# Replacing cnc controlers on older machine, can it be done?



## onecut jimmy (Apr 26, 2013)

A friend of mine has a Lagun mill and he would like to replace and possibly upgrade the computer controler.
He has contacted Lagun and they will not get involved.

Is it possible to do this and if so how can he get it done or do it himself?
This morning he and I are going in different directions so I will get the model and other specifics on the machine ASAP.

I don't think he would be able to do any electrical work but we have another friend that can. Any help would be really appreciated.


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## papermaker (Apr 26, 2013)

Short answer yes they can be upgraded. I assume that it has servo motors to control the x,y and z axis. You'll need to find out what controls these motors or where it gets its signal. Once that is figured out then you'll need to get a break out board and connect it to a computer loaded with the right software and you're in business.
I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about. You should probably talk to someone that supplies kits for smaller mills. They were real helpful when I talked with them about doing the same thing to my mill.
I'm taking the lazy route and selling my mill and getting a small benchtop mill.


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## Tony Wells (Apr 26, 2013)

The answer is an unequivocal YES. 

BUT, that's making several assumptions, but probably safe ones. If you were here in East Texas, I'd know exactly who to refer you to. I've worked in a shop were an upgraded CNC control was swapped out on a Mazak M-4. Worked out great. Should be no different on a mill. As long as the servomotors and encoders are in OK shape, the control should be no big deal.

Is there a mfg selected for the control?


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## onecut jimmy (Apr 26, 2013)

papermaker said:


> Short answer yes they can be upgraded. I assume that it has servo motors to control the x,y and z axis. You'll need to find out what controls these motors or where it gets its signal. Once that is figured out then you'll need to get a break out board and connect it to a computer loaded with the right software and you're in business.
> I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about. You should probably talk to someone that supplies kits for smaller mills. They were real helpful when I talked with them about doing the same thing to my mill.
> I'm taking the lazy route and selling my mill and getting a small benchtop mill.



Hi papermaker. I had the same thoughts. But on Marylands eastern Shore were kinda secluded
Thats the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake bay.
Darn I really do have to learn to type. I'll get ahold of my friend Monday and see what we can do.


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## onecut jimmy (Apr 26, 2013)

papermaker said:


> Short answer yes they can be upgraded. I assume that it has servo motors to control the x,y and z axis. You'll need to find out what controls these motors or where it gets its signal. Once that is figured out then you'll need to get a break out board and connect it to a computer loaded with the right software and you're in business.
> I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about. You should probably talk to someone that supplies kits for smaller mills. They were real helpful when I talked with them about doing the same thing to my mill.
> I'm taking the lazy route and selling my mill and getting a small benchtop mill.



Hey Tony i would like to give you and papermaker a thank you but I don't know how. what the heck  I'm going to bed.
Good Night and thanks.


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## Alphawolf45 (Apr 27, 2013)

I've done it once, back in 2005. Since then I've used the 3000 lb Hurco bed mill about 1200 hours. Love it.Well worth doing...I run Mach 3 on a personal computer..Wont say there hasnt been problems crop up but have almost always been fault within the personal computer itself or the keyboard...

.Will add that I also have a larger cnc mill I'd like to convert to 'modern; electronics but its servo motors are huge and nobody makes a capable servo drive that is within my budget........And I also have a dead Miyano cnc lathe just screaming for rebuilding but cant right now spend the approximately $3000.00 itd cost to upgrade its controller and variable frequency spindle drive......


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## ki4byz (Apr 27, 2013)

These guys can hook you up with all the parts needed 
http://www.geckodrive.com/


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## RayMJr (Apr 27, 2013)

Yes, it can be done.  There are several approaches that can be taken.
I mentor a high school robotics team, and several years ago a family donated a Bridgeport mil with a Bandit (1970's era) controller on it.
The team wrestled with it for a couple of years, but the occasional erratic behavior was driving them nuts.  The g-code was not up to industry standards as well.  Not very good for a learning situation.

My son & I decided to build an upgraded system to control the mill.
We used the original stepper motors that were on the machine, but everything else was replaced.  We chose LinuxCNC as the control system, Gecko stepper drives, and breakout boards from PMDX.   The system board was an Intel ATOM mini ITX.  The power supply for the steppers was a torroidal supply from Antek.  All of the electronics were stuffed into a large PC case. 
The most difficult part was writing up a wiring diagram of the original setup, and deciphering what could be re-used, and what should be scraped & replaced.

The original setup did not have limit or home sensors, that we added later.

I now feel comfortable that the students are learning skills that will serve them well in their lives!

Ray


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## tfranktoo (Apr 29, 2013)

Now this is an interesting thread. I have fallen heir to five old cnc machines. One is a baby benchtop vertical mill and the others are small benchtop lathes. The tech ed teacher that threw then into the trash said that the stepper moters weren't up to the task. Stripped the stepper moters off of two of the lathes and are using them manually and they do a nice job within their capabilities. Gonna have to keep an eye on this thread!!!
God Bless, Frank.


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## Tony Wells (Apr 29, 2013)

Frank, if the mechanics are all still good on your machines, you've got it the easiest. There are quite a few options open to you. Watch this thread, and then when you are ready to tackle one, start a thread and we can all go through it together.It will be worth it. I wish I had some old CNC machines given to me. But then, I really need larger ones, and generally, if they give them away, it's for a good reason. But the way they work is just like the small ones, just the parts cost lots more and there's not quite as much aftermarket support for the commercial side of things. But I'll get around to making this a hobby eventually.


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## philr07 (Apr 29, 2013)

I want to do one of these also.  Assuming you have a good spindle, screws and ways, it should be feasible even if you cannot use the existing drive motors.  Some of the older servos may be a problem to interface with the newer digital electronics. I forget the exact criteria the steppers/servos need to meet, but it has to do with the signals between the motors and the board.  I would consider using a motion board, vs a break out board.  The advantage here is you remove the "work" of pulse counting, etc from the computor and it is done on the motion board instead of by the computors processor.  When the CNC is doing complex motions, it does a better job if no interruptions happen.   I have a bench top that does well enough with a breakout board and stripped down Windows PC, but I make pretty simple parts.   I use Mach because my machine came that way, but would probably choose Linux if were building a system.  I am not an expert, but am just passing along info I've seen in blogs or white papers over the past year I've been interested.


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## astjp2 (Aug 25, 2013)

If you have a Fagor, Centurian7, Fanuc, Siemens, or any other commercial controllers and drives, they all require specific logic to run and programming to match what it is installed on.  The Geckos are good for a smaller machine but most industrial machine use 3 phase and need way more power to operate than the Gecko can put out.  If the drives use serial inputs, then you maybe able to use it.  Some of the machines I work on that are 20 years old use a fiber optic communication system to send the information from the control to the drives.  This is just some things to consider...Tim


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