Schaublin 125-CNC retrofit.

I'm first trying to capture all the various designs, probably going to end up with a few configurable programs, time will tell. post up the controls or schematics, I'll have a look.


and my control arrangement is similar, but my carriage isn't accessible , big enclosed lathe

Thanks,
There is a single solenoid valve for effecting a tool change via air line D.
 
 

The feedback is from four hall sensors in the tool changer. (Sorry, I thought it was two bits).
 

There is always air pressure available via air line A, and knobs to actuate the valves to effect manual tool changes.

are there any locking or unlocking solenoids ? and do you happen to know the pattern of the sensors ?

Not yet, but I will ask the mate who just disassembled his.
 

What are your thoughts on my control panel ideas?

I have added my current .qet schematic for James. Needs renaming from TXT back to QET.

[I hate this forum editor. Had an even longer, more detailed response and the editor destroyed it...arrgh]

Mark,

My recently-completed mill panel below for inspiration.  Some thoughts for you:

• Toolchanger - do not put any controls near the toolchanger.  You're asking for a pinched hand if you've got a drill or long boring bar in there.  Put a 'next-tool' button on your MPG or control panel (or both).  You and smc.collins are working on turret logic now, you should be able to set up a function that indexes to the next tool and updates LCNC.
• Use physical buttons for cycle start, stop, feedhold regardless of what gmoccapy has available through softkeys. Make them so you can have your finger on the button and know what it does without looking at it while you are watching the tool.
  • Gmoccapy is nice (love the DRO), but industrial controls with softkey-type arrangements don't have softkeys that move the machine.  Everything is for data input or menu selection - softkeys can't make the meat-cutting parts do their thing (except maybe in some buried sub-menu for settings or adjustment).
  • Search the internet for pic of Siemens, Fanuc, Fagor, GSK, Haas, etc. (ignore Datron) and you'll see they have
    • Softkeys (these are from the controller manufacturer)
    • Dedicated buttons for functions that result in physical motion or similar (these are from the machine integrator)
  • You have a 7i73 - that means you have, using a 4x8 matrix, 32 inputs that can be dedicated to specific machine funtions.  Sky's the limit: M-codes, homing, parking positions, FRO/SRO up/down buttons, collet closer, etc.  With relegendable keypad buttons you can fiddle to your heart's content until it's just the way you like it.  Think steamdeck for CNC.
• Don't put the MPG on the sliding rail.
  • Imagine touching off a fragile little boring bar. Do you want to be watching the tool for a whiff of a chip while your hands are down at your waist? Or having to look way down to see what jog increment you're in?
  • Get a corded MPG pendant that hangs next to your control panel.  It's right there like a built-in, but you can detach & hold it when you need to get up close for some reason. Much easier to look at your hands than over at the panel to double check a setting.
• Not a fan of the dual-MPG's for lathes.  Personal preference, but I wouldn't plan on manually machining in two axes at once. It's a CNC.
• Enclosure
  • Flip it the other way 'round (monitor cutout at bottom) and you now have a shallow, slightly angled box to mount your monitor.  With plenty of space below the monitor for dedicated-function physical buttons
  • Then cut off the (now-at-the-bottom) monitor section and fabricate a shallow hinged keyboard tray.  Most of the time it'll be flipped up for typing, but you can flip it down to save some space in a tight workshop.
• Monitor - you're frugal (cheap); I respect that.  But consider if that monitor dies - can you get a replacment that's identical in size?  I suggest two options:
  • Buy an industrial name-brand monitor (like ELO) that has a long lifecycle and is easily replacable via ebay (or new),
  • Fabricate a sub-frame for the monitor that mounts to the enclosure.  That way when you replace the monitor you can modify the sub-frame and not have to butcher the enclosure (with all the wiring inside). Make the sub-frame big enough that a new monitor can be an inch or so larger or smaller than your existing one.

Enough of the terminal verbosity.  Hope that give you some ideas.

-Ralph