1997 vintage PR 96

[joe_dusel]

Hi all,

I have a friend who is selling a 1997 PR 96 with the steel table. What sort of problems am I looking at buying a machine that is this old? Am I going to need to spend thousands in upgrades to make this usable? How much would a machine this old be worth? By the way, I don't think it's ever been used or even completely setup for that matter.

If I get it I'm also planning to get setup with the new eCabinet Systems interface.

Thanks!

Joe

[Brady Watson]

Joe,
In my opinion, the PR is OK as a hobby machine, but really isn't up to production duty, and very slow for cutting cabinet parts. It WILL cut plywood, MDF etc and even do it in 3D, but it will do it slowly and with less resolution than current machines. I would hold out for a used PRT tool, as these have a better drive system and can be upgraded to perform like the new PRS line of tools.

-B

[cbradshaw]

Brady,

Do you know how much the upgrade is?

[jerry_stanek]

I have a PR that I added the 4g upgrade and it cuts 100 percent better than it did when I got it. It will cut at 300 ipm and jog at 400 ipm runs the newer software and seems to be more accurate.

[Brady Watson]

You will need an entirely new control box to upgrade a PR to 4G. I believe they are $1295.

[rb99]

You can easily weld the gantry and change the rails.

RB

[joe_dusel]

Thanks for the information guys!

Joe

[ken_rychlik]

Joe, it kind of depends on if you want to tinker, or if you want to cut parts. I paid 5,500 for a barely used prt, but upgraded the board to 4g, so that added some money to the mix. One prs just popped up for 8 thousand on the for sale section. I thing it's a good value.

The old one you are looknig at should be priced around 3 thousand in my opinion. Then plan on putting a few grand into it (at least)

If one is set up for vacuum hold down, it is worth more as that takes time and money too. If you are cutting case parts you will want that.

Kenneth

[zeykr]

It looks as though the 4G upgrade would be necessary to run the ecabinet interface as it's only supported in the upcoming control software which does not support controls prior to 4g.

[joe_dusel]

Thanks again. I don't mind tinkering, but I'm a woodworker and a software engineer(displaced). I'm not a welder. I've decided to wait for a more appropriate machine.

Joe