HAAS VF1 retrofit

sspeed33317 wrote: The whole moving the Z axis is the main reason I decided to do this.
....
Now I can do the whole tool change in ladder logic. I am really weak in programming.

Why did you reject the idea of using a G-code routine to perform the tool change? That makes moving the Z really quite easy.

Or does your programming weakness also include G-code?

I understand g code a little , this is a hobby interest that I want to grow into a
full time job someday , unfortunately my main job gets in the way and i tend to head
straight home after work instead of going over to my shop to work on the machine.
And my shop is on the other side of town.

So I havent been able to spend a whole lot of time on it lately. I am only about 4-5 hours of wiring
away from having it working ,with exception of the the tool changer.

The learning curve is sort of intimidating. Recently I almost caved in and bought Camsoft
I built a machine with my old boss about 10 years ago and it was a piece of cake with Camsoft.

Coding something for a C component is probably out of the question, ladder logic doesnt look
too bad, I am trying to find a good book.

Subroutines will work but Id rather not have to modify the way the tool changer works
I think I would have to install a encoder and treat the tool magazine as a axis .

I found a few ladder programs that will work for the indexing of the magazine with just
a zero switch and a pocket switch.

I just have to spend more time on it and I am working on getting a new place to live with a
workshop/garage , all my leases are coming up in November. So I'm running out of time.

If I can get this thing working, install the twin arm changer and get it working it will be a huge
accomplishment.

I wish someone with experience with LinuxCNC lived close by, would make things so much easier.

sspeed33317 wrote: And my shop is on the other side of town.

That is likely to be a big obstacle.
Can you bring sub-systems home?

The learning curve is sort of intimidating. Recently I almost caved in and bought Camsoft
I built a machine with my old boss about 10 years ago and it was a piece of cake with Camsoft.

A Boss without a toolchange is pretty easy with LinuxCNC too. That's a stepper system. There is even a config for a Boss system included as a sample config with LinuxCNC. I don't think that Camsoft would necessarily be easier with the Haas than LinuxCNC. (It might be, but the Boss comparison won't tell us that)

Coding something for a C component is probably out of the question, ladder logic doesnt look
too bad, I am trying to find a good book.

I have always thought that I should learn ladder, but I have aways found other ways. I didn't know any C at all until I started playing with LinuxCNC. But I had programmed in other languages, to that's not an entirely fair comparison. I had to learn G-code from scratch too. C is a lot easier than G-code.

Subroutines will work but Id rather not have to modify the way the tool changer works
I think I would have to install a encoder and treat the tool magazine as a axis .

I admit that I have lost track of which machine is which, and it is too late here to read back through the thread, but isn't this a system with a Geneva mechanism and a motor? If the original machine managed to work by running a motor then stopping the motor when the right tool appeared, then so can LinuxCNC. If the original system worked, then LinuxCNC can operate it.

I wish someone with experience with LinuxCNC lived close by, would make things so much easier.

The User Map shows 30 users in FL, but no names I recognise. But don't underestimate how effective the forum can be (and IRC even more so, for real-time chat)

On the machine is a geneva mechanism carousel.

The twin arm magazine works very similar , it is a roller cam, one rotation moves the magazine one tool,

The arm is a dual action cam, the side action moves the arm up and down, the circumference is
machined to do the rotation of the arm.

On the new changer it has a rotating drum that is timed to trigger proximity switches which
tell the controller when the arm is home, when to release the tool , when to clamp the tool and when
tool change is completed. the pocket tilt is operated by a air cylinder.

When I said boss, I meant my employer , but the machine was a Bridgeport too. I just visited
him a few weeks ago and its all apart again, upgrading to AC servos.

It may be good for me to put a shout out to user in Florida and see who responds.

I live in central Florida . Programming in Camsoft uses a similar to Basic lauguage , yes it has a graphical user interface, but it's not ladder. I seriously doubt you are just slam that tool changer on the machine and get it working. First off the tc has to mounted perfectly parallel to the. Spindle and square to the table, then the arm has to be exactly in the middle of the spindle taper, or it will drop tools,smash one side of the taper and or hammer the drive keys on the spindle. Moving it up could make the whole thing worse , as if you are lucky, the casting is drilled and reamed for both toolchangers , the chances of you getting that mounted straight are not real good, then you will either have to shim and or scrape to get alignment. You still gotta count tools. Cam operated tc are not new, Brown and Sharpe had them in the 1970s....

Well I found a new workshop to rent, it is big enough to fit all of my stuff in one place.
So the next few weekends I will be moving again.
Then hopefully I can get back to working on the machine again.