Member postings for Andrew Binning

Whoops! I should have said null modem cable ( Rx to Tx and Tx to Rx or DTE-DCE and hand shaking with the other functions , e.g. RTS to CTS and CTS to RTS) or DTE-DTE in other words straight Tx to Tx and Rx to Rx and so on with the other functions.

I hope I have got this right now

I realise the different boards may run the same software but I was also hoping to get connection schematics which relate to my board. With a view to doing a conversion.

I have sent a PM for the older software. Thanks.

The other query I have just now is regarding the RS232 protocol. Is it a null modem or a DCE-DTE connection. It would be helpful if I could eliminate this as a source of failure before I start trying to work through the software and what files need to be run before which.

Rod, It may come to that but the lathe belongs to a friend who has entrusted it to me to obtain best value so I am obliged to try and get it in a working state. He used it 20 years ago but can't find the software! I am still exploring other avenues for the software but if all else fails I have already had a PM from someone who is interested in it as is.

Emgee , your last link , amended by Michael G , http://www.denfordata.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=2087 has a photo of boards in a machine that is only 6 months older than mine but they are all different from the boards in my machine. Denford MD , Steve , sent me that link as well but it was no help.

So far all the links that I have seen have not turned up anything that looks like my kit! My plan is to try and find the software that will run the lathe and then sell it , I would love to get stuck in and do a conversion to interface with Mach 3 but I have a loco that needs building and the Starturn is a distraction!

Thanks everyone for suggestions.

Andrew

Thank you for your links , but as I said , I have gone through the Denford forums which are the only source of documentation/software for the older Denford machines. I had a very prompt reply from the MD who sent me two photos of the processor board in a Starturn 8 but neither of them bore any resemblance to my hardware. So I don't know the names of the hardware or the software to drive it. The Stepper drives are Digiplan SD3s and the head stock drive motor controller is an Cheetah Anyspeed ASP~5 in and the lathe has an ATC fitted. I have mentioned these items in case anyone recognises these combinations of hardware.

Having drawn a blank with Denfords I am hoping that some one has a the documentation and software for a Starturn 8 CNC Lathe. 1987 year so is probably DOS based software. I would be grateful for a copy ( I will pay costs ) of the docs and software to get this machine operational. The Stepper drives are Digiplan SD3 and main motor is a Cheetah Anyspeed ASP~5 DC controller. The lathe is fitted with a tool changer.

Hope someone can help me here please?

Thank you all for your responses and suggestions. I am concerned about the possible use of Silfos in the firebox because of the possible failure under working conditions i.e. sulphur attack on the phosphorus fluxed alloy. The good news that the stays are gunmetal and were threaded into the inner firebox sheets. I only have leaks on the side sheets in the firebox. Mechanically the silfos joints will be strong enough because of the threaded stays although some might leak in due course. Perhaps hard water scale will keep those leaks at bay?

My original post was to invite suggestions for repairing the leaky stays. As the Moderator has suggested the Silfos is to a certain extent a red herring because for the purposes of repairs, 455 silver solder will be OK according to Johnson Matthey. Talking to CuP Alloys they felt that if the internal firebox stay ends had been soldered with Easy Flo No. 2 there might be a risk in using 455 for repairs because of the higher melting point and the risk of melting nearby stays that are pressure tight at the moment. The leaks are fairly minor ( slow bubbling with 40psi air pressure ). I have Oxy/Propane equipment and am looking into getting a cylinder of Propylene which has a higher calorific value than Propane but safer than Acetylene.

Propane as a source of heat is an interesting idea but I have no experience of burners, fuelling techniques, etc. I am happier sitting on a tender of coal rather than a gas cylinder. Also has been pointed out it doesn't smell right!!

I have not messaged Keith Hale directly because I feel we can all benefit from the experience of his years of experience in these matters if he cares to reply in the forum. I would though be interested in seeing what Keith suggests I use to seal these leaks and out of interest is there anyway that the actual joint alloy could be sampled? I don't know anyone with access to a mass Spectrometer!

Thank you for your suggestion I have already had discussions and sought advice from Johnson Matthey, Cup Alloys and my Club Boiler inspectors. No clear consensus on best course of action yet, hence throwing the problem to a wider audience in the hope that I can pick up the best advice. The problem is the original boiler maker is now in his eighties and he is not 100% sure what he used. He still has a stock of Silfos from a project in the Nuclear industry where fluxless brazing of large copper conductors was required. He thinks he may have used the silfos in the firebox but not on the outside joints. Not sure why he did it this way around. If I could be sure that the firebox stays in the firebox ( which are threaded gunmetal ) were not soldered using silfos I would be happy. I still have some small leaks but they can be sealed hopefully.

I have acquired a boiler which is at least 10 years old and the firebox silver soldering may have been done with silfos - 15. The phosphorus content of this alloy makes flux unnecessary but the phosphorus is attacked by the sulphur from the coal combustion and eventually the joints will go spongy and porous. Data sheet warnings for this brazing alloy warn against the use in a sulphurous environment. The boiler has not been steamed and while it passed a hydraulic test when it was built it now has a number of small leaks on the inside ends of the firebox stays which are threaded gunmetal.

I am looking for advice on how to proceed as I need to seal the joints in the best case or , in the worst case , I can prove that silfos was actually used, then the boiler may have to be scrapped.

I am building a Dholpur and would appreciate advice from any Dholpur builders who have encountered derailing problems with the bogie/pony truck. What did they do to cure the problem and how did they set up the springing on drivers and non driving axles.

Steve, I have what I think you would call a Mono system. The oil boiler was removed and the ASHP unit connected to the pipe system supplying the radiators. The discharge temperature from the ASHP is set at 70°C. If you read my previous post you will know that in the summer all my hot water comes from solar hot water and PV systems. In the winter if there is occasionally a bit of winter sunshine to boost the DHW temperature otherwise the DHW is heated by the ASHP. Sales pitches from the manufacturers did misslead me as well. They are more interested in getting their money and not too concerned if you have an optimum design for your situation. They should have told me to get rid of the downstairs radiators and install UFH running it from a split system with low temperature for the space heating from UFH and a high temperature circuit to heat DHW and the odd upstairs radiator. Benefit of hindsight! However having checked the figures again I am gaining from the COP of the ASHP but couldn't put a figure on what that is. The figures speak for themselves. Pre ASHP with a condensing oil boiler

Electricity :- 14,000 units at 15p £2100 Plus oil :1500 litres at 0.45p/litre £675

Post ASHP installation

Electricity :- 11,250 units at 15p £1687 and no oil cost

The PV contribution to energy consumption has been basically the same so can be ignored for comparison purposes. Hope this helps.

Andrew

Just come across this thread on ASHPs . I have a Daikin unit and my annual bills are up on what they were with the condensing oil fired boiler and in summer I get a good slice of power from my 3.4Kw solar array. This is of course no use for savings against mains supplied energy for the ASHP in the heating season. I have a wet radiator system controlled by an industrial PLC which allows individual room heating to be selected for heating periods and temperature. This means that the ASHP has to run at a higher temperature than would be ideal for an ASHP. If I could, I would go for a split system with underfloor heating and a higher temperature circuit for upstairs rads ( heating not needed in bedrooms except first thing in morning and bedtime ) and the hot water. Hot water with my present setup is largely free from solar from March to September so the ASHP is shutdown during the summer. The house is a 1938 detached construction with solid brick walls. Roof is insulated to modern standards and extensions front and back are cavity wall construction insulated to 1990 building standards. I don't regard the house as being well insulated . My current electricity bills are about £140 a month, before the ASHP was installed I was using about 1500 litres a year when the oil price was about 45p a litre. But of course when I installed the Heat Pump the bottom fell out of the oil market ( 2015 ) and the price of oil halved! Electricity consumption prior to ASHP installation in 2015 was about 14,000 units a year. The electricity consumption for the year ending April 2020 was 11,250 units at 14p per unit. The solar panels generated 2750 units in the last year to March 2020 and my FIT payments this year will be well over £1200. My hot water is also heated by a solar water panel array which has run for 37,500 hours since its installation in 1984 but I cannot tell you how much energy they have actually contributed , suffice it to say that even before the solar panels were installed I was getting hot water from April to September with hot water cylinder temperatures sometimes exceeding 80°C. Now surplus PV power is diverted to the immersion heaters in the hot water cylinder as well. Hope you can extract what you need to know from this essay! If you need to know more I will try and assist. Best Wishes.

Post Script:  Have posted and re read what I wrote,  I realised I have contradicted myself somewhat!  My electricity consumption is less post ASHP installation and I do not have fuel oil bills so I have benefited more than I had previously thought.  PV panels make a significant energy contribution to overall consumption but not of course during the winter when their contribution would be really useful.  I need to see if I could make any savings by running the ASHP during the night on economy 7 rates, perhaps setting back the temperatures a bit from daytime levels.  By the way I have seen no evidence of ice formation on my outdoor heat pump radiator ( absorber)  and the fans are very quiet and are load dependent variable speed running.

Edited By Andrew Binning on 08/10/2020 22:04:38

Edited By Andrew Binning on 08/10/2020 22:09:40

I have been using Fusion 360 for some time now and am now branching into the CAM or Manufacturing function. My CNC machine is a Sieg X3 upgraded with a 400Hz , 24,000RPM Inverter drive ( from CNC4you.co.uk) running under Mach 3. The basic Fusion 36 does not list a Post processor for Artsoft - Mach 3 but there is one on an AutoDesk website :- https://cam.autodesk.com/hsmposts I hope this is of use to anyone using Fusion 360.

I assume this was an oil based paint intended principally for woodwork?

Can anyone recommend a paint that will withstand cutting oil or suds. I have used Hammerite in the past but that seems to peel after a time. Rust Oleum paints have two part epoxy paints which might do the trick but they are expensive and come in industrial size packaging.

I had injector feeding problems once with a 5" tank loco. I traced the problem to a leak in the feed pipe from the side tanks. Not big enough to show with the head from the tanks but enough to allow air in when the injector was trying to feed and the vacuum was drawing in air. Cured the leak and the injector worked fine.

Edited By Andrew Binning on 27/06/2020 08:53:19

Sorry ! I seem to have lost the first part of the article.

I have copied the Bill Carter article. Hope this is useful .

Hi Neil,

I have replied to a post in the live steam topics and have received requests from subscribers for a copy of an ME article in Vol 141. I have scanned the article but I cannot see a way of attaching a PDF to a post or to an email on the website.

The motor spindle is available from cnc4you.co.uk. I have no connections with this company apart from having received excellent support and good products. The chuck on the spindle is an ER20.