Build Thread - Acorn Controlled CNC Coil Winder

[Viking_Machinery]

Hi All!

Greetings from New Zealand!

We're building a pretty cool CNC coil winder here and wanted to share the progress, and hopefully someone can help with a couple of VCP and customization questions!

Machine Mechanical Description
- 4 Axis CNC Coil Winder
- X, Y, Z motion for linear axis, A for rotation (the 'spindle' essentially)
- X, Y & Z position the wire feeding carriage and spindle ready for manual wire starting
- Outputs (x2) control the wire clamp carriage (pneumatic system) to draw the wire out to the correct starting length
- An operator manually attaches the wire to the bobbin
- The A axis rotates while the Z axis moves to create the appropriate lay up
- Manual intervention again from the operator to tape and cut the wire




https://youtube.com/shorts/MuWre3iOHDE?feature=share

Control Description
- Centroid Acorn
- CNC4PC C86ACCP Clearpath Connector Board
- 4 Axis powered by Teknic ClearPath Servos
- Teknic Power Supplies
- Teknic Cable Set
- Touch Screen PC
- Custom VCP
- 4x Physical Push Buttons for Start, Feed Hold, Stop, E-Stop




VCP Description
- Custom VCP added to improve user experience
- Carriage in/out & clamp/open being handled as 'coolant' calls
- Custom Icons for Specialist Functions



Still to Go
- Install Fixed Guards
- Install Light Curtain
- Fix customization Niggles

So far the machine is running well and doing what it is supposed to! I have a couple of niggles (ignorance based I am sure) that will be addressed in the following posts.

[Viking_Machinery]

Problem 1 - Feed Hold

We had the machine running with the VCP and touch screen, and then added three push button inputs - Start, Feed Hold, Stop.

No problems with Start & Stop, but feed hold does not work.
We have confirmed that the feed hold push button hardware is working, and that the Acorn input is working (if we reassign the physical input to another function it will work, just not with the feed hold function). If we reassign Feed Hold to another confirmed good input, it still doesn't work for this function.
The feed hold function will not work now with either the input button OR the VCP OR keyboard shortcut.
I am assuming that we have turned this off somehow? Does anybody have any idea what we've done and how we could remedy this?

VCP Button code still looks standard to me-

<vcp_button>
<skin_event_num>49</skin_event_num>
<plc_output>
<number>1104</number>
<color_on>#EC1C24</color_on>
<color_off>#81151C</color_off>
</plc_output>
</vcp_button>


Problem 2 - Touch screen AND input working at the same time?

Since connecting the external inputs for Start, Feed Hold & Stop, we are seeing the following behavior with the VCP;
- Start only works via the input button (not the VCP - either click, touch or keyboard shortcuts)
- Feed hold will not work via any method
- Stop works via all methods

Is this expected behavior, or do we have a problem?


Problem 3 - VCP Failure to display custom icon correctly

We had a graphics guy produce a set of custom icons for the VCP. All work as expected, except one image doesn't display properly. We are seeing the small blue box in the top corner. When the button is toggled, the second image displays correctly.


Works - flood_coolant_in.SVG

Doesn't Work - flood_coolant_out.SVG


Button Folder Files are attached below.

Has anyone come across this before? Any pointers to fix this?

Thanks guys!

[suntravel]

This is a cool machine, nice to see that Acorn can be used for all kind of stuff.

Feed Hold with external button:



Will also helpful for external Start/Stop.

Related reading for the VCP:

https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... manual.pdf

Uwe

[cncsnw]

Did you use a normally-open contact for the remote feed hold button? Or did you use a normally-closed contact?

The supplied Acorn PLC program assumes that your external feed hold button will have a normally-open contact. If you use a normally-closed contact, you will need to ensure that that input (INP4 in your case) is inverted (i.e. has a white overscore above it when you view it on the Alt-i PLC diagnostic screen).

I have not looked lately, but I expect there is still some confusion in the Acorn "Wizard" regarding what "NO" and "NC" mean. Look on the Alt-i screen for the definitive answer.

[cnckeith]

This is a cool machine, nice to see that Acorn can be used for all kind of stuff.

Feed Hold with external button:



Will also helpful for external Start/Stop.

Related reading for the VCP:

https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... manual.pdf

Uwe

thanks, that video is valid, but i'd rather users use the Wizard for any of the pregrogrammed actions that meet their requirements. )
external feed hold has been preprogrammed so all you have to do is drag it to the input you want to use with the Wizard. FeedHold2= input for 2nd external button, (same action as button on mVCP with same name, user can use either button)

[cnckeith]

thanks for posting a report. looking at it, i see you have some impossible steps per rev numbers. review this post.
https://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=1801

[cnckeith]

your graphics guy forgot to flatten the transparency that he was using and convert all to outlines. here are the working files.

[Viking_Machinery]

Wow - a huge thank you to everyone for your help!

I will be back at the customers factory next week, so will report in and let you all know how we got on

Thanks again everyone for your help!

[cncsnw]

but i'd rather users use the Wizard for any of the pregrogrammed actions that meet their requirements

If he sets INP4 to be FeedHold2, and leaves the dot Green to indicate he is using a normally-closed contact, will the Wizard correctly generate an inversion for that input?

I seem to recall that in earlier versions, the Wizard just interpreted "NC" to mean "does not need inversion", and "NO" to mean "needs inversion", without regard to the application. While this worked right for limit, home, and E-stop inputs, it was not correct for things like remote cycle start, remote feed hold, tool-clamped, tool-unclamped, etc..

Has that since been fixed, so that the Wizard knows for each possible input whether the typical logic expects normally-open or normally-closed, and can generate appropriate inversions?

[suntravel]

....

thanks, that video is valid, but i'd rather users use the Wizard for any of the pregrogrammed actions that meet their requirements. )
external feed hold has been preprogrammed so all you have to do is drag it to the input you want to use with the Wizard. FeedHold2= input for 2nd external button, (same action as button on mVCP with same name, user can use either button)

Pfft... yes sure you are right

Blind as I am, I overlooked the easy solution....

Uwe