[zerodegreec]

Video shows the spindle control.
BF20 CNC shop setup - YouTube

[DICKEYBIRD]

Great video! I really like your setup. Very neat & organized with good lighting.

What do you use spindle reversing for on a mill? Not a criticism, just curious and a desire to learn. Planning rigid tapping?

I added it on my lathe since I'll soon have a rear toolpost but most endmills all turn the same direction right?

[Al_The_Man]

What do you use spindle reversing for on a mill? Planning rigid tapping?

I added it on my lathe since I'll soon have a rear toolpost but most endmills all turn the same direction right?

Also floating tapping if no encoder on the spindle.
Al.

[zerodegreec]

Thanks for the compliment. The main reason is to have full control via Mach3 if I have a job that needs reversing. I do run CCW for some boring operations and u have some left hand taps I use periodically. I do plan on getting a floating tap holder in the near future. I was nervous the first time I reversed it but it works well.

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks for the compliment. The main reason is to have full control via Mach3 if I have a job that needs reversing. I do run CCW for some boring operations and u have some left hand taps I use periodically. I do plan on getting a floating tap holder in the near future. I was nervous the first time I reversed it but it works well.

Ah, OK thanks. Make sure & post an update when you get your floating tap holder. I'd like to see how they work.

I have a Tap-Matic clone for my X-3 but haven't used it yet. Bought it for a big job that fell through. They auto reverse and don't need spindle reversing.

[gd.marsh]

Great looking setup zero,

In your video you mention that after using your probe to find the center of a hole, you're still off, so you then use the centering indicator to get dead on ..
Just made me wonder if you've calibrated your probe? Beyond the diameter of the ball end, there is a certain amount of travel that has to take place before a probe will trip.

I had similar issues to what you describe until I read all the documentation for MSM which is the screen set I'm using ..
Not only does the probe tip have to be adjusted for concentricity, but must also be calibrated for amount of travel before it actually trips.
The way you calibrate with MSM is to probe a 'known diameter' very much like the Mach3 'steps' function.
You tell it the exact size of the hole you're probing .. it takes a measurement and adjusts for the difference between the known diameter & what it measured with the probe. With R8 tooling your probe will always be in the same orientation to the spindle (unless you've removed the collet pin) so should remain dead on until you change probe tips.
Once I got that all straightened out, my inexpensive probe has been pretty much spot on.

To keep the little lady happy you might consider a pair of dedicated slip-on 'shop shoes' that are banned from the house. Easy to get into & out of when you're running back & forth.

Gary

[zerodegreec]

Good thoughts Gary, easy one first. Us Canadians don't wear shoes in the house, so my shop she's stay in the garage. Most of the chips cam in via my clothes or hair. I don't mind stripping for the wife but the kids might object 😞...

Can you share the code from the auto adjustment of the screen set? I have ensured the tip is concentric to a reasonable tolerance but I have not adjusted the setup to account for the overrun when probing.

[gd.marsh]

Sorry to say, I'm not sure what to share with you ..

The calibration function is built into MSM.
Probably a macro, but there's lots & lots of them there & nothing is named, just a bunch of numbers.
I looked at several, but don't really know what I'm looking at anyway (other than most simple, basic, beginners stuff, I don't do programming)
As an alternative, you might check Mach3 forum & see if someone else has something that accomplishes the same thing.

Gary

[Dr.Fiero]

I know YOU didn't have any issues, but... In case someone else is reading this that does...

I couldn't get my C6 to work, except for a random relay engagement. No 10v output though (maybe 8-12mv tops).
Turns out after chatting with Arturo, that the C6 does not play well with the cheap Chinese BOB's (guess what came with my motors?!). Seems that the buffer chips they run distort the waveform too much.

Luckily I'd already ordered up a C10 to use as a secondary port. So it will now see primary use, and I'll order up another C10 shortly for when I run out of ports.

[zerodegreec]

Oh I most certainly have had. Issues with the c6. Plus if you read the original post, I have had doa BOB's (plural) and issues with a MPG. Had all sorts of colorful words for the first month in the shop doing the conversion. I have a video on my YouTube channel if anyone needs help figuring out if their c6 is wired properly.