Author Topic: Project "YOU Bit It Off, YOU chew it", aka installing a Bridgeport CNC  (Read 48133 times)

Offline AdeV

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Project "YOU Bit It Off, YOU chew it!" begins!

As a few of you already know, I recently won a Bridgeport Interact MDI on eBay, for £small_change. For reasons which I will explain at the end of this post, I didn't get that machine, but a slightly different one.... and it arrived today on the back of a lorry:




Hoik!



Plant!



Tada.wav! One Bridgeport Interact 1 Mk2 with Heidenhain TNC150 controller! Wahay!

Now the long and unnecessarily difficult task of recommissioning it starts.... I already began to clean it in the previous picture, WD40 everywhere (it's been out in the rain  :Doh:).

It seems to be pretty much all there. There's a couple of clamps which hold the Z-axis motor - visible at the top of the previous picture - in place which are missing, I can fabricate those on the manual mill, as well as the 5/16" UNC bolts to hold it down if necessary.  Because it's been sat in the rain, I had some warm air blowing into the cabinets:

Eeek!



EEEEEK!


Hopefully all that wonderful '80s electrickery stuff still works... Lots of big fat transformers and other 3-phasery.

I do have the covers, but I won't fit them until the machine is up and running. I hope to power it on at the weekend, that should be long enough for the WD40 to do its magic, and gives me time to make the clamps.


So... the Tale of Woe...

The machine I actually won was a Bridgeport Interact Series 2 MDI with Heidenhain TNC145 controller - a slightly smaller machine with a slightly older controller. After the auction (which specified "Machine must be removed in 3 days"), I contacted my favourite machine mover, determined he was pretty much available on spec, then utterly failed to contact the seller.... who FINALLY got in touch on the Friday (Auction ended on Tuesday) to tell me he'd promised the machine to someone else prior to the auction end, and when said person came to collect it turned out the X-axis motor & encoder were missing.

FFS & all that.

However, the same seller had this machine going. We did some haggling, and now it's both mine & here, and it's complete - there's only 1 cut wire (I think it's the light wire, as there's no work light on the machine), and apart from the missing brackets to hold the Z-axis motor down, it seems to be all there. So, fingers crossed, it'll all work, and not too much rain has got into the spindle or motor bearings to knacker them.

So... if you're looking at a machine from eBay seller "machinetools_rus" - be careful...

I may yet have nothing more than a lump of inert cast iron... but hopefully, so long as the motors & encoders are good, even if the old electronics have died I have a good friend who is a bit of an electronics genius, if only I can tear him away from his racing car...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline dsquire

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Ade

Nice Find. Looks like it should make lots of chips if it all turns out OK. If it were mine I would keep a fan and a heater turned on the electrics for several days to be sure that its dry. You don't want to take any chances and let any of that smoke out. Enjoy, I'll be watching from the other side of the pond.  :lol: :lol:

Cheers  :beer:

Don

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'til your good is better,
and your better best

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Very very nice Ade  :drool:


I hope it all grafts OK for you when you power it up  :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:  :thumbup:


Rob



Offline andyf

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Looks great, Ade.

The circuitry reminds me of the electro-mechanical intestines of old juke-boxes and pinball machines, but rather beefier.

Look forward to hearing how it runs; as Don says, don't rush the drying out.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline DMIOM

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Ade,

Would also suggest you pop the back off the cantilevered display/keyboard unit and get some warm air in there as well. You won't get right inside the TNC itself, but the monitor's HT won't like the damp.

One warning (on the basis on the TNC 155 that I use, on a non-Bridgeport CNC mill) - there is a battery back-up which is sustained by a couple of AA batteries behind a half-crown sized plastic screw plug and an inner cover just below the spindle & feed rate over-ride pots.   DON'T remove the batteries until you have a good solid mains supply - if the batteries are removed, or run out, with no other supply, then the machine parameters can be lost. Being a BP you may be able to get them from someone else and key them in, but it'll be a pain.

Dave

Offline AdeV

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Thanks for the words of advice & replies chaps! It's certainly going to make chips, even if it's manually with an axe!

Dave - I'd already read about the dangers of changing out the batteries without plugging it in, fingers crossed the batts that are in there have held up, otherwise it's funtime as you say. I'm sure John Stevenson has the parameters memorised, or he'll at least be able to make up a set on the spot  :lol:

I have whizzed the back off the display unit, at first I thought it had a puddle of water in it, but it turned out to just be a shiny bit. I will, as you say, get some warm air in there.

My biggest fears are knackered spindle or main motor bearings, knackered main motor or Z-axis servomotor due to water ingress. The main motor is HUGE, and appears to be a multi-speed unit, as I can't see any signs of a mechanical varispeed, the front plate reckons 40-4000rpm, that's pretty close to the same range as my manual machine.


I don't suppose anyone happens to have a manual for these machines do they? I may have to buy one off fleabay...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Stilldrillin

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Ohhhh........ That's nice, Ade!  :bugeye:

Good luck with the dry out, and installation.  :thumbup:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline doubleboost

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Hi
Ade
Dont rush drying things out (you must keep the smoke inside it)
Looks to be a fine machine
I take it you have a 3 phase supply :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
John

Offline DMIOM

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.....I don't suppose anyone happens to have a manual for these machines do they? I may have to buy one off fleabay...

There is a seller of some repute in Long Eaton  **LINK** whom I can thoroughly recommend (though not certain if that particular listing matches your new toy).

there is another interesting feature of that advertisement - it has a picture which says "Just click on our man and he'll show you" - now is that J or A or ????!!!!?? 

Dave

Offline John Stevenson

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Sorry don't have a manual for this model.
In fact not seen this model before but must admit not that well up on Bridgeport CNC's although i have an old MDI that's now converted.

John S.
John Stevenson

Offline AdeV

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No problem John, I had my tongue fairly firmly in my cheek... I guess I'll have to go register at cnczone now...

Thanks for the link Dave; that particular CD doesn't (it covers the BOSS controllers), but I shall ask him if he has manuals for my machine anyway (another eBay seller has paper ones, I'd prefer the CD I think).

I can still download manuals for the controller, so hopefully learning to program it "as it is" should be possible; I'd like to figure out drip-feeding it from a CAD/CAM system (Mach3 IIRC is the opensource one).

Other John - yep, 3-phase :) I couldn't live without it, all my big machines are 3phase. I have a 3ph alternator to attach to one of my diesel engines too, in case I ever end up somewhere without a suitable supply...

Of course.... first things first.... got to get it running....
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline AdeV

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Ohhhh........ That's nice, Ade!  :bugeye:

Good luck with the dry out, and installation.  :thumbup:


Thanks David, it's not bad is it? I was worried I wouldn't have room for it, but it's just squeezed in nicely, and now I'll have somewhere to sit while running the lathe too  :palm:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
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Offline Brass_Machine

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That is a beefy looking machine you got there Ade!  :drool:

I am sure with your skills, it will be up and running just fine.

Eric
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We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline DMIOM

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..... Thanks for the link Dave; that particular CD doesn't (it covers the BOSS controllers), but I shall ask him if he has manuals for my machine anyway (another eBay seller has paper ones, I'd prefer the CD I think).....
Ade - sorry that I didn't make it clearer in my previous message, but that vendor is from a well-renowned family, where they've just scrapped a TOS lathe  :coffee:  and who has in fact just answered above !

Quote
....I can still download manuals for the controller, so hopefully learning to program it "as it is" should be possible; I'd like to figure out drip-feeding it from a CAD/CAM system....

Once you've got the machine up & running, I'd be glad to help as I've got my machine working OK on dripfeed. The only caution I'd raise is that I seem to remember that not all of the early TNCs could accept block-wise dripfeed.

Quote
... (Mach3 IIRC is the opensource one)....
Mach3 is free to download and the free version can run small programs; need the licensed version to run larger programs.  EMC, running under Linux, is the open source one.

cheers / Dave

Offline AdeV

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..... Thanks for the link Dave; that particular CD doesn't (it covers the BOSS controllers), but I shall ask him if he has manuals for my machine anyway (another eBay seller has paper ones, I'd prefer the CD I think).....
Ade - sorry that I didn't make it clearer in my previous message, but that vendor is from a well-renowned family, where they've just scrapped a TOS lathe  :coffee:  and who has in fact just answered above !

Aaaaah, suddenly it becomes clear. And to think I was going to see if John could pick the manuals up as the seller was just down the road from him! Hadn't realised he was in fact right next door..... Yeah, scrapping that big TOS lathe, quite rude if you ask me, I'm always on the lookout for machinery that's far too big for me...

No worries, I will have a look at getting the paper manual, it's a tenner, but if I'm going to treat the machine properly I should probably do it right...

Quote
Quote
....I can still download manuals for the controller, so hopefully learning to program it "as it is" should be possible; I'd like to figure out drip-feeding it from a CAD/CAM system....

Once you've got the machine up & running, I'd be glad to help as I've got my machine working OK on dripfeed. The only caution I'd raise is that I seem to remember that not all of the early TNCs could accept block-wise dripfeed.


Mine is the TNC150, which I believe will accept blockwise drip-feed (the MDI machine had a 145, which would take external programming, but not drip-fed). I would definitely like to take you up on any help you can give - when I bought the manual Bridgeport, I'd watched a 12-hour video tutorial (several times), so I already felt I knew the machine well when I got it; same deal with the lathe... but CNC, other than knowing roughly what to expect from cutters, I'm flying totally blind...

Quote
Mach3 is free to download and the free version can run small programs; need the licensed version to run larger programs.  EMC, running under Linux, is the open source one.

Dat de one. I think my mate Pete uses EMC on his converted Interact, but his is a different model to mine (his has steppers, mine has servo motors), and he's binned the original controller entirely. I plan to keep mine, for now, either until it lets the magic smoke out, or becomes too limiting (hmm, really? too limiting?  :loco:)
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline machineshed

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CNCzone is well worth joining :thumbup:

Online awemawson

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Ade,

I have pretty much all the documentation, parameter listing, diagrams etc for that machine including setting up info for the TNC if you get stuck - remember my Interact literally fell off the back (well side really) of a lorry!!!)
Andrew
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline AdeV

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Hi Andrew,

Cool - I know you said you had an Interact, didn't realise it was the exact same model! I'll drop you a PM, maybe we can do a deal on the docs?

Cheers,
Ade.
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline krv3000

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hi nice by

Offline AdeV

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 :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb:
IT'S ALIVE!
 :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb: :ddb:

I can move all 3 axes with the jog wheel, or the joystick (but only with the rapid traverse button pressed), I can make it got to a datum point.

What I can't yet do is make it spin the spindle, or seemingly do anything more interesting than that.

So.... alive, yes. Kicking? Not yet...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Rob.Wilson

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 :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Nice one Ade  :thumbup:

Have you loaded any G code into it ? ,,,,,,,,,,,, can you manually input a line of code  :scratch:


Rob

Offline Stilldrillin

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That's great news Ade!  :thumbup:

Blummin, WELL DONE!!  :clap: :clap:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline AdeV

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Hi Rob,

I don't have it interfaced to a computer yet - that's a (near) future task.

Cheers David :)

Too knackered to go on experimenting tonight (I was up @ 5am this morning doing race car jobs), if someone can give me a simple "here's how you test the spindle works" programming example, assuming I'm a complete dumbo, on a TNC150, then please let me know...

Thanks!
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Stilldrillin

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Hi Rob,

I don't have it interfaced to a computer yet - that's a (near) future task.

Cheers David :)

Too knackered to go on experimenting tonight (I was up @ 5am this morning doing race car jobs), if someone can give me a simple "here's how you test the spindle works" programming example, assuming I'm a complete dumbo, on a TNC150, then please let me know...

Thanks!

If I remember rightly Ade.

G20 G40 G80 G90
G24 X0 Y0  ZO
GOO XO YO M03 S500

Or summat similar...... It's been a very long time!

Hope it works. Or, gives everyone a good laugh.......  :thumbup:

David D
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Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Online awemawson

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IIRC it needs the compressed air conected to take the brake off the spindle
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex