[dobrientruckers]

Glad to hear things worked out for you y2khines.

So what are you going to get for a router?

Dennis

[luthier]

A round metal part above the collet loosened up on my trimmer. It requires a special tool to tighten it up, so I opted to swap it out for another trimmer just like it that I had. It turns out the factory mounting cap screw wasn't 1/4-20, like it needs to be for the router. I think it was finer, like 1/4-28 or something like that. Be aware that this may impact your router's mounting threads.

[luthier]

I have a Maxnc 10 open loop mill which I haven't used in 2-3 years. I also bought a Maxnc closed loop motor control system for use on my home built cnc router. It was nice having everything all put together, but their documentation was horrible and there was no real tech support. Given this was all before the company was sold to its present owner. My system with 1/4-20 rod drive ran really slow as compared to the pcnc system. I don't know how mach3 would work with the maxnc system, but problems with skipped steps with the Max got me to buy the pcncautomation machine in the first place. It could be a controller problem, or motor problem, or software problem, but I did swap out computers and that didn't cure it. Now that I know more about that end of things, I'd probably go with a more popular system.

[cambridgecnc]

I am getting a chinese 1200 x 1800 router and adding controls here (you can get it with controls from there but they are not the best. The cost of the router FOB china with steppers, vacuum table and 2k spindle and inverter is 5600$...shipping is around 800-1000 to get it to my door. There is more info on the chinese router thread

[SparksStudios]

Just noticed that the pcncautomation.net link no longer goes to Bill's website. A WHOIS search shows the domain registration expiring today. Guess there's not going to be a PCnC Automation 2.0! :banana:

[dobrientruckers]

Someone aught to buy that web site and whip up a site to collect facts and figures on Bill J's nefarious dealings!

[jslade]

Tried to call county prosecuter (SWITZERLAND) today. Left message for her to call me back. (Monica Hemsly 812-427-2909) Talked to her 2 other times and she said deputies were dispatched but Bill wouldnt answer the door. They must have forgot thier badges or they don't take this seriously OR Bill is local "good old boy"!!!! He is a sly one. Glad others on here are on his trail to TX. Suggest calling Monica friday and maybe she wiil take this more seriously even if he has left state: he's committed major crime and should be hounded. BTW sent Monica all PCNC transaction paperwork some time back, others may want to do same.JIM

[mmcclung]

Looks like he is back at it again. See the posting on Craigslist I just found houston.craigslist.org/bfs/1749085116.html

[luthier]

Does anybody know of any decent linear guides that would fit in the space of the current ones that BJ used?

[protrackcorp]

There is a seller on ebay called "irvineman" and their linear bearings are very reasonable and of good quality. The brand name is VBX. I purchased these for my conversion that you can check out under the thread "Pcnc conversions, upgrades & rebuilds"

[luthier]

But do they fit in the space of the existing ones or do they require major surgery the head?

[protrackcorp]

I don't know of any other bearing system that can bolt right in the existing place of the wisecarver bearings. There would be some modification on your part to make it work. I did like the idea of adding a double wisecarver bearing to the y axis as someone has allready done.

[luthier]

When I was talking to BJ, I specifically told him of my concern that he muight not be around to service his product if he went out of business. That had already happened to me about 15 years ago with a company that was building and selling an abrasive thickness sander. They had a proprietary ( sp) design that utilized a scaled down industrial conveyor. Well it turns out the gum rubber hardens in a year under normal daylight. The next year I went to order a new one and they were history.
I don't think there are any guarantees with a small business. I've seen a lot of CNC places go under that sold desktop size products like this, hence my hesitancy. I guess I just hoped for the best. There's no way I could afford an industrial strength router made by some of the bigger guys which is why I was interested in The PCNC in the first place. It really was the first one that was affordable that didn't look like a toy. I consider myself lucky to at least have one that I can improve.

[SparksStudios]

Welcome Paul, to our little group! I notice your machine # is R1008. I sometimes wonder just how many machines Bill actually produced.

Anyone have a number above R-1020?

I get the feeling he didn't make more then 20 to 30 of these things, if that many.

(BTW: My Mach3 info screen originally showed "R-1008" for the license, my serial # is R-1010. Scott fixed me up a new license file with no "PCnC" in it at all, no problem.)

-Taylor

[ccci1]

I was wondering how many actually got made as well, what with some being sold twice and others being paid for and not being built at all. A while back it might have bothered me that you had an identification of R1008 on your license, but it's been long enough now that I can actually kinda chuckle at it. Especially since the folks at Mach made that part of it ok for both of us.

It looks like Bill just plain swindled a bunch of folks, but I really think that some parts of it were just complete screw-ups or lack of attention to detail. Always trying to find a silver lining I guess I choose to look on it like Luthier put it - "I consider myself lucky to at least have one that I can improve."

I think one of the reasons we allowed ourselves to step out in faith is because Bill wrapped his "story" around a lot of truth. At least what he told me was that he had worked for a large CNC maker and wanted to make the technology available to the really serious hobbyist and small commercial shops. Good quality - granted less muscle than the big machines - but at a very reasonable price.

It didn't really seem too good to be true because I had already looked into building my own and knew somewhat what the prices were and he claimed that he was going to just try to do little more than break even on the first couple of dozen machines so he could get his name out there and let that do the selling for him. Well, that's a little like we run our business in that we offer a 20% discount from a first-time customer's best quote to take some of the risk out of them giving us a try. Of course, the difference is that we bust our humps to make sure they are satisfied so they will come back. But, anyway, that kinda resonated with me and I just thought Bill was trying a similar approach to us. Once you start to identify with a salesman - fair or fake - you have a tendency to lower your guard.

Well, guess that was a lot of words that don't really mean much or help any, but I just don't want to find myself afraid to trust anyone ever again. Doesn't seem like a healthy way to live. Specially for an old farm boy that grew up with everybody helping everybody.

I'm going to use the same philosophy I was taught about the stock market. Don't ever invest money you can't afford to lose. Doesn't mean you want to lose it, but it won't keep food from the table if you do.

Have to ask again...I know it's been a while now, but there are some of us (well, at least one) that would really appreciate seeing results from any mods you attempt. We are starting to take a look at some improvements and I may even post our proposed changes to see what y'all think of 'em. I'll definitely post results once we get that far.

Paul

[dobrientruckers]

A while back, like before Bill vaporized and it looked like we may be able to get some retribution, I started collecting information as it crossed my path. One of those items was serial numbers. So here's a list I had that is far from complete (according to Bill there were 14 customers who paid and didn't receive machines - according to his sister there were 17) and in many cases may use people's names from other forums:

R1001 Jesse Got May, 2009 Straight Austin Award King (DOA and still is)R1008 ccci1 ordered 6/27/09, got working 11/13/09
R1010 SparkStudios trying to get table surface flat. Last one from TX
R1012 iborkey got machine and then zero support
R1014 gjp got in Oct 09 was wired wrong resulting in bad controller
R1016 mmcclung got and returned 11/10/09
R1016 bdsoric got 11/16/09 and is rebuilding
R1017 Justin Eckerly got on E-Bay and is happy with machine
R1019 Protrack Corp bought 8-09 spending $750 to upgrade bearings
R1020 allmax got 11/17/09 may be last machine Bill delivered
R10XX dobrientruckers - paid for and never got
R10XX wildhorse - paid for and never got
R10XX ashgrimm - paid for and never got
R10XX jslade - paid for and never got
R10XX y2khines - paid for and never got
R10XX Steve Robinson - paid for and never got


Hope this is of some help to someone. Feel free to suggest additions, corrections.

Dennis

[dobrientruckers]

I guess these investigators were a little more aggressive than the Vevay ones:

Executives Charged For Running Bankrupt Company



July 7, 2010
SALEM, S.D. (AP) — Two men at the helm of Salem's largest employer when it collapsed into bankruptcy now face criminal charges.
Randy Bauer, 52, of Appleton, Wis., and Jason Ollerich, 37, of Sioux Falls, each are charged with four counts of theft by deception, Attorney General Marty Jackley said. The men are accused of taking advance payments for grain augers they never intended to make.
Bauer was president and Ollerich vice president of Feterl Manufacturing Corp., a business with a 50-year history in Salem that once employed almost 150 people in the southeast South Dakota town of 1,300 people. They are due in court July 19.

The plant closed in October 2008 and later filed for bankruptcy. Canada-based Buhler Industries Inc. bought Feterl's assets in February and reopened the plant.
There are 26 employees working on Buhler Industries' first batch of 60 augers, operations manager Jeff Hatch said. All but four of them had worked for Feterl. The plant hopes to double its employment by the end of next year, he said.

[luthier]

A while back, like before Bill vaporized and it looked like we may be able to get some retribution, I started collecting information as it crossed my path. One of those items was serial numbers. So here's a list I had that is far from complete (according to Bill there were 14 customers who paid and didn't receive machines - according to his sister there were 17) and in many cases may use people's names from other forums:

R1001 Jesse Got May, 2009 Straight Austin Award King (DOA and still is)R1008 ccci1 ordered 6/27/09, got working 11/13/09
R1010 SparkStudios trying to get table surface flat. Last one from TX
R1012 iborkey got machine and then zero support
R1014 gjp got in Oct 09 was wired wrong resulting in bad controller
R1016 mmcclung got and returned 11/10/09
R1016 bdsoric got 11/16/09 and is rebuilding
R1017 Justin Eckerly got on E-Bay and is happy with machine
R1019 Protrack Corp bought 8-09 spending $750 to upgrade bearings
R1020 allmax got 11/17/09 may be last machine Bill delivered
R1022 Luthier got his machine and is living with it as is
R10XX dobrientruckers - paid for and never got
R10XX wildhorse - paid for and never got
R10XX ashgrimm - paid for and never got
R10XX jslade - paid for and never got
R10XX y2khines - paid for and never got
R10XX Steve Robinson - paid for and never got


I added my machine into the list

[Eyompdef]

I purchased a 24 x 36 cnc router from Pcnc Automation Serial #R-1003
back in April of 2009. I actually got the machine, but have not gotten it to work yet. The drive pulleys for the X axis were misalligned by 1/4".
Also one of the stepper motors did not function. I purchased a new motor and that motor did not work. The wiring to the motors must be bad!
I hope they arrest this guy and that he has to pay for all his fraud!
William
Rochester, MN

[mmcclung]

I purchased a 24 x 36 cnc router from Pcnc Automation Serial #R-1003
back in April of 2009. I actually got the machine, but have not gotten it to work yet. The drive pulleys for the X axis were misalligned by 1/4".
Also one of the stepper motors did not function. I purchased a new motor and that motor did not work. The wiring to the motors must be bad!
I hope they arrest this guy and that he has to pay for all his fraud!
William
Rochester, MN

Most likely a break in a wire in the harness. When I was at his "garage shop" (that is being kind) I saw his guy making a wiring harness with a pocket knife. All you have do do is knick the wire and it will eventually fail. I had an X axis wire break at the motor. Try to trace it back to the pc board and ring out the wires. Have you tried to swap out the X and Y at the pc board? Seems like that should tell you where the problem is. I can't help you any more than this since I returned my machine (S/N R016).