Swift cut plasma

[robertspark]

Looking at the photos again

There is a candcnc espii shown

Photo 2

The manual is shown here (note I have zero knowledge of candcnc hardware!!!)

The manual for that item is here:
http://www.candcnc.net/images/Manuals/E ... l-rev2.pdf

A quick read of the manual says that it

ON SCREEN Readout of all parameters including Voltage, Amps and Temperature.
Just like commercial controllers costing thousands of dollars more you have the
information right on the operators screen

.

Alarm bells..... Mach3 does not generally get feedback from anything unless you use a plugin.

Again looking at the manual it shows an interface to a G251-4....

The manual for that item is here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... bSf_6chkcl


It lists and shows an interface with something called a UBOB (page 1) which shows two connections to a pc.... An lpt port and a serial connection.

Both of which make sense and align with this photo

Last photo

This does concern me as your system is not a simple arrangement which can be converted to something else easily in my opinion. But that is just my opinion.

I would probably recommend contacting Tom at candcnc and see if he can assist at getting your system back up and running with the mach3 candcnc screenset as a first port of call..... But that is just my opinion.

What EXACTLY has happened to your original pc?

You mentioned FIRE .... That is a bit dramatic... Is anything salvageable....

[Rodw]

The G251's are stand alone stepper controllers https://www.geckodrive.com/g251x-digita ... drive.html Reusing them would not require any dependance on the board they are plugged into. I've used them before. 3.5 amps to 50 volts max. Seems odd the power supplies are > 50 volts. They are hard wired at 10:1 microstepping..

The motor power supply comes from a toroid transformer that passes through a rectifier board with the capacitors on it (one for each coil in the toroid). This converts the AC input to DC. These boards probably have a lower voltage regulated output for field power for sensors etc
Ideally, you would retain these rectifier boards, the G251 drives, the stepper motors and the limit/home sensors and discard the rest.

Then you connect the plasma CPC port, the sensors and the stepper drives to the new controller. For a Mesa board you would need a 24 volt power supply about 2 amps (12 volts will do if its on those boards) and some relays and a seperate power supply for ohmic sensing if you have that. That sort of thing would apply to any retrofit.

This is a very simple retrofit commbared to what others are doing with linuxcnc with large machining centres and routers with tool changers etc. The general rule is to work out the drives (no servos here so easy), the sensor circuits active high/low and retain as much as you can.

But it is up to the OP to decide if he's up to the task.

[robertspark]

...
Ideally, you would retain these rectifier boards, the G251 drives, the stepper motors and the limit/home sensors and discard the rest.
...
But it is up to the OP to decide if he's up to the task.

If you are going to start ripping things out then yes linuxcnc and plasmac with Mesa hardware would be your cheapest option given linuxcnc would need to provide your torch height control functionality and if you have any ohmic sensors etc that are built into the candcnc control stuff and you would need to get your head around the wiring and interface between the various items.

Good luck, you are in good hands with Rod

[Rodw]

I was thinking afterwards that CandCNC might have their hands tied here becasue their relationship is with Swift Cut so if Swift cut want $5k, then they can't intervene. I wouldn't if it was an agent of mine. Its not ethical. I'd loose the account real quick!

So the OP is in a difficult position. Right now he's got a boat anchor so he either pays $5k, scraps it or retrofits it probably for < $500 but a heap of time.

I have no idea where in the world he lives. I'm in Australia. But if the OP happens to be near Houston, TX in the USA, I might have boots on the ground over there to help.

[tcaudle]

that was one of the earlier Swift Cut (UK based co) models where they used our entire Bladerunner controller . Later they started using some of our control modules and providing their own power section and motors ; Its a parallel port version . What is interesting is they continued to buy as an OEM, and use the front end logic (UBOB , DTHCII , etc) and parallel port up to about 16 months ago., several years after we introduced the ESS MACH3 version (Ethernet) and the updated high speed DTHC IV. Even those went obsolete in 2016 when we switch to LINUXCNC (our version is CommandCNC) with LINUX as the OS.

There are several things you can do.
1. get a PC with WIN 7 32 bit and on our website Downloads is a MACH3 Master installer Legacy (version X) that will let you reload the plug-ins and screens for using the DTHCII. You can still get replacement parts for the Bladerunner and ESPII. The hardware is not usable with other control software because the DTHCII is integrated with the hardware and uses the PC serial port for communication . The Plugins integrate the DTHC with MACH3.

Go to the CandCNC Support Forum (requires you join) and you wil get direct help on the older systems suing MACH and Windows.

2. We also have an upgrade path that moves you in hardware and software to 2020 stuff. Its direct Ethernet and RS485 with our high speed DTHC 5 . Its a port of LINUXCNC with our hardware drivers and a user friendly GUI configuration tool. The upgrade requires you send the unit and modules in and we upgrade, test and preload the PC that comes with it . Total cost is about 1/5th what Swiftcut wants for their upgrade

We have quite a few guys with older MACH systems parallel port type have PC failures. Sometimes you can load the HD into a running windows PC and recover the data off the drive you need (its almost all in the MACH3 main folder and subfolders. Primary is the MACH license , Its an encrypted .dat file and should be unique to your machine. You supposedly paid for a license because they are sold to run the end user machine. A vendor is not allowed to use the same license ID on multiple tables. If you have sheetCAM as your CAM software then its license will be there and SHOULD be licensed to you . Once again you paid for it when you bought the machine (or whoever did)

Worst case you will have to repurchase the licenses. again.

While LINUX is a different OS you will find its User interface to be very similar to Windows but with a lot less clutter and bloatware. It reads Winodws files and can share folders on a network or wifi (wireless link) . Some programs (SheetCAM TNG and INkscape) will run on either platform so you have options of where you want to design and fo the toolpath.

regardless of the choice we will help you with our products and offer you options and solutions.

[Cncric]

Are you in the uk ? i can fix that for you