Broken Newall C80

I fitted a Newall Microsyn system with a C80 3-axis DRO to my Centec 2B in 2005. It started behaving strangely just before last Christmas: it started making chirping sounds - just like a little bird asking for food. For a week or so I thought it was a little bird just outside my cellar workshop. It was a little annoying, but that was all, until the Z-axis display started to reset to zero. I'd set a Z value only to find that a short time later it had been reset to zero. Sometimes it reset after a few seconds, sometimes it took several minutes, but it seemed always to coincide with a chirp.

I phoned Newall who suggested that the chirping noise was the same as the keypress noise. They then said it sounds like a keypad problem, but now that the C80 has been discontinued they no longer have spares for it. The best they could offer was a discount on their current DRO, the DP700 unit, for £703!!!

Up until now I've been pleased with the Newall system, but am now appalled that, despite being in a hobbyists workshop, it has survived only 15 years of very light use.

Is there anyone out there that knows anything about the C80 and can suggest a solution?

A friend suggested that condensation caused by my cellar could be the culprit, so I removed the DRO and warmed it slightly near a radiator for a day or so. It had no effect. I've tried swapping the scale leads around, but it's always the Z reading that gets reset to zero.

Can anybody help please? I really can't afford £700 for a new unit.

Fortunately my C80s continue to work OK. Internal battery to maintain CMOS might be a problem but why only the Z axix?

A capacitor breaking down ? A dry solder joint ? A CAREFUL study of the unit with the lid off MAY indicate where the noise is coming from and thereby the faulty component. Bear in mind that there WILL be mains voltages inside, so on powering up be careful what you touch with bear fingers ! Noel.

You could try these, Goodwin Precision, not used them and no affiliation just looked on their site occasionally.

I have used them to repair a readout box a few years ago. From memory it was a fixed price whatever was wrong.

It wasn't a Newall system but they offer to fix any. I telephoned first to check what was what and after a few questions about the item, they said yes they could fix it.

It was a good prompt service and I would use them again. The DRO is still in use.

Les

It might be worth contacting EEC LTD who claim to be able to repair older DRO's. Nothing to loose by trying them.

I have no connection to them but they seem to be one of the only companies that deal with Newall repairs.

regards

Unfortunatly it looks like the C80 uses a membrane keyboard. These are custom made and hard to repair.
Does the X selct button work reliably?
Does it look or feel different to other keys?
Does it work then the chirping is happening?

It it does sound like a faulty keyboard. There may be fixes but not pretty.

Robert G8RPI.

Noel: It uses an external power supplying 15v.

Oldirn: I contacted EEC via their email system, but had no response.

HowardT: Goodwin seem promising with a no-fix no-fee of £125, plus shipping of £15. I'll try them if another plan fails.

The overwhelming consensus was that the keypad had failed, and was no longer available. One very helpful guy said he had an old keypad from a similar display that had failed with a fault unrelated to the keypad. He was willing to send it to me to try out. £60 if it worked, send it back if not, which seemed a good deal. I agreed and waited for the parcel to arrive. After a few days the guy phoned to ask if it had worked, but the package hadn't arrived. He phoned again a couple of days later to say that the package had been located in a storage unit and would be delivered by the end of the week.It eventually arrived two days ago. 8 days late.

In the meantime the DRO had been languishing in my study for 8 days. Nicely tucked up near a a radiator. Before opening it to replace the keypad I decided to have one last try on the mill. It worked! I waited an hour or so and it continued to work fine. The next morning it was still working, so I phoned the guy. He reckoned that the prolonged stay in a dry, warmish, area had dried out some moisture that had affected the keypad. He said to keep the replacement keypad for a few weeks and to return it if it turned out to be not needed after all. No charge!! A true knight.

As of this morning it's still working fine. I'm leaving it switched on permanently from now on.

Glad to hear your problem is resolved, Gary. Even better, that you let us all know it was! So often, pleas for assistance are responded to but we don't get to hear whether the replies were any use.

John

What about running the leds 24/7?

Glad to hear drying the keypad out fixed it. It suggests condensation was to blame. Therefore the fault may be due to being in a light use hobbyists workshop, not despite it! It's because condensation is notorious for messing up electronics and home workshops often suffer from it.

In addition to corrosion, condensation creates conductive tracks that drive circuits wild. Sometimes the fault disappears when the wet dries out, other times the track causes delicate electronics to pop beyond economic repair.

Less likely to happen in a professional shop because equipment is usually on, they don't put up with damp, and there's warmth and ventilation. Maybe your workshop needs attention? Mine is well-behaved, but even so light rust appears over winter and batteries quickly go flat.

Dave

My workshop is in an unheated cellar in an old Victorian house. It's not noticeably damp but very light rust does show after several months. I have had another DRO (from M-DRO) on my lathe for over 12 years. I never switch it off and the LED display is still fine.