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Machining with WELturn


WELturn is a controller upgrade for the Emco Compact 5PC and Compact 5CNC lathes. It consists of software for a PC and a controller circuit board.

The WELturn controller circuit board is installed inside the Compact 5CNC lathe and supercedes the original controller circuit board which remains in situ. Nearly all the knobs and keys on the lathe's front panel are redundant and have no function. The only active controls are the spindle motor on/off switch and the spindle speed control knob. The tool can only be moved manually from a PC keyboard using the four cursor keys with, as required, the numeric keypad number keys. An auto tool change turret, if fitted, can only be rotated by a mouse click on the relevant part of the PC manual control screen.

With the WELturn controller, the Compact 5PC lathe functions in almost the same way as the 5CNC lathe. The main difference is that the WELturn controller circuit board is housed in a case and plugs into the back of the machine. It is powered from a mains power supply unit. The 5PC lathe was originally controlled from either the now obsolete BBC computer or an IBM computer: see below about setting switches inside the 5PC lathe so that it will function with WELturn.

The lathes, equipped with WELturn and, ideally, using NC code created by AlphaCAM or similar CADCAM software, are capable of doing very good work. In fact, until now, the lathes have never really had a chance to shine and work to their full potential. Modern CADCAM software makes that possible. However, you, the user, still have to know and understand materials, tools, techniques, machining feeds and speeds and health and safety issues. The aim of this Help file is to point you in the right direction. There may be material in the original manuals for these lathes which is still relevant: you will need to spot and discard information which only applied when the original control systems were in place.

Emco Compact 5 PC Lathe - DIP Switch Setting
This lathe's stepper motors can be controlled and made to operate in various ways according to the setting of four DIP switches inside the lathe. These switches must be set correctly so that the machine will work with WELturn:
  • unplug the lathe from the mains electricity supply;
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  • loosen the screws (no need to remove them) which retain the cover on the back of the lathe. Lift the cover over the screw heads and hinge it open and lay it flat on the bench;
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  • in the top, right corner of the lathe case locate a small circuit board which is connected to a much larger one;
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  • locate the four dual-in-line (DIP) switches on this small circuit board. Move the switches so that, from the left, they are
    ·
    down, down, down, up.

  • replace the cover and tighten the fixing screws;
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  • stick the label (provided) which gives details of the switch settings on to the back of the lathe.
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    The lathe is now ready to be controlled by WELturn.