Controller trouble with 1996 Matsuura RA3 Yasnac I80

Thanks for reading. This is a long and complicated post.

Im looking for a few ideas on what might be causing some issues with a 1996 Matsuura RAIIIF. It has the Yasnac I80 controller. I got the machine a 6 months ago. I have been cleaning it up and as Im starting to try things like actually start cutting something Im running into a few issues. First and most troubling issue is the keypad on the controller. It stops working. The machine will be up and running and Ill see the all of the leds on the control panel flicker and blink a few times. They all do it together at the same time. Before that happens everything is running and then after I can still manually move the table, twist the knobs and the readout on the crt updates, but they keypad stops doing anything. The key beep is gone. I have to power cycle the controller to get the machine back to where the keypad works. This issue I had last spring after getting the machine, but over the summer it was gone, but has returned this fall. The previous owner had it in a shop with little ventilation and all the controller cards are covered with a thin layer of grease which I think is condensed coolant(Blaser) from out of the air. I think I have all the parameters backed up on a attached computer. Im tempted to remove the cards and wash them with 100% Isopropyl alcohol being cautious of the switches or any open components. Does anyone think that is a poor idea? If not can anyone confirm for me all the different parameters I need to make sure are backed up before removing power, cards and the backup battery. I have the following. Or should another completely different course of action be tried?

Programs, O00100, O00200, O09901 (which are pallet changer programs)
"All Parameters",
"Macro Common",
"Offsets".
Am I missing any?

Second issue involves homing the machine. Upon getting the machine I have since pulled all the ways covers and vacuumed out all of the chips that had built up inside the machine. I did not have the coolant running at that point to hose that area down, so there are still some very small steel chips in and around the areas under the covers. But most of them are gone. What Im seeing for a failure is the Y and X axis's are homing and them shutting down the machine. I have to press the power on button and reset and use the handle to manually crank the table back off the softstop( Im guessing). I have seen this on both X and Y. A new issue which just started yesterday was a error 2082: ZR DECLS ERROR. Started getting that on Y and Z. Im at a bit of a loss as what I should try doing here. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thank You
Matt

If the ZR DECLS error annoys you enough or prevents you from homing the machine, replace or rebuild the limit switch on that axis. There are two switches within the housing, one for homing the machine, the other is the hard stop. If you try to home the machine from too close to the home position, or your homing limit switch is gone, you will hit the hard stop and go into e-stop condition (servos off).

I can't see any good coming from washing the boards, unless you are already well versed in electronics enough to not have to ask the question in the first place. I tinker, but know my limits. If you do decide to try it, watch out for capacitors, they could hold enough charge to bite you.

Thank you 2Axisshort,

Ill look into replacing those limit switches. I think they are the original ones on the machine. I must be hitting the hard stops cause the servos do disengage.

Yeah washing the buildup off the boards is a big guess. Its a weird failure. The only think I can think of is the humidity changing with the season. It was raining heavily the last day I ran that thing so the humidity was high. Unfortunately these boards are not conformally coated.

Thank you for your reply.
Matt

Matt, those limit switches sometimes get stuck if they are covered in dried up coolant (dirty under the way covers). Also sometimes if they sit depressed (at home position) when the machine is left sitting for extended periods of time. You can pull them apart and revive them, I usually just replace them, but in a pinch pull it apart and give everything a good cleaning.

For your keypad issue, I would call Yaskawa, their tech support is good, and free.

I personally wouldn't wash the boards, but I know some people do with good success. I would recommend pull the the drives out and giving the heat sinks on the back of the drive a good clean. Those air tunnels never have filters on them so they suck nasty coolant vapor in there and it coats the heat sinks which can be a large contributor to drive failure.

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the help. Ill get in there and clean them up this weekend. Ill also give Yaskawa a call. I did not realize they had free tech support. That is great to learn. Ill also take a look at the drive heatsinks and make sure they are clean. Here is a newbie question. Now these are the heatsinks on the actual drive motor itself or the drive electronics in the electronics bay?

Thanks again Dave!
Matt

The motors do have some cooling fins on them, and they are worth cleaning if you are in the vicinity. But I was referring to the servo packs in the electrical cabinet. When you remove them from the enclosure you will find there is actually a big heat sink on the back that you can't see until you remove the servo packs/drives from the enclosure.

Thanks for the clarification Dave. So I was looking at those switches and they dont look like they have moving parts. They look like almost like bolts that are bolted in. Magnetic switches maybe? When those start going bad is there much that can be done with them?

Thanks
Matt

Matt, the little pistons with the two angled flat on top go up and down into the housing. If you take the cover off you should be able to pull the pistons out and clean any gunk off the o ring seal or the piston and cylinder. If you looks along the axis you will see a plate that has the trip dogs on it. It should make sense when you see the two together. If not post a picture of what you are looking at and I'll circle what you need to do in mspaint.

Make sure that you have your option parameters backed up....unfortunately they are password protected. In you parameter file that you made (your backup), you should have 3 different sets....

1st set - would start with an N - these would be your parameters (communication settings, language, inch/metric, grid shift, backlash, ect)
2nd set - would start with a P - these would be your pitch error parameters. Don't be surprised if they are all at zero...Matsuura dials their machines in to the point where pitch error is not used
3rd set - would start with a D - these are your option parameters. They control everything from the amount of memory you have, if you have (and how many) RS232 ports, all kinds of fun stuff that make the machine useable.

The procedure to back up the parameters and restore them is pretty simple....cept for that damn password.

View attachment RA3F_Parameters.zip

Hi JMC,

Thanks for the info. The password thing I have not run into, which makes me think I dont have all the parameters. For downloading them I have been basically just sending them using the out command thru the comm port. Attached are what I have so far. Do these look like I have them all to you? Though I still have not found a area to enter or even been asked about a password. Sorry for the extra attachments. It did not like one of my files (too big) so I zipped them all up. Do you know what menus I go thru to get to the password one?

As a separate question, I called Methods machine today and asked them if my old machine has rigid tapping. They were not able to tell me if it does. Im guessing you have one of these old machines, do you know if rigid tapping is a standard feature?

Thank you JMC!
Matt

Hi Dave,

After doing more digging last night I found what you were talking about. So with out unbolting the hole switch assembly I should be able to remove the cover and pull out the pistons from the top side? That will make cleaning much easier. Thank you. Do you know where the Z axis switches are? Approximately where on the z axis they might be? I hoping they are accessed from up top somewhere.

As another question I asked in my reply below to JMC, but Ill ask you as well, do you know if rigid tapping is a standard feature on these old machines? Methods was unable to answer that.

Thanks Again Dave!!
Matt

Matt, I am pretty sure the pistons go through the switch body (the inside), not through the top.

Just scribe the position of the switch and un bolt it. It will be a lot easier to clean that way. IIRC the Z axis switch is up top, but its been a while since I worked on one of those. I kinda think its behind the big white piece of sheet metal that covers the spindle assembly.

Rigid tapping is not standard. You would have to check your option parameters. OMP12 D5 for synchronized tapping.

Great Thank you Dave!! The Rigid tapping feature must not be there. Kind of explains why I got two ter32 tool holders with the machine.
Thanks Again.
Matt

Matsuura I80 parameters

Dear Matt are you able to share your machine parameters?

Please advice!

Thanks

Do you expect someone that has not been on here for 3 years is gonna reply about a 5 year old post?

Hello Marcovercis,

Sorry I have been gone so long as Vancbiker has correctly alluded to. I had posted some files further up in the thread that I though were parameters. I just checked and those are what I have on my computer. Ill have to check the computer that is hooked up to the mill over the weekend to see if their are any others. Or maybe download them from the mill again. I started a new business which has been keeping me very busy and I had two kids, so I have less time to play with the mill and Im a little rusty on running it these days. But Ill try to dig out the parameters if those posted above are not what you are looking for. But please let me know.

Matt

Well blow me away...

First time I've seen a long gone user show back up to answer a long dead thread.

Well, not gone, just very busy.

marcovercis said:

Dear Matt are you able to share your machine parameters?

Please advice!

Thanks

Click to expand...

What machine do you have?

Vancbiker said:

Do you expect someone that has not been on here for 3 years is gonna reply about a 5 year old post?

Click to expand...

How'd that crow taste?