Retrofitting a 1986 Maho MH400E

Thanks Tom.

I was wondering why my spindle doesn't start with the LinuxCNC spindle on button. A relay was closing. Took a closer look and found the 11K4 relay was closing. This is one of the gearbox control relays.

When I investigated, I found a stupid mistake. I figured the MAHO pin outs like 28x1-3 and 28X1-20 were the ribbon cable wires, counting from the red wire number 1. Of course they are the DIL pin head pin numbers, numbered 1-20 along the bottom row, and then restarting at 21-40 on the upper row. This means the ribbon cable wires are like pin1, unused, pin2, pin 21, pin 3, pin22...

So all of my wiring of the 7i84 is wrong, and I get to do it all again.
Mark

Practice makes perfect. I guess.

The PNCConf default set up of the encoders is perfect. I just needed to adjust the scale to 1000 in the INI, and they work perfectly.

However, there is something funky going on with the Y axis Glass scale encoder. When I start the machine it works perfectly, but after it is on for about ten minutes it stops working. Need to troubleshoot that.

Has anyone cleaned the glass scale and LED lens in a Heidenhain LS-403?
Mark

Hello, your machine didn't have industrial use, so the scales must not be dirty. The problem seems to be electrical. Good job on the cabinet, very well organized.
John

I meant electronic problem.
John

Thanks John, It could well be a noise issue, but I find it weird that it is very responsive when you turn the machine on, then gets a bit flaky, where it loses pulses, and then stops reacting completely. The X seems rock solid. Z I haven't tested yet, as the brake is on, and I was too lazy to put 24V on it.

I also need to look again at that Indramat start circuit I added. It is not yet fully wired in, but the Indramat is enabling the drives when the start switch is pushed. Shouldn't be, as I thought I opened that crcuit form the original wiring.

Went to the Dr to have a check up on that crushed toes. Still healing very slowly. They look terrible. I was too unmotivated to redo the wiring on the 7i84 yesterday.

I had been planning to do the physical buttons on the control planel with tactile switches. I have been thinking about them and trying to come up with a good way to install them.
tinyurl.com/ydbh2qv3
My slow boat from China arrived, and I still had no good plan.

A couple of months ago I also ordered an E-Stop button from Ebay China.
tinyurl.com/ybdazu5g
Turn out this uses the same ZB2-BE102c contact blocks (or at least copies of the schneider contact blocks), as MAHO used on their E-Stop switchs. I can get the ZB2-BE102c (NC) schneider contact blocks from RSonline, but the equivent (NO) ZB2-BE101C cost 8x as much. Again china Ebay to the rescue. The same vender I already got the E-Stop switch from, has 40 contact blocks for €32 which is unbeatable. Since the laser guy won't be cutting my contol panel parts till later this week, yesterday I drew up some more sheet metal to be lasered to mount the buttons to the control panel to activate contact blocks. Since these are more robust and have screw connections, I thing it should be a better solution for the panel wiring.

The RJ45 - VGA adapters also turned up.

My Maho is currently in my basement garage. This is not ideal, as it is normally my grinding, welding, sandblasting, painting area. The room behind the garage is the machine shop, with the lathe, band saw, bench, and currently the little Deckel engraver/mill. I would really like the MAHO in that room, but the door is only 69cm wide and 196 tall. I had given up on moving it, as the control cabinet would have to come off the MAHO, there are no disconnects, and I really didn't want to disconnect all wiring. Looking closer, I think there is enough free length in the wiring to unbolt the cabinet, and swing it round directly behind the mill in line with it to get through the door. Then I would only need to remove the table and cross slide. It will be a very tight fit as the control cabinet is 68cm deep, the doorway is 69cm wide, and it is a very thick concrete wall so alignment will be critical.

I don't have much space, so the MAHO was always going to have to go against a wall, and I was going to make a transport dolly to be able to pick it up and roll it out to access the electrical cabinet, but might make an adjustable one like this so I can also use it on the Lathe and Doall.
www.nwnative.us/Grant/shop%20articles/mtd/projectWebPage.html

Mark

The forum software sometimes corrupts photos I upload.
I had a bit of a spending spree, picking up Sandvik 100mm insert face mill



A couple of Hydrolock holders.

and some Weldon and ER 32 holders plus a couple of mount boards.

Mark

Seems like the common for 5 volt or for 12 volt is missing from the exe card and the voltage off the common slowly drifts from the 0 volt to the Vcc over time.

Or the connection of 12 volt on the test pins is not stable
John