Orac Drivers - Swap?

[automata]

Hi,


I'm hoping to use an Orac in its original state. It turns on and seems like it should work fine, however I believe the drivers are shot. I also happen to have two Parker SD2 drives leftover from a Starturn 4 conversion. I'm wondering, do you think it's possible to swap the drivers? The ones in the Orac are Parker SD3. Would it make a difference?

Thanks,

Steve

[angel-tech]

the sd3 are higher current versions of the sd2, so they should just swap.

[Denford Admin]

Yep, the SD3 is 3Amps max. nominal current and the SD2 is 2Amps
There are 4 dip switches to change current, so find the setting on the SD2 and set the SD3 to be roughly the same
files/sd2_179.pdf (page 13)

[automata]

Thanks guys! After I have the time to try this, I'll let you know how it went.

S

[automata]

No luck. Looks like the DIP switches only allow me to set the highest current at 2.0A which doesn't seem to be enough for the motors, unless the motors are the problem.

Either way, I'm not totally against the idea of converting to Mach3, as it would be much more usable anyway. I'll be removing the electronics this afternoon.

If the motors turn out to be OK, think it would be possible to use them with Gecko drives? Something like the 203V?

[dorro]

Hi,

i have two parker stepper drives out of an orac,(and all of the other stuff!) you can have them for the price of postage if you want??

p.m me with your address if you wish, i will find out how much it is to post.

kind regards,

Ian

P.S.

it may take me a couple of days to respond as my Email is playing up

[automata]

Hi Dorro,

Thanks for the offer, however I've already decided to empty out the cabinet to retrofit with new electronics. Also, as I'm located in the States, I'm sure posting it would cost a fortune!

As stated, I removed the old electronics, including the brass panel in the bottom of the cabinet. I've mounted a 6mm thick aluminum sheet onto drawer slides and then mounted that all to the brass panel. This will allow me to slide the electronics in and out of the rear of the cabinet with ease (though I'll have to remove the fan temporarily).

I found this posting on another forum from which I borrowed the idea: https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/thread ... e-retrofit

Also, this post on CNCzone contains some great documentation: https://www.cnczone.com/forums/europe_cl ... _orac.html

Best,

Steve

[automata]

Good evening! Quick post before I head off to bed.

Dug up some info on the steppers, serial number HY-200-3424-310 A8

step angle: 1,8°
step angle accuracy %: 5
rated phase current A: 3,1
phase resistance Ω: 0,90
phase inductance mH: 2,9
holding torque unipolar* Ncm: 141
holding torque bipolar* Ncm: 182
detent torque Ncm: 12
rotor inertia g/cm2: 640
mass Kg: 1,3
max. applicable voltage V: 90
insulation class: B

* two phases "ON"

Here's the original document (page 8) for anyone interested: https://www-app.etsit.upm.es/departament ... hy_lab.pdf

Best,

Steve

[automata]

Good afternoon,

I have a few questions regarding the spindle.

I've done some research to understand that I will need a VFD to control the speed of the spindle, along with an index pulse card (I think I will use this one from CNC4PC: https://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product ... cts_id=129)

It looks like most, or all, VFDs have a keypad to input spindle speeds. If possible I'd like to be able to control the speed through Mach3 without having to key in the info on the pad. Is this possible with all VFDs or only a certain kind?

Is it possible that this VFD would work with Mach3 and the CNC4PC C11 BOB? I believe it has all the correct ratings for the spindle motor on the Orac.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2HP-460V-GE-3 ... 53de2503a0

Sorry for all the electrical questions, it's certainly my weakest area.

Steve

[angel-tech]

Good afternoon,

I have a few questions regarding the spindle.

I've done some research to understand that I will need a VFD to control the speed of the spindle, along with an index pulse card (I think I will use this one from CNC4PC: https://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product ... cts_id=129)

It looks like most, or all, VFDs have a keypad to input spindle speeds. If possible I'd like to be able to control the speed through Mach3 without having to key in the info on the pad. Is this possible with all VFDs or only a certain kind?

Is it possible that this VFD would work with Mach3 and the CNC4PC C11 BOB? I believe it has all the correct ratings for the spindle motor on the Orac.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2HP-460V-GE-3 ... 53de2503a0

Sorry for all the electrical questions, it's certainly my weakest area.

Steve

You'll need an inverter that has a single phase 240v input and a 220v three phase output. The one you've listed is three phase to three phase.

[automata]

Thanks angel-tech. Do you know if I could just use a VFD with 120v 1ph input/220v 3ph output? I'd like to avoid 220/240 if at all possible...all of the other electronics will be running off 120 anyway. Would clear up some space in the cabinet too.

Here's something I'm looking at now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Allen-Bradley-P ... 482wt_1418

Steve

[angel-tech]

probably, i really can't say.

[automata]

I've finally gotten around to doing some more work on the Orac.

The steppers are working great. I'm using Gecko 201V's with the CNC4PC C11 BOB. I may upgrade these to a higher torque stepper in the near future.

I got a Hitachi Inverter to run the spindle at driveswarehouse.com The spindle seems to power up and run fine, though I'd also like to upgrade this eventually.

So far I haven't finished all the wiring and cable routing, and wanted to get some input here first. I've attached a real shoddy schematic of the wiring as it stands now. Since I'm no electronics expert, I'm wondering where I should put fuses.

One quick thing: The power supply I'm using to power the VFD/spindle/fan is one that was commonly sold with models in the US, to ramp up the power from 120VAC (wall outlet) to 240VAC. This will be mounted inside the cabinet.

[Denford Admin]

Since I'm no electronics expert, I'm wondering where I should put fuses.

I'm no expert either but it pays to protect everything you can... before it burns out or blows up.
Unless the drive has quick blow protection already, then I'd fit some quick-blow fuses to the mains input to VFD.
I'd probably fit one fuse to each input to the four 110vac power supplies...they might have output protection already but worth checking.
You could just fit one,say 15amp fuse on the 110v line (ie before the terminal block) but it might not protect the smaller supplies from damage, unless it was something major like a dead-short.
Fuses could be fitted to the spindle motor output and field coil (if it has one?) but it depends if the drive has some short/overload protection..they may not be required.

Basically, try and fuse the inputs and outputs to each device...especially if there is a chance of a short (eg wires running through a drag chain or connector that could be crushed). Something cheap like the fan you may decide to not bother with.
Circuit breakers could also be used ...they're more expensive initially but can be reset after a trip.