Bridgeport Manual to CNC conversion...

[njhussey]

You can also get them from Denco Lubrication (part of the Bijur group of companies) in Hereford (or Cougar Lubrication if you're in the South of the UK), shame I wasn't working there still else I'm sure I could have helped out;)

Nice refurb log Dave, following with interest. I was looking at doing this for work but we're still undecided on retrofit or purpose built....funds will decide!

[Davek0974]

Got the lube parts from Lubetec, very fast delivery.

Started sketching out my control circuits, change-over from main spindle to bolt-on aux spindle will be done via the respective Mach3 profiles.


Luckily the CSMIO has two 0-10v outputs and stacks of digital I/O so i can connect both VFD's up and use mach to decide which motor to start or which limits to look at.

[lucan07]

Not being funny (well perhaps just a little) but I would not let mach decide I would definitely tell it which ones to use, the thought of mach going eenie meenie minie mo doesn't inspire me with confidence.. Sorry couldnt resist that!

[Davek0974]

Not being funny (well perhaps just a little) but I would not let mach decide I would definitely tell it which ones to use, the thought of mach going eenie meenie minie mo doesn't inspire me with confidence.. Sorry couldnt resist that!

Let me expand...

I will have two Mach profiles - std Bridgeport & engraving

In profile 1 I have say output 7 defined as active low and no other connection
In profile 2 I have say output 8 defined as active low and no other connection

On the CSMIO each one of these outputs controls a respective VFD these outputs, being active low will come on as soon as Mach has started up and will stay on regardless of Mach reset condition.

So to do engraving I would fit the aux spindle and tell Mach to use profile 2 and so on.

It doesn't actually decide what to do, it just chooses the correct VFD for the profile I click on.

[Clive S]

I will have two Mach profiles - std Bridgeport & engraving

I am doing something similar but with linuxcnc and mesa combo 5i25 + 7i76 so that one profile controls the lathe and the other the mill with one control box

[Davek0974]

Sounds good, two machines with one system does seem to make sense when most of the I/O is the same.

[Davek0974]

Got the ram and knuckle on this morning, also stripped and painted the saddle and head.



Also fitted a spacer here as the gear mesh was terrible, way too wide. For the first time in all the years i've owned her, the knee now glides up and down silently

[njhussey]

Got the lube parts from Lubetec, very fast delivery.

They're stockists for the Bijur range so should be :)

One of the (many) things I've still to do is finish off the control/safety circuits...I've forgotten what I was going to do so probably going to start from scratch again and try to get my head round the subject (I hate electrickery stuff!!) again :) The CSMIO products are good, I'm glad I went with them.

[Davek0974]

They're stockists for the Bijur range so should be :)

One of the (many) things I've still to do is finish off the control/safety circuits...I've forgotten what I was going to do so probably going to start from scratch again and try to get my head round the subject (I hate electrickery stuff!!) again :) The CSMIO products are good, I'm glad I went with them.

I love the electrickery stuff - I have been cussed many times on here because I try to go too far with system controls etc - I am used to using PLC's and pneumatics at work and it tends to spread to my stuff ;)

[njhussey]

I love the electrickery stuff - I have been cussed many times on here because I try to go too far with system controls etc - I am used to using PLC's and pneumatics at work and it tends to spread to my stuff ;)

I'll come to you then for double checking my stuff then, I did some programming, PLC and PIC stuff on my degree....but that was 15 years ago and I've forgotten more than I knew...which wasn't much in the first place!!