Ancient CNC machine- advice needed!

[nobby]

Hello,
I have an ISEL techo FB-2, look it up on the isel website.
What I think you may have is an isel techno fb-1 - although I have never seen a picture.

if it is the predesessor of the fb-2 and uses the same parts thats excellent as it all quality.

anyways, if it has fb2 parts......

1. the ball screws are m16 diameter with a 5mm pitch
2. the anti-backlash nuts are the best.
3. it should have 32mm thk/boshe rails and bearings throughout - excellent
4. the motors will be sanyo denki, if 8 wire they are wired bi-polar parallel
5. the shafts are 'b' denoted 'shafts each end'
6. the shagfts on the motors even though the machine is netric are 6.35mm - 1/4'' and not 6mm
7. the motors sit on a mount inside that can, they are only 65mm long
8 the cans are great as they keep out the emf's, the cabling is quality sheathed stuff so keep it
9. If you change the old motors for new ones like I did, you can squeeze in a 76mm nema 23 at 3.1nm
but you may have to buy slightly longer m5 bolts and open the holes in the motors slightly, from memory the motor bolts are 50mm long, you need 55mm and need to file a mm off the back.
10 IF you buy new motors you need to wire thenm bi polar parrallel, the connections in the cans won't be soldered, simply open up the crimpings, the connections - as you have a quality machine will be silver plated £££
11. you may have limit switches hidden in the motor mounts, these are good here as you get no interference, if not yuou may have whats called a proximity magnetic set up for limits - i think you have them, I'd get the in can style from isel.
12. regards limit switches, you machine will home to the back and to the left - this part is confusing at first.
13. the x axis is the the lower one - looking at the machine zero is to the rear
14, the y axis is the one that moves and zeros to the left
15, the z axis zero's to the top, - this is confusing as you need to turn it around in the mach settings
16, you have a cutting area of 550mm square,
17 buy a leaf boy usb break out board for the £100 - ebay
18. buy a motor , drives and psu power supply from ebay
19. don't buy the 100mm motors 'simply by looking at the can and thinking mmm i need 100mm
as the motors sit on a mountin the can, 76mm max = itys tight, get the next size down from 3.1nm, as they may be perfect you want 1/4'' shafts - dual , I would get 8 wire motors

p.s. I wouldn't call it ancient at all, the m16 screws and anti back-lash nut 'you couldn't buy a better one today.
IF the rails are 32mm wide thk units again, you can't get better today.
ALSO the bits in that machine are still current today, i.e. anyone with half a clue if they had the choice of your machine or a new cheapo one, would have yours. I mean my machine was made in 1998, 16 years old, back then they were thousands and thousands of pounds worth.
you may even have newer motors in it and a new style control system?