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1994 Haas no rigid tapping/ other issue

MMWLLC

Plastic
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
Hi everyone!

I took my cover off of my head on my 1994 VF0 only to find it does not have a spindle encoder. I'm guessing the spindle orientation is done with the pin system that locks it to do a tool change. Anyway, I looked at some older threads I found on here (on google) and figured where I need to go to enable rigid tapping (If I had it). I went into setting 7 and disabled it so that I could edit parameter 57. I accidentally switched "POF at E stop" from a zero to a 1. Now I am stuck and cannot change it back because the e stop has to be pressed in to change it back, but as soon as I hit the E stop now the machine powers off. :wall:

So my main questions:

-How do I change that back to a 0?

-Is it possible or feasible to add a spindle encoder that will allow rigid tapping?

Thanks in Advance
 
Perhaps you could save your parameters, change the one in question, then load them back in.

I doubt you can add rigid tapping. In addition to the encoder, there needs to be other hardware and software to support it.
 
I honestly don't know how to do that. I do have an RS232 cable to USB titan DNC box so I'm sure it could be done. I know other hardware may be needed but I know a haas tech who does work on the side for local guys like me. It may be possible if he could get all of the hardware? Right now I have 1 maritool floating tap holder. I don't really like the way it works and I'm torn if I should buy more because they're roughly $250 each. If I could get rigid tapping to work for around $1000 I'd rather do that.
 
I honestly don't know how to do that. I do have an RS232 cable to USB titan DNC box so I'm sure it could be done. I know other hardware may be needed but I know a haas tech who does work on the side for local guys like me. It may be possible if he could get all of the hardware? Right now I have 1 maritool floating tap holder. I don't really like the way it works and I'm torn if I should buy more because they're roughly $250 each. If I could get rigid tapping to work for around $1000 I'd rather do that.

I buy perfectly good Parlec floating tap holders off ebay for average $60ea
 
I buy perfectly good Parlec floating tap holders off ebay for average $60ea

Link me to that. lol. I have looked all over ebay for somethung in the sub $100 category. I need cat 40 or the kind that get put into another collet.

All I can find is stuff like this:

2 CAT4-ER32 Floating Tap/Tapping Holders using ER32 or tap collets CAT4-ER32-T | eBay

C2 ER16 75L Floating Tapping Collet Holder For CNC Turning Toolholder USA SELL 79357474572 | eBay

Does Anyone have experience with anything like that? Especially the cat 40 er32 chineese knock off. I have been hesitant to try them. Also, I;m not sure if its the used compression tap holder that I have or if they're all like this, but I have trouble getting precise thread depths with these. I'm not talking about holding even .01", but I'm referring to lets say a thru hole- one time the tap goes all the way through the part, the next time it may only go 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way.
 
Does it power up with the estop on?

A couple years back I got a kit with encoder for my 96 vf2 with spindle drive. It came with the code, and was a bit cheaper than the rigid tap code was for the newer machines at the time.
 
Proceed at your own risk:
Enter debug mode then change the parameter with the servos on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Another alternative is to go into the parameters and turn off the servos, then when you power up the machine you should not get the alarm and you can change the other parameters.
 
Another alternative is to go into the parameters and turn off the servos, then when you power up the machine you should not get the alarm and you can change the other parameters.

This is exactly what I need I think. That would give me what I need just until I can change that back to a zero and then I will turn the servos back on. I will try this next time I'm at the shop. Thanks!
 
Does it power up with the estop on?

A couple years back I got a kit with encoder for my 96 vf2 with spindle drive. It came with the code, and was a bit cheaper than the rigid tap code was for the newer machines at the time.


It tries to power on but once it hits the opening screen it shuts down due to the e stop being on haha
 
I have a 93 VF2. Just for the hell of it, I went to setting 7 and turned off parameter lock. Then I went to parameter 57 and changed the rept rigid tap parameter without hitting the e stop first. I got the Servos On! message, but I was still able to change the parameter.

Have you tried to just turn off POF at e stop leaving the servos on?
 
Are you still struggling with this?


I figured it out! i was able to leave the servos off just by powering off the machine, turning it back on, and not resetting the "Servos off!" alamr that comes up when the machine is turned on. Keeping the e stop released. Thanks everyone for the help!


On another note, is it possible to add an encoder so that I could have rigid tapping capabilities anyone?
 
I bet you could, I have been wondering the same thing about my '93 VF3. Next time I have the head covers off the VF1 at the local hackerspace I'll grab a part no on the encoder and some pictures. I imagine you just need an encoder, the belt, and a matching pulley for your encoder. There is a param for rigid tap encoder count. IIRC it's normally at 2,000 but since you can change it you should be able to get set up for any encoder you could install.

I bought a flexarm instead of messing with rigid tapping though, because even with the encoder the VF1 would occasionally do a weird thing where it would tap normally and then do an extra rotation...as if it lost the index pulse or something. This would snap the tap in a bottoming hole. I got sick of it after the 3rd or 4th tap.
 
Don't know if you have considered it, but rigid tapping is not free. It is an extra bit of software that has to be purchased. So even if you install the encoder, you would have to buy the unlock code from Haas.

While I would not want to be without my rigid tapping, don't know if I would spend the time and money on an old machine like that.

My 2 cents.
 
It may be possible to add rigid tapping, but you will need help from Haas. You would have to add the spindle encoder, pulleys, and belt to the spindle gear box. Then you need to wire it to the MOCON board. Then Haas will need to do their kung fu magic to the control to enable rigid tapping. It's not just a matter of changing a parameter. Your control has to be reinitialized and set up for rigid tapping.
 
I can freely toggle it on my '93. No code needed. There's already a pulley coming off of the gearbox, so you just need the belt, encoder, and mount bracket. The wiring is there for the encoder, it's just tucked inside the cable track.

Edit- It is possible this machine had it and they borrowed the hardware for another machine. I can't turn on macros, I get a "function locked" message. Go to your parameters and see if you can toggle rigid tapping. It's under the common switch param.
 








 
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