Build Thread Industrial CNC Acorn upgrade

[ShawnM]

While I wait for Stepperonline to respond, I'll ask the next question that I will have to solve.

What does one do when the the spindle bench test does not give the voltages expected? I did the test as instructed with max rpm set to 3000. The results were:
S500 - 0.52v
S1000 - 1.7 (should be 3.33)
S2000 - 5.1v (should be 6.66)
S3000 - 8.2v (should be 10)

Was the VFD connected to the outputs when you tested this? There should be nothing hooked to the analog output except your multimeter during this test.

Please post a CURRENT report when asking specific questions as I'm sure you've made changes along the way. This way we can see your CURRENT settings.

[Tim Berframe]

Was the VFD connected to the outputs when you tested this? No

There should be nothing hooked to the analog output except your multimeter during this test. That was the case. Exactly as shown in the manual.

[ShawnM]

ShawnM,
I would love to hear more about what you did to help with mechanical backlash. I bought these cheap Stepperonline steppers (rather than the Clearpaths I wanted) because having tore the machine apart and seen how cheaply its made, I don't think its worth big money for servos if the gear train is weak and the frame is flexible and the nylon gears don't last.
I'm setting up auto squaring because the last owner stated that it loses square frequently. I knew this would be due to lost steps and/or backlash. In your retrofits, did you replace the nylon gears?

I ditched the nylon gears and had steel gears made. Even that didn't solve everything as there is just a lot of slop on the chinese rack on the machine. I tried to mesh the gears slightly but then it was binding in some areas because the rack was not perfectly lined up with the pinion that rode on those round linear rails. As you mentioned, there's too much flex in the frame in my opinion also. This was a 6x12 machine so yours might be slightly stiffer because it's smaller. The steel they use is very thin wall. I dont think it's any better than an aluminum extruded frame. There wasn't a lot of adjustment on the rack on the machine either. I chased my tail on this machine for a while. I got it down to where the customer was happy as he was only chopping wood with it. It's a really bad design on the X and Y axis gear train.

It will come out of square after about an hour of running if there is a lot of y axis travel.

It wouldn't have mattered if you bought Clearpath or cheap steppers, the machine mechanics are trouble either way. It's not a machine I would ever recommend. I understand everyone is on a budget of some sort and you have to start somewhere.

[Tim Berframe]

Progress. I connected the drives, one at a time, to the debug software. I didn't change anything in settings. I just hooked up and spun the drive at various speeds and directions. They all worked first try. Connected back to Acorn and they all worked. I do not know why this worked but it does so onwards...

I never received any reply to this question:



How to set Outputs in the setup?
Screenshot outputs.png
In this example, Output5 has two different values for NO and NC sides of the relay.
Capture outputs set.jpg
The setup tool only lets me pick one. What do I do?

[centroid467]

How to set Outputs in the setup?
Screenshot outputs.png

In this example, Output5 has two different values for NO and NC sides of the relay.

Capture outputs set.jpg

The setup tool only lets me pick one. What do I do?

You'll want VFDDirection - this will use a single output relay to switch directions.

Every Acorn schematic has a block with the I/O settings in the Wizard required to use the given wiring. For S15117 that you were using, that block looks like this:

[ShawnM]

It's a router, just select and output and set it to SpinFWD. You don't need to worry about VFD enable or direction. You'll never spin a router backwards.

[silver2row]

Okay...

So, I said that my DM332T drivers do not work and everything from omc-stepperonline does not work for me. I think, I am not 100% sure as of now, I did not allow for DIR setup functionality in timing and my current set up was iffy.

I say iffy with the DM332T because the motor was generic and busted...blah.

Seth

P.S. Sorry to steer anyone in the incorrect direction with their drivers.

[thomsl@mac.com]

Tim,

Can you update me on where you are on your Industrial CNC router rebuild? Specifically, have you gotten the closed loop stepper motors and drivers you mentioned to work? I have upgraded the piece of crap BOB that came with the Industrial CNC router to Acorn. I have had limited success getting the VFD to work through the Acorn board and Centroid 12. I can turn the spindle on and off but cannot control the speed. I have been working on another thread about this but have had no luck.

The other problem that just started is that the Y-axis loses direction. I am still using the original power supplies and drivers. This may be caused by the driver setup in CNC12. I started with a recommended driver setting and have not changed it.

Let me know what advice you have for me. I am actively working on the project.

Scott