My Birmingham YCL-1236GH 12X36 CNC Lathe Project.

My Birmingham YCL-1236GH 12X36 CNC lathe Project. Got it very very cheap on Craigslist!

Borrowed My fathers truck to drag it home from the boonies! It would not fit in my Hummer!

Here is a copy of the Microkinetics CNC Lathe 1236 Retrofit Instructions. Maurice Khano & Microkinetics Will not provide a copy unless you pay an engineering fee? Really Maurice?

According to Microkinetics These are the latest Instructions for the CNC Conversion

This Photo is the day it was Unloaded.

Cleaning Her Up And Inspecting Everything.

Ways are clean and inspected.

For a 10 Year old Asian Machine look good!

Only 1 small flaw near the gap not a big issue.

Spindle Encoder is a DRC M-21 Series Model M21AASoDB4D-2000 (Download Data Sheet)

Instructions “download above” say to grind the preload compression nut on the ball nut so it will fit? Well There is enough room to mill out the saddle to allow for proper clearance. The ball Nuts and Screws Microkinetics uses are manufactured by Thompson Linear Ball Screw part # 5707540 which is a .631 dia. x .200 and uses a preloaded ball nut part # 7820955

Milling the Saddle for Ball Nut Preload Clearance 0n the Grizzly G0704.

Saddle Milled Out!

This Lathe is Using Thompson Ball Screw part # 5707540 wich is a .631 dia. x .200 and uses a preload ball nut part # 7820955

Made some felt wipers for the saddle.

Checking the Electronics.

The Microkinetics Motionet MN400E Motion Controller Box.

The Motionet MN400 Had a Failure on M2- Limit Switch Circuit! Maurice Khano @ Microkinetics initially offered to swap the Motionet MN400 Board out as a courtesy because their Turnmaster Pro software has no configuration ability “Not sure why they call it Pro when it lacks configuration control” You cannot change what motor output or input the Turnmaster Pro Software uses. A Little over an hour later Maurice Khano backed out of the offer.

My opinion,

Software with No Configuration control is very bad for a working machine, and also bad for a home machine! Evey other machine I have seen allows you to configure the inputs and outputs of the controller.

Buyers Beware, The Microkinetics Motionet MN400 is locked to their software and accessories you will have no control over the configuration! If you buy a used unit expect very rude customer service “as Maurice Khano says you are not a customer” and expect to pay for any tech support even if it is to request a manual or diagram that is not available on their site. This is the reason these do not hold their value and can be had for very cheap on Craigslist or e-bay! If you can score one for cheap just convert it to run mach3 or linux CNC it is rather strait forward.

Microkinetics wanted $1,500 to register the CNC retrofit kit to me as the owner to establish me as a customer for any support etc? Like hell I said! For that amount of money I will get a PMDX Controller / Mesa Board and go Mach3 or Linux CNC and will be able to have full control over the configuration of the machine + a large Mach3 / Linux CNC support base.

Since the Microkinetics Turnmaster Pro Software is very limited on the configuration and the support staff in my opinion is very rude and they wanted a $1,500 registration fee I went with a Mach3 based system. (At least there is a large support network for Mach3) After interacting and seeing the type of Company Microkinetics is I would avoid Purchasing retail from them at all costs!

I will try and diagnose the MN400. Below is the photo of the Microkinetics MN400 Ready to hook to a Jtag to do some debugging! What is a Jtag?

Screenshot of The Microkinetics MN400 when Hooked to the Jtag. The pin for the M2- limit on the Xilinx seems to be held High so the issue is elsewhere on the board probably software corruption or poor solder connection. (Will investigate more on a later date when or if I feel like it)

Update: The problem with the MN400 was a failed (opto-coupler).

Look at the sad “piss poor” wiring job in the Microkinetics Controller $774.00 Retail for this Box Not even a real wire harness what you get is a spliced ribbon cable? Is it legal or safe as a consumer electronics item? I am Glad it was a Craigslist Score! For sure the money they charge I would expect Microkinetics to provide a properly built harness. If I paid retail I would have been very disappointed.

Some Issues With the Microkinetics CNC Lathe 1236 Hardware Conversion / Retrofit Kit. (Note this kit is over 10 years old install issues prevented the original purchaser from doing a complete functional build) The kit may have improved over time but I don’t think so form my communications with Microkinetics!

Holes Do Not Line Up on Apron Support Block Provided by Microkinetics.

Serial Plate/Motor Cover after retrofit/conversion does not fit. The gear cover will require major modification this step and measurements are not listed in Manual. The z axis motor Cover is way to short and offset does not line up! Talk about poor Quality Control & Design!

Now, to be able to run Mach3/LinuxCNC I am Replacing the Faulty Piece of Junk Microkinetics MN-400 Controller With a PMDX-126 Controller With an Ethernet SmoothStepper and a Vista CNC iMach3 P1A-S Pendant Photo of the PMDX-126 and the ESS!

How they compare.

The PMDX-126 has far superior build quality the MN400 look’s like it was built in China by a 12 year old!

Microkinetics Drive Rack

Microkinetics Does Not Provide a Manual For the Drive Rack! I requested one but one is not available. You Are on your own!

Inside the Microkinetics Drive Rack!

I Will be wiring up the PMDX-126 and ESS inside the Microkinetics drive rack. I will relocate the Driver’s to accommodate the PMDX-126 controller. I Will use RJ45 Feed-thru and DB9 Feed-thru’s for connections. The ESS has a Jumper for updates and Programming I will install a toggle on front panel for using this option. Will Post completed photos when done!

Microkinetics DM8010 Driver’s.. Nice Wire Management in the drive rack out of all the Microkinetics Stuff the Drive Rack seems very well built!

Six Additional Microkinetics DM8010 Drivers I Scored on E-bay for Repair for really cheap. I Will add 3 additional drivers to the rack for when I CNC my Grizzly G0704 milling machine

I am Stripping the Six Microkinetics DM8010 Drivers Down For Rebuild, (Mosfets, Caps, Thyristor, Regulator, Power Transistor, and Rectifiers) Should Be Like New well better then new When Done.

Only complaint’s about the DM8010 drivers.
1, The lack of a proper heatsink’s I will mill some heat sinks out for them prior to reassembly.
2, Mix of manufacture in the Mosfets. Some may have been rebuilt do not know but soldering looks like they have not been reworked! I will install matching set of mosfets. As stated I purchased used known dead for parts or repair on eaby!
3, on some there was some poor solder joint’s (Lack of quality control) or same 12 year old in china was building them.

DM8010 Part Numbers:
Mosfets, IRR540 & IRF9540 X 4 Each Per Board
Thyristor, S4010LS2 X 1
Rectifiers, FEP16DT X 2
Caps 150UF 100V X 2
High Voltage Regulator TL783C X 1
Power Transistor TIP30C X 1
Regulator 5V SOT-223-3 MIC2954-03BS X 2

The Microkinetics DM8010 is a Clone / Rework / Redesign of the Applied Motion Products 7080 micro step drive

Another Document Maurice Khano/Microkinetics Probably Wants an Engineering Fee For! Microkinetics DM8010 Driver Test Procedures I know it is simplified but useful for the Hobbyist that likes to repair their own or the shop that needs to be up in a day or 3 not 2-3 weeks!

In the 6 Boards Above the $1.70 Thyristor SCR S4010LS2 was shorted! Simple Fix for the one who knows how to desolder and solder! Again, the IRF540 and the IRF9540 mosfets where assorted manufactures I guess the Quality Control for their parts supply was lacking! I Replaced all of the mosfets with the same manufacture in matched pairs.

Added 2 DB9 Connectors for Limit Switches & Other Items to the Microkinetics Drive Rack.