Swapping X and Y on a PRT

[gripus]

I recently purchased a used PRT120X60 as my second CNC. The previous owner told me he had had a problem with the board and the folks at ShopBot had talked him through using the "A" slot for the "Y" output. (there are two motors on the long axis)

Any help would be appreciated. Using two different machines with two different orientations (having used the first for six years) would make this old head explode.

The link takes you (finally) to a drawing of the current configuration and what I would like.

http://www.gripus.com/Botxy.bmp

Regards,

Joe

[cabnet636]

joe i am kinda surprised you have not gotten a response to this, i believe you want to make your table long y instead of x, i know this can be done.

jim

[ken_rychlik]

I don't understand why the A can't just be used for the X and both X ouputs used for your "Y" long axis.

What problem does this cause?

Kenneth

[myxpykalix]

I have others ask about this and seems like i have heard how to change this however if it was me I wouldn't do it.
I can absolutely see how, since this is a second machine you are opening a BIG can of worms.

Undoubtably you have lots of models and cut files already oriented in the traditional directions. You cannt use them on the new machine without orienting your material opposite of what you do now and if the X distance in the file is longer then your current Y you have problems.

How do you designate the files you will now make for the new axis and keep them seperate from the old files.

What if you make a file for the new machine and axis but that machine is working, you won't be able to use them on the old machine.

Maybe its just me but if you are an old fart like me you don't need anything else to confuse us any more then we already are!
but good luck...

[gripus]

Jim,
Thanks for kicking things off. I was afraid the previous owner hadn't given me the ShopBot secret handshake.

Kenneth,
I think that is what I want to do but I don't know how to make the computer associate the two "ShopBot" X axis motors with the "Joe's" Y axis.

Jack,
I am, indeed, an old fart. For six years I have been standing at the end of my Techno-Isel machine and watched the Y axis go away from me and the X axis go back and forth...left to right. When I sit down to create my files I have six years of looking at them one way. I am afraid I am the old dog who can't learn the new tricks. I have the two machines side by side so having my brain switch back and forth that many times in a day is just more than I can handle.

Since my files will be generated using two different Post Processors and have two different file types I have a sub-folder under each existing folder. For example, I have a folder called "Colt 1911" with my files for the Techno. Under that will be a sub-folder called "Colt 1911_SBT" and in that folder will be my Aspire file as well as the toolpaths generated for the ShopBot. For projects that will not fit the Techno I will only have files in the "XXXX_SBT" folders.

I had the electrician there today putting in the new circuits for the machine and running 3 phase for the vacuum. I still have to re-surface the table. Hopefully, I will be able to start cutting this weekend. My Techno was down about three weeks so I am like the butcher who backed into the meat grinder...I got a little behind in my work.

Thanks, guys, for the responses. If you would be so kind as to tell me how to accomplish this you will be my heroes.

Regards,

Joe

[rb99]

One way is to call Shopbot...


RIB

[ken_rychlik]

I agree that phone calls to shopbot are the easiest.

They are free for tech support and very helpfull.

[myxpykalix]

Oh now i understand...I was under the impression you were using a shopbot previously and this was a second shopbot and you wantd one to go one way and the other to go another. I thought you wanted to chaange directions because od space constraints and table position.

Now it makes sense. When i first got my bot I wanted to change it because the actual front of the machine (the X axis) was on the side and what i faced because of my shop size was the Y axis to me was my front. For the first couple weeks it confused the **** out of me until I just adapted MY thinking to THEIR orientation.

I recall one guy here who had built a real slick enclosure for his buddy asked about and changed his orientation but i don't remember who it was. Like suggested a call to Shopbot would be best...we are just the after hours tech support! Does Scott still work for Shopbot?..he always helped me a lot...

[Red Dawg]

I realize this is a very old topic, but I just got up and running and the orientation of my PRS 4848 in the shop lends itself to making this exact same x-y axis switch. For ease of materials handling, teaching operations to my students, and just plain old general understanding it would make way more sense to have the X axis aligned with the "open" end of the machine and the y axis aligned with the rails. Did anyone ever make this switch, and if so how do I do it?

[Brady Watson]

You're going to have to swap a few things around. First, you'll run the VI command in SB3 & change Driver Channel 1 to Y and Driver Channel 2 to X. Then verify that it is moving around as you expect in keyboard mode, SK - using the arrow keys. Most likely, one or both axes will move in the wrong direction. Run the VU command and sign the affected axes with a negative sign (-) in front of the unit value. This will make it go in the other direction. If you have an Alpha, this is the only way to do it. If you have a Standard, instead of signing the UV, you can turn off the power & swap any pair of black & green wires in the motor Wago to reverse direction & the (-) sign will not be needed. Be sure that you do this on both sides of the gantry before you test it or it will twist itself off of the rails.

The next thing you'll need to swap around will be your proximity switches. Open the control box and swap the black wires in input 2 and 3 with each other. #2 is the prox for X (your new Y) and #3 is for Y (your new X). If you don't swap them and run C3, the tool will hit the stops before it triggers the prox because it is 'listening' for input 2 first, then input 3. You may need to adjust the prox target on the gantry towards your new X0 location.

When all is running well, move the tool to your new 0,0 location. Then zero it out in X,Y. Then run SB setup using the TS command. Run the prox setup routine & be sure to save changes when done. Now it should all work as you want it to. If not, post here & we'll get you sorted out.

-B