HAAS VF1 retrofit

OK, well it is gong to be too costly to repair so time to retrofit.

This past weekend I put together a new computer for the cnc controller.
ASUS H61M-E
Intel i3-3220
2 Gb Ram
120 Gb Solid state
350W Power supply

Installed the 2.5.4 release.

I posted about the tool changer which needs the Z axis to move for tool change.
So I am going to have to come up with a routine and remap the m6

I already have 4 advanced motion servo amps and will reuse the HAAS 160 VDC power supply and motors.
But I will add a isolation transformer to make is safer...

So now I need to choose the I/O cards for analog servo amps.

From what I read , Mesa seems the way to go..
Now which cards should I use ?
I am going to need a lot of I/O for this machine.

Also, going to convert to run on single phase.. new VFD for a 7.5 hp motor.

Not going to rearrange the enclosure layout too much, transformer will go where the transformer went, the PC will go where the control boards went, I/O , servo amps, etc...... keeping it simple as possible...

So.. recommendations on the Mesa cards to use is next step... thanks

I would get a wiring diagram for the machine and start counting I/o. I can't imagine it having any more 32 inputs and outputs. The hass tool changer is pretty simple.

As for hardware, price wise it is hard to beat a 5i25/7i77 combo, I/o can be added easy. You might want to consider spending g the time to reuse the haas operator panal, it will take a while to program, but having real buttons and knobs is real nice and safe....I use a 7i84( I think) for the panel. I have used both 5i20's and 5i23's with both encoder and resolver interfaces and they work well. I'm pretty sure haas uses encoders.

I/o can be easily handled with any of mesa's smart serial boards or opto 22 racks.
Be prepared to rethink how you approach programming and running your now retrofitted machine, the EMC works well, but it is different from a commercial control.Good luck!!

Since I will have to remap the M6 to make the tool changer work
which version of LinuxCNC do I need to run. I installed 2.5.4 this weekend to get the PC running.

Luckily HAAS has a few maintenance manuals online to look at.
It is a pretty simple machine. Luckily...

I would love to reuse the factory pendant ,but I don't know how long it would take me to figure it out.
I was just going to reuse the buttons and spindle load meter and replace the screen with a LCD and then a panel mount keyboard.

For the VFD I can buy one that is made to run a 7.5 hp motor off single phase or would a 15hp VFD that is made for 3 phase but can
run off single be OK too? I'd like to run it off Modbus.

JR1050 wrote: You might want to consider spending g the time to reuse the haas operator panal, it will take a while to program, but having real buttons and knobs is real nice and safe....I use a 7i84( I think) for the panel.

The 7i73 is meant specifically for panels, and does a good job. it supports key matrixes (and even keys that are not physically in a matrix can be wired that way). It also has handwheel counters and (I think) some analogue inputs for pots. Handy little card, fairly cheap, and all the panel wiring becomes a single CAT5 cable to the controller.

I would be open to trying that... I dont know if the keypad on it is 100%
but new ones are available at about $300

At leas then I wouldnt have to worry about making a new panel.
Also industrial panel mount keyboards are expensive... gees......

If I can get the MESA boards here I could have a basic running machine in a few days.
Then worry about the other stuff as I go. And the VFD.

OK two more questions...

Which brand VFD works best with Modbus for LInuxCNC ?? Or is it not a problem
to just as long as the drive is Modbus capable.

And....

Which version of LInuxCNC should I be using ?
I have to do the M6 remap for the tool changer. I have also thought of redesigning the toolchanger
so I dont have to move Z axis.