Hey Pete:
I posted a video with the title “ZAY7045 (RF45 Clone) Max Z Rapid
“. It shows the Hand crank engagement for CNC use. I was hoping to keep this mill and get rid of my Bridgeport if I can use it for manual machining. I bought the Zay back in 2005, took it apart before I ever turned it on and then remodeled my kitchen, remodeled by bathroom and built a shed and came back to it (this year). I don’t really need these speeds but it all started when I had an extra controller card lying around and I could find the other parts pretty cheap on ebay. I feel like I’ve been separated from the crowd because I can’t use Mach3 (at least without writing my own driver). In hindsight, I’d rather do what you did and use stepper motors. I’ve looked into the driver a little but I’ll need to upgrade my 600Mhz Dell. My software is really limited so I may end up writing my own control program but my first choice is Mach3.
It took a while to find a brake but I found an Ogura 24V. Recently I bought another spare motor that has an integral brake (price was right). Do you have an enclosure/flood coolant? I still have the control box and enclosure to build.
Take it easy