Messages

11

General Mach Discussion / Newbie Trying to test my first controller

« on: September 27, 2013, 09:21:27 AM »

Greetings all,
I am a newbie building my first CNC project which is to be a 10'x9'x5' hotwire foam cutter, I have all my electronics situated in an enclosure and my steppers connected for testing. In trying to text my computer's parallel port, I opened MACH3, set the screen to Program/run mode, selected "config">ports and pins>

Port Setup is "port #1 enabled
Port Address is 0x378
Motor Output > x,y, and z axes are set to 2,, 3, and 4 respectively
Input signals > "e stop" is enabled and set to pin number "0"

I clicked apply, OK
Went back to the program run screen
clicked "reset" so that it was not blinking
stuck a paper clip in the second hole at the bottom, on the "wide side" of the computer's parallel port.

but....I'm reading 4.44v no matter which arrow key I press
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Here are a couple of shots of my controller...
The box was an outdoor solar-power enclosure.

12

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Questions

« on: October 31, 2012, 12:14:46 PM »

Thanks Hood!

13

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Questions

« on: October 30, 2012, 06:20:38 PM »

Thanks Hood,
Do you know of one you would recommend? I was looking at a Smoothstepper but it's a little pricey. I want one which can handle at least 5 axes, limit switches,  emergency stops but I don't know it this one does that..........

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-DB25-Breakout-Board-/380269712447?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5889d7543f

14

General Mach Discussion / Newbie Questions

« on: October 30, 2012, 04:58:47 PM »

I am planning to order 3- bipolar 8-wire nema23 425 oz/in steppers (2.8 A) for my y axis  and 2- bipolar. 8 wire 640 oz. (6.3A) for the x.
I already ordered 5- Gecko model #213v drivers. I sure could use some help determining the right size size power supply for these. Also, if I buy Mach3 software. will I still need a breakout board? since descriptions say Mach3 "converts a computer to a 6 axis cnc controller". what does that mean? does that mean Mach3 replaces some of the hardware?
Thanks for your help

This is the 10' x 8 ' hotwire cutter I'm building. Each tower will weigh about 26 lbs in single wire mode and about 35 lbs in multi-wire/gantry mode.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f170/238347d1351100728-chinese-company-cnc-parts-hotwire-woodworkforum.jpg

15

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ancient Grinding macine

« on: October 09, 2012, 05:03:17 PM »

OK, I made some end rail stabilizers out of some 2x6 pine, wedged them under the rails and re-set the angle on the carriage.  What do ya think? This was done with me turning the drive pulleys by hand. I think it will be even smoother when I get them motorized so I guess I will need one of the old fashioned belts to drive it. My v-groove wheel/bearings are on order and I think this going to work for me.

16

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ancient Grinding macine

« on: October 09, 2012, 03:50:53 PM »

Yep.
We'll see. The machine is designed to grind straight uniform bevels. If it works for this, I may take the three knives off the head of my 15" wood planer and see if I can resharpen them. Since they are missing with this machine, I'm building some simple "end rail stands" for it before testing it again.


http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/250/5082.pdf

17

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Ancient Grinding macine

« on: October 09, 2012, 02:09:41 PM »

Thanks!

18

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Ancient Grinding macine

« on: October 09, 2012, 11:48:08 AM »

This is the machine I'm setting up to (hopefully) grind the v-edges of my linear rails. It's an automatic planer-blade grinder. The carriage, at top front, slides on a well greased v-rail on the top end and a flat one at the bottom on the back side of the carriage directly below the rack. It has rack and pinion drive. When the carriage gets to the end of it's travel, in either direction, it trips a lever, which pushes the drive belt (connected to the back of the twin shaft motor), switching the belt to the next pulley which reverses the travel and repeats the process. Each time the carriage passes a v-shaped deflector thingy, it trips a spring loaded lever which slightly turns the 1/2" shaft in the front. When that happens each end of the shaft has a worm gear which turns another gear ever so slightly with each pass, pushing the top of the carriage (in the "y axis") a tiny fraction closer to the grind wheel. The platen can be set for any angle and the carriage has stops, to prevent any further movement when the job is complete. By just swinging the carriage either way and setting it at an angle to the grind wheel, it will cut hollow ground blades.

The carriage was rocking when I first tried it, but after discovering a bracket, under the back rail, which someone had installed backwards, I found that the machine is now very tight.  I have to build some stabilizers for the ends of the carriage,which were missing with this unit so I don't know, yet how uniform it will grind my 10' rails. But I picked it up at a garage sale for only 50 bucks and if it doesn't work to my satisfaction, I'll go a different route

19

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Vacuum Hold Down

« on: October 09, 2012, 11:09:17 AM »

This is the vacuum hold down system I put together for my old Shopbot PRT96. It has a bypass valve in the center, a 3 phase motor with static phase convertor, magnetic starter, intake filter, rubber anti-vibration coupling, and a fluid-filled vacuum meter. The shortest pipes, connect to the front zones which are used the most. My platen/grid thingy(not shown), on the table top is made from 3/4" expanded PVC which is one of the substrate materials we use in the sign biz.

20

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3, motors and drivers

« on: October 09, 2012, 10:59:21 AM »

Quick question.
My Shopbot PRT96 has Vexta steppers and it can operate quite slow without reducer gears. I'm wondering if I even need reducer gears at all on a hotwire machine?