Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
for the 24volts are you using the original transformer/ big cap in the boxford or a switch mode?
switch mode psu can trip with a no load as well as full load condition
re breakout: i used a cnc4pc buffered breakout and a step to analogue board from jon at cncdoctor.co.uk (always on ebay)
if your going to run off a laptop make sure you use a buffered board to pull the 3.3 v signals to 5v
the gemini is a torque drive so wants a max 8volt analogue signal not 10volts.
the gemini is pretty crap at holding correct rpm. and takes a hell of a lot of tuning to get to a reasonable state.
i hate steppers so i put in mitsubishi servos in mine. making it rapid at 6m/minute is fun to watch on such a small machine.
mach 3 will do whatever you want. its totally configurable when you start digging a bit deeper into it as ive proved with my latest conversion
(wood machining centre with 2 routers, 24 vertical drills, 10 horizontal drills all offset from each other)
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
tbh the laptop i was using was a peice of shit! so i smashed it up.... lol (gonna use for another project)
the original trans and big cap have long gone from the setup mate.
Like i said im gonna use the main PC to run this for now, then look at shuttle or something small
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
So anyway, long time since I updated this..
I got another desktop pc and ran mach3, still had problems gallor. so I ran the latest emc build and the steppers ( x and z) worked fantastically after a little setup.
Still need to get the spindle controller bought tbh then should be good to go with some full on cnc turning
Stu
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
what problems did you hit with mach? it works great once set up right. plenty of help on the mach yahoo forums etc.
i had mine cutting right on the first day.
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
Tbh i really dont know what it was, but it seems to be running smoooth in Emc, so thats what i will stick with for now.
Im just looking at a Opto Relay board for the spindle
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
Is that for manual controlling? I was looking for something I can do through pc
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
it is for use from a pc.
you send it a step pulse,(the same as you use for a stepper motor) it converts it to 0 to 10v analogue to be fed into the motor drive which controls the speed of the motor
0v the motor would stop
10volt the motor is at full speed
(8volt is full speed if your boxford has the gemini torque drive)
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
he also makes a neat interface for the spindle opto switch which you will need to use if your going to do threading etc on the lathe
Re: Not Just another Boxford tcl 125 thread....
ok i wanted to run the spindle both ways and control speed from PC,