Bridgeport Boss 9 R2E4 convertion

i'm getting service repair nightmares !!, just looking at those pic's

LOL,

I am not sure it is that bad, but not very simple and I don't think parts for the controller will be easy to come by.

By chance does any one know the pin out of the servo encoder connectors in pictures 4 and 1. I am hoping to just have some small PCB's made to handle the connection from the encoder cables to the 7i77. Just to simplify the wiring inside of this machine. I am not sure I have this pin out in the schematics that I have. Also a source for a board to the 3.5mm brake out connectors on the 7i77.

Other then the servo drives any other pictures of the machine and its 1980's controller that any one would like? I will try and get some of these in higher resolution so people can read the numbers on the chips.

Hey Wyliest,

Still need schematics? Sorry, been really busy lately. That pic with the connectors and purple wires is your connections into the drivers.You will probably need to remove the EAF board and put relays and inputs in to control things.

Yeah that would be very helpful!!!!

Thanks

I know its been a little while since I last posted, but I have not made any real visible progress sense.

There are 2 things I am currently considering.

First is What VFD for spindle. It have a 2Hp 3phase motor for the spindle. I am not sure if I should buy a 2Hp rated VFD or a 3Hp, as I have read you should oversize them when going from 1phase power to 3phase motor. Then brand, I have looked at ABB and SMVector. Cost is a big factor but I will pay more for a better unit and features. Any thoughts?

Second thing is the EAF board. This is the board that handles all the IO of the machine. Things like coolant, limit switches, and so on. It is the connected to the FMDC board by means of a RS-422. Would it be possible / reasonable to keep this board and just use the RS-422 interface from the mesa card or better to just replace it outright?

Third and much less important is there is also a RS-422 to SFP card (Serial Front Panel card) just like to the EAF board. Would it be possible / reasonable to keep this board and just use the RS-422 interface. This is down on the list of important things but would be nice to keep the wiring simple. The larger question is what is possible over the RS-422 with the mesa card and can someone point me in the direction of some documentation or help.

Thanks,
Wylie

Second thing is the EAF board. This is the board that handles all the IO of the machine. Things like coolant, limit switches, and so on. It is the connected to the FMDC board by means of a RS-422. Would it be possible / reasonable to keep this board and just use the RS-422 interface from the mesa card or better to just replace it outright?

Third and much less important is there is also a RS-422 to SFP card (Serial Front Panel card) just like to the EAF board. Would it be possible / reasonable to keep this board and just use the RS-422 interface. This is down on the list of important things but would be nice to keep the wiring simple. The larger question is what is possible over the RS-422 with the mesa card and can someone point me in the direction of some documentation or help.

It _might_ be possible to do this without a large investment of time, _if_ the serial communication
protocol is standard or at least documented. Do you have documentation of the protocol?

I used an Automation Direct GS2 VFD. They offer up to 3hp with single phase input. LinuxCNC has a component to control the VFD via modbus. Add an encoder and a breaking resistor and you have rigid tapping.

I had planned on having rigid tapping. How would I go about hooking that up, just take one of the serial lines form the mesa card and wire it to the input of the VFD? I like the sounds of that other using the traditional analog method. I would think I could maybe get a little better control and feedback. I am guessing that you have had good luck with Automation Direct GS2 VFD?

I am also looking for what encoder to use for the spindle, so advice would also be very helpful.

It _might_ be possible to do this without a large investment of time, _if_ the serial communication
protocol is standard or at least documented. Do you have documentation of the protocol?

Like most things there is a short and a long answer. The short is no not really. There is some information about the protocol call in the service manual but nothing that useful. The EAF board is what the home switches are connected to so I am thinking that I will just replace it outright with other board(s). After some reading the only thing I could gain from it would be using the relays for coolant and mist. Not a real big gain. The SFP is where I would spend my time. It is not required to get the machine running and making chips also so no time constraint like EAF board. I am certain with time and a logic analyser and maybe a universal programmer I could figure it.

Where do you recommend starting for the PC side of things?

Forgot to mention that the micro controller for the SFP board is Motorola 68000 in a dip64 packages in a socket. It would not be unreasonable to just replace it with something more modern. Then I would not have to think about trying to reverse engineer what is going on. But still would require some programming on the PC side.