Starting point for a pick and place - cheapy CNC and convert or build my own?

[martin54]

You would be better off starting a new post for the build log in the correct section, you are likely to get more help that way & it stops it getting messy with different topics.

As for your power supply unit, Roland who make musical instruments & Roland DG the people who make plotters & printers are 2 completely different companies lol Main reason I suggested giving them a call wasn't so much to buy a new power supply but to see if the technical department could help at all with more info on the machine, user manuals, schematics service manuals that sort of thing.

[8086]

As for your power supply unit, Roland who make musical instruments & Roland DG the people who make plotters & printers are 2 completely different companies

Oh yeah. Lol, oops. Still Roland (the music ones) were nice :P I thought you meant roland as in roland and not as in specifically roland dg, since roland dg is roland and roland is roland but roland dg is not roland music etc etc, my head hurts.

I have the user manual for it, so I can use it to move the shuttle to an absolute or relative X,Y via serial, which is all I need as far as the plotter is concerned, though I may try and get a service manual just to see what's what.

My plan now is to create a Z axis, with a small stepper for component rotation, and a vacuum attachment. Then I'll make a controller board for the stepper, and vacuum valve, with a serial output to the plotter to tell it where to go. This way I can talk to my controller via USB and since inside the plotter there are a few extra mounting points, if I make the board to fit, it should be pretty seamless.

In the immediate future though, I need to get my dremel ordered and return these useless wires to Maplin. :)

Does anyone know of a source for really small drawer sliders or linear slides?