Replacing elderly Anilam 1100 control system on vertical mill

[JAZZCNC]

Servo motors are badged Anilam (well, one of them has a barely-legible label). Brushed dc. Label has spec for tacho output but don't know if there is a resolver or encoder. I've seen an article about updating a similar system which used an encoder but I've no idea how standardised these systems are.

The Anilim Motors I have used 10000ppr encoders with Tacho but single-ended. They connect to the rotor with a 1/4" shaft which screws into the end of the rotor, the encoder then clamps to the shaft fastened with a grub screw, they sit on little slotted spring steel upstands which fasten to the motor plate and allow it to be adjusted.
I've replaced the encoders with differential 2500ppr quadrature encoders but these came with 6mm hole so removed the pin and turned them down on lathe. Simple and easy upgrade.

To date, SZGH have been very quick with supplying manuals and quotation. Can't see from first look at manual if you can use limit switches as home switches but I can ask them. Only one upper limit and one lower limit switch input so all axes share these, which is why I'm not sure about home switches - there might be some other inputs for these but still decoding Chinglish for those...

No I believe you can only wire Limits in series which go to L+ and L-, the home switches go to the X0, Y0, Z0 inputs.

[Neale]

My friend has ordered a pallet-load of kit from SZGH. He has organised someone to make up adaptor plates for the new AC servos, to replace the SEM motors. It's a few hundred quid more than using the SZGH 1000mdb controller with new DC drives and existing motors but it should be simpler to put together - probably not the route I would have taken if it were my own machine but he wants to be up and running with minimum fuss and I don't want another project. I have my own mill to convert one day...

I've been through the SZGH manuals and while they are not exactly perfect English, to date they seem pretty good. You aren't going to learn how to build a CNC machine from scratch with them but if you know what you are doing it seems ok.

We'll have to sort out details like adding home switches, incoming mains switching, stuff like that, but nothing too complicated, I hope.

[JAZZCNC]

My friend has ordered a pallet-load of kit from SZGH. He has organised someone to make up adaptor plates for the new AC servos, to replace the SEM motors. It's a few hundred quid more than using the SZGH 1000mdb controller with new DC drives and existing motors but it should be simpler to put together - probably not the route I would have taken if it were my own machine but he wants to be up and running with minimum fuss and I don't want another project. I have my own mill to convert one day...

I've been through the SZGH manuals and while they are not exactly perfect English, to date they seem pretty good. You aren't going to learn how to build a CNC machine from scratch with them but if you know what you are doing it seems ok.

We'll have to sort out details like adding home switches, incoming mains switching, stuff like that, but nothing too complicated, I hope.

Well so far I'm very satisfied with SZGH and the manual isn't that bad after you have read it a few times. It also makes more sense when you have the controller in front of you.
Prep him that while the controller is set up to some degree by SZGH he will still have to play with some settings and he will 99% need to tune the servos to the drives when on the machine. This cannot be done off the machine.