[Micro Rotors]

Hello All,

Here is a new toy for anyone to make. It is a great addition to my HF Mini Mill CNC. I got the idea from a article in the magazine Digital Machinist. It is a web cam that can be used for many, many things such as accurate optical measuring, locating, centering holes, measuring angles, edge finding and so on.

The conversion is explained in great detail in the article including listing what web cam to use. The one in the article can be bought on line from Walmart for $9.95 but I didn't want to wait so I went to Walmart and bought a different one made by the same manufacture. The only problem was, it had a different shape so I had to make a new housing and trim the board down a lot and add an extra mounting screw hole. It wasn't to much trouble to make and it only took about 7 hours to make on a lathe. The plastic is made from ABS and parts were glued with Weldon. The metal is 12L14 and the screws are 4-40 and 2-56 and a couple of really small self tapping screws from the camera.

The lens it manually focused and I had this thing focusing down to were the lens was literally on the part. I didn't think I needed to be that close so I backed it out to were the lens is now roughly .375 of the part. It is extremely clear even at that range.

The software is Mach 3 with the Point Cloud plug in.

The photos show the story.

Bill

[Micro Rotors]

More

[Micro Rotors]

Some screen shots of me dialing it in and focusing. I used a piece of torn paper to focus in on the little hairs of the paper. Also you can see the 64th scale in the picture.

Bill

[Greolt]

Zarzul has been selling his version for a while. See link.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...09&postcount=7

Greg

[Micro Rotors]

Greg,

Yup, I found that out yesterday ... Thanks for the link anyhow!

I had loads of fun doing it anyhow, besides I got a ton of self accomplishment doing it myself and seeing it working. Also I like making my own tools when I can.

I have one addition to it that I would like to do. I wanted to add a few LED's to it but, it has to much glare to it. So I have been researching night vision web cams and found out something very interesting. You can convert a regular web cam to night vision by removing the IR filter off the lens and adding two pieces of a photo negative to the lens and it will read very well in the shadows that the camera makes.

I will start on this on Saturday.

Thanks
Bill

[Greolt]

Zarzul has been selling his version for a while. See link.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...09&postcount=7

Greg


EDIT: I re read my post and it sounds like I tried to rain on your parade. Sorry not my intention. :wave:

Your Mount looks pretty good. Certainly a lot prettier than my effort.

[Micro Rotors]

Greg,

Don't worry about it, I didn't see it or take it that way at all. I did see yours this morning and it did inspire me though!

Bill

[smoregrava]

Is the software freeware or where did you buy it? A very nice job. yesterday I recived my first real fullsize CNC mill in my home chop (Maho). And this tool must be a very nice adon to teachin holes patterns and so on. I have to make or buy on of these.

[Rodm1954]

Nice work Bill

If you mount the camera on the side of the head and then use the script that Greolt created then you can leave it permanently mounted. Have a look at his laser crosshairs thread and you will get the idea.
here

[ataxy]

so you get an accuracy of ~0.003 or you get more

[hoss2006]

Cool beans Bill,

I started working on mine yesterday.
I got the idea from S_J_H on the Homeshop machinist forum a few days ago.
This will be a real time saver for positioning the spindle at the part origin for my programs.
Can't wait.
He also uses Centrecam for lining up on a part.
Think i'll wait to see your night vision conversion first.
Thanks Hoss

[Micro Rotors]

smoregrava,

I am using Mach 3 and the plugin Point Cloud and yes they are free if you just want to use it for this tool or 500 lines or less of code.

ataxy,

Not sure, I will find out tonight though. I just made it and zeroed it in on the full size mill at work yesterday during lunch. It's at home now waiting for me to play with it tonight. I will see exactly what the accuracy is and post the info here.

Rodm1954,

I am trying not to have it permanently mounted to the machine. I am having the ATC system that Hoss has graciously handed to us and I think thats enough to were I might have to put a counter balance system on the machine in which I am trying very hard to avoid and have done a good job of that so far. I am going to take Hoss's ATC one step further though, I am investigating, well ripping off the design of the carousel from the HAAS VF-3 at work. I just don't have the bed Hoss has and I think I can get it to work without having the thing attached to the machine, just next to it. (Hoss, I might need to pick your brain on controlling this one). (group)

Hoss,

Well I am surprised you didn't already jump on this one! I will be doing the night vision conversion this weekend and that will eliminate the need for lighting. These things really create a bad shadow when you have them down on your work piece. Your thoughts on it being a time saver, are mine exactly!

BTW ... The magazine ... Digital Machinist ... GREAT STUFF!

[Greolt]

If you mount the camera on the side of the head and then use the script that Greolt created then you can leave it permanently mounted.

The way these cheap web cams work on a mill they need to focus from a very small distance. Mine is 4mm from the target.

When used like this I can see a 0.001" movement. This to my mind is what is needed for it to be useful on a mill.

So permanently mounting and still being able to focus from that close becomes a problem.

That's why mine and all that I have seen are mounted in the spindle for use then removed.

These things really create a bad shadow when you have them down on your work piece.

Looking at your photos it seems to me you need to remove some of the large amount of plastic "Hood" on the lens.

This will let in more side light at your chosen focus distance.

My web cam has built in LEDs for illumination and all they do is make it too bright to see a clear image on screen. So a waste of time.

If there is enough general light in my shed to for me to work then the web cam can see fine. No external lighting or night vision needed.

Greg

[Micro Rotors]

Looking at your photos it seems to me you need to remove some of the large amount of plastic "Hood" on the lens.

This will let in more side light at your chosen focus distance.
Greg

Greg,

You are correct on removing some of the Hood. I want to do this this weekend when I do the "NV" mod to it. The problem is that I could not locate the camera described in the magazine article in Digital Machinist that Zarzul wrote. (Zarzul ... Great Article my hats off to you!). I did a web search for 100 miles from my house and I didn't want to order and wait for it from the web so I got the next best thing available to me. Anyhow the housing is 2.336 in diameter and that is with me really trimming the circuit board down. The "NV" mod is something I want to try anyhow because I have a contact that can get me a sample camera thats about the size of a postage stamp. That will allow me to make one thats approximately 1.000 in diameter. Now that would be cool and it will be small enough to be able to not have any additional lighting of any kind.

Besides, isn't this hobby all about fun through experimentation?

Bill

[ataxy]

i saw a mod where one guy, i guess its a guy might be a girl who knows, inserted led all around its lens so that the light was pointing in the same direction as the lens might be another solution cuz i wonder how the image is going to come off if you have another bright source of light near your mill, the night vision might amplify that source of light and make the image washed out

[Micro Rotors]

The light reflects off your work surface so badly to were it looks like your looking into the sun and you can not see anything at all or the lens is so close that it will completely knock out any light and you cannot see anything but black or barely anything at all.

The only solution I had was to use a small LED pen light shinning in from the side and that was marginal at best. I had to lift the camera off the work and refocus out in order to see and that is what you see in the pictures.

The lens can be focused so much more than I have it (actually it's truly amazing) that I can even trim down the lens shroud and still get closer (really no need unless you need a microscope).

The night vision would be perfect because I could control how much IR light I want. The more I want, the more pieces of photo negative I would add and visa-versa. I can completely control how much I need or don't need. In fact I can have it half and half to get the level of light that I would want. At that point, We could re title this post:

My New Optical Toy ... "The Perfect Camera"

[Bubba]

On my interpretation, I used four super bright leds "aimed" at the central point and then put a 10K pot in series to control the illumination. Depending on the type of material etc, having a variable light source is nice.

[Micro Rotors]

On my interpretation, I used four super bright leds "aimed" at the central point and then put a 10K pot in series to control the illumination. Depending on the type of material etc, having a variable light source is nice.

Bubba,

That would be a great option also! Do you have a picture I could see?

[NEATman]

I had worked at a company (Precitech) that had an "Optical tool setter" option for thier lathes. It was removable, and would repeat to the same location within .000050" (50µ"). http://www.precitech.com/OTS.pdf

The trick is to use 6 ceramic rods and 3 ceramic balls to create a kinematic mount that is highly repeatable. The rods are arranged in pairs to make "V" blocks. The 3 balls are mounted to the camera and nest in the "V" blocks. The center lines of these "V" blocks all point to a center point (they are radially oriented). The center of gravity for the tool setter was balanced right at the center point of this "nest", so all you had to do was lift it on and off.

Plus, if you bump it in almost any direction, it would move out of the way - usually without harming the camera. I am considering making something like this to mount a camera on my mill, but have the V-block nest mounted vertically with a rare earth magnet (instead of gravity) to hold the camera mount to the side of the mill.

Once I have time to design this, I'll post some pictures.

Another idea along the same lines - but far simpler:
Perhaps a custom "V" block with a rare earth magnet at the base of the V. This could be designed to stick to the OD of the quill on the machine. It has the benefit of moving with the quill, wouldn't be damaged if you started the spindle, and would fall off if you bumped it. Plus, it is referencing the OD of the quill - which is the guide surface of the quill, so it should be highly repeatable.

I guess I'll have to design this one too!

NEATman

[Bubba]

Micro Rotor,
Just got in from my "birthday party" and will try to take some pictures in the morning and post here.