wizzard and reset by writing settings to controller.

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Thanks, suspected that as Im not on the Lathe PC.

Making some headway but struggling a bit as this is new to me.

Current macro, clearly not finished yet.

Num_Tools IS 8
CW_Move_Per_Tool IS 360/Num_Tools
CCW_Move IS 10
CW_Feed IS 1500
CCW_Feed IS 1000
TOOLCHANGEMSG IS Tool Changing Taking Place

;start tool change

;If Requested_Tool > Current_Tool Then moves = Requested_Tool -Current_Tool

;If Requested_Tool < Current_Tool Then moves = Num_Tools - Current_Tool +Requested_Tool

If Requested_Tool > SV_TOOL_NUMBER Then moves = Requested_Tool -Current_Tool

If Requested_Tool < SV_TOOL_NUMBER Then moves = Num_Tools - Current_Tool +Requested_Tool


total_move = (moves * CW_Move_Per_Tool)+(CCW_Move/2)


Code "G91 G94" 'incremental & Feed per minute
Code "G0 A" & total_move '& "F" & CW_Feed
Code "G0 A" & "-" & CCW_Move '& "F" & CCW_Feed
;SetCurrentTool Requested_Tool
;SetUserDRO HoldingDRO, Requested_Tool
Code "G90" ' back to absolute movement
Code "F" & Current_Feed

ive just ordered one of these- pretty good reviews for wired lan extender through power sockets
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BT-Broadba...k/122236222579

Quote:

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Originally Posted by battwell

ive just ordered one of these- pretty good reviews for wired lan extender through power sockets
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BT-Broadba...k/122236222579

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The problem isnt connectivity. I have a similar setup. The issue is that the controller connects via Ethernet, so I cant 'get' to the Internet if the cable I need is disconnected. CS Labs allows you to use DHCP on your network to reassign its IP. This doesnt seem to do that.

Chaz been doing little digging and looks like the acorn is setup in such away that it watches inputs to determine where the turret is located.
This is why the Orac code is so simple. The PLC is watching the I/O to determine which turret location currently at then moving to new location.

There isn't any code in the PLC like what your probably thinking. All the PLC does is watch 3 inputs and depending on there logic state knows turret location. ie:
In1=on In2=off in3=on == Turret Position#1
In1=on In2=on In3=off == Turret Position #2
In1=off In2=on In3=on == Turret Position #3
And so on for each Turret location.

Using this Logic indexing it rotates the turret while watching the I/O untill matches tool # taken from G-code and stored in parameter #4102 and when finished returns sets this location in Memory and sets parammeter #90014.
This Logic is the only thing in the PLC which can be changed.

It should be possible to change the PLC but this is beyond me at the minute.
However think we could easily work around this and effectively do it manually using the Macro with simple moves then set the parameters to keep track where located.

Also note Centroid don't use G91 incremental moves. If want to program incremental move you use UVW moves ie: x10 Z-5 would be absolute moves.
incremental moves would be U10 W-5.

What axis would you use for turret.?