Denford Software & Machines

Usual scenario, just at the end of an urgent job, for new client !

Problem is: Turret will not rotate under CNC control or manually using the station selection knob and button on the front of the machine. Everything else works on the machine, spindle, axis home etc. Turret is 6 station Barrifuldi, (spelling ! )

If selecting a position manually, you can hear one contactor going in, but nothing happens. Looking in the back of the machine it is the contactor marked TPFC that operates. If I depress the contacts on TPRC maually, while TPFC is still in, the turret will come out from its locked position, but wont rotate. Stangely enough, when this problem happened yesterday, doing this was enough to get it all working again.

We do often get alarms saying Turret overheat, but all thats required is a quick "Twiddle" with the cable plug located at the top of the Z axis, from the 6 station Barrifaldi, to cure this, so we put this down to a poor contact in the plugs socket. Lathe can run for a considerable time before it re occurs.

Another question is, how on earth does that plug come apart? Its an RS plug with multi pins that connects the turret to the machine, we wonder if there is a broken wire in there.

Final thing that is bugging me, is a row of red lights on the PCB card on the machines back panel, the bit that opens and lays down. Panel would be top left if standing in front of the lathe with the back in its closed position. There was one alarm during our attempts to get this running, which said something like power supply, and I wonder if all these red lights are related to my issue.
Bob

I've had an ask around and photos of the connector and electrical panel would certainly help jog the memory.
I guess it's a Fanuc OT-B ?
We can't remember if it had a turret control board (electronics) or used the I/O from the Fanuc
The turret connector has used varied square and round types

Hi.
My previous posts, in particular one titled "Cyclone bad day" contains photo's which may be of help.
Bob

I've had a look but they don't help really.
If you send a photo of the connector , hopefully someone will remember who made it and how to open it.
If you send a photo of the row of LED's, we may have a clue as to what that is.
Unfortunately we're not all familiar with older machines, so the more information you can provide the better.

PS I wouldn't keep trying to get it to work by pressing the contactors in and out by hand - you're better off trying it from the control each time (even if you have to reboot after it hangs up)
Those turrets have to be rotated in the correct sequence (direction) and the shotpin engaged at the correct time for them to clamp back up again

Tried again tonight, still no joy. Holding the cable, connector pictured, the turret did try to unlock once using the front panel control and green button.. Noticed the turret motor is warm to the touch in less than 5 minutes.

Other photo shows board that is bugging me, its on the far left of the opening back panel.

Controller is Fanuc OT-B as you suggested.
Bob

RS connector: Turn silver ring to unplug and the insert which holds the pins will unscrew from the body of the plug, this will twist the wires though.
It looks like someone has screwed (or glued) the entry to the plug housing and fitted a flexible conduit gland and is going to be difficult to remove without going for it and chopping the wires and re-making the plug.

That board with all the LED's is the official Baruffaldi logic controller card. We didn't use it for very long as it was so expensive, and consequently have no information to hand. Our only hope is that Martin has some info on it.
This board turns a tool number request from the Fanuc controller into the correct sequence. Something along the lines of: brake off, shotpin off, run cw until correct position seen from encoder(or switches), fire shotpin, run ccw, turn on brake, turn off shotpin

Have a good look at the LED's to see if they give any indications as to what they could mean.