will the Acorn be the best choice for this router

[cbb1962]

I am looking at buying this router. The control system is shot. Would the Acorn be the right choice or should I look at the Oak or AllInOne?

[mikes]

I think the lack of response you are getting may be due to the lack of detail you have provided about the unit. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it is difficult to derive the control needs from just a picture.

[cbb1962]

It is a NewCNC Series 1. The spindle is 7.5 hp. it has dual servos on the Y and single servos on X and Z, I don't know what is on the Rotary. The tool changer is a 10 position. I found out after the original post that it's control System was Mach3. That makes me think that the Acorn will be perfect.

Someone said that there is a way to slave the Y axis drives together and still be able to have a rotary axis. Could someone explain how to wire this up?

Thanks

[Gary Campbell]

It looks to me that your configuration would be a bit of a stretch for an Acorn board due to its limited IO to properly configure an ATC. I also would not run a gantry machine that wide without independent axis squaring.

[cbb1962]

Which board would you recommend? An all-in-one or the Oak? The Oak says it will support up to 8 Axis but I don't readily see how to order it with 5 axis and support for a tool changer. I'm sure it is my ignorance.

Clint

[cnckeith]

What kind of Servo Motors and drives are on it now?
If you have the budget I would go with Oak and use all new Estun AC brushless Servo Motors. Acorn could run this machine but as previously commented has 8 inputs and outputs and 4axis so you would be have to be creative with the i/o.

[cbb1962]

I was able to get a complete set of schematics for the machine. It uses a PMDX128 controller and the 2 Y-axis drives are slaved together. It has Yaskawa Sigma 5 drives and the Rotary has a Sigma 5 encoder, the spindle uses a Delta VFD. Unfortunately, I don't have the budget to replace all the drives.

I will have to map out all the I/O to see if I can make it work.

Another question: I've never dealt with an ATC, this is a 10 position fixed rack. Can you point me to the best place to learn about how the Acorn does ATC?

[DICKEYBIRD]

Since your 10 tools are located in fixed locations, it seems to me that the spindle could be programmed to travel to each one's change location as needed, an output told to un-clamp/drop the tool, travel to the needed tool's location then re-clamp. Compared to rotary ATC's, it would seem to me (the un-washed & un-computer savvy guy) to be much simpler.

[TheKitMill]

Looks like a nice machine to retrofit. I am doing this machine next planing to use the oak board and going to try and use the existing servos and drives. It is a beast of a machine 12,500 lbs. Dual Y and a tilting z axis Simple rack mount tool changer but it has a multi zone vacuum system. I think for your machine the Additional Rotary axis might put it outside the limits of the Acorn. So depending on the cost of the Frame it looks like a good project for a Centroid retrofit. All of the Mach 3 Problems will go away. I am in the process of scraping a older Machmotion control that used Mach3 on a Hurco that I bought for the frame. Look for updates on it next month

Good luck with the router

[martyscncgarage]

I was able to get a complete set of schematics for the machine. It uses a PMDX128 controller and the 2 Y-axis drives are slaved together. It has Yaskawa Sigma 5 drives and the Rotary has a Sigma 5 encoder, the spindle uses a Delta VFD. Unfortunately, I don't have the budget to replace all the drives.

I will have to map out all the I/O to see if I can make it work.

Another question: I've never dealt with an ATC, this is a 10 position fixed rack. Can you point me to the best place to learn about how the Acorn does ATC?

Capture.PNG

Keep the Yaskawa Sigma 5 drives and the servos. Oak will control them just fine.
http://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy ... oller.html
Don't take the motors and drives off at all, you are half way there!

There is no tool changer, just equally spaced tools. Should be easy to setup the tool changes. Call Centroid and ask them how much to setup your tool changer code.

Nice machine, if its a good deal buy it!
Do keep us posted if you do buy it and start your own build thread on the main page.

Marty