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Thread: Smiler's Build

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  1. #41
    hello again smiler
    could you answer a few questions,hope i'm not boring you with these:confused:
    in pictures is the shaft under gantry driving pinions under main frame,if so how did you eliminate backlash etc.
    i have s/h racks would they be accurate working with alloy? or are ball screws better?
    what speed can gantry move on main frame?
    i was going to run roller bearings mounted on angle iron on my alloy frame from stair lift(i think)instead of linear rail as i have low budget.what do you think:question:
    P.S more pics please as one of the best builds i've seen then i'll stop anoying you:naughty:
    Tom

  2. Quote Originally Posted by Smiler View Post
    Good choice, John S. will vouch for Roy's boards too. A buffered, opto isolated card is a big plus IMO if there is an electrical problem it will keep it within the card and not send it on to your PC. I also use a Smoothstepper because at the time I had to use a laptop, The Optoport worked fine with that too, in fact it was the opto isolation that stopped my Smoothstepper getting fried.



    They work as well as any other BOB, I never had a single problem that could be put down to the Optoport.

    That certainly give me a boost of confidence and enough to persuade me to stay in the UK for buying a board, the optoport it is. I wasnt to keen on buying one from America anyway, everytime I have bought something abroad recently I have been caught out by the import taxes.


    Quote Originally Posted by Smiler View Post
    I use the simple microswitches with the little roller on an arm. Simple, reliable, repeatable. I use them NC connected in series Active High, that way, should a limit/homing wire be cut or a switch fail (happened once), the machine will stop.

    I know people use proximity switches and have success with them (Techserv) and if you are using separate limits and homing switches, I'd use them on the limits, after all, if you hit your limits, you aren't going to worry about their accuracy or repeatability as long as they switch and stop the machine. For homing, I'm not too sure about them. I've never found affordable (by DIY'ers) prox switches that had the repeatable accuracy that would be a match for simple microswitches in the vital homing situation where Mach automatically homes the machine. Important when you are using jigs and offsets.

    Also, my limit switches double as my homing switches which apart from the cost savings, removes a whole level of wiring complexity and faultfinding when something goes wrong. I just don't think you can beat the microswitch, it's tried tested, reliable, accurate, repeatable, simple and just plain works in all sorts of conditions.

    Just my opinion of course, others will disagree and there may be new types on the market I haven't tried. Is there a reason you are leaning toward proximity switches?
    Thanks for this advice, I was just told that you cannot beat the reliability of the proximity switches, but I had also heard from a few others, including you now, that they may not be as accurate as I want them to be.

    Them main reason I wanted to use them was for their reliability and supposed accuracy. I will stick with my microswitches for the time being. I may look into magnetic, vane type switches. Our 5axis router at Uni uses these magnetic switches which appear to be very accurate and have certainly been reliable.

    Quote Originally Posted by Smiler View Post
    I'll get a photo of the electricals posted ASAP for you.
    Thanks, just out of interest more than anything else.

  3. #43
    I have found the photos in your gallery, do you have any more (of the build)? ... I am just starting to collect some bits for the same machine you have built, but like you I am not going to use timber.

    What material did you use to mount the racks on? also I assume you used Aluminium for the Y axis side plates, did you stick with David Steeles' bearing choices?

    Oh and did you ?... Ummm ... did you also? ... I'll shut up now.
    Tim G-C

    “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

    (attrib. Voltaire but written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall "The Friends of Voltaire" 1906)

  4. #44
    I like your build and want to use some of your ideas, particularly like the way you have mounted the spindle. I took my router apart this morning and designed a support plate etc, looks like I didn't need to, a couple of rail clamps will do perfectly well.

    Don't want to sound like a divvy, where do I find your gallery pics.

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