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Hey guys I have been working on retrofitting my 1989 Bridgeport 412. The machine has been working great for over a year using it nearly everyday, doing manual tool changes. I'm finally getting around to hooking up the Ether1616 equipment that has been sitting here since mid last year. Really stoked to get the tool changer working!!! I have everything hooked up and installed in order to get it to work but am having a problem running the M6 macro. The machine is an umbrella type with 12 tool positions

Problem is when I attempt a tool change the carousel comes in and immediately goes right back out and says waiting for memory 74 eventually timing out. I am not a programmer by any means but the m6 macro doesn't appear to work this. I have read through the code a lot and seems correct... However its doing this instead; Spindle orient request and then activates the input, carousel in, (it stops here and carousel goes back out as soon as it activates the carousel IN sensor) The tool should unclamp(M15), z clearance, then the carouselOUT, find new tool, etc, etc. Not sure on what is going on but i have exhausted all i know to do so i am reaching out for some help. I have attached a report. hopefully i am missing something simple

Thanks!

Here are a few pictures of when I first got the machine then after it was cleaned up and put into action 2 years ago. The wiring in a new ether 1616 installed over the last few weeks.

DMM 750watt servos and drives
Factory fanuc 10hp spindle run by a Hitachi drive
6k spindle
275ipm
Entire machine runs on single phase

That is a slick conversion! Alas, I know very little about tool changers, but you have confirmed via the little lights that all the sensors on the tool changer are working? i.e. it is actually seeing the "tool changer in " sensor and not have some weird error or something?

If it is waiting for the sensor to trip and isn't seeing it and timing out that would make sense to me that it might be the issue? not sure how it is told to move in and out, but perhaps it keep sending the signal until it reads that sensor and that is causing it to retract again?

I have a lot of time right now (quarantined after travel to the UK) so I am downloading the Bridgeport manual to take a look as to how it is wired. If you let us know how you wired it into acorn that would be helpful too.

Thanks! It was alot of work! The old pictures are actually after it was cleaned up lol. It was a mess before!

I have made sure the sensors are being tripped and working correctly by watching the LEDs on the board and also pulling up the input/output screen while doing the operations.

I also did a test and unplugged the carousel IN sensor and attempted a tool change and this time the carousel came in and stayed instead of carousel going back out as soon as the sensor got activated but still did things in a weird sequence that would not work and then faulted out after a clearance move.

hmm. Do you have a sketch or something of how the tool changer is wired in?

looking through your code and the manuals I don't see anything obvious. Did you edit the tool changer macro at all?

Didn't find much about the toolchanger in the manual at all actually.

As this is something I might want to implement on my machine in the future I will keep looking into and see if anything comes to me.

You need to document the entire tool change process step by step. You need to also include all the sensors involved.
Did you use one of the ATC programs found here and did you wire the functions according to the schematic?
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=1340

Have you tested all the inputs/outputs to make sure they are functioning as they should? (Diagnostic screen will allow you to view inputs and assert outputs Alt i)

Machine looks great!
Marty

Thanks for the reply guys,

I''ll attach a few screenshots of how i have the inputs and outputs connected. I've been using the input/outputs using the diagnostic screen and everything seems to be activating as it should. So i pasted the m6 macro from the download into cncm and now the carousel comes in a stays then times out after a few seconds because it is waiting for mem 74 which i believe to be the input for the Carousel IN which is connected to INP34. I can see it light up on the diagnostic screen as its supposed to.

I also noticed that there is no M80/81 code?? so i tried writing one with no change in behavior

All sensors are activating correctly as per the I/O screen while attempting a tool change. See the 2 screenshot of the I/O screen during a tool change and after it times out

Also attached is a fresh report

I have been using the v4.62ATC with 4.62 cnc12 which should assign I/O as per the wizard and i looked through the plc and it shows that everything is assigned correctly




Thanks

Looking into your M6 file vs the stock one to download it looks like your M6 files doesn't have the inputs defined?

from the start of the file:

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; File: mfunc6.mac
; Desc: Tool Change Macro
;
;Embedded macros
;M15 - Tool unclamp
;M19 - Orient
;
;Inputs
;ZeroSpeed is on INP12
;OrientComplete is on INP17
;ToolClamped is on INP21
;ToolUnclamped is on INP22
;CarouselIsIn is on INP32
;CarouselIsOut is on INP31
;
;Memory
;SpindleOrientedState_M IS MEM13
;ToolUnclampedState_M Is MEM12
;AtRequestedToolLocation_M IS MEM92
;AtPutbackLocation_M is MEM93
;ToolChangeComplete_M is MEM91
;CarouselInState_M IS MEM96
;CarouselOutState_M IS MEM97


It looks like you have the memory part but not the inputs? that could be causing an issue?

Like I said, take everything I am saying with a grain of salt, I am not by any means an expert on the PLC programing or the ATC. Just learning like the rest of us!

It appears that the default PLC logic that you are using is designed for a two-coil solenoid valve with detents. That type of valve maintains its position when coil power is off, until the opposite coil is powered on.

The PLC logic turns on the "ATC_CarouselIn" output, waits for the sensor to indicate the carousel is in, then turns the coil output off again.

When it is time to bring the carousel back out away from the spindle, the PLC logic turns on the "ATC_CarouselOut" output; waits for the sensor to indicate the carousel is out; then turns that coil output off again.

I would guess, since you defined an output only for "ATC_CarouselIn", that your valve has a single coil and a spring return. As soon as the PLC turns off power to the coil, the valve returns to the "carousel-out" position.

You will need to change your PLC logic so that it leaves "ATC_CarouselIn" powered on until it is time to bring the carousel back out.

You are correct cncnw

The carousel cylinder is normally out when solenoid is deactivated which is why i did not have an output defined to it, even though i just added a dummy output thinking the logic needed to see an output designated for that, no luck.