I converted my Boss 5 to PC based, 220V single phase power. I kept the stock steppers.
Here's a quick parts breakdown: *Power * Stepper Power Suppy: Antek 48V toroidal trasformer AN-10248 1000VA PMDX-135-8020 20A power prep module Relay Power Supply: El-Pac BFS-500 24V 20A Logic Power Supply: Spare PC 150W PS *VFD* TB Woods SE-1 2HP VFD *PC * Gateway Pentium 4 3.0Ghz * * *Display* NEC 15" LCD Touchscreen * * *PC interface boards* C11G Break out board C10 Breakout board Netmos based PCI parallel port *Stepper Drivers* Gecko 203V *Relays* Various 24v relays controlling VFD, Stepper PS, tied in to E-Stop Build notes: Removed the entire back cabinet. In the side cabinet where the tape drive lived, I put in a 3/4 MDF board and use it for tool storage. I removed the heatsinks from the right side of the remaining control box. I covered the opening with a blank. I separated the heatsinks and cut one down to mount it the opening on the back wall of the control cabinet and mounted the Geckos to it. No problem keeping them cool. Per Marcus from Gecko -- wire the stock steppers in series, no current resistor on drvie. I also installed a capacitor across the supply leads to each Gecko (don't remember the value off the top of my head). I reused the existing spindle enable and e-stop on the head for enabling the stepper power, and on the e-stop I wired the stepper power to the NC side of the switch and the Gecko disable to the NO. In e-stop the relay shuts off the power to the steppers and VFD, and the disable turns off the drives while the power supply drains down. Not to say this is the best way, just how I did it. Getting the Netmos based PCI card configurred under Linuxcnc was a bit tricky, but thanks to Jon's PCIsetup utility, I got it tamed. My Boss 5 has two different brands of steppers, Sigma on the X & Y, Superior on the Z. I'm currently running 60 IMP rapids on the X & Y, and can only get 45 out of the Superior on the Z. I just bought a spare Superior at the CNC Workshop, and it's consistent, 45 IPM. One other tip -- use wire ferrules on all the connections, they make a neater and more robust connection. McMaster-Carr has a nice assortment pack for ~$30. The touch screen works well, there was just a new driver released by 3M this spring. I hope this is of use. -Mike * * ** ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Live Security Virtual Conference Exclusive live event will cover all the ways today's security and threat landscape has changed and how IT managers can respond. Discussions will include endpoint security, mobile security and the latest in malware threats. http://www.accelacomm.com/jaw/sfrnl04242012/114/50122263/ _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
