Bridgeport CNC with Masso Controller/Clearpath

This is going to be my first CNC build and my First build log. I've decided that a build log on this forum might be a good idea for this project so the next guy to take on this project doesn't have to deal with the stupid stuff I'm already running into.

This is my Masso Controller

I will be using 3 Clearpath Stepper Killer servos model# CPM-SDSK-3432S-RLN

They are a little over 6" long...

almost 3.5"

1/2" shaft with a 3/16" keyway

I will be using Teknic's IPC-5 75VDC power supply


But before you can wire up you Masso controller you have to power up the Clearpath servos and plug them in to a PC with the ClearPath USB-B cable and it absolutely has to be their cable I've already tried 5 others, now I'm waiting for UPS to deliver a "Teknic Certified" USB cable. Very Lame....

Their program will not see my servos without the "Teknic Certified" USB cable...


Edit: Almost any USB cable will work.... lol

 

I just found a 12,000 RPM M-Head on Fleebay.... I think I'm going to try turning up the frequency of my VFD now....If I don't like what happens this M-head might be on its way here soon....



That way I can build my Dream drill press with the J-head....

 

Just tried to make my spindle run at 5000RPM but the motor wont run much faster than 88Hz, That puts the Spindle at about 3900RPM..... I'm going to run it like this for a little while and see how it goes...... Its a big jump from 2700RPM so I hoping to be able to run the feed speed a little bit faster..... Definitely gonig to switch over to the 1.5HP motor as well....

 

While I'm waiting for Teknic to send the servo back I decided to tear apart the top half of the j-head.... There was a ton of old grease in it.... I ordered $260 worth of bearings to replace everything that spins.... All the bearings in the head, all the leadscrew bearings and the Knee bearings....

The top half will also get a quick run thought the vapor blaster....

 

Well I found out what happens when you press a bearing through a snap ring.....lol

Just did a bunch of Tig build on on the cast aluminum....

Now it's on the Horizontal mill to face, bore and recut the snap ring grove...
But while trying to indicate the angle plate I remembered that my ways are out of tolerance about .015" so I pulled the gib the shim it.... there was already a .004" shim and the moving side looked surface ground.... Sooooo now I'm power scrapping the gib.... its crazy how fast projects can self generate it the shop.....lol

This is about 5 passes in.... only shooting for about 10 PPI

 

About 10 passes in.....

 

Thats close enough for me.... 13 passes....
Just put it back in the machine and I only need a .017" shim.....

 

Just got the servo back from Teknic..... Looks like they just sent me just sent me a brand new servo!

 

Hi Cooter,

Thank you for sharing your build so far! I wanted to chime in on the USB cable issues you seem to be having.

In order to configure the ClearPath motors through Teknic's motor setup program(MSP), you will need a USB cable designed for data connection. Many third party cables will work just fine, however there are a number of low quality USB cables which will not support the communication bandwidth required to connect to the motor. An extra long USB cable, or a cable primarily used for charging devices may not have the correct wire gauge or shielding to support real-time communication.

Given, that you have tried 5 cables already, there also may be an issue with your computer. While you are waiting for the cable from Teknic to arrive, I would recommend trying the following:

• Open up device manager on your computer.
• When you connect the motor, you should see a device appear.
• If the device shows as an unknown device, or it shows up as a Teknic ClearPath System with a yellow warning triangle, then there was an issue with the USB driver during the MSP installation. I would recommend uninstalling and re-downloading the installer from Teknic's website. Sometimes antivirus software can interfere with the download and installation and block the USB driver from being installed. If the problem persists, you will have to manually point your computer to the driver files.
• If no device appears when connecting the USB cable, then there is a hardware issue where the USB hub inside your computer is not detecting any connection. This could be caused by a cable issue, power settings in your computer, or damage to the USB port on the computer itself. Restart your computer and verify that the port you are trying to use is working with another USB device (like a mouse or USB thumb-drive).

If you are still experiencing issues after trying these steps, please let me know by sending an email to support@teknic.com and I can walk you through some more advanced troubleshooting steps.

I look forward to seeing your progress on the rest of this build.

Brendan

So can you guys give me any info to what may have happened to the old servo? I'm just curious.... I love the quality of your products, I'm planning on buying more SDSK servos soon for my next CNC project..... Also thank you for that extremely fast turn around on my RMA, you guys have the best tech support....

 

My buddy let me use his mill to bore the Bridgeport part.... Now I just need to make a sleeve for the bearings.... This was the first time my friend saw a Boring Head used on a mill he was amazed by the surface finish and how easy it is to run after indicating the part in....

The Baileigh saved my ass this time but this is the worst milling machine ever made please don't buy one!

 

New bearings are in there home....

And the top half is all back together and spining very smoothly..... The top half only has 5 Bearings..... Now it's time to pull the table off again so i can get to that bearing on the knee that screams at me when the table goes up..... lol

That's the 1.5HP 3PH motor.... it says 1735RPM.... lol its 10 more than the last one.....