Messages

851

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Whats the current developement state of the SS?

« on: April 20, 2010, 12:10:31 PM »

Take a look at Dynamotion's KFLOP. They seem to be actively supporting it, but there aren't a lot of Mach3 users.

I read up on this product and was about to purchase the Kflop board . . until I saw $20 shipping for a board that 'fits in the palm of your hand' from California to Texas. In my experience, a company that blatantly overcharges for shipping also mistreats their customers in other ways as well. I'll keep looking . . . .

852

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 20, 2010, 09:52:02 AM »

Comment on the new spindle lock/brake for those of you who are folowing along and making your own 4th axis;

The new setup is completely enclosed in the frame and under cover so that flood cooling can be used. The disc is now hardened steel and the caliper is larger and more robust so that the setup can serve as a brake as well as a lock. A slightly larger and longer travel air cylinder is used. Repeated emergency stops with or without motor power are accomplished quickly and without damage to the brake.

With the new brake covered up, I found it impossible to tell if the lock was engaged or not, so I now have an indicator light next to the manual override button. I also suggest beginning each program with an unlock command. The motor is unable to turn the spindle against the new lock, however, in 'backgear' the torque was such that the setscrews on the main pulley were immediately dragged around the hard spindle, even after I ground small flats for them to bear on. This has been solved by going back to the steel clamp collar with the aluminum pulley bolted to it.

The current 'lock demo' video will be taken down as soon as I have a chance to make and post a video of the new lock, so be aware that the lock as shown in the current 'lock demo' video is NOT capable of holding the spindle for a shaving operation as demonstrated in the latest video. Sorry for any confusion there.

853

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 20, 2010, 09:29:16 AM »

Thanks for all the comments. Couple responses:

The black 'engraved' line is indeed drawn by a pen for the purpose of 'demonstrating' an engraving process. I use the pen often to proof new programs. I have not had time to build my tail stock yet, so cutting on the unsupported end of a foot long tube would probably not be successful. The engraving video actually was done with belts set for high speed, but it still made pretty smooth curves. The 'backgear' setting is specifically for high accuracy (very smooth arcs) and/or high torque (drilling, trunnion table, etc). I am discovering that Mach has 'issues' with simultanwous 4 axis motion.

The tail stock will be built from a standard spin indexer and have very light duty ball bearings and a 5C collet. In this way I can pas stock not only the 4th axis spindle, but also the tailstock and work on very long pieces. I have an adapter from straight shank to MT3 that can be held in a 5C collet and then use 'normal' tall stock tooling. The tailstock spindle will have a conventional handwheel advance for drilling, etc.

As mentioned in another post, the shaving operation is really most usefull for internal stuff, but that doesn't make a very good video, so I just did something external and simple again for demonstration. Many of the videos on YouTube make me want to slash my wrists, so I really try to keep mine short and reasonably interesting.

854

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 18, 2010, 04:18:48 PM »

First video is posted on Youtube. Shows new Super Duty 4th axis. Rotary engraving demonstrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC2urdg_bqg&feature=related

Second video posted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFR_lwZBRA

Demonstrates spindle lock power during metal shaving operation.

855

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 13, 2010, 09:56:47 AM »

A tester has volunteered who has a servo driven lathe spindle and has been trying to get swap axis for it for quite some time.  Thanks to all who who responded.

I am not promising to make the boards generally available, but I will let everyone know the results of the smoothstepper testing. This will probably take a couple of weeks or more.

856

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 13, 2010, 04:50:55 AM »

Based on posts and PMs I will clarify a couple of things about the swapaxis question.

First, the swapaxis board does exactly in hardware what the Mach3 software swapaxis does, namely it 'swaps' the axis. Two axis inputs, two drive outputs. The board is invisible to Mach3. This caveat is that a user needs to be aware of the acceleration and step settings as they will not follow the axis swap, so a litte planning would need to be done, or adjustmnent made in the G-code.

This is not a complicated install. We are talking about taking 4 wires out of a $2 ribbon cable, cutting them and connecting them to a 1" wide PCB using a tiny screwdriver. Add a 5V supply, a ground and an on/off output signal from your BOB and it's done. In the unlikely event that there are not enough pins left on the BOB, a second serial port is about $15 and basic BOBs are under $10

857

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 12, 2010, 12:24:19 PM »

Dan, I tried a number of methods including special ink in an injet printer and using a modified DVD printing tray, but in the end I settled (for now) on common rubber stamps using a 'permanent' ink. I would rate the results as 'satisfactory'. Silk screen would provide a better result, but I don't really want to mess with silk screening. I am however contemplating purchasing a pad printer for another project. If I go forward with that, then it would also do an outstanding job on the PCBs!

Hood, It has occurred to me that your smoothstepper is ahead of your BOB, which makes sense considering the smoothstepper uses a driver to 'talk' to Mach3. The swapaxis should still work between the drive and the BOB -or-  between the BOB and the smoothstepper, but in opposite order of the flow that I originally assumed.

858

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 12, 2010, 12:01:03 PM »

Wow, very professional looking unit.  That's the bearing right there in all its glory, eh?

I'd be tempted to put some sort of ring shaped cover over it, even though it is sealed.

That's a good suggestion, thanks!

PS   I think US Digital has relatively inexpensive and compact converters to go from single ended to differential and back.  Like everything else, it's just a chip.

Yes they do, and Rutex also sells them and CNCdrives gives them away free with their drives. The converter boards are very simple (right up my alley  ), but I would prefer to support the differential signal directly on the swapaxis board, if it is not too complicated . . .  I can forsee just switching the extra signals or perhaps adding the differential converter chip to have a 'combo' depending upon what people want, but I just don't have time to address that at the moment. You are right about 'just a chip'   My little TTL splitter and also the Swapaxis are just chips also. The boards are basically just a 'connector' for the chips. The solid state relay is a little more complicated, but still pretty basic stuff. Anything electronic is a challenge for me and I have help in figuring these little guys out, but still it is fun and satisfying when they actually work!  The PCB routing is still fun and has now lead me into engraving  . . which is also big fun! CNC is a very addictive hobby, I must say.
My current 'rouge's gallery':

859

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 12, 2010, 09:47:30 AM »

I saw the picture. Very professionally done and neat as always, but not welded together from what I could see . . .   

Hood, it was my impression that you have several or many machines all with smoothstepper and that you were interested in swapaxis capability except that the smoothstepper did not support it. I think it was you who said that anyway. Apparently one or more of those impressions in incorrect. Incidentally, I believe the swapaxis board could also go between the smoothstepper and the bob.

Eventually I will test is myself, but I am too busy right to inject the reportedly troublessome smoothstepper into the mix. The board works great between the BOB and drives using Machs port driver, And I have sent some out for testing on specific systems that will be getting the new 4th axis. The swapaxis function is critical to the usefullness of my 4th axis so all three of the little boards (TTl splitter/booster, relay and swapaxis) are being supplied with the machines. Several guys are building their own 4th axis based on this design and I may make these board generally available for people who tackle this themselves. None of these guys has a smoothstepper, but I just would like to know if it is compatible for future reference.  It *should* be, but it would be nice to hear it from someone who tested it.

So, anyone with a smoothstepper or equivalent (if there is one) and preferably also a 4th axis, send me a PM if you want to play and I'll send you a free swapaxis board to test and keep.

The machines themselves are coming along nicely. The lock is now also a brake and is completely enclosed in the frame. This is the Standard model. I'll be posting a new video soon of the Super Duty guy with the double reduction belts. That guy is a brute. I can't keep the main drive pulley locked onto the spindle . . so that model is 'still in the oven' so to speak until I get that issue resolved.

860

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: April 10, 2010, 05:36:45 AM »

OK, since the smoothstepper does not support differential signals, you must be doing the conversion downstream. My swapaxis board simply switches the signals unchanged, taking inputs from two axis and swapping them to the servo drives. The switching is very fast and should be transparent to the system, particularly to the smoothstepper driver.

Mach3 is unaware of the swapaxis board and even 'hot switching' with the axis moving seems to work OK. I have tested the board with the spindle axis active and running the spindle. Switching the axis in this situation simply starts the 4th axis running as the spindle. Switching back does not seem to confuse the system at all. The 4th axis is simply, silently, the A axis again, with the caveat that the position is no longer valid, so indexing requires a re-home. Also a 'hot swap' does not utilize accelleration settings to the axis sort of 'slams into gear' without a clutch . . .  so to speak, if you hot swap.

It seems to me that your setup *should* work like this: CNC->SMOOTHSTEPPER DRIVER->BOB->SMOOTHSTEPPER->SWAPAXIS BOARD->DIFFERENTIAL CONVERTER->SERVO DRIVE

Now that you have made me aware of differential step and direction signals being used on industrial drives, I have yet more homework to do. My new 'Super Duty' 4th axis is almost complete and it is not a hobby level machine, so I will need to support differential signals in the accompanying swapaxis board, so I will look into what is needed to accomplish that. Hopefully it will be something simple like dual multiplexers triggered simultaneously.