ShopBot PRT Alpha 96 upgrade project begins!

[Sword]

Gene, I don't have a dial indicator handy at the moment, but my best measurement with a dial calipers after 5 years of a lot of 3D rastering and many other operations, might be about 0.005" of lateral movement of the PRS gantry. My SB 7.2:1 gearboxes after 12 years were close to 0.015" when pulled off, and were giving terrible edge quality. I still get great edge quality on hardwoods (what I mostly cut) when using sharp tools. Minimal edge sanding if any depending of the type of hardwood and grain orientation.

[geneb]

I wanted to stop by and let you folks know I wasn't dead or something. Life has rearranged my schedule a bit, so I'm not working on the ShopBot conversion as frequently as I'd like. I'm hoping to get another update video done soon.

tnx.

g.

[geneb]

Finally got the video done for Part 3.



g.

[cnckeith]

cool thanks for sharing your progress.

[Gary Campbell]

Gene...
A point of clarification: In your videos you reported a schematic as having an error as it relates to the enable signal, plus some issues with the ALM signal. There are no errors, as what is shown is the only way to wire the enable circuit and the manual explains the active states of the ALM signal. That said, in order to use the Acorn's ENA signal the drive must be programmed from the default (1) to zero. The same applies to the alarm signal. If you wish to invert the alarm signal so that the Acorn Board sees a NC signal for "normal" (not triggered) you can simply change the ALM parameters. These parameter changes are explained in the CS-D1008 manual and the LeadShine Pro Tuner software manual.

[geneb]

If the only way for that schematic to function is to reprogram the driver and that critical detail isn't listed on the schematic, it's wrong.

g.

[Gary Campbell]

As you go forward with your build you should understand that virtually every component that you install will require that you set certain parameters to make them function. Either to make them function in the desired manner or sometimes to make them compatible with the environment that they are installed within. Sometimes to enable them to function at all.

Some devices have a limited number of settings that can be set via jumpers, others via DIP switches, but most decent quality stepper, servo and motor (VFD) drives will require that the installer connect to the drive via the mfgr's software to configure and/or tune them.

Your LeadShine drives are no different, the bare bones basic settings are available via DIP switches, but in many cases to configure them for seamless (or advanced) operation with a given controller, they will need to be set via the drive mfgr's software.

If you remember our conversation from a few months back, the soft settings on your Oriental drives set by SB to make them compatible with their antiquated controller are the reason that they will not run well on a modern controller.

In any case the LeadShine drive manual clearly states that the drive's enable signal should be left "UNCONNECTED & ENABLED". FYI the mfgr install manual should always take precedence over 3rd party guidelines or schematics.

In this case the Centroid schematic is correct, but there could be a note stating that the basic or DIY settings don't require using the Enable signal. The fact that there are other settings required to make the Enable operable does not make the schematic wrong.

[geneb]

I can understand that the driver may need out-of-band configuration (beyond what the dip switches provide) in order to adjust performance, etc.

The current schematic silently relies on a very specific configuration of the driver that is not outlined anywhere. The average end-user has no way of knowing that not only does the driver need to be configured in a way not presented on the dip switches. At an absolute minimum, the schematic should loudly call out that "The configuration depicted requires additional stepper driver configuration in order to function." Ideally, it would call out what settings needed to be changed and what those values should be. An error of omission is still an error.

Now that being said, it's entirely possible that all this stuff is aimed at system integrators with years of built up tribal knowledge about how things work, and it's my own damn fault for not knowing what I don't know. However, the Acorn appears to be aimed at DIYers that cannot be expected to know how all these things integrate without detailed instructions.

It is what it is. I'm going to accept that and just move on.

tnx.

g.