Pointy you have made a really nice job of that.
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Pointy you have made a really nice job of that.
Thanks for the kind words guys.
I did find a couple of hours last night to start on the front panel wring and made some good progress. Everything is wired, except the Estop LED (in my haste I managed to forget to order a 5mm bicolor LED) and the joysticks/buttons.
I am really hopefully I can get the rest done today.
I had a really frustrating day yesterday!
I wired up the joysticks and buttons to the HID controller and then fired her up for a test. Everything worked as expected except the LCD screen, then I realized I hadn't installed the plugin for Mach3. I copied the plugin over from my main PC and fired up Mach3, only to be greeted by an nice error "Plugin Defective'.
I spent the rest of the day troubleshooting this without success. It's strange that the plugin works fine on my main PC which is Windows 7 64bit, but doesn't like XP, normally it's the other way round.
I have narrowed it down to the USB code but I am not sure where to go from here. One option is to try Windows 7 on the CNC PC, I always thought that it was a no go with Mach3, but apparently 32bit should work, so I might try that today. Fortunately I have a spare HD so I can keep the XP install intact while I test.
Mach works fine with Win7 and 8 64bit but it's the parallel port driver that doesn't work with 64bit. It does work ok with win7 32bit so you shouldn't have any trouble.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAZZCNC
Thanks Jazz, I just tested on a Windows 7 32bit netbook, but still get the plugin error. :hopelessness:
Well I am pleased to report success!
I checked the Windows 7 netbook and the Visual C++ runtimes and net framework 4 were missing. After installing them the plugin worked.
I have since installed Windows 7 HP 32bit on the CNC PC and everything seems to be working now, I need to do a proper test run, but I don't anticipate any problems. (Famous last words!) The only downside is I now have to buy another Windows 7 licence.
The last few jobs are...
- Redo the connectors when my new right angled ones arrive.
- Sort out the cable chain.
- Tweak the HID controller firmware.
The cable chain leads me to my next project, as I went and splashed out on a RepRapPro Ormerod. My plan, when I get the thing built is to try and print my own.
Here's a 3d model I prepared earlier...
Glad that you are getting close. that cable chain looks good. How long will it take you to print a metre? G.
Nice Panel. I found some connectors on Ebay through these folks in the US, I'd be really surprised if there wasnt a cheaper and faster UK source. *www.ugracnc.com* on eBay
The model looks good but probably won't print too well without support (not necessarily a problem but it uses more plastic and will be tedious to remove on a large number of components). Have a look at Pimped Cable Chain by leemes - Thingiverse - it's a bit more basic than yours but I've printed out (though not used in anger) some and they print well with no support. The main difference is the large fillets on the bar over the top which brings down the unsupported width to about 5mm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pointy
Enjoy the Ormerod build - it looks a nice printer.
A while, seeing as the printer is still in bits in a box. :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by GEOFFREY
Thanks, but I plumped for the Chinese ones as I am in no hurry.,Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
Thanks for the advise and link Freddie, obviously I am very green when it comes to 3d printing. I am not sure why it would need supports though, the top piece is separate and clips in after the cables are in place, as shown in the following pic...Quote:
Originally Posted by FatFreddie
The reason for making my own cable chain was the fact that I was struggled to find the exact size, and also the clips keep flying off as they don't slot inside like mine. It's also not my design, I just modeled what I have here already and adjusted the size to suit.
I never thought of looking on thingiverse though, there seems to be quite a few designs there already.
Ah - didn't spot that :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pointy
Designing for 3D printing takes a bit of getting used to because you can't directly print overhangs (like the lugs at the back) so you have to get the slicer to generate a support structure (a deliberately weak scaffold) that you remove afterwards or adapt the design so it isn't necessary. On the other hand you can easily print objects that would be difficult to machine (internal voids for example).
The right angled connectors finally arrived today, and looks like no import duty.:encouragement:
I just need some enthusiasm to wire them up. At least they look the same, so I should be able to leave the chassis sockets in place.
In the meantime, I have been busy playing with the new RepRap Ormerod 3d Printer and have found a few practical uses for it already. I made some connectors and clips for connecting a vacuum hose into the enclosure. Here's a couple of pics...
This was inspired by my brother in law, after he asked me to cut some acrylic discs for him, what a mess! I just need to find a vaccum that doesn't sound like a jet engine now!
Other than a couple of minor bugs in the LCD firmware, everything seems to be working great.
Very impressive - how long did that take? G.
There 5 separate parts which from memory took from 30 mins to and hour or so to print, but I think it's great than in the course of a day I could design and build these parts.
While I had intended to print my own cable chain, I spotted some online while looking for something else. It was delivered yesterday and was absolutely spot on size wise, however it is non opening and there was no way my connectors would fit without taking them apart. In the end I decided to use it, and disconnected thing from the motor ends. It meant I had to redo the limit/home switch wiring, but I had never really been happy with that part anyway. So now that all the wring is done and the new cable chain fitted, we are pretty much finished.
The dust extraction was a failure but it inspired me to design and print a a proper dust shoe, which has turned out quite nice and works good. I just need some suitable skirt material. (for the shoe not me!) I'll post up some pictures tomorrow.
One other little job I would like to do is get the USB camera mounted properly, hopefully I can print something on the 3d printer, but I would like to get a piece of 4mm aluminium plate to replace the acrylic behind the spindle first.
Here's a couple of pictures of the dust shoe...
From the sketchup image you can see the shoe is in two parts which I just simply glued together. I can easy just pull the shoe off when changing bits as it just clips into the arms either side.
For my PCB milling it works great as it is, but when milling acrylic you still get the odd piece flying out. I think a suitable skirt will solve that, but I don't want to use brushes, I think I would rather something clear so I can see whats going on. I also think if I wanted to be rally clever I could add some LED lights to it as well, or maybe just print it in clear PLA.
The dust shoe design is not bad but I would want to mount it from a part of the Z axis that did not move up and down with the spindle.
These were suggested to me for making a plastic skirt, VARIERA Drawer mat - IKEA, a circular one that just goes around the cutter would work great.
If you find a better material then please let us know with links to it.
Thanks for the reply Eddy.
The spindle was the easiest place to mount as I am limited for space. It works fine for milling PCBs as I only really need it on for the actual milling run, and maybe the drilling if its a busy board. I am sure this design will get tweaked with use and I am thinking I could make some brackets that fit to the plate behind the spindle. Food for thought anyway.
Being a glutton for punishment I remade the IO board again from the latest PCB design (1.3). This was mainly because I have someone else who wants to make one, so I wanted to prove the latest design before releasing it. (I was still using v1.2 with a couple of bodged resistors) Well I am pleased to say that it all worked first time without issue, and hopefully that's the last time I mess with it.
I also managed to fix a couple of minor bugs in the USB controller firmware and just have to decide what to use the last button on the front panel for. Auto tool zero is something I use quite a bit so that might be an option. Again over time, I am so these will get tweaked.
Lastly, I have ordered a couple of bits of 4mm aluminium to replace the acrylic plate behind the spindle, and then I can try and get the camera mounted properly.
I've been following this thread for a while. Really great work here Les. I'm borrowing many of these ideas. One thing i wanted to do was to have doors on the front. I'm also putting a radiator for the water-cooled spindle inside the enclosure and a small air compressor (aquarium pump) in as well. This will all generate heat inside the enclosure, but i'm hoping the vacuum will pull enough air out to prevent warm air from building up. With everything inside and sealed up, noise should be minimised.
I hope to get a decent seal on the doors (made using aluminium profile and polycarbonate panels), though not sure how i'm going to do that yet. I've built a base that the enclosure (using the same aluminium profile and polycarbonate) sits on. Here is a photo of the underside. The holes hopefully will allow air to be drawn in around the radiator for spindle cooling, the air compressor and the y-axis stepper. In addition to the holes in the photo, a hole for the air compressor intake has been added and a slot that allows all the cables to run through:
Attachment 12374
I plan to use an almost identical system through the enclosure for the vacuum attachment. I will likely add a small hole on the inside connector to allow a small amount of air to be pulled out from near the top of the enclosure. That should help keep things cool inside. Hopefully i can pull air out faster with the vacuum than the air compressor is pulling it in :-)
Anyway, looking forward to seeing more of your build.
You do fishing as well ;) Are you in the UK?? I might be of some use to you. Which makes me less concerned about asking for assistance ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pointy
Regards Andy T