Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....

[i2i]

remember you've got a slant bed lathe and the turning should be done in reverse, you could mount the toolholder below the stock and turn forward, but the saddle will not have the support it needs.

[cooliced]

lol so i need to get it going both ways.

Still a little confused where the wiring from no/nc/c should go on the contactor :(

[i2i]

the no/c/nc is basically a toggle switch

[i2i]

it switches the c to the no when you turn it on and back to the nc when you turn it off.

[i2i]

there are 2 contactors together, one turns the spindle forward and the other spins it in reverse. If i remember correctly the feeds for each contactor are on the right hand side about half way down.

[m_c]

What do you need to know about the contactor?

Looking at the wiring diagram, it's an interlocking contactor, which means only one set of contacts can be active at any given time. They're typically used for motor reversing, as if both were to activate at the same time, the power supply (in your case the Gemini drive) would be short circuited, leading to fuses blowing/magic smoke being released.

[cooliced]

ah right i get it now,

at this time im still confused how i should be wiring this up....

Also would i be right in saying i would need two spindle boards for each direction?

[cooliced]

sorry if im being stupid, my brain is fried from this at the mo

[m_c]

If you need both directions, then all you need to safely control the spindle, is another way of switching the power (a relay is the easiest option) going to the spindle board relay (C terminal).
Connect the FWD contactor coil (after it's passed through the rev part of the contactor) to the NO terminal on the spindle board, and the Rev coil to the NC terminal (again after it's passed through the fwd part of the contactor). Then you have the other relay switching the power to the C terminal on the spindle board.
That way the direction signal to the Spindle board controls the direction (it switches the relay on the spindle board), the step signal provides the 0-10V analogue out to control the speed via the Gemini, and the extra relay switches everything on and off.

[cooliced]

right so i have it all wired up now, i took the time to trace everything from the wiring diagram and from your help i think i have it..


Now i just need to work out how to toggle the Step and Dir on the Spindle board to control the speed and direction :D

I cant seem to get either Mach3 or EMC2 to work