Retrofit My Build Looking at Switching from Mach4 to Centroid System

[Onawa220]

Hello Everyone,

Here is a photo album of my machine.

I have been a Mach user for over 10 years on a very customized Chinese large format 3 axis CNC router that I have completely rewired and upgraded to Teknic servos with an MB3 & ESS controller (links below).

When I saw that Avid CNC switched to CNC12 I had to investigate why and now I have the bug to switch since Mach4 has many issues I’ve run into as well as limits.

This is what my current set up has.

- 4 Teknic CPM-SDSK-3441P-ELS servos (gantry has two) https://tinyurl.com/yztwtehd
- 9 total optical switches 6 for limits and 3 for homing https://tinyurl.com/3349c6k5
- 1 touch plate (I have the spindle grounded so it is a very simple touch plate)
- A 3.2kw water cooled spindle
- A removable Opt Laser PLH3D-XT8 45W laser head https://tinyurl.com/mrsabmh9
In the control cabinet I have the following
- Powering the spindle I have a 5.5kw VFD https://tinyurl.com/wnmav9r7
- A 24v 14.6amp power supply for the controller board and the laser https://tinyurl.com/5ed7efby
- 2 Teknic IPC-5 power supplies powering the servos https://teknic.com/IPC-5/

For the future I plan on adding an ATC and a rotary axis so the new board would need room for at least 5 servos.

I would love to be able to do the multi touch plate setup I see AVID has gone to.

I currently use a very limited wireless pendant that works in Mach3 but is not fully functional in Mach4 and love the CNC12 can use a fully functional pendant.


If you look through my album on this machine you will also see that I am rebuilding the Z+- section of that component and am currently milling new aluminum for several parts and rebuilt the ball screw.

What I’m looking for is which Centroid board I would need for my current configuration to work, which add on boards, how straight forward would switching be and have room for future additions.

Will I have issues with having a laser on the same machine? Can I have different configurations for router vs laser like I can in Mach4?

Please let me know if you need more information.

Thank you in advance.

[centroid467]

I see no problems with using an Acorn for this machine. You can wire the paired gantry servos to the same axis port on the Acorn and use the homing switches to autosquare. This would free up an axis port for the 4th axis. All limits and all homes (except for gantry slave) can go to two input ports so it may not be necessary to use the ETH1616 PLC expansion board.

What kind of ATC are you thinking of adding? If it is a type that requires another servo and cannot use some kind of indexing controller then you will need to go to AcornSix. This gets you more I/O in general and then you can do software pairing for the gantry.

It should be fine to switch between laser and spindle, we have many users that do so. Both Acorn and AcornSix have PWM output to directly run the OPT head.

Changing from Mach to Acorn or AcornSix should be pretty straightforward as your current hardware is all compatible. You should follow the appropriate schematics (found here: https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... =clearpath) for the controller you choose. I checked the photointerrupter datasheet and they should be fine to use with Acorn or AcornSix inputs since they are NPN output. You'll just need to use the correct resistor value for 24V which it seems you already have calculated.

[Onawa220]

Thank you centroid467.

I figured on the dual Y servos since one is moving in reverse that would have to have it's own input. Can CNC12 do something about that or is that something handled by an additional break out board?

I like how I currently have the X+, X-, Y+, Y-, Z+, Z- limits on their own input so I know what has tripped. I know it's common sense when in front of the machine but if there is a gremlin in the system knowing which one is tripping narrows the issue down very quickly.

I'm assuming the three homing switches go to their own inputs for proper triggering? That's what I have now. So would that mean a different board, different add-on board to have enough inputs?

I haven't really started looking at ATC's yet so I'll keep that in mind.

[cnckeith]

Acorn supports either software pairing or hardware pairing with (or without) auto squaring with using one main homing input and a slave axis input or all individual inputs so you can set this machine up any way you like I'd buy the Ether1616 if you plan on having individual inputs for plus/minus limit/home switches.
(Others that don't want to do that will simply run them in series and use one main home input and a slave axis home input.
Acorn/CNC12 supports either method with simple setup in the CNC Setup Wizard) either way works great.

all the Avid touch plate part setup menus are in the latest version of CNC12 about to release. (v5.20)
and if you want to you can run Avid's build of CNC12 as well, as they publish it on their website for anyone to download.

[cnckeith]

Acorn/CNC12 has better motion than Mach4 as well so you will notice a big difference there. (one of the main reasons Avid switched to Centroid)


Avid Touch Plate Part setup menu

Dark theme of same

[Onawa220]

Would it just make sense to get the AcornSix then? Wouldn't that have plenty of inputs for sensors etc and axis additions? I'm still trying to figure the comparisons between the Acorn, AcornSix and if I would need to add the Ether1616 either way.

[ShawnM]

You can save inputs by setting up soft limits in the software and it'll tell you right on the screen when you hit a soft limit. No need to waste 3 inputs for unneeded limits switches for each axis. On a properly setup and tuned machine, once homed Acorn knows it's travel limits and it'll never exceed them.

If you buy the Acorn Six it basically has an Ether1616 built in. It has 16 inputs and 16 outputs built in so there's no need to add another.

If you hardware pair two motors and they are simple steppers and you need one to work in reverse you simply reverse the wiring to the motor. With servos you can go into the software for the servo drive and check a box to reverse its direction. Whether steppers or servos, no additional break out board is needed.

[silver2row]

I have similar optical switches with four wires...

1. I took them out.
2. I replaced them with another type of hard-switch for the build I have now.
3. If you figure out the 24v optical switch business, I would like some feedback on it.

Seth

P.S. The reason was the 24v optical switching and other 5v supplies. At the time, I was concerned that the PWR/GND at 24v/0v was an interference with other 24v supply issues I needed to fix (laser stuff at 24v). Anyway, the machine runs well now. I have not added the laser, i.e. as the support for the controller of the laser is officially gone. Gas/CO2 was the choice... Anyway, I have this photo that creates me to be incorrect:

Screen_Shot_TT_Optical.png (9.64 KiB) Viewed 14185 times

It can work from 3.0v to 24v and is not necessarily a 24v optical switch. I searched every separate OPB830 type of optical switch and they all say the same thing on the TT website. So, this makes me think that the switches can be used at 5v too.

[ShawnM]

EVERY power supply in the system needs to have the ground or 0V tied together.

[suntravel]

EVERY power supply in the system needs to have the ground or 0V tied together.

Jep, GND/PE is common regardless of the input voltage...

Uwe