Can the Syil C6 lathe thread under CNC?  Will it work with Mach 3?

Thanks,

Andy

Not familiar with that lathe but if it has an index pulse and uses Step/Direction for the axis motors then it should be able to be used. There have always been problems with small lathes and  threading but the last few development versions of Mach have been addressing that problem and for most it seems to work fine but a few are still having issues but Art and Brian should get that sorted soon.

Hood

Thanks Hood,

Should I just email that to the supplier and ask if this is the case?  Does anyone else own this lathe and know if it can thread?

Thanks,

Andy

OK have just done a Google and it seems that they recommend Mach for it so yes it will run with Mach. It does however say the spindle is NOT controlled by the CNC but that doesnt mean it will not thread. If there is a sensor fitted then it will be able to thread, if not then you should be able to fit one quite easily. What you would need to do is fit a disc with a slot in it and get an optical sensor and then connect that into Mach so that Mach knows what RPM the spindle is doing.

Hood

Hi,

I have found various optical sensors however connecting them to Mach is somthing I know nothing about.  I currently have a mach setup with a sherline lathe,  if I could get that to screw thread that would be great.  I did find a company selling servo versions of the sherline, however I would have to buy the whole lathe again.  Which is why I was looking at the syil.

If I had an optical sensor on my current sherline cnc lathe hooked up to Mach, would that thread?

If yes then where should I start looking for an optical sensor that can talk to mach?

Thanks,

Andy

I use an Optek OPB916B, all you need then is a current limiting resistor (220 ohm should do). You connect the VCC wire to 5v, the Anode to 5V but through the resisitor first, the Grnd and   cathode wires can be connected together and then to the 0V of your 5v power supply and then finally the output wire goes to an input pin on your port. You then go to Ports and Pins, then Inputs and set the Index up to the port and pin you have just connected to. To confirm its working just start the spindle and you should see the speed in Mach. How good you will be able to thread is another matter, you will have to take light cuts if your lathes spindle motor is small and probably best to try with the latest Dev version of Mach as threading has been getting a lot of work lately.
 Below is a pic of the sensor on my Bridgeport.

Hood

TEF9,
You can thread on your Sherline. If you have an old style motor then spindle torque may be a problem.
If you have a newer one then you will be able to thread but limited. Limited in the sense of cut depths.
Don't know your stepper motor torque but mine are only 125 in oz., rather punny.
The latest version of Mach V3.042.012 should be used as it seems to have the bugs worked out. I got lazy and didn't
get around to actualy cutting some threads today with that version. The Z movement will adjust itself to a  decreased spindle speed. Note that  you may have to use backlash compensation. The G94 / G95 looks good and the RPM readout is dead on in the latest Mach version. So like Hood said things look good for the punny users.

Attached is a picture of the the index on my Sherline lathe.

MODIFIED: The optical sensor i used came from my junkbox of stuff so i can't even tell you who made it.