[reabdet21]

There is one of these machines on Ebay now and I have a few questions about that series. I would appreciate any help.

Here is the link.


used Bridgeport Mill w/ EZ Path CNC Control 3 | eBay

It appears to be a 2003 model in the transition from bridgeport to hardinge.

The serial number is HDNG 0212.

Is this Chinese iron? I suspect it is.

How different is the computer system? controller cards, etc?

It appears to have an electronic speed control.

I did call some repair facilities with questions about this series. One reported being in the process of getting a machine back working for a company in NH where the video has ceased to function. He cannot find parts for that unit. The mother board apparently has a special video card or output no longer supported.

Any ideas or comments on what could be done in the event this machine had problems.

The price is fairly cheap. They are getting offers in the 6k range and they would let it go for $8500. Jim

[ppascuzzi]

To answer your questions. No it was not Chinese Iron, and yes it was made as they transitioned into Hardinge/bridgeport.


The mother board does not have a special video card and drives a VGA monitor. The LCD monitor on the EZ Plus was not purchased as a monolithic unit but instead Bridgeport/Hardinge purchased LCD displays, and 2 or 3 (depending on the revision) circuit boards that are all cabled together in the display. These items are the same things used in a LCD monitor that you might buy for any computer.

The original circuit boards are no longer available. They were an off the shelf item that is no longer manufactured. Suitable replacements can be purchased, however you will not be able to replace just one circuit board as the remaining old ones will not be compatible with a new circuit board. You will need the main display board, the switch board (where brightness and stuff like that is set) and the driver board for the backlighting. If you go this route the circuit board will have about 50 different jumpers and settings that have to be correctly set for it to work right. Expect no help from Hardinge/bridgeport even if you purchase the stuff from them at an extremely inflated price. The last one I did was a few years ago and at that time Hardinge wanted 1600 just for one of the circuit boards which was also available from electronic supply houses like Digikey for 160. Even going around Hardinge and buying all the boards yourself is not cheap.

If your monitor goes out you are probably better off taking all of that stuff out of the pendant, buy a panel mount lcd vga monitor that takes a 12 volt supply. Modify the pendant so this monitor can be mounted in it. Mount it, plug in the 12 volt and the vga cable. start machining.


The computer system is the same old extrak control, an AT computer and AT computer power supply (these two are old technology so replacements are a little hard to find but a few companies still make new ones) and the BMDC board , auxbob and axbob boards (these boards were made specifically for bridgeport and new ones are not available, several places will repair your old boards, some may even sell you a rebuilt)

Yes that one does appear to have an electronic speed control on the spindle. Can't tell you if it was a special order or a retrofit someone did in the field. None of my books even list it as an option. I doubt that the spindle speed can be set or controlled by the CNC as the standard extrack software did not have that ability.