Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- maxnc [2017/01/10 19:47] – sdh7
+++ maxnc [2022/10/26 14:42] (current) – Moved it to the wood shop last night sdh7
@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ^Name| MaxNC 10|
 ^Owner | Makers' Alliance|
-^Location | Electronics|
+^Location | Wood Shop|
 ^Training needed| yes|
 ^Hackable| no|
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Current Status: Mostly Functional
-This is a donated MaxNC 10 CL that has been hacked into functionality. MaxNC electronics have been replaced by an Arduino/gShield combo running GRBL. All of the stepper motors on the X/Y/Z axes have been replaced. Technically the machine has a 4th (rotary) axis, but the current electronics do not support it.
+This is a donated MaxNC 10 CL that has been hacked into functionality. MaxNC electronics have been replaced by an Arduino/gShield combo running GRBL (so it's no longer Closed Loop). All of the stepper motors on the X/Y/Z axes have been replaced. Technically the machine has a 4th (rotary) axis, but the current electronics do not support it.
 ===Current Status:===
-+% usable at this point, but be careful.(see Caveats)
+  *90+% usable at this point, but be careful.(see Caveats)
+  *Could use some signage in its new home in the wood shop
+  *Need to set up the computer next to it to operate it, or BYO laptop...
 ===Caveats:===
-  *endstops are currently non-functional, so automatic homing does not work.
+  *endstops are currently non-functional, so automatic homing does not work, and is only sort of useful anyway.
-  *For some reason (EM Interference, probably), turning the spindle off/on will sometimes cause the Arduino to reset. This usually happens when turning the spindle off.
+  *For some reason (EM Interference, probably), turning the spindle off/on will sometimes cause the Arduino to reset. This usually happens when turning the spindle off. With the back cover attached this happens less frequently. More shielding? Ground the spindle motor?
+  *Y-axis weirdness: The Y-axis has been troublesome lately. To fix it we've replaced the motor-leadscrew coupler, and added a (3D printed) bearing block at the end of the axis. It needed a little tightening after replacement, but ran a 2 1/2 hour job after doing that.
 ===Proposed Upgrades===
   *Coolant drip pump
-  *Vacuum for dust collection
+  *Vacuum for dust collection (metal vacuuming may be tough?)
   *Air blowing for chip clearing
-  *Upgrade electronics to a 4-axis capable board so we can use the 4th axis (should probably also get an appropriate tail stock as well)
+  *Upgrade electronics to a 4-axis capable board so we can use the 4th axis (should probably also get an appropriate chuck & tail stock as well). Something like a TinyG or Smoothie-compatible ARM solution would work well.
+  *Re-do bearing X&Y bearing blocks in aluminum?
+===Suggested Upgrades/Modifications/etc.===
+  * figure out spindle RPMs based on pulley configurations (need a tachometer, I guess?)
 ===Instructions for use:===
@@ Line 34: / Line 41: @@
 Second: Your first job should probably not be done in metal. Try using wood, plastic or foam first to get a feel for how the machine works.
-Generating Gcode: On the machine itself, we have Inkscape with gcodetools (probably better for more precision work) and MakerCAM (easy for beginners, but not very precise).
+Generating Gcode: The easiest way to generate Gcode for this is with Inventables' [[http://easel.inventables.com|Easel]]. On the laptop usually attached to the machine, or any modern computer running Windows or macOS, Easel also works as a simple and effective gcode sender.
-Running Gcode Sender: right now this is run from the command-line. I'll get a clickable launcher going soon.
-Zeroing: In Gcode Sender, use the arrow keys to move X&Y, and Page Up/Page Down to move Z. You can set the step size in the software - 1mm is good for big moves, and .1mm when closing in on zero. Get your endmill to within a few thousandths of the material (use a sheet of paper, and you're there when moving it is "tight"). Click "reset zero" and the work position will be set to zero.
+On the machine we also now have bCNC installed as a Gcode sender/editor/CAM suite.
+Zeroing: In bCNC, use the arrow keys to move X&Y, and Page Up/Page Down to move Z. You can set the step size in the software - 1mm is good for big moves, and .1mm when closing in on zero. Get your endmill to within a few thousandths of the material (use a sheet of paper as a feeler gauge, and you're there when moving it is "tight"). Click "reset zero" and the work position will be set to zero. In Easel, the procedure is similar, but pgup/down don't work- just click the buttons.
-Run your job. Attend the work. If cutting metal, apply cutting fluid every few passes. If something goes terribly wrong, hit the emergency stop.
+Run your job. Attend the work. If cutting metal, apply cutting fluid every few passes. If something goes terribly wrong, hit the emergency stop & abort on the sender.
-===Suggested usage (set these things in your Gcode)===
+===Suggested usage (set these things in your Gcode or via Easel or whatever)===
   *Keep feed rates relatively low for now (~10 inches per minute seems ok for aluminum)
-  *Keep your depth of cut light for aluminum
+  *Keep your depth of cut light for aluminum (had success at .003 per pass - slow, but got the job done)
-In the source below, just replace "templates" with a space-separated list of the tags you want.
 {{tag>[needs_minor_repair]}}