Deckel Dialog 11 LCD conversion pix

Milacron · May 7, 2009

Two years later, I finally got around to making a proper face/mount for the LCD monitor on the D11. Previously I had a standard computer monitor plopped behind the original face...but the original face was a sort of "tunnel" shape that was very difficult to match with satisfactory results. So I ended up taking the monitor apart and extracting just the screen itself and then making a whole nuther face. The only thing that remains from the original is the trim that runs along the outer edge....I had to bandsaw that out.

1/8 inch glass in front of the LCD is more reflective than I would like, but the images are perfectly clear anyway.

MCSF · May 7, 2009

Very slick.

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

Nice display...looks pretty slick.

Where is the "C" axis?
Cheers Ross

Milacron · May 7, 2009

AlfaGTA said:
Where is the "C" axis?

Sitting on a pallet, waiting to be painted green over the disgusting yellow paint ! Sheesh, can't believe you already forgot about my "only one on Earth apparently" FP2NC universal table !

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/universal-table.jpg

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/universal1.jpg

Guess I should at least pallet jack the little bugger near the machine, plug it in and see if the "ROD" encoder actually works....

Milacron · May 7, 2009

For point of reference, below is what an original Dialog 11 monitor looks like. Bit of an odd arrangement with the monitor sort of at the end of a tunnel.... I'm glad my CRT was blown as the LCD arrangement is vastly superior to the original setup, but it took a bad CRT to "force" me to do all this.

Also is interesting that even with all their brochure photography magic, the CRT screen graphics look dull, fuzzy and too small really (although admitedly the actual photo in the actual paper brochure it does look nicer than this scanned image)

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

So do all dialog11's have the "C" axis readout or is your ontrol fitted with the optional 4th axis module?
I am surprised that there is a display there if nothing is connected....
Cheers Ross

Milacron · May 7, 2009

AlfaGTA said:
So do all dialog11's have the "C" axis readout or is your ontrol fitted with the optional 4th axis module?
I am surprised that there is a display there if nothing is connected....

As I've not owned a D11 machine besides this one I don't know for sure, but I suspect they all do since most D11 machines are larger more complex machines, like the FP5CC/T (although come to think of it I don't recall seeing one of those with C axis table)

To be honest, I just programmed in the C axis because it looked cool on the screen for the photo

All you do is hit a few keystrokes to make C number display come or go. Below is a photo with C "turned off". There is an extra recepticle on the outside of the electrical box and an extra encoder cable in the box ready to hook it all up.... I'll try and remember to do so tomorrrow, as now I'm curious too.

Did you rig up a seperate one axis display on your Active DRO machine with universal table like Sean did ?

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

Milacron said:
Did you rig up a seperate one axis display on your Active DRO machine with universal table like Sean did ?

I am working on that at the moment....
Will have more to share in about a week or so.
Cheers Ross

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

Since you can just turn on the 4th axis i would guess that all D11's have that capibility...and no hardware is needed to make tht feature work, unlike the earlier "D's" that require an additional NZP board if you want the 4th along with an EXE610 Heidenhain box if you are running the uni table with the series 9000 encoders for angle display.
Cheers Ross

Milacron · May 7, 2009

AlfaGTA said:
I am working on that at the moment....
Will have more to share in about a week or so.
Cheers Ross

FWIW, I have a nice Heidenhain 1 axis display available for purchase. But I'm guessing by the "working on it" comment you are in the process of conjuring up a surprise for us ?

wrench · May 7, 2009

AlfaGTA said:
I am working on that at the moment....

You are working on everything at the same time. You have some fantastic task management and context switching skills!

--Alan

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

D:
What display model is that you have?

Alan:
It only looks like i am managing all this....you should see it from my side....Feels like i am standing in the "eye" of the tornado with an endless swirl of things to do flying past me....
Cheers Ross

wrench · May 7, 2009

Yeah, but impresses me is that when the tornado passes you have 3 newly rebuilt gems of cars, a few restored machines, a new shop (complete with crane), a happy customer who has a new shop, etc, etc, all sitting there unschathed. When the tornado passes me, I just have a bunch of c#&p sitting in a pile... the same as when the tornado fist came!

Don... Does the D11 output a composite or EGA/VGA type signal? I'm guessing composite?

Colt45 · May 7, 2009

Nice looking install, Mr Milacron. I wish you could make my Dialog4 displays that big and clear!

Ross is being modest- what does not show in the photos, is that he shows up to work wearing a tie and a white starched shirt (or is it a blue leotard with a capital "S" and a cape?) and all his projects turn out as if immaculately conceived- he never makes mistakes, his machines never falter, and at the end of the day his fingernails are clean and his shirt is still white and pure as the driven snow. :bowdown:

Re the 4th Axis display and D4, both my FP4NC machines have 4th axis display on the console without an additional display. I'm pretty sure the display has the capability, assuming you have the C axis and correct cards. From what I understand, you only need an outboard C axis readout, if you are running 5 Axis like Diamondman?

SIP6A · May 7, 2009

The control dosen't look so dated with the flat screen closer to the panel.

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

Steve:

No white shirt here...and plenty of dirt behind the nails....
Flannel in the winter and colored "T" shirt in the summer. Just a working guy and dam proud of it! Know lots of guys who hate their day jobs and are always looking for some escape...Me i love what i do , and rarely tke any time out of the shop...just don't feel like i need a break...like from what?

The 4th axis display is needed for my manual "Aktive" (TNC113 DRO) FP2 that is fitted with the universal tool makers table with the Heidenhain rotary encoder to read out angles. The DRO is fitted with only 3 axis readout, so to get the table rotation an additional box is needed.
Cheers Ross

Milacron · May 7, 2009

AlfaGTA said:
D:
What display model is that you have?

Uh...please elaborate... :confused:

Milacron · May 7, 2009

wrench said:
Don... Does the D11 output a composite or EGA/VGA type signal? I'm guessing composite?

It's either CGA or EGA...can't remember now. The usual R/G/B/H/V setup. The trick is finding a monitor that can accept the low horizontal frequency signal the control outputs. I said this was standard issue LCD computer monitor but what I didn't mention is this particular one will work with unusually low horiz frequency. If you connect any 15 inch LCD monitor to this control, most likely all you will see is a "signal not found" error on the screen.

This monitor wasn't designed with the goal of working with older systems, or advertised that way..just happenstance really that it has unusually low horiz freq. specs.

You have to pick the right one...and naturally the "right one" was discontinued last year....so I bought spares, just in case this one goes kaput some day (you might be amused at the cost... 60 bucks each, brand new in the box)

wrench · May 7, 2009

And what might that model number be? Granted, I suspect of the 2 or 3 on this board that have D11 controls, none probably need a new screen. Even so, we might as well record the information here....

One of the biggest frustrations I've had in the past is finding a source for small LCD panels in, say, 4", 5", 6", 7", 8", 9" vertical. Add to that the ability to handle composite input. Ideally these would be monochrome. An alternative would be a circuit that converted composite to the EGA/VGA so that you could use the more commonly available pseudo-computer related LCD modules.

Another option is something that takes composite and converts it to the fairly common parallel input found on screens such as Optron. Those are all ASCII based, which is fine for an awful lot of systems out there (retrofit needs). A further option would be something that takes composite and converts it to the bitmapped graphics mode supported by many LCDs. That, truthfully, would be a better scenario. I don't know of anything like that though. Building it would be a mediocre pain but not impossible... I just don't know if there is enough volume in it. Plus, I suspect it has already been done. The problem is finding out where to buy it...

Essentially this is a TV to LCD converter (of course, these low cost LCDs would be terrible TV monitors).

Alan

AlfaGTA · May 7, 2009

Milacron said:
Uh...please elaborate...

Sorry, wrote that after you offered the Heidenhain single DRO box for sale....i wanted to know what model the Heidenhain single display DRO box was.....
Cheers Ross

Deckel Dialog 11 LCD conversion pix

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