Emco Maier EmcoTurn 120 (Compact 6)

Hi,
I've recently purchased an Emco EmcoTurn 120 (also known as a Compact-6 CNC) with an EmcoTronic T1 control on it. This machine is in darned near new condition (maybe 10 hours at most on it), but it is missing one vital piece of material.... the MSD tape. I recognize that this tape is different for every machine, but having a copy would at least get me started. Apparently you can save the data out to the serial port (and read it in from there too), so if someone has one of these machines I would love to get in touch with them. Also, I'd love to get a copy of the VHS tape that describes the usage of the control.... It isn't mandatory, but it would be nice.

Finally, if anyone has any tooling for the machine that they don't need.... Well, you get the picture.

This machine is a little strange in that it used 380V in. They sold the lathe with a monster transformer though (which I have). Getting an appropriate phase converter might be a trick though... I don't think I want to try my homebrew rotary on a CNC. The voltages can drift up too much.

Anyhow, if you can help with any information, I would *very* much appreciate it.

Thanks,
Alan

i have one to and im having the same problems
have you called emco ??
email me if you want to chat
[email protected]
stuart

I guess I should update my original post....

When I purchased the machine, I was only able to pickup the control portion and then (about 1 month later) the lathe itself. Anyhow, it was during that time that I had posted my original message because the previous owner indicated that a lack of the tape was one of the main reasons he sold the machine. Based on this, I started looking for the MSD information.

Anyhow, Doug is right.... So long as the machine went through the Columbus plant (apparently some were imported directly) then Emco will have the MSD information for you. I was able to get it fairly easily. Ironically, however, when I got the machine, I opened the little door on the left side and voila! There was the tape! So open the little door first!!!!!!

I still haven't powered the machine up because I am building a stand for it. I have *finally* managed to get the manuals though... I would still *LOVE* to get a copy of the VHS tape if you can find it. I'll swear on my machine that I'll return the bugger! Being totally new to CNC lathes, a 'dummy's guide to how to run this thing' would be nice.

Thanks again, Doug, for the information on the phase converter.... I was planning on upgrading my 5HP to a 10HP... Maybe now I won't bother. I was just worried that I'd blow something apart if I tried with my 5HP.

Alan

Another tid-bit of information....

1. "mini-cassette" tapes should work on the machine. They are not real common, but can be had if you look around

2. The RS-232 loading of the MSD tape will only work on later versions of the control. You may need to manually enter the data then save it to a tape.

3. The TM-01 and TM-02 are, apparently, pretty darned similar. Basically Emco ran out of TM-01 keyboards and the keyboard manufacturer had gone bust. Their solution was to redesign the system with a new keyboard (TM-02) and they also increased the RAM and modernized the CPU. I was told that the OS is the same though. Then, at some point, the original keyboards became available again so they went BACK to the TM-01 control (don't know about the RAM or CPU, but I assume they stayed with the more modern one).

If anyone else has more information about these machines, please post it here.... It is kind of intersting to know the lineage of these small machines.

By the way, for those that don't know, these machines have ball screws, a 5 HP motor, can have pneumatics, accept 5C collets (nose adapter), and use a 5 coil stepper motor. Just for the curious....

Alan