Bets I blew out the spindle motor drive on a Superslant

I am rebuilding a Hardinge Superslant. I have the servos redone, the IO done, a new PLC and just about everything is/was working before the big final push. I am following in the footsteps of RobH in Brittan who has done the same on several Hardinges

Hardinge Superslant retrofit - LinuxCNC

Below are my thoughts on why/how I think the spindle broke. All I know now is that it is in Fault mode and does not want to come out.

I was powering up the circuits to test the spindle encoder when I found the servo drive, the only part of the old machine I kept around, not getting out of fault. I found this odd as I had the spindle fine months ago. No changing of the wires to the spindle or spindle drive. The field loss relay was clicking on and was fine.
Searching I found 405-408VAC on the input lines to the drive. That was high and odd. Looking at the power to the lathe I found it was outputting 246VAC. The transformer, a 30kA transformer taking 600VAC to 240VAC came with the lathe. The wires were at the middle state when producing 240VAC. I then dropped the down to 235VAC after finding the lathe is to run at 230VAC.
I have been rebuilding this lathe for many months. I have testing many parts and have not had this error from the servo drive before.
As the lathe is not operational, and some projects required 230-240VAC power for testing. Water heaters, motors, stuff that needs a few kva for testing.
It is my thought that the lathe was, when purchased from the old company and when I did earlier testing wired at 235VAC at the 95% step down output. When it was wired back after use on other junk, it was wired back at 100%, or 245VAC output. I didn't notice, nobody noticed.

I remember testing something months ago, turning it on and thinking I was smelling something from the spindle drive. I smelt around it and looked at the cards but could not find anything standing out. I checked the wiring, seeing it was at the 100% on the transformer, but didn't think more than that. I think I smoked something, but I can't be sure.

Click to expand...

Outside of that thought as to why it isn't working, I am looking at how to see if the spindle drive is broken. I have spent some time translating the servo drive manual, but it appears I cannot upload it here without compressing it to a .txt file as provided. The servo drive is a 6RA2625-6DV54-57. It is a 10kW shunt motor running at 380VDC.

I have checked the mains voltage, field supply, tachogenerator lines, the field loss relay and sensor. I have tried to find what the LEDs mean but have not had success there.

Looking forward, what options or suggestions are out there? I have found minimal information about the Hardinge Superslant spindle online. Does someone have skills that could point me as to where I can find more info on how to get the drive to work or what the drive may have wrong? My current next plan is to read more about the drive, then take out the cards and measure each diode, look for damage, inspect the power circuit, and see if I can find a broken part. I would guess a diode has blown, but that is my guess.

As well, I would be open to getting a new second-hand spindle, however I do not know where to look. 10kW, 5200rpm, 230VAC/380VAC available.

It's been a couple of years since you were working with the Fanuc 6T control on this old girl.

So why don't you post some photos and tell us what LED's are on.
I will be working on a 4 axis superslant over the next month or do.
When I get the sub master controller working, then I can start the spindle.

Did you have the blower on the spindle motor running while testing?
It doesn't take long for the field coils to heat up and smell when the fan is not running.

Bill

I’ve recently acquired a Hardinge superslant with a sub turret and 6’ bar feeder. Got it home and found I was lacking the space to set it up (it was part of a package deal on 4 other machines). I am considering selling it if you are interested. It also comes with stacks of manuals.

The LEDs that are on are the STOP and N<N_x on the front board and the two outer LEDs on the back board
https://i.imgur.com/JEU4zc4.jpg https://i.imgur.com/p2aOtLd.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/J0P31a9.jpg

As for the Fanuc, I have removed that and have tried numerous times to sell it but nobody wants to bite. I have dealt with a few buyers who always seem just about to buy it then back off. I also removed the servo drives and replaced them with new ones but I doubt I could find someone to buy either. They were tied to the PLC. The original Hardinge used tachometers, while this one used the PLC to simulate the tachometer signals to the servo drives. That was a scary discovery, turning on the servos and things moving at full speed.

The blower was spinning on the spindle, yes. I also measured the field resistance at 220ohm and the voltage at 9.1VDC. It does turn on the field loss relay when it clicks. On the old manuals it wrote that the old resistance was 196ohms.

Right now I would be interested in a bar puller and all of that, but more after I have the new servo drives on and the machine moving. I also have a huge air leak inside the turret. I believe the o-ring on the clamp broke. I have been unable to open the top plate off of the turret to access it, but I will someday. It is more a thing to do at a later date so far.

Pictures from two years ago when I was young and brash: Hardinge Superslant Linux CNC - Album on Imgur

Pictures now. Hardinge pics December 218 - Album on Imgur

Removed the Fanuc, replaced the servos, changed the middle transformer down below to output 120VAC to power the computer and screen, brought two encoders to the front for manual control, removed a host of wires, removed the old encoders and linked the servo drive's encoders to the PLC, changed all 12VDC circuits to 24VDC (except the turret as it would burn out if I put 24VDC through it) and optocoupled the rest to link to the PLC, put pull up resistors on all hall sensors... also learned a bunch about how to ladder logic and PLC programming.

I have the servos running, but not position controlled yet. I have been fighting to get other parts like the end stop positions working first. I think I am close, but finding that the E-Stop circuit not starting up the other day was a big let down.

I solved it. Swapped phase direction. It works now.

EDIT: I swapped two of the three input power wires. I had the wires in reverse. You can tell this by when you turn on the machine and the pump does not increase the oil pressure you know you have the phases the wrong way around.

Vitran said:

I solved it. Swapped phase direction. It works now.

Click to expand...

thanks for getting back with the solution, someone will find it useful in the future

I have the XZW axis moving now fairly reliably with about a .00042" max error when traveling at 400ipm, but at lower speeds it locks in at +-0.00006" which I am fairly happy with.

I still have not turned on the spindle yet. I was testing air the other week and it was bleeding air from the upper turret I would like to stop that before disengaging the spindle break, but that is another issue.

I am currently sending off both the the Fanuc 6T motherboards and daughter boards to the e-waste along with the 3 servo drive cards for the XZW axis and three motors unless there is someone who wants them. Sort of a last call, as I have tried to sell them for so long that I don't know if anyone actually wants them anymore. They came out of a working Hardinge. I just wanted to redo the PLC.

My plan for this week is figure out the turret and spindle. Figure out if the spindle break can be disengaged and the source of the air leak in the turret. When I looked at this a long time ago I found that the solenoid valve inside the turret had melted a hole in the plastic air lines going to it. I replaced that tube back then (this was before the removal of the Fanuc 6T), but I wonder if it did it again since then.

There are two plates that are held down with four screws on the turret. The hex bolts stripped on the four screws holding the plate on top but I was able to remove the lower one. I believe I will have to do something like JB weld something to the bolt to unthread it out. That will most likely be my task this week.

Vitran said:

The hex bolts stripped on the four screws holding the plate on top but I was able to remove the lower one. I believe I will have to do something like JB weld something to the bolt to unthread it out. That will most likely be my task this week.

Click to expand...

"Week"? More like all damned year if you figure JB Weld to be stronger than the steel that you have already busted.

Even TiG Weld or MiG Weld isn't likely to be THAT strong before you've just puddled the whole shebang into one mass.

May want to figure drilling 'em out and just saddle-up and go after it?

Vitran said:

When I looked at this a long time ago I found that the solenoid valve inside the turret had melted a hole in the plastic air lines going to it. I replaced that tube back then (this was before the removal of the Fanuc 6T), but I wonder if it did it again since then.

Click to expand...

Sumthin' ain't right. First-go or this go, didja try to find out if the solenoid is being over-powered or operated on a 100% duty cycle when it need not be? Wrong solenoid used at a prior repair?

If that much trapped heat was "normal" it doesn't seem as if the sort of plastic line as would melt wudda been used. Is THAT perhaps an inappropriate substitute off the back of some prior air system repair, then?