Fadal 4020HT Retrofit

[DojoJoe]

I appreciate the reply and information - I was starting to think you went silent on here.
I've got it mostly running (although I had almost everything mechanical disconnected, I tend to be very anxious with new code until I've tested it thoroughly), I tested the spindle motor without air - that sure startled me (the belt slips like crazy that way, I didn't quite want to go through the trouble of getting my air compressor running [it's running now, it was broken at the time - I'm a little shop that normally doesn't need air]), but I was rather happy my Baldor VFD works. I've yet to make my keyboard as I'm getting buried working on my customer's machines (and unfortunately a few cars), but it's better than not being busy - though I'd like to finish this project to add to what I can do with the business.

As for the tool changer, I've got a Mitsubishi servo on hand and I scanned in the part of the tool changer I needed to see if I could make it fit in there - surprisingly it says I can make a SH QD bushing and L timing belt sprocket fit, but only barely, and by barely I mean less than 1/16" (my scan says I've got room for a sprocket of 3.125" diameter, and I can find them at 3.1" - I'm just going to be concerned with if the timing belt sticks out of the sprocket - I should really see how close the spindle gets before I commit to that now that I'm talking about that though). I've thought of using a helical gear as I'm seeing them on my customer's CNC's (they typically are making cabinets, so these are high end woodworking CNC's with multiple heads and stations operating at once). I'll just have to get a light gearbox for the servo motor to make the inertia ratio good for it (the sprocket on the turret would be so small there's no way I could get a good gear ratio that way).

I'll put a video up eventually when everything is put together, but it'll be a while since I don't make my living machining parts, but instead by making / modifying / programming machines and systems relating to them - so this is what I'm using for filler work when I'm between jobs or waiting on something.