We have two clients with “Standard Router” CNC routers, built in Texas as far back as 1990. These are high-quality, ruggedly-built machines that cost $50k to $100k back then! The Fagor 8025 controls on these CNC routers, however, are well past their end-of-life.
(pictures coming soon)
One machine is now having trouble homing, though switch changes are seen by the control diagnostics. The other is losing its CRT; the display is shrinking badly.
Rather than fix the 8025 with its significant limitations, we are converting these two machines to Centroid’s “Acorn” control board and conversational programming software. Used with an All-In-One PC as the HMI, this control offers a cost-effective upgrade which is built, documented, and supported fairly well by a US company.
To make the transition simple, we are laying out a carrier board for Acorn specifically aimed at “Standard Router” machines, called “Squirrel-25”. This board will greatly simplify wiring and allow the Acorn to replace the Fagor 8025 with very few wiring changes, and without adding a bunch of expensive DIN rail terminal blocks. It will support 1/2/3 spindle machines.
In conjunction with the control upgrade, we are removing Servo Dynamics servo drives and replacing them with economical Viper 200 step-dir drives made in Canada by Larken Automation. These will retain the simple rectifier/cap power supply from the old drives. The step-dir interface makes it possible to use Acorn instead of the much more expensive Centroid Oak or All-In-One control boards. The drives will need to be tuned, but Larry has a pretty nice PC-based utility for doing the tuning.
We expect to have the “Squirrel-25” Acorn Interface boards around the middle of January, 2025 and will try to get some photos up soon!
Advantages:
- Eliminates unreliable Fagor 8025
- Eliminates connector issues on Servo Dynamics drives
- Eliminates PLC
- Modern, large, color HMI with touchscreen interface
- Toolpath graphics
- Conversational programming
- Guided tool setup and touch-off
- Unlimited file size (with paid software only)
- USB file transfer & network (WiFi or ethernet) file transfer
- Remote diagnostics capability
- Options for tool touch-off, probing, wireless MPG/DRO
Disadvantages:
- User Interface is touchscreen only; no physical switches or MPG
(Centroid cost to add physical interface is excessive! Wireless MPG/DRO is reasonable, however.)