Well, I did manage to diagnose and repair the problem we were having. The y-axis alarm was due to a failure of an IC chip on the control's main board. Replacing that chip fixed it. My suspicion of the cause of the chip's failure was that the amp lost power due to a loose connection on it's power supply line. Back feeding power through the amp's logic circuits burned out the input for that axis on that chip.
So unfortunately I am not going to get to play with converting these machines to LinuxCNC. (and the powers that be said they were going to fix it by replacing the $2000 board even if the chip didn't fix it.) Too bad, I was looking forward to finding out how much better the machine could have ran with Linuxcnc. Todd Zuercher P. Graham Dunn Inc. 630 Henry Street Dalton, Ohio 44618 Phone: (330)828-2105ext. 2031 -----Original Message----- From: Peter C. Wallace <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2020 4:31 PM To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Servo Amp Documentation? [EXTERNAL EMAIL] Be sure links are safe. On Tue, 1 Dec 2020, Todd Zuercher wrote: > Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2020 21:22:30 +0000 > From: Todd Zuercher <[email protected]> > Reply-To: "Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)" > <[email protected]> > To: "Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)" > <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Servo Amp Documentation? > > Unfortunately the wiring is very simple in this machine. (It's just a > small sign router.) There is a main control board, with a couple of > daughter boards (one for coms the other is the main brain) the encoder > cables are plugged into the main board, as are the limits, and some > other misc IO. Then there are 3 ribbon cables one for each amp. That > it. I've checked the integrity of the ribbons and they all seem fine. > There isn't a bunch of individual wires anywhere that one could come > loose and cause this. The amps only have 4 other wires 2 for the motors and > 2 for the DC supply. You might check the states of the inhibit outputs, that seems to be the only way the drive signals a fault. > > Todd Zuercher > P. Graham Dunn Inc. > 630 Henry Street > Dalton, Ohio 44618 > Phone: (330)828-2105ext. 2031 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Gene Heskett <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2020 3:44 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Servo Amp Documentation? > > [EXTERNAL EMAIL] Be sure links are safe. > > On Tuesday 01 December 2020 12:22:25 Todd Zuercher wrote: > >> Anyone out there have any documentation for an older Elmo, DC brushed >> servo amp/drive, model SSA-8/100? Elmo's web site seems to only >> cover their current product line. >> >> I have some machines using those amps. The control on one of them is >> setting an alarm "FAULT IN Y AXIS". The control's documentation is >> useless, the only trouble shooting it has is "Check Servo-Amp Board, >> circuit & wiring for the affected axis. Repair/replace as required." >> The amps are all powered, the motor and encoders are connected, all 3 >> amps show the same LEDs lit, swapping motors has no effect, swapping >> cables has no effect, and swapping amps has no effect, I can't think >> of what else to try. > > I would trace that specific signal as its likely a dc voltage, or lack of it > at the amplifier. The fact that the error doesn't move when you swap amps > around wants to tell me its in cabinet wiring, something shaken loose perhaps? > > Do you have any docs at all? > > A clue as to how old it actually is? > >> Todd Zuercher >> P. Graham Dunn Inc.<http://www.pgrahamdunn.com/index.php> >> 630 Henry Street >> Dalton, Ohio 44618 >> Phone: (330)828-2105ext. 2031 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Emc-users mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > Cheers, Gene Heskett > -- > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: > soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." > -Ed Howdershelt (Author) > If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable. > - Louis D. Brandeis > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene> > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > Peter Wallace Mesa Electronics (\__/) (='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your (")_(") signature to help him gain world domination. _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
