Parkson M1250 Beast

OK, so I've got it.

Now what the hell do I do with it?............. especially this bit.................

Anyone any experience of them?

Will

Panic !!! 🤔

Mick 🇬🇧

heidenhain control used these when they first came out many years ago cant tell from the photo what model but programming is basically the same later models you could use g code very easy to prog. using there own code no nothing about the machine it self the control was used on many machine tools give me a call if i can help

happy machining Geoff

You could scrap the lot and replace with modern electronics, have a look at what Muzzer did with his machine.

EDIT Murray's Blog

Edited By JasonB on 14/05/2019 15:23:32

Depends if the electrics/electronics work and you have a 3-phase supply. If neither then bin the lot and take note of Muzzer. If yes to both I'd be inclined to play before stripping out.

Andrew

Edited By Andrew Johnston on 14/05/2019 15:18:13

Indramat 3TRM2 drive amplifiers (3 axis - 2 pulse thyristor drive) are pretty bullet-proof. Previous employer used them as standard (used to buy the 20 off at a time) & I can't recall having to change one out. Can't see if the DC servo motors are Indramat or "other" - we used to use SEM but both wer reliable. Likewise Heidenhain TNC controls. All are now obsolete, so getting repairs done if they are faulty could be either expensive or not possible.

If you have a 3 phase supply, hook it up & give it a try. The 3TRM2 is not polarity sensitive & is actually single phase (IIRC 160V-170V AC input from a transformer), though the transformer Parkson used may not have a tapping to run off 240V.

Replacing with modern drives of similar capability will not be cheap.

Nigel B

Flippin 'eck what you going to be making with that … ?

George.

Must be an optical illusion but the base looks like a banana.

Thanks for the responses, everybody. It's encouraging. Why did I buy it? It came out of a folded up business and at a price not a hell of a lot more than scrap value. I've never tried 'CNC' before, I was taught 'mandraulic' - a long, long time ago and only ever used that since. So I thought: 'What the hell!' 'I'll have a go'.

I've got the Heidenhain (TNC 151, or 155 series) manual for it but, sadly, not the Parkson bit. I know lathes.co.uk do some manuals but not yet sure how near they get to this one. I'd guess it must be one of the last of this series produced. There's no nod in the direction of manual reversion because having popped a couple of covers off there are no sockets for handles, apart from the right hand end of the table appears to have something of the sort. It seems from previous posts that it's probably salvageable, even if it's a question of going for a modern electronics transplant.

On the bright side, I've got 3 phase in the workshop - a legacy of an ancient offer of it coming in at the same price as single phase when the house was built, so the guy installed 3 phase (15Kw, blown air) heating as well.

There's what looks like a serious transformer behind another panel under the main motor at the back, so I guess it's where the 170 volts comes from. Next time I uncover it, I'll look at the servo motors, etc, for maker's labels.

The first thing I have to do is get the overarm lowered so I can get it through the door. It doesn't appear to be 'plug and play', with multi-cored cables running up the inside of the arm's box section and indivually connected and tagged onto long connector blocks in the control cabinet. I'm also guessing that old fashioned CRT is pretty heavy.

One interesting bit I've found is a B.Ae. label on it, Guess it's probably one of their cast-offs from the 90s? It looks a very well built item, just looks really massive because of all the panels covering up the drives. Quite a few are fibreglass.

Will

Happily, it's an illusion. The sides narrow in from about half way. I think it's also due to the slightly random placement of the bits of OSB. It was sitting on a pallet when we collected it and looked dodgy, even though it was a hefty one. We perched it on a pallet to start with, them chickened out and put it on the floor/OSB. There are fork slots under the back of the base.

Will

It should keep the workshop door from blowing shut!

David.

Nah! Nice thought but it's a roller shutter item. It would certainly stop it closing and probably a lot of nasty noises as it tried.

Will

Where are you located? maybe there is someone nearby with electrical / control knowledge who could help.

Robert G8RPI.

Switch on, press all the buttons and see what they do. Cut the power and run away if you smell burning.

I'm in east Lincolnshire. Certainly anyone with any knowledge of these/similar things would be a very useful contact. That said, I'm trying to empty the space in the garage/workshop of building materials to let the electrician in to plumb that bit of the 3 phase, so not a panic job yet.

Will