[Apples]

ynneb, I have extended the length of the trucks/carrages on the long length of the table. They are now 1m in length. I have also bolted the gantry that goes left and right to the 1m long carrages that go forwards and backwards. There is a fair bit of weight there so I do not think that this will be a problem, but hey...I'm only new and learning as I go.

ynneb, you also seem to have a bit of experience with the Rutex drives. I am going to use my table with an oxy first to save me spending big dollars on buying a 3phase plasma cutter just yet. I am particularaly interested in the plasma a/b board they have for sale with thc built in. Can I just use this board for oxy now then later on use if for a plama cutter?

What do you think are the bits that I should get to make this thing move? Can you give me some advice on what power supplies to buy, what servo motors to buy and what rutex products to buy?

Anyone else that knows a bit please tell me what you think I should use.

Cheers Peter

[ynneb]

Wow 1M trucks. I guess that should work. I finished up just putting a bearing under my trucks so as to stop the bucking. ( Ye har ridem cowboy)

I cant see there been a difference with the driver cards for plasma or flame. Best to ask Vlad at Rutex.

I have some bad news for you. The biggest part of your machine is the least expensive part. To build my frame it cost me $700 in steel, and yet, my machine still totaled 3 - 3.5k in the end.
I dont know how belts would preform in a flame/arc environment, so I guess rack and pinion is your only option, other than expensive ball screws. Unless you could hide the belts away from incidental hot splashes.Belts is definately the cheapest option.

What will you need?
You will need timing pulleys, quite a few of them so as to gear down your servos.
Servos, servo driving cards, the mother board for the cards,power supply, obviuosly a computer and driving software, and lots of sundries. The sundries will unexpectantly add quite a bit to the cost of your machine.

I notice you are taking your time with this machine. That will allow you to save up as you go.

I must say, your machine reminds me a lot of mine. Lotsa steel.

[Apples]

why can't I direct drive servo onto the rack? If i tell the motor to go slow it will go slow right??

Yeah i will use rack and pinion and hopefully be right to drive on just on side. A 2m length of rack is about $100 i think.

[ynneb]

Well you can direct drive, its just that you lose resolution/acceleration/decelleration.
I guess the feed rate of plasma/flame is quite slow. You should be alright. I must say its a bit of a guess though. The other thing is you will only be using about a 10th of the servos speed without gearing down. If you gear down you will get much better arcs (circles) etc.
You will get a much snappier machine gearing down.
I have geared down 3:1 and wish I could have geared more. I still may in the future.

For a machine the size of yours I truelly think you will regret not gearing down a bit.

[Apples]

I can remember some sort of calculation to work out the reduction gearing. What is it do you remember. Can you show me a photo of your motors with the reduction setup please. Have you just used a steel lined rubber belt, with teeth that grip onto a cog/gear wheel etc. I want the table to whizz up and down pretty quick. So reduction sounds like the way to go.

Can I use a duel drive setup with the rutex boards?

Peter

[ynneb]

See if you can decypher the pictures mid way into this thread.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6143

I didnt do dual drive, i just had a drive shaft through the ganty driving both sides.
It is cheaper, easier, requires just one servo, has less potential to have racking problems, and works extremely well. Remember my ganty is 2m wide, probably similar to yours.

[Apples]

Hi all,

Well I am finally slowly getting there. I have bought a 1200oz-in stepper for the long axis. That axis will weigh about 110lbs or 50kg when the gear rack goes on. The shorter axis is powered by a 270oz-in stepper motor.

Both of these motors will be run via Gecko G202 drives. I have them already.

The gear rack and pinion should arrive late this week. Bought off of T.E.A. Transmissions from Brisbane, Australia. If anyone in Oz interested.

I have breakout board, saftey charge pump, and mini power supply on order from cnc4pc.com. Hopefully they get here end of this week, if not they should be here buy next week.

Yeah so all is coming along good. I just need a power source, I have seen the thread about using a microwave oven for a power supply. I have one here, so maybe I can use that, not to sure though, see what happens.

So basically when the gear rack,pinion and the breakout boards arrive, I can set them all up. Get myself a power supply and then I can test the table to see if it will actually move. If it does, I will be able to breath a sigh of relief..

The plan is to get it to the stage of whereI can make it move via the computer. Test it all out, and check for square. I'm really not looking forward to getting it all square. I think it is going to be a bit of stuffing around. The gantry is just bolted at the moment, as it will allow for me to adjust if for square latter on.

So that's where I am at.

GOTTA GET ME SOME POWER..................................

Cheers

:cheers: Apples

[DanOSB]

i would be bit concerned about spring.. if u are moving back n forth it might loose its accuracy.. the pinion coming out of rack and skip or something like that...

im planning on running 1200 oz/in motor for x/y axis myself.. overkill hopefully.. but keep up with your progress u are lot more far ahead than me.. i need to catch up

Good JOB!

[Apples]

Yeah I will just see how the spring idea works. If it is no good I will have to permantly fix the motor.

Any ideas on where I can get a 50v 15amp power supply from?

Cheers

Apples

[DSL PWR]

Most industrial machines have a spring on the motors. Any that I have seen have a compression spring.

DSL PWR

[DanOSB]

oh thats good news for ya apples and for power supply i have no idea.. i was tryin to find some turnkey power supply from ebay or something... no luck.. might buy some from someone who builds the stuff or something..

[ynneb]

Nice job Peter (apples), You machine is really starting to take shape.
I am considering to change my machine to dual head. One for router work and the other for plasma. I will watch your progress with interest.

What sort of things are you planing to use your machine for ?
All I can think of is making more machine parts, and super heavy duty car ramps

[Apples]

I am going to hopefully make a few steel signs and odd jobs. I have had different quotes for power supplies. Ranging from $1500, $550 for 50vdc@15amps, $800 for 42VDC@20amps and 42VDC@10amps for $400.

Think i might order from overseas or ebay one, or even make one. I was only hoping to spend about $200.

[CJL5585]

I am going to hopefully make a few steel signs and odd jobs. I have had different quotes for power supplies. Ranging from $1500, $550 for 50vdc@15amps, $800 for 42VDC@20amps and 42VDC@10amps for $400.

Think i might order from overseas or ebay one, or even make one. I was only hoping to spend about $200.

Buy 2 of these for $70.00 + 1 large capacitor and your power supply problem is solved. Wire them in parallel. You will never max them out with one 1200 in/oz motor and one 250 in/oz unit.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vicor-FlatPAC-48...QQcmdZViewItem

Jerry

EDIT: Just noticed he sells to US only. But these will do the trick. You might be able to get him to ship them to you since Australia is a LOYAL and FRIENDLY country to the US>

[Apples]

Thanks heaps for that eBay link. Have you used these before? How did you know about them?

I have sent them an email to ask for postage to Australia, hope they will post them.

What size capacitor do i need?
Also these will have to be bolted into a box so that the terminal are not exposed?

Thanks again for that Jerry.

Cheers

[CJL5585]

Thanks heaps for that eBay link. Have you used these before? How did you know about them?

I have sent them an email to ask for postage to Australia, hope they will post them.

What size capacitor do i need?
Also these will have to be bolted into a box so that the terminal are not exposed?

Thanks again for that Jerry.

Cheers

I am using this power supply in my CNC Control box. It is powering 3 each 200 in/oz steppers and does not even get warm. I could possibly run 2 more off it before causing it to warm up.

Don't worry about the terminals. A kit is included with the supply that contains copper bolts, nuts, washers, and molded plastic covers that insulate the terminals.

The unit has threaded holes ( 8/32 ) in the supply bottom. One just drills holes in the chassis to match the supply, sticks some screws through and tightens them up, attaches the line, neutral, and ground on the input side, and adds a wire for the + and - outputs. There are lots of other terminals, but don't use them, otherwise you will be bewildered.

On my unit using this supply, I used a 15,000 uF capacitor rated at 100 Volts DC.

I would recommend in hindsite, mounting the unit to a side wall of the enclosure to keep any particles of dust, metal, out of the unit.

I used Vicor products years ago in some major instrumentation systems. The units worked for years without problems. When I saw them on e-bay and I was building a CNC, I purchased several of them. There are some CNC control boxes in Florida and Utah operating with these supplies other than my own.

Hope this helps.
Jerry

[CJL5585]

Peter,
Check your private mail.

Jerry

[Apples]

I have received my rack and pinion from T.E.A. Transmissions. They arrived well packaged on a piece of 1"x3" lump of timber, so as to stop them getting bent.

[ynneb]

What was the cost of your rack and pinion ?
How much backlash do they say it has ?

[Apples]

Well I have had the pinions machined to fit on the motor shafts.

I have put the pinions on and welded the rack to the table, and put the springs on to hold the motors up to the rack.

My breakout board should arrive wed-thurs this week. The power supplys should get here by friday this week coming I hope.

All I need now is to buy a capacitor, and buy some wire to hook everything up.



What kind of wire should I use for the power supply. What size for hooking up the capacitors, and wiring the power supplies in parrallell?

Also what kind of wire to use that goes from the gecko's to the steppers. These will be pretty long lenghts of wire. I understand that these have to be sheilded wire????? If they have to be sheilded wire, what kind of sheilding do they need and what sixe wire should i use?

Cheers Peter

Not much to go to see if it will actually move, VERY excited :banana: