Triac VMC & VR Milling & Air problems

[dixonsca]

I am working with another school who have a 2006 Traic VMC which came with VR Milling v2.11.
Please can you tell me,
1, Can this be updated to the latest version of VR without need for new boards?
2, Can I bypass the old built in PC and upgrade to a newer one and also do away with the desk top tutor?
2, Where is the licence file kept on the HDD so i can copy it on to a new pc.
Ta

[Martin]

1, Can this be updated to the latest version of VR without need for new boards?

You should be able to update to the latest version which would be VRMilling Version 2.31.
If you wanted to update to VRMilling Version 5.49 then you would need to obtain a new licence.

2, Can I bypass the old built in PC and upgrade to a newer one and also do away with the desk top tutor?

Yes but you would need a computer with a serial port to connect to the Denstep board.

2, Where is the licence file kept on the HDD so i can copy it on to a new pc.

It will be in the "Windmill.ini" file which is located in "C:\Program Files\Denford\VRMilling".

If you open the file in Word the section you would need to copy the section that is headed, [FLASH] then paste it back in once updated.

Denford's do offer a upgrade to the latest version of VRMilling 5 if you are interested.

Hope this helps

[dixonsca]

Thanks for that I will get them going with V2.31 for now but can you give me the price of the upgrade to V5 please.
Thanks

[dixonsca]

Finally got the Triac up and running and then air started blowing out of the the box on the back.
Its not a leaking pipe, it is actually coming out of the end of the pipe as though a solanoid valve/pressure relief valve has gone or something?? Any ideas i have cirled it in the picture.

[Martin]

It may have just pushed out of the adaptor. Try pushing it back in without air connected. They are all push in fittings.

[dixonsca]

Unfortunately I did reconnect the pipes just in case, but its not blowing out of the fittings its actually coming out of the brass filter on the outside of the box. I just showed the pipes in the picture to show where the pipes went. I assume it was designed like this to allow air to escape in the event of something failing, I am trying to figure out what failed

[Martin]

I thought it was srange.
You will need to check each valve.
If you remove any tools then try the manual M codes to see which one it is.

Also try lifting the ATC Arm up if it is not.

M Codes.

M20 - M21 = ARM IN/OUT
M22 - M23 = ARM UP/DOWN
M24 - M25 = DRAW BAR UNCLAMP/CLAMP.

Make sure when you do M24 that if there is a tool in the spindle you are holding it!

[Denford Admin]

It could be a valve that is sticking.
It could be that the solenoids are being energised the wrong way around due to the update to 2.31 ?
Pull all the solenoid caps off - does it stop exhausting ? (remove any tools first in case they get dropped !)
Are the air functions working OK manually?
eg does M20 / M21 bring the arm IN/OUT ?
There is a list here:
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=880

[dixonsca]

It was working ok after the software upgrade and I was setting the offsets for the tools when the air started venting just out of the blue, then the atc dropped and i could get no further movement probably because it wasn’t building up enough pressure. How will inputting the mcodes work if there is not enough pressure in the pipes?
I will try your suggestions on Monday and investigate further.
Thanks for the help so far

[Denford Admin]

I wonder if the ATC UP/Down cylinder has blown a seal (so the air is passing straight through the cylinder and exhausting)
Removing the solenoid caps might help to locate the part that is leaking...

[dixonsca]

I removed the soleniod caps and only the middle one seemed to be energising. As a test i put the middle one on the the end soleniod, the valve clicked and the air stopped venting, so i am guessing faulty solenoid caps or a fuse(s) somewhere?
What do you think?

[Denford Admin]

What does the end valve do ,ie, connect to ?
If you take the solenoid off again does it start venting again ?
...If not, then the valve could just have been stuck and all might be OK - you may have an air lubricating bottle on the side - is there oil in it ?
...If it does then you need to physically check what the valve is connected to and work out what is going wrong

[Denford Admin]

Before you ask, I've put a post here about the Air System and lubricating it:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3785

[dixonsca]

The end valve connects to the draw bar and yes it vents again when the working cap is removed.
The lubrication system is full of oil.

[dixonsca]

We are leaning towards this...hopefully.

[Denford Admin]

Hi,
I'm not too sure the relay would be the problem.
If the drawbar is exhausting with no solenoid cap on it, ie the valve is in it's default state and blowing out air, then it must be a mechanical issue.

As the drawbar has only one air connection, the other connector is blocked - are you sure the blocking plug at the top of the drawbar solenoid is secure ? It looks like the drawbar pipe is on the left(4) and the blocked connector on the right (2).
If that port 2 is blocked OK (ie,not leaking) then it must be a fault within the valve - it sounds like it's switching air to the drawbar OK when energised but not returning to it's normal position and venting through the exhaust rather than to the blocked connector (2).

That solenoid is our part number BI01132N and we have some in stock here - here is the valve diagram:

[dixonsca]

I will get in touch and buy a valve