Looking for CNC Mill Part I

[vintage1]

Well I just lucked out maybe.

Wandered into a little woodworking shop, to get a picture framed, and noticed a lot of metal ducting.

"What's that for?"

"We are installing a 8x4 flat bed CNC $500,000 wood router"
"Oh, Need any help with software and stuff, and can it do balsa wood"
"Funny you should say that, yes, we do, and it can"

So now what is the best DXF to G code converter out there that costs very little...?

If I can get it set up I think I may have access to lots of lovely machinery at odd times between 'big jobs'..on a 'you help us with software, and we'll cut a few designs for you' basis....

[DICKEYBIRD]

Originally posted by vintage1
So now what is the best DXF to G code converter out there that costs very little...? Aren't you the lucky one, using someone else's ready made system!

Here's my favorite .dxf/G-Code converter and it's FREE! http://www.yeagerautomation.com/price.htm Close to the bottom of the page, ACEConverter. Works great!

[AirX]

Hi Shim,

Not building anything yet, have not ordered from Cranky yet. Wife is in a holding pattern as of right now.

Cheers,

Eric B.

[crankorgan]

Maybe with a swivel knife

[xairflyer]

Do any of you guys Know how to get a ATX PSU working ?

I have a 230w version and I can get nothing, somebody said it needs a load so I tried that no go I grounded the green on/off wire as well still no go.

I have another one and had no luck with it either also have two AT types can't get anything to go.

[crankorgan]

Try a load on +5 to ground and +12 to ground. An old floppy will do for testing and jumper these pins.

http://www.duxcw.com/faq/ps/ps4.htm

[BennyLaird]

Quite right, without a load for feedback the magic smoke can vacate your PS.

[crankorgan]

Computer supplies are almost impossible to burn out. The biggest thing that kills them is the fan stops spinning. The good ones shut down. The bad ones cook! I have yet to blow one out using it for CNC. I have dropped stuff across the board under test. A spark and a shut down is all I got. Even the TIP120 was still good. I open the supplies up and remove the extra wires. I then mount a load resistor on the 5 and 12 volt lines inside the case.

[BennyLaird]

now you mention it I have not blown a PS since the XT days due to no load. Plenty to dust, etc though and as you say the fan is the first to go.

[shim]

Just want to add that after reading and digesting the whole thread, I want to retract my statement about "Cranky lacking enthusiam". Yes, talk is cheap. I was wrong. My sincere apology.

I am no expert in this field but I have come to realise that he has contributed so much FREE info to this thread and his idea is truly about cheap but workable CNC.

Here's my appreciation to what you have contributed Mr.Cranky.

Cheers.

-shim

[xairflyer]

Cranky

What size load resistor do you fit

[crankorgan]

xairflyer,
The resistor can be calculated using "BALSAMAN'S" StepperCalc. A Radio Shack (8 ohm 20 watt) will work with most 5 to 6 volt steppers on a 12 volt supply.

StepperCalc


http://www.e-zflight.com/files/stepcalc102.zip

[crankorgan]

Shim,
I am the guy who has to really fix the problem. Lots of people do alot of talking but in the end somebody has to do the work. I am good at the work part. My problem is dealing with people. I expect people to meet me halfway. I don't allow WANT-TO-BEs to push me around and I am not a hand holder!

DickeyBird is the first person I found that cut balsa with a spinning bit! Somebody who bought my plans told me about this conference. Maybe PanzyProof. The 7th Sojourn was designed
because an RC guy said the Pipe Dream was too big for him.

CNC is a very hard hobby. There is no WINDOWS FOR DUMMIES solution. If someone tells you their product make CNC easy RUN!

Unlike other conferences and other people I try to answer questions without turning them into an ad.


Cranky

[xairflyer]

Hi Cranky,

I was'nt referring to the load resistors for the steppers, but you mentioned putting load resistors inside your PSU to get them going.

All I need is to get a PSU working, I am having more trouble with taht than any other part of the machine !!

[crankorgan]

xairflyer
I was asleep for that one! I use a (5 ohm 20watt ) on
the 5 volt line. That draws 1 amp. This brings the 12 volts up from 10.5 to 11.5 volts. Most supplies regulate the 5 volts first. The 12 volts seems to float more. It's like the 12 volt regulator is out to lunch. (A 50 to 100 ohm ten watt) can be added to the 12 volt line to smooth it out. A 12 volt lightbulb will serve this function.

Cranky

[vintage1]

If thats a PC power supply, I don't believe the 12V IS regulated.

I believe that teh PU is designed for a more or less static load on the 5V - which is where the main power is used - and the 12v stuff is simply an overwind on the output transformer such that at full 5V it will more or less do 12v. From memory 12v isn't used much - a few milliamps for some chips, mainly those used on the interfaces, and thats about it.

[xairflyer]

I tried a 4r7 17w resistor on the 5v but never got it to power up.

I plugged in a cd rom drive today that was spare and it fired up when I grounded the green wire, could'nt believe it when the fan turned.

Tried it on the other three PSU's I have and nothing !!:(

Plugged it back into the first one 230W ATX and this time it would'nt work:confused:

Bunged the lot in the corner:mad:

Just thinking as I have calmed down that the cdrom drive might be faulty as it was playing up in the machine it was fitted to, so I will rip one out of my main machine and try again.

If they don't work I'm going to buy a real PSU

[crankorgan]

vintage1,
The 12 volts is used for the CD - floppy -hard drive motors and audio boards. There is a feedback wire going from the +12 to a regulator chip. I think it only keeps the 12 from going higher than 12 volts. Both the 5 volts and the 12 volt come off the same toroid coil so there is some interaction. There is info on the net that shows how to force the 12 to put out 13.8 to run CB and car radios. I tried it but I only got 12volts tops.


John

[Jojje]

Maybe this will help:
http://www.marcee.org/Articles/PCPowerSupply.htm

or this
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48090

[xairflyer]

had another go tonight connected a 1r5 17w across the 5v and joined the green wire to ground and off she went 12.3v and 5.05v

Great says you except when I disconnected it to try one of the other supplies and then re connected it won't work again and has'nt since:(

One of my supplies spins the fan at switch on for about a second and every time i press and unpress the umbilical switch which was probably the on off on the pc.

I have tried a load resistor here but no luck.

The 12v wires on this one are orange

[Lutin]

Did someone build the CNC hobby router by HobbyCNC.com and his driver board kit. What do you think of it.. any pictures.would this be a good model to strat with.
thank you

[balsaman]

If the green wire is tied to ground the atx PS should go. If it doesn't you must have a whack of crappy PS's there. I used a AT and an ATX supply to run my first cnc machine. Even without a load on the 5 volts you should get something out.

Eric

[BennyLaird]

Switch mode PS's can be a pain at times, you need a sample of the load to set the pulse width or rate. Sometimes this is fed back by a cappy and by finding it and replacing it with a resistor you can force it to start. However good luck finding a circuit diagram of your PS.

Series regs were so much simpler. Bigger yes. Costly yes. Inefficient yes. Hell the one I worked on had 80's. Look it up it's a valve. remember them????? LOL

[mjse]

Hi
had you any problem due to resonance in stepper motor systems ?
Thanks

[FRAMEDnLV]

Hi all,
I ordered cranky Routezilla II plans and the SP-3/HT from stepperworld. It took me 3 days to build the machine. It took a week to figured out the software . I still need to figure out a good way to hold 3/4" pine. I'll try to send pictures (how do you attache?).

[crankorgan]

Frame,
You could use slotboard or drill a series of holes and drop threaded inserts into them. See the slotted board below at Steve Manzer's website. If you are cutting out shapes do hop and skip. In your GCode you leave tabs that hold the part that is being cut.


http://www.angelfire.com/ego/stevenmanzer/CNCMachines.html


Cranky

[FRAMEDnLV]

I had my friend cut all of the parts at his cabinet shop. He use lam. presswood. I laid out the parts in cad and he threw a sheet on his cnc and cut it all out in about half an hour. It went together real good. I get some flex on the router but @ 6ipm it doesn't cause a problem. I use a $20 lam. trimmer from harbor freight. This is going to be a whole new hobby.

[DICKEYBIRD]

Originally posted by FRAMEDnLV
This is going to be a whole new hobby. :) Check out post #4 on the 1st page of this thread, way back in Sep. '02. I tried to warn yuse guys!;)

[crankorgan]

Framed,
Where are you getting flex? Did you build Routezilla the same size as the plans?

Cranky

[gjahnke]

Haven't had any problem w/ resonance in my system. When you say sttach 3/4 inch pine, are you talking to cut it?

[FRAMEDnLV]

I built it the same size. The piece that the trimmer mounts to flexes. I have it mounted with 3/4 'U' shape with a metal clamp comming across. I think I need to add another one about 3" below the one that I have.

I need hold down 3/4" pine for routing and cutting off. I will prob. try to locate some slot wall.

Here is a scan of the first thing i did. I also did it on 1/8" plexi (turned out fuzzy).

[crankorgan]

Frame,
You are getting the 3/4" MDF to flex?

Cranky

[FRAMEDnLV]

I didn't use mdf. It is presswood with laminate. It flexes right where the trimmer mount is.

[crankorgan]

Frame,
sounds like you are really pushing the machine. How deep and fast are you cutting?

John

[FRAMEDnLV]

I think I need to add another mount lower. I'm not to sure about getting bolts threw without hitting on the backside.

[FRAMEDnLV]

Here is a picture of the machine. I still have a lot of tweeking to do to it. So far it's all good.

[crankorgan]

Frame,
Ok I see what is going on! The Porter Cable I use is held in with a bottom bolt and a clamp. You need to come up with a simular design.


Cranky

[xairflyer]

Have none of you guys used 1" mdf or is it hard to get over there ?

I am building my machine out of 1" and it is solid as a rock.

I can also get 32mm (1 1/4") Locally. Now that is some stuff !

[crankorgan]

3/4" is the most common here and the only size Home Dupa has

[FRAMEDnLV]

I am now working on clamps.
You guys will like this.
Cheap! Easy!
I also need info for getting the SP-3/HT to go more than 6" per min. I am using the 12v PS with the system from stepperworld. I guess my question is do I upgrade all of it or just parts. Does anyone know where to get a 24v power supply?

[Jojje]

gjahnke,

u can find wooden clock here:

http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/index.htm

(Maybe u find it already ;-)

[balsaman]

Originally posted by FRAMEDnLV
I am now working on clamps.
You guys will like this.
Cheap! Easy!
I also need info for getting the SP-3/HT to go more than 6" per min. I am using the 12v PS with the system from stepperworld. I guess my question is do I upgrade all of it or just parts. Does anyone know where to get a 24v power supply?

It's very hard to get the sp-ht system to go faster than 6" per minute. It's a nice sturdy system but it's not fast. Do your self a favor and sell it on ebay and get yourself a Xylotex board and 24 V supply.

www.xylotex.com

It's a chopper board and will get in in the 15-30 ipm range on 24 volts and you won't need current limit resistors.

Eric

[FRAMEDnLV]

That is what I think I am going to do. I still don't know about the power supply. What do think the min. amp for 24v would be? I don't plan on doing the cutting at a fast speed, just the jog.

[balsaman]

3 or 4 amps should be fine. If you had the spht system your steppers must be in the 1 amp range. You could email Jeff just to be sure.

Eric

[FRAMEDnLV]

Ok, I want to get new motors, driver board and power supply. I will would really like some reccomendations on this. I can afford something in the price range of the xylotex board and stepper motors (116 oz./in). Is this the right thing for the money? I would not mind putting something together like the piker board. Where do I get the power supply? I seem to only find them for about $100. Is that what a 24v, 8-10amp ps goes for? I am also looking for something similar to kcam to buy. I have been running kcam on my windows xp with no prob. What program for cutting do you think is worth the price ($100-$300)? I will mostly be cutting 3/4" pine, plexi and mdf (All the cheap stuff).

Driver Board?
Stepper motors?
Power supply?
Software?

Budget = $500-$1000 (or less)

[FRAMEDnLV]

I have made a set of vacuum clamps. I used them twice without any slipping. I will get some pictures of them up soon. They are simple. I cut four 3" squares with 2" hole in the center. I used some scrap wood laminate flooring (5/16"). I then made a 3/16 hole from the side to glue some nyrod for the tubeing. I glued fun foam on both sides with the 2" hole on both sides. I can place them anywhere on the table that I want. I have an old thomas vaccum pump that I connect them to. Very quiet. I have to jar it pretty good to get it to break loose. I plan on making more shapes and get some longer hoses. I also plan on replacing the fun foam with some rubber. The whole thing is very low profile and with no metal parts to get in the way.

[FRAMEDnLV]

Will this work with xylotex board and (3) stepper motors (116 oz./in)?

Traco Power TSL480-155PX Industrial Power Supply
Input: 93-264VAC Auto-ranging, 50/60Hz
Output: 48-55VDC Adjustable, 480 Watts, 10A

[balsaman]

No, voltage is too high. 24 volts max.

Mach 2 is great software for windows at $150.00

Turbocnc for DOS at $20.00

Eric

[airfin]

Hi everyone!

Very inspirational! I am lazy so I will be trying to build one of these to cut out my balsaparts. I even got 2 others in the flying club over here (Denmark) interested (one will be using it more professionally), so we will be collecting stuff shortly!!

Keep up the good work eveyone!

[Jojje]

Hi "airfin", go looking at http://www.bergan.se/prod01.htm

I have 3 kits for sale now. Send me a mail and I give u a very good price ;-)

/// Jojje

[MrChips]

Jojje,
Which CNC machine do you use to cut your machines out on?
Nice looking designs.
Hager

[Jojje]

I use 4mm steel, so it's a big laser. Very nice cut, no "beard" and not much "bending" either.

I put up more "real" pictures soon.

/// Jojje

[Tiramisu]

Has anybody tried using one of these routers to engrave a mold half? I kinda want to avoid making a plug then casting one in resin.

I am not sure what type of material would be used for doing something like this either. I know high end sailplane makers make theirs out of aluminum but that would be expensive. I was thinking some sort of sheet plastic? Any info or help would be appreciated.

[Jojje]

Hi Tiramisu,

I use RenShape / Cibatool:

http://www.renshape.com/ourProducts/modellingAndStyling/modellingAndStyling.asp?region=northAmerica

U can find it from very soft to very hard. I use the Brown (soft) and Green. It's very easy to mill, only use the vacuum cleaner to take away the dust ;-)

Or maybe u can use this:

http://www.renshape.com/ourProducts/resinInfusion/resinInfusion.asp

/// Jojje

[Tiramisu]

Jojje,

Sounds perfect. Is it expensive? How much does it cost for say a 12x36" piece of it roughly?

Thanks

[balsaman]

Jojje,

Looks a lot like this machine: http://www.rcmodels.net/cnc.html

Eric

[Jojje]

Tiramisu,

Not expensive in Sweden, I don't know "over there" ;-)

If I not remember wrong it was about 100$ for 1500 x 500 x 50 mm for the brown one and little more for the green.

/// Jojje

[Jojje]

Balsaman,

Yes, but much better (I hope ;-)

U can't do'it so many different ways, it's X, Y and Z.

(But I was looking at it when I make mine ;-)

/// Jojje

[Tiramisu]

Holy cow..for $100 I better make sure the program is correct eh? I better try it out on a piece of pine or something first...then start praying when I pop in the renshape..

[FRAMEDnLV]

I got the trimmer mounted with 2 big 2.5" u-bolts. Still trying to figure out what to buy for power supply and driver board. Has anyone been able to use a car battery charger by useing the center tap on the transformer. People suggested it but no one said if it works. Here is a picture of an engraveing on wood. I used 1/4" v-groove cut @ 8"/min.


Chris

[Jojje]

Tiramisu,

For the first, u not use the hole $100 for one fuselage I hope ;-)

For testing u can use urethane foam, but usually that is very soft, but also very cheap. And if u do anything wrong, u don't crash the machine.

/// Jojje

[Jojje]

Sorry folks, I have to redisign. I get this nice mail today ;-)

-------------------------------------------------------

Jojje,

Kontakt / Information
Telefon +46 (0)8 751 43 20
Mobil +46 (0)73 904 64 58
Postadress Sibeliusgången 58, 164 76 Kista
Electronic mail jojje@bergan.se

On your page we saw today that you've made a copy of our CNC-machine.
We don't mind if you copy and make one machine based on our design for your own use.

And you did copy it following your statement in RC-Groups.
Quote Jojje: (But I was looking at it when I make mine ;-)

However, you've just crossed a line to offer it for sale.

The model/design of the Zoltar CNC Machine is protected by the copyright law as notified
on our website.
You did agree to this statement while accessing our CNC website,
http://www.rcmodels.net/cnc.html .

Your copy of our machine is for more than 90% based on our lasercut CNC concept.

Our advice to you is to stop selling these items based on our design right now, date 12
december 2003

If you do continue using and selling our lasercut CNC concept we consider to take steps
with a court-lawsuit against you in the near future.

Remove this product and the selling activities concerning this section from your website
within 24 hours.


Thank you for your understanding.

Ontwerpstudio Zoltar,

C.Reinders B.A.

[balsaman]

Whoops! You got caught!

Eric

[Jojje]

Yeh, funny man, who cares, LOL

This was only a test to see if it's worth to put so much work in it and if he think it's so much money in there, I go for it.

Now I have a reason to make it even better, in a few days or so I have my new ready, and can begin selling ...

(I not sell anything so far, only make 4 prototypes I give away now, ha ha ha ha ;-)

/// Jojje

[gjahnke]

FRAMEDnLV, Radio Shack sells a transformer that works great for this. It is a 12vac, pull off the center tap and you get a 24vac (Radio Shack # 273-1352 if I remember right). Do a google search for "adjustable powr supply schematic" and you will find a bunch of different options for circuits.

When I put together the power supply to run my machine I used a transformer out of an outdoor light timer (the malibu lights that people put in their yards). I got the thing at a garage sale for $1. The transformer in there can do 26vac, then you need a rectifier diode, an LM series voltage regulator (or whatever you can find/desolder from something else) and a handful of resitors and a couple misc diodes. I think you should be able to put the whole thing together for about $5 plus the cost of the transformer ($13 at radio shack, I think).

I think that using a computer power supply like cranky does should work fine, also. I only put my own together because I had a specific case I wanted to use on it (and my control board) and the computer supply couldn't be made to fit.

[Machspeed_007]

Hello guys,

I wonder if someone could sum up the sources for stepper motors from around the net. I want to buy using the Internet, from a good, reliable source which some of you may have used in the past.
I live in eastern Europe so a close-by shop could be a bonus.

Thank you.

[crankorgan]

Machspeed,
Try you local copier repair. Ask for 6 wire 5 to 6 volt 1 to 1.5 amp steppers. These will work with all the controllers out there.


John

[Machspeed_007]

Yes, I have access to printer steppers but aren't they too weak to drive a cnc router/mill?
I use ball bearings for guidance (~1" diameter) and intend to use ACME screw rods. CNC will have max 4' X 4' working space table and will mainly be made of aluminium.
The controller is L298/L297 based, 40V/2.5 Amps max.

[gjahnke]

Old printer steppers work great. You want to find good ones, though, some of the newer printers (especially some HP printers) have crappy little ones. Steppers from copier machines work fine, also

[crankorgan]

Checking my message I did said copier repair not printer.

[gjahnke]

Yo might also check your local dup, if you want to scrounge. There are enough big steppers in some copiers to do a whole machine

[Jojje]

crankorgan,

Same with my wife, she not listen, only hear me talking ;-)

[Jojje]

So, now I redesign my machine ;-)

Much better and much easier (cheaper) to build.

U can look at:

http://www.bergan.se/prod01.htm

If someone like, I can put up bigger and more pictures here ?

/// Jojje

[Zoltar]

Hello Group,

Just popped in to say hi to all hobby CNC-ers making this section of the workshop into such a huge succes.

I wish you all(ready) a very good and healthy 2004!

______________________________________________

Jojo, congrats!, you are a truly innovative genius!

......and you will be very rich sooooon!


Bye bye,...

Greetings,

Chris

-Dont eat dust-

[ezland00]

Originally posted by Jojje
So, now I redesign my machine ;-)

Much better and much easier (cheaper) to build.

U can look at:

http://www.bergan.se/prod01.htm

If someone like, I can put up bigger and more pictures here ?

/// Jojje

Nice router, are those steel?

[Jojje]

ezland00,

Yes, but u can change some of it, or all, to aluminium if u only work with soft materials. Or even use plastic, maybe ??

/// Jojje

[Jojje]

ezland00,

I build my first 1/2 scale prototype in 2mm plywood and that's not so bad, and the new design is much more stable so I can't see why not use plastic or plywood for the "big" one, or ???

(I must try some day ;-)

/// Jojje

[G1K@home]

I finially did it. After working for a year on and off on the electrical side of the machine, and the past 2 weeks on the mechanics, I have finished today.

Here's a pic of my CNC router.....

I still need to fix the Z axis.. I mounted it with the wrong mounting holes on both the channel to the x slider, and the tool holder to the z slider...


Ryan

[G1K@home]

ANd a pic of it's name... as I've read that is customary for the first thing to be cut..

I think it's fitting:

Ryan

[PanzyPoof]

Congrats Well done:D She's a wide one!
Just think of all the parts now at you finger tips.
Ya the name is fitting but your in now!
Enjoy!!:p

[MRX2099]

OK i just finished reading all 99 pages of this great thread *WHEW*, anyways I have a few questions now if I may
1) I read somewhere stepper motors from a HP Laserjet III will work, correct? (100oz torque) and are the unipolar or bipolar or what and are these good enough for any of the plans I saw here?
2) I'm deciding on either the 7th soujourn or the phoenix, but want to make it at least 12" X 24" dimension which would be easire to make wider?
3) would making the pieces from whole slabs of 1 or 1.5 inch thick acetal delrin be better that MDF or maybe even trying Malamine, its like MDF but with a slick plasticly like coating glued on it.
Thanks
Jeff

[crankorgan]

Jeff,
Latex paint is all you need to make MDF very stable for balsa cutting. You can also tap it and bolt it together using 10-24 bolts. You mean UHMW not Delrin Delrin is very expensive.

Cranky

[MRX2099]

I found some large sheets of "Acetal Delrin" on e-bay here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2582015180&category=36352) decent priced just search delrin on e-bay also small pieces to cut smaller parts from.
thanks so which would be an easier/better plan to widen, 7th soujourn or phoenix?

[crankorgan]

Jeff,
7th is for small parts and the Phoenix is for bigger ones. If you make the machine too big you will loose your calibration if you move it.
John

[kfong]

Originally posted by balsaman
Cranky,

Stepper guru,

I put a 24 volt supply on my CNC today. I got some 10 ohm resistors and wired it all up. Wow, fast! 35+ inches a minute. Now my problem is the resistors are getting too hot! The resistance goes up with time. I could only find 25 w resistors. I need aprox 36 watts. I put a huge heatsink and fan on them. Now I only used 3 resistors, tying the two coils together on one resistor. I can easily get 3 more 25 watt resistors and put one on each coil, but would it help? I don't think the coils are ever on at the same time correct? so two resistors would mean that each one is off half the time which would mean half the heat. Am I correct?

Eric


Hi Eric,

New to this group, wonderful thread. I notice most people are using resistor based drivers. Very inefficient, you should look into micro steppers and chopper drivers. Much better combination. The micro stepping provides smoother performance and the chopper circuit allows you to do away with the power hungry resistors. We use them on our mill and are really happy with the results. Micro stepping also helps with stepper motor resonance, which creates missed steps. The driver circuit is on our website, embeddedtronics.com. Open source code as well. Look under metalworking.

Sincerely,

Kin Fong

[kfong]

Originally posted by balsaman
Well, I got all my resistors together and hooked it all up to a 20 volt powersupply. I was still using the 5 volts from the pc supply for the logic part of the controller. I had a heck of time getting it to work. Intermittant problems with all the axis sometimes working sometimes not. Seemed like the Fets were getting stuck "on". I was getting frustrated. Emails to Stepperworld were sent. It seemed like everything was right but just no reliability! Rustle at Stepperworld was very prompt and offered suggestions but none seemed to work.

On a long shot I asked Rustle if I should have the negatives of both powersupplies tied together with a jumper. I didn't dare try it without asking as I didn't want to fry my controller. He said I could try it just to test it. Well guess what? I put the jumper in and now everything is perfect! Very reliable and now up to 40 inches a minute! Fun to see it fly!

Resistors get toasty which is normal. I can now keep my coffee HOT all day on those babies! Poor power supply is cooking too :D I think around 8 or 9 amps. It's rated for 12 so should be ok.

Now that it's running just right I plan on cleaning up all the electrical type parts in a box of some kind with a couple fans for cooling. I think I will let all the fins from the heat sink stick out the top of the box. Since changing powersupplies, the wiring's been a mess!:o

Panzypoof,

Hows the machine going? let's see the progress! We need another cnc in SW Ontario!

Eric

Wow, that's some serious heat sink. For those starting out go with a chopper design. Our design goes up to 55volt and 3amps. More than enough power for the nema23, we have no problem running nema34 as well. Even though they are usually more power hungry. You still need to dissipate heat from the chopper boards, but not nearly as bad and there isn't that constant current drain you have with resistors. Also, its much easier on the power supply.

Kin Fong
Embeddedtronics.com

[kfong]

Originally posted by chrisbarker
John,

I was sort of replying to your post in that you were talking about problems. I don't mean to criticize. You have a working machine and I don't.
I'm thinking about alot right now from the design of a machine to the software that runs it.
Linux has been something that I want to find out about and so my question is also general in nature.:)

Chris

Linux is great, we highly recommend it if you are good with computers. EMC is used by many professional machine shops. Very reliable and has so many features found on high end software. There is an EMC newsgroup and I believe they have created a dead brain install version. Note, you still need to a CAD package that will generate gcode for EMC to read.

Kin Fong
embeddedtronics.com

[Jim Frahm]

Hello group,

Thanks for all the information. I almost spent thousands on a Step-Four machine. Thanks to this thread, you all save me a lot of money. I'm in the process of moving from Germany to Washington. As soon as I get settled, I'll read this thread again, and then start building. In the mean time, I'll start searching for the parts. You all are a great bunch of guys, and the more opnions we have the better informed we all are. This thread started to read like a soap, but I'm glad it's back on course. Keep the post's coming. You're all helping a lot of people make good buying decisions. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays to my new friends. I know, "you don't pick your friends, they pick you" Jim

[Jim Frahm]

Hello Group,

What do you think of these stepping motors: Unipolar / 2 phases
6 Volts DC (nom)
2 Amps (max)
1.8 Degree/Step
80 oz/Inch
6 wires: white,black,red,red/white,green,green/white
2 1/4 inch. diameter
2 1/4 inch. length (excluding shafts)
Size 2.2 sqi
Double shaft
NEMA 23 size
11/16 inch Shaft length (each)
Made in Japan

Thanks, Jim

[balsaman]

Those should work great.

Eric

[G1K@home]

THought some of you may be interested in this offer:

Turbocad Profesional version 9.5 for $150


http://www.imsisoft.com/prodinfo.asp?t=1&mcid=67&cid=88884

Ryan

[balsaman]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Eric

[xairflyer]

Does anybody know if the new version of turbo cnc is available yet, I know Balsaman was involved in the fiels testing.

This might seem stupid to you guys, when you refer to latex paint is this what we would call in UK Hard Gloss.

[crankorgan]

xairflyer,
Latex looks like plastic when dry. (three coats)
But you can wash the brush out with plain water. Good latex is dry under 30 minutes.


John

[balsaman]

Still in beta testing. They say in the next month or so it will be ready for release.

The testing is looking really good.

Eric

[xairflyer]

What would latex paint be normally used for, Hard Gloss needs white spirit to thin or clean.

[balsaman]

Latex is water based. Used for all kinds of things but mostly interior house paint. Comes in flat or semigloss. Any color.

Eric

[xairflyer]

Only water based paint I am familiar with would be what we know as emulsion, is this the same ?

[crankorgan]

xairflyer,
Where are you locate. Latex was first made from milkweed. Now I think it is artificial.

John

[xairflyer]

I am in Ireland