Smithy Ez-Trol2 User Manual

EZ-TROL II CONTROL SYSTEM

USER’S GUIDE

VERSION 1.1

2009

SmithyCNC EZ-Trol II Control System User’s Guide

SmithyCNC (Smithy Co.)

170 Aprill Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan
USA 48103

Toll Free Hotline: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

International: 734-913-6700
International Fax: [phone]

www.smithycnc.com

Copyright © 2009 SmithyCNC &

All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Smithy Co.

For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, comments, or suggestions, contact

[e-mail]

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, Smithy Co. shall not have any
liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by the instructions contained in this manual or by the computer software and hardware products
described herein. Please see section on warranty and safety precautions before operating the machine.

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Smithy Co.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 | INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Development Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Four Steps of Machining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Organization of this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Questions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 | SMITHYCNC SYSTEM WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 | SAFETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4 | CONTROL BOX INSTALLATION &

COMPONENT IDENTIFICATION

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Overview . . . . .

Wiring the Smithy EZ-Trol to the Bedmill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Installing the monitor, keyboard & mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Control System Components & Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Basic Electrical Components & Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5 | CONNECTING EZ-TROL II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connecting the EZ-Trol II Control Box to the Bed Mill . . . . . . . 11

Connecting the EZ-Trol II to the CNC 622 Bed Mill . . . . . . . . . . 12

Connecting the EZ-Trol II to the CNC 924 Lathe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6 | LAUNCHING EZ-TROL II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Booting-up EZ-Trol II Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7 | NAVIGATING EZ-TROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The Four Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Auto Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Manual Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Wizards Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Navigating EZ-Trol II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Backlash Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

8 | HOMING & SETTING OFFSETS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Machine Home Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Initial Machine Homing - one axis at a time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Homing Your Machine on All Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Limit Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Basic G-code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Coornidate Systems & Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

9 | NAVIGATING THE AUTO TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Auto Tab Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Position Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Tool Path Display Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Pan Across Display Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Zoom In or Out on the View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Rotate Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Command Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Pause & Resume. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Verify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Status Block
Feed Override

Speed Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

E-Stop Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Abort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Feed Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Program Display Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10 | NAVIGATING THE MANUAL TAB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Overview

Manual Tab Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Position Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Status Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Jog Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

X & Y Axis Positive & Negative Direction. . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Z-Axis Positive &

A-Axis Positive & Negative Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Speed Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Continuous & Incremental Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Feed & Rapid Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Axis Set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Feed Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Jog Speeds

Spindle Speed Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Negative Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Manual Data Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Spindle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

E-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Abort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Feed Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

11 | NAVIGATING THE SETTINGS TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Settings Tab Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Tool Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Offsets By Random & By Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Zero All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Setting-up A Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

12 | NAVIGATING THE WIZARDS TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Navigation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Loaded Wizards List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Tool Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Add New Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Setting-up an Individual Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

13 | UNDERSTANDING G-CODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Overview . . . . .

Why write your own G-code? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Basic G-code Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Understanding the G-code Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

14 | PREPARING YOUR MACHINE BEFORE OPERATION . . . . . . 58

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Homing the Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Setting Workpiece Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Populating Tool Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

15 | ADDING COMPONENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Open Architecture Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Upgraded I/O Capacity

To Add a Simple Turn On/Off Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

To Add More Programming the Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

16 | ELECTRICAL PIN OUTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

17 | SCHEMATICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

SmithyCNC 622 Schematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

SmithyCNC 924 Lathe Schematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

SmithyCNC 1240 Schematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Appendix

A | SETTING TOOL LENGTH OFFSETS

B | FILE SHARING BETWEEN THE EZ-TROL II CONTROL SYSTEM

& WINDOWS PC SYSTEM THAT ARE ON THE SAME
NETWORK

C | BASIC INSTRUCTION FOR CONNECTING EZ-TROL II

TO A WIRELESS NETWORK

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

1

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing the SmithyCNC EZ-Trol II Control System as the CNC control option for
your SmithyCNC machine.

Smithy’s unique EZ-Trol II system not only opens up the world of machining to you but the world of
small shop manufacturing. The unique EZ-Trol II user interface provides an intuitive step by step
process that makes CNC machining more understandable for the novice and seasoned machinist.

No doubt you are anxious to start making chips fly, but it is important that you to take a few
minutes to read this introduction and understand the development process behind the Smithy
EZ-Trol II Control system.

Once again thank you for choosing Smithy EZ-Trol II.

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Smithy Company has been selling machining equipment for over twenty years. Over the years we
have seen increasing interest in low-cost bench-top CNC machines for use in the small shop
environment. The types of individuals that have shown an interest in CNC bench top machining
include home hobbyists, engineers in R & D laboratories, small job, lo-tech tech tranining centers,
shop owners and garage shop entrepreneurs. Individuals from a variety of other industries have
seen the potential of CNC machine tools to get their jobs completed more efficiently.

Historically
usually a limiting factor in small shops and CNC machines have traditionally been expensive. The
most cost effective option for many has been to purchase a manually operated machine and then
retro fit it with a CNC control system. Following this path has left machine owners with no margin­al technical support. Not to mention the inordinate amount of time (and patience) it takes to con­vert a conventional machine to a CNC machine.

With this in mind, our development staff, which includes industry leading machine tool and control
system engineers, worked to develop a control system that would allow small shop machinists to
produce and reproduce parts with lower cost CNC tools.

, finding a good low-cost CNC machining solution has not been an easy task. Money is

ORGANIZATION OF THIS MANUAL

The organization of this manual was constructed from the point of view of a committed but still
learning CNC machinist who is unfamiliar with the EZ-T
chapters will familiarize you with the installation of the EZ-Trol II System and how to navigate the
control system and interface. The remaining chapters are intended to provide you with an overview
of how to use the

rol II control system. Studying the first few

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control system. Please be sure you are comfortable with the concepts presented before

roceeding to using the control system.

p

QUESTIONS?

gain, thank you for choosing a Smithy product. Contact us if you have any questions not covered

A
in this manual. We can be reached by phone, Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM EST or we can
be reached on the web at

info@smithy. com.

2 | Toll Free 1-800-476-4849

2

WARRANTY

Smithy Warranty

SmithyCNC warrants its machines and control systems for a period of one (1) year to the
original purchaser from the date of purchase. If within one (1) year form the date of
purchase a SmithyCNC machine and/or control system fails due to defect in material or
workmanship, SmithyCNC will at their choice repair and/or replace components with new
or remanufactured parts free of charge.

Most warranty repairs and/or replacements are handled routinely, but sometimes request
for warranty service many not be appropriate. This warranty does not apply to defects due
directly or indirectly to misuse, abuse, negligence, accidents, repairs, or lack of routine
maintenance. This warranty is also void if the serial number of the machine or SmithyCNC
control system has been removed or has been altered or modified.

In no event shall Smithy be liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages for the
sale or use of the product. This disclaimer applies to both during and after the term of this
warranty

.

We do not warrant or represent that the merchandise complies with the provisions of any
law or acts unless Smithy Co. so warrants. In no event shall Smithy's liability under this
warranty exceed the purchase price paid for the product. Legal actions brought against
Smithy Co. shall be tried in the State of Michigan, County of Washtenaw.

Smithy Co. shall in no event be liable for death, injuries to persons or property for
incidental, contingent, special or consequential damages arising from the use of our
products.

This is Smithy Co.’s sole warranty and any and all warranties that may be implied by law,
including any merchantability or fitness, for any particular purpose, are hereby limited to
the duration of this written warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which
vary from state to state. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of
incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusions may not apply
to you.

.

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elephone Support (Service engineers are available 8 am to 5 pm EST):

Service and Parts

Tel No. 1-800-476-4849
Fax No. 1-734-913-6663
Email Address: [e-mail]
International: [phone]

Software and Programming Consultancy Services

In addition to our customary technical support for the machines and controls, we also
provide technical consulting support to our customers by providing engineering and
G-code programming services. The standard rate for these services is $28.00 per hour. Our
principal objective is to support you and to increase your productivity while reducing the
machining cost. Give us a call for such support as and when required.

Tel No. 1-800-476-4849
Fax No. 1-734-913-6663
Email Address: sales@smithy

.com

4 | Toll Free 1-800-476-4849

3

SAFETY

OVERVIEW

This section is the most important section of the manual. Remember safety should always be
priority number one and always let common sense be your guide. The safety rules listed below are
by no way exhaustive; if any questions arise concerning safe operation, consult with the factory
before initiating the operation. Remember the operator of this control system is working with
electrical components and a shock hazard is always present.

The items listed below can cause potential harm to the health of the operator and can result in
serious harm to the machine if the action is not avoided.

1 Power must be shut off before working on any electrical components and control

box elements.

2 The control box should be kept CLOSED at all times, except when maintenance is

required.

3 Protective equipment for eyes, hands or face must be worn while working on

electrical components.

4 When working on exposed energized conductors or circuit parts, trained personnel

must use insulated tools or handling equipment.

5 Do not use flexible cords installed in the control box for raising, pulling or

lowering the control system. All cords should be disconnected first before the
equipment is moved.

6 Exposed cords and electrical connections shall be periodically inspected before

use for external defects.

7 Do not touch any electrical components when wet or in any conductive work

locations.

8 Over current or voltage protection elements of the electrical/control box must not

be changed or removed without factory consultation.

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9 Only qualified trained personnel should perform maintenance and testing on

electrical circuits and components.

10 Do not run the machine or conduct maintenance operations in an environment

where flammable or explosive materials are present.

11 When testing or adjusting an energized circuit, a rubber mat, duckboard, or other

suitable insulation shall be used underfoot where an insulated deck does not exist.

12 When maintenance is required, make sure the machine is unplugged.

13 Whenever in doubt, consult factory before the any operation is performed.

6 | Toll Free 1-800-476-4849

4

CONTROL SYSTEM COMPONENTS
& FUNCTIONS

The Smithy EZ-Trol II is equipped with 2 control panels located on the operator’s side of the box
(opposite the side with the control cables.) These switches are identified below and we suggest that
you become familiar with these switches before operating your machine.

COMPUTER CONTROL PANEL

This panel works and functions the same as a personal computer. The panel controls are connect­ed to the motherboard of the control system.

2

1

3

Figure 4.1 EZ-Trol II Computer Control Panel

1. USB Ports (2) - Used for loading programs into the EZ-Trol II system.

2. Power Light – Indicates that the control is turned on.

3. Disk Light – Indicates that a program is reading or writing to the internal solid slate disk.

4. ON/OFF Switch – Turns power on and off to the comtrol.

4

Clear – Restarts (reboots) the contol.

5.

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E-STOP CONTROL PANEL

1

3

2

Figure 4.2 EZ-Trol II E-Stop Control Panel

1. E-Stop Button – Round red mushroom head push button which when depressed until it latches
will cause the control system to go into emergency stop mode, or defeat any attempt to exit emer­gency stop mode. This button can be released from it's depressed position by rotating the mush­room shaped actuator.

2. E-Stop Reset – A shrouded blue momentary push button that when depressed and released will
cause the control system to exit emergency stop mode if all the following preconditions are met:

A. The ESTOP Button is released.
B. The HALT/RUN Key Switch is in the HALT position.
C. The CNC control software is running.
D. There are no faults in any monitored internal control system components.

Halt/Run Key Switch – This maintained action, key actuated switch has two positions:

3.

A. HALT: When the key switch is in this position power to the spindle motor drive is discon­nected and the control software is switched to “MACHINE OFF” mode which disables axis move­ment and program execution control commands.

B. RUN: When the key switch is in this position all machine functions are available.

CABLE CONNECTION PANEL

The Smithy EZ-T
machine. You will find the cables packed in with the machine, and labeled for easy connection.

rol II control system comes with all the necessary cables to connect it to your

8 | Toll Free 1-800-476-4849

BASIC ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AND ITS FUNCTIONS

1. Motherboard – Chosen specifically to handle the real time requirements of CNC control pro­rams for our machines, it has the connections for the keyboard and mouse, plus a D-subminiature

g

ype VGA connection for the monitor. The motherboard uses conductive polymer solid capacitors

t
for durabilty and long life. Intel 45nm CPU chips provide dual core capabilities while using 35% less
power. Along with the power savings of a solid state disk, this system delivers a high performance
computer using a small power supply and generates less waste heat.

3

4

2

1

Figure 4.3 EZ-Trol II

2. MESA Electronics 5I20 Card – A field programmable gate array card that is programmed gen-

erate step pulses, spindle speed control signals, and provide general pupose I/O. It delivers superi­or quality motion control at high speeds, and makes the graphical user interface more responsive.

This also frees up the main CPU for work on lower frequency but computationally intensive tasks
like trajectory and kinematics calculations. Connecting this outboard “helper chip” to the main

through the high speed, low latency PCI bus back plane delivers better performance than sim-

CPU
ilar systems that use USB, serial port, or Ethernet connections.

3. Compact Flash Card Adaptor – The control system software runs from a solid state disk (com-

pact flash) which greatly reduces power consumption and increases reliability by eliminating mov­ing parts. The CF card simplifies upgrades by allowing the simple exchange of the existing card with
a new card holding file upgrades.

4. DC to DC Converter Power Supply – Converts the 24Vdc control system logic voltage to the

voltages required by the motherboard and CPU. This eliminates the standard PC power supply as a
source of trouble. This power converter has been designed for operation in automotive and indus­trial environments and simplifies the system power distribution.

5. Isolated I/O Boards – Converts the TTL signals from the MESA S120 Board into 24 Volt com-

patible I/O. All timing critical electrical signals, and all signals that require high fidelity data trans­mission for proper circuit operation are transmitted in “differential” form over two wire twisted
pair circuits, rather than the typical one wire plus ground “single ended” circuits.

Motherboard

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a.MESA Electronics 7I47 RS-422 Interface Board (Upper
Board) – Provides 12 RS422 transmitters and 12 RS422 receivers

for differential signaling.

MESA Electronics 7I37 Isolated I/O Board (Lower

b.
Board) – Provides 16 Inputs and 8 Outputs of optically isolated
24 Volt I/O.

Figure 4.5 Isolated I/O Boards

Charge Pump to E-stop – Detects the presence of a signal generated

6.
by the CNC software when it is running. When this signal is not present due
to the CNC control software either not running or not operating correctly,
this module signals an emergency stop.

Figure 4.6 Charged

Pump to E-Stop

7. EMI and RFI Filtering devices - Restricts the undesired propagation of electromechanical and
radio frequency interference produced by the machine’
trol the interference the control system is equipped with both a power line filter module and strate­gically placed ferrite beads. Twisted pair wiring, shielded cables and attention to wiring layout
inside the control cabinet also reduce undesired emissions.

s spindle motor axis motor drives. To con-

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5

CONNECTING EZ-TROL II

Smithy lathes and mills are equipped with the required cables and connectors for connecting the
EZ-Trol system to the machine. Instructions for connecting the conrol to each SmithyCNC machine
follows below:

CONNECTING THE EZ-TROL II CONTROL BOX TO THE BED MILL

Step 1: Connect the Power Supply Box to the SmithyCNC 1240 Bed Mill

The EZ-Trol II Control Box is shipped with seven (7) 6’ cables that connect the junction box locat­ed at the back of the 1240 bed mill to the power supply box. Each cable has identifying tags that
correspond with labels on the junction box and power supply box.

Connect the corresponding plugs, first to the sockets on the junction box on at the back of the bed
mill, and then to the proper sockets on the power supply box. It is advisable to start from the upper
left moving to the right and down.

Please make sure that you have read all the labels before proceeding.

Figure 5.1 1240 Bed Mill Connected to the Power Supply Box

Step 2: Placing the Power Supply Box

The system is designed so you can place the power supply on the floor beside or behind the mill.
The cords are long enough for you to have some flexibility in positioning the box.

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Be sure to place it in a location that is level and away from potential water exposure. The power

upply box is equipped with handles on the top of the box for easy repositioming.

s

Step 3: Connecting the Power Supply Box to the Control Box

The EZ-Trol II Control System is shipped with the two (2) 6’ cables that connect the CNC 1240

ower supply box to the control box. One cable has a round 31-pin connector and the other has a

p
50-pin connector that matches the long and narrow connection on both the front end of the power
supply box and the rear end of the control box. See image below.

Figure 5.2 SmithyCNC EZ-Trol II Control Box and Power Supply Box

Connect the corresponding plugs on each side securely and you are ready to continue. Please
make sure all threaded connections are tight.

Step 4: Connecting the Keyboard, Mouse and Monitor

The computer motherboard located inside the control box has ports for installing the keyboard,
mouse and the optional Ethernet network connection. Plug the cables into the corresponding sock­ets for the keyboard and the mouse. The monitor is plugged into the video card on the motherboard.
The monitor power cord can be plugged into any standard receptacle.

Figure 5.3. Keyboar, Mouse and Monitor Plug Layout

CONNECTING THE EZ-TROLL II TO THE CNC 622 BED MILL

The power supply enclosure for the CNC 622 is mounted on the right rear of the column (as you
stand facing the machine). The CNC 622 has the same two cables, with 31 pin and 50 pin
connections, as the 1240 mill. The sockets for connecting the cables are located on the power sup­ply enclosure. Connect the 31 pin and 50 pin cables to the power supply and then to the control
box.

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Figure 5.4 SmithyCNC EZ-Trol II Plug Layout for SmithyCNC 622

Bed Mill

CONNECTING THE EZ-TROL II TO THE CNC 924 LATHE

The power supply enclosure for the CNC 924 is in the base of the lathe. The CNC 924 Lathe has the
same two cables as the two mill, plus an additional 9-pin cable for signals from to the spindle
encoder.

Figure 5.5 Connecting the Control Box to the SmithyCNC 924 Lathe

Please make sure that all connections are properly installed. Avoid loose connections that might
cause problems with the operation.

If any labels are missing or removed, plese replace it right away in order to avoid confusion during
re-installation.

If you need help in installation process, call us Toll Free 1-800-476-4849.

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6

LAUNCHING EZ-TROL II

BOOTING EZ-TROL II CONTROL SYSTEM

Most of time, you will need to turn on your machine when you launch the EZ-Trol II control system
software. To turn on your machine, please refer to your operator’s manual.

Step 1: Once the machine is turned on, push the control box on/off switch. The green power
indicator light should be on. Make sure that your monitor is plugged on the wall socket and is
properly turned on.

Step 2: Wait for the desktop screen to show up.

Step 3:

Step 4:

Figure 6.1 Booting up EZ-Trol II Screenshot

Step 3: Click on the APPLICATIONS tab on the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Step 5:

Step 4: A dropdown menu will show

Step 5: A new dropdown menu will appear and click on EMC2.

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. Click on CNC.

Step 6: A welcome screen will appear that will prompt you to choose what kind of machine you are

sing. Click on your machine and the Manual Tab will appear.

u

SmithyCNC
q 622 Bed Mill

240 Bed Mill

q 1
q 924 Lathe

Figure 6.2 EZ-Trol II Configuration Sector

NOTE: You may also create a Desktop Shorcut to easily boot up EZ-Trol II.

Now you are ready to use EZ-Trol II. The opening screen will appear as shown below.

Figure 6.3 EZ-Trol II Opening Page

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7

NAVIGATING EZ-TROL II

THE EZ-TROL II TABS

EZ-Trol II’s interface is broken down into tabs. Each tab is given its own section in this manual that
describes the related functions. This chapter will only provide the operator with a brief description
of each tab and the conventions used to navigate the system.

Move from one section to another by left clicking with the mouse on the desired tab. Notice in the
screen below the blue circle located to the left of the word Manual. The blue circle indicates the
active tab. Navigation techniques will be discussed at the end of this chapter

AUTO TAB

The Auto Tab, shown below is the main screen used for executing the parts program. When EZ-Trol
is powered up note that the position coordinates are colored orange which means that the machine
must be homed. How to set-up and home the SmithyCNC machine tools will be discussed in the
next chapter. The functions of the Auto Tab screen will be explained in detail in a later chapter of
this manual.

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Figure 7.1 Auto Tab Screenshot

MANUAL TAB

he Manual Tab shown above is used to manually jog the machine’s axes. This is also the screen

T
where homing the machine and MDI (manual data input) operations are performed. The functions
of this mode will be explained on a later chapter of this manual.

Figure 7.2 Manual Tab

SETTINGS TAB

The Settings Tab shown in figure below are where the operator defines the work piece offsets. An
operator can also modify a file opened then either save it and send to contol or “Save as” a differ­ent filename and send to control. Tools are also defined in this screen and can be added, deleted or

modified.

Figure 7.3 Settings Tab

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WIZARDS TAB

he newest feature of the new EZ-Trol II Control System is that it has built-in machining Wizards

T
that ease your common programming tasks. Simply select the Wizard that best represents the pat­tern you wish to machine. The user interface will then prompt you, in a conversational manner, to
select the dimensions and sizes required to machine your desired geometric pattern. It will also
prompt you to select tools, tool path and speeds of travel. When you are finished the Wizard will
generate the G-code based on your input. You can string together the output of several Wizards to
make a complete CNC part program. This method saves a lot of effort and is especially helpful if

you are inexperienced CNC programmer.

Figure 7.4 Wizards Tab

NAVIGATING EZ-TROL II

• Mouse Navigation - Left clicking the mouse on a desired field will select that field.

Right clicking on the tool path display window (in the Auto and Mill tabs) will display
a list of view options, which will be, explain in detail in future chapter. As described
earlier the operator moves from one tab to the next by clicking on the desired tab.
Once a button has been selected a black border will appear around the button and the
button itself will appear a shade darker.

Keyboard - The main function of the keyboard is manual data entry when creating or

•

editing a g-code file or changing the speed or feed values manually in the Auto Screen.

abbing will move the cursor between fields. This is helpful if you need to modify or

T
create a tool in the settings tab.

Here are some keyboard shortcuts that you can use:

Left, Right, Up, and Down Keys - used to move the X and Y Axis respectively

Page Up and Page Down - used to move the Z Axis

Bracket Left “[“ and Right “]” - used to move the A Axis (rotary)

.

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11 - used to switch the screen between fullscreen and window mode.

F

liders-Sliders such as those shown on the Auto Screen in figure 5-3 under the “Feed

• S
Override” and “Speed Override are moved by left clicking on the slide and dragging the
slider to the desired position. Sliders can also be repositioned by clicking your mouse
anywhere in the slider field, which will move the slider to or near that position where

he mouse was clicked.

t

BACKLASH COMPENSATION

In editing or compensating the backlash of the machine, you can follow these steps:

1 From your desktop, click “go to” and a drop-down menu will appear. Click for the

Home.

2 On the Home Folder, double click EMC 2 folder.

3 From the EMC 2 folder, double click CONFIG folder.

4 Then look for the SIM folder and double click it to enter.

5 Double click SMITHY.INI file.

6 A question will be prompt if you want to edit the file. Answer YES.

7 After answering Yes, a file notepad/ text file will appear. Look for BACKLASH = 0.000.

8 Edit the value of the backlash.

9 On the main menu, click FILE and SAVE the changes.

10 Click File again and CLOSE

the page.

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