Brother TC-211

Probably any LinuxCNC analog servo control system will work (including ours (Mesa), Pico systems, Vital systems etc) The next step is to find what other I/O is needed and how it is wired. If you have the machine drawings, this is a really big help here.

Then you can take a look at LinuxCNC compatible interface hardware and see how well it matches your interface requirements. Note that no interface hardware is going to connect directly to your existing controller connectors, so you will have at the minimum
a fair sized re-wiring job.

mblaszkiewicz wrote: I found these in the manual. Is it the info you need for the resolvers

\Nope, that info looks like it refers to encoders, or the output of a module that
reads a resolver and converts to an encoder-type signal.

A resolver is a transformer that varies its coupling by rotation. It has no electronics
in it. It needs to have an AC excitation signal sent to it, and then the resolver
reading circuit senses the output from the windings and converts that to
position info.

Jon

mblaszkiewicz wrote: Any reps from mesa or pico that wish to chime in with info and suggestions I would really love your input.

Well, we still don't know a lot about what the machine has on it that can be re-used. If the drives sense the
resolver position and send quadrature output back to the CNC control, that will be a big help
in the conversion. If not, you will need converter boards to read the resolver signals.

Our (Pico Systems) PPMC is designed for servo amps that take analog velocity commands.
We also have resolver to quadrature converters for reading most types of resolvers.

Jon

JR1050 wrote: Emcpt makes several good points. The first being if the machine works,at least for now, learn the original control. If nothing else you will at least get a chance to understand how the mechanisms of the machine actually operate. The chances of you ending up with a nighmare at this point are looking good. It is easy to tear the machine apart, it is not so.easy to get it all working again.

Having done many retrofits of oddball equipment, much of it computer gear and not specifically CNC,
having the machine working makes it VASTLY easier to figure out wht the normal signals look
like, so you can provide the proper signals with different gear. So, before tearing the macine apart,
make sure you have scoped out all the important signals and know what the characteristics
are.

Jon

Any changes I make to the machine will be from unplugging from the control boar and rewiring from there. I will be able to change back by re plugging in the orginal system. As for learning the control on it. The brother control is a conversational controller with NO OUTSIDE programming ability. It has very limited memory and limited milling capacities. It has very little use for me as it is now.

mblaszkiewicz wrote: As for learning the control on it. The brother control is a conversational controller with NO OUTSIDE programming ability. It has very limited memory and limited milling capacities. It has very little use for me as it is now.

We realise that, but using that control will at least confirm that everything is working correctly. It can be frustrating to spend days chasing down faults in the new stuff you have added, only to find that the fault is in the old stuff that you thought worked.

The first thing to do is work out what each pin in the connector is. Some will be obvious, some will be less so. Once you have the list it will be time to choose interface hardware.