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Author Topic: My first attempt at a CNC build.  (Read 62988 times)

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Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #50 on: October 06, 2013, 12:27:33 PM »
Ahh, Chattanooga, a nice place...been there a few times.  It's got those things I've read about & seen in movies.  I think you call them hills & mountains?  We have nothing but flat ground here.

I work for a car dealer so I know all about how those long weeks kill one's creative time.  It has been steady so I'm thankful for that.

Is the mill your last CNC project or are you planning something else?
Milton from Tennessee ya'll.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #51 on: October 06, 2013, 05:15:52 PM »
I think I'll just learn how to use this one for now. I mainly built it to make patterns for metal casting. See the bottom of page 3 of this thread. I'm trying to get my gas furnace set up and ready to run. I can melt about 20 pounds of Brass or Iron with it.

This is a small project I tried about a year ago.
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,22370.0.html
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #52 on: November 12, 2016, 11:58:59 AM »
Well, I've been off of here for a few years. Other projects going on. I have been using the CNC for a lot of different things, wooden signs, foam patterns for casting and wax patterns for some lost wax castings.

I have come to need a 4th axis so I have added another stepper with a small gear reducer. I believe it comes out to 20 steps per degree. I got it all wired up and it turns forward and reverse in test mode from the breakout board. When I hook it to the computer it won't turn, it clicks maybe one step or two. I have it set to angular on the A axis and have tried several different speeds on the motor tuning. Anyone have other settings that I seem to have missed?
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #53 on: November 13, 2016, 05:22:05 AM »
Try swapping it out with one of the other axes, say the X. Then see if it will move properly. This way you can tell if it is a setting in Mach or something else.
We never have the time or money to do it right the first time, but we somehow manage to do it twice and then spend the money to get it right.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #54 on: November 13, 2016, 03:47:33 PM »
That a good idea, I'll try that tomorrow. I've noticed this motor is a little different than the ones I have on the other 3 axis. Same brand and size but it has 6 wires instead of 8 and the black and white are put together.

I know it has 200 steps per revolution but what is the micro-stepping and is there a place to enter it into Mach 3? I was calculating with 200 steps times 40 (40 to 1 gear reducer) = 7200 divided by 360 equals 20 steps per degree.

I've been watching the tutorials and looking through the posts. I'm in info overload.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #55 on: November 13, 2016, 07:07:38 PM »
Hmmm. I went out and reset some of the motor tuning and pins and it's working.?? But, it only runs in one direction, the DRO says it's running both directions. I changed the pins and it runs in the other direction only.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #56 on: November 15, 2016, 06:58:40 PM »
I changed the stepper over to the z axis and it works fine, runs in both directions. I put the z axis stepper on the 4th axis and got the same problem. I either have a pin wrong or some problem in the breakout board. Is there something I'm missing on setting the 360 degree rotation the 4th axis?
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #57 on: November 16, 2016, 06:59:44 AM »
Sounds like you are not getting the direction signal to the driver. See if you have voltage going one way and no voltage when you reverse the axis. The should be tested at the drive on the direction pin.

Mike
We never have the time or money to do it right the first time, but we somehow manage to do it twice and then spend the money to get it right.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #58 on: November 16, 2016, 01:54:05 PM »
OK, you nailed it. I am using pins 8 and 9 for the 4th axis and it has constant voltage on 9. That's on the driver board, on the E-stop board the voltage goes off and on like the other axis. The driver board seems to be the problem. When nothing was working, I guess the internal test and directional switch was the problem. Like the contacts were dirty. I've had this set up for several years and never used the 4th axis. I may try to contact the people I got the boards from to see if they know what to try.
Re: My first attempt at a CNC build.
« Reply #59 on: November 16, 2016, 07:17:26 PM »
Let us know how you make out.

Mike
We never have the time or money to do it right the first time, but we somehow manage to do it twice and then spend the money to get it right.