Oh Blimey I bought a CNC Lathe !!!!

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awemawson:
....nah !!!! Most are on disk as well anyway :ddb:

PekkaNF:
Know the feeling. We put the machine control program down/up load instructions on the control system HD. It could be a little of catch 22, without a backup hardware or paper manuals (we call it hard copy).

Pekka

awemawson:

--- Quote from: PekkaNF on November 10, 2013, 12:17:15 PM ---Know the feeling. We put the machine control program down/up load instructions on the control system HD. It could be a little of catch 22, without a backup hardware or paper manuals (we call it hard copy).

Pekka

--- End quote ---

No it's all duplicated on a PC in a different building, and also a PC in the same building apart from one programming manual, which I don't have the source of without scanning it's 900 pages ! However I do know where another copy is, as I copied someone else's - that's how I know it's 900 pages !

Andrew

awemawson:
At last I've been able to finish a 'mini-project' that's been outstanding for months on the Traub Lathe.

There are three 3.6 v NiCd rechargeable batteries within. One backs up the RAM in the controller and is absolutely vital, as the RAM holds not only the parameters, but also various secret squirrel option flags set by Traub and not disclosed to customers. The other two are less critical, they back up the machines 'absolute position' so if they go flat the machine has to be re-referenced.

Although these batteries are brand new and good quality they will only last 5 or 6 days, so I've been running the machine for an hour each morning to keep them charged - a pain :bang:

So - what to do. Well the scheme I settled on was to arrange a trickle charge to each battery when the machine is powered off. Three phase power comes in direct to a large isolator switch however the door interlocks are powered by a 415 : 24 volt transformer directly across two phases. This got me thinking. Between Phase 1 and neutral there is 240v even when isolated pick this up, drive a battery maintainer, and arrange that it is switched off when the machine is turned on.

So how to implement? I bring the 240 single phase through a 6 amp MCB to a relay box. Relay contact is normally closed passing mains to the battery maintainer. When the machine is powered up, I pick off 24 v from it's internal supply to drive the relay, which isolates the maintainer.

So first we need to make up the relay box:

awemawson:
Red light indicates mains is coming in, Green light indicates 24 v DC from the machine - so the machine must have been up and running when that photo was taken.

Now I'm about to run cables in the machine trunking that will be live when the machine isolator is OFF so I am rather paranoid about labelling this fact The mains wires have a warning every half metre along their length, and the three boxes I'm using are painted bright orange and are also clearly labelled. Don't want to fry someone in the future !

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