[Adobe Machine]

Al The Man : Thank you very much for you help, I will wire in series as you suggest.

Next newbie electronic question. The program I'm using ( Desk CNC ) supports a homing switch. I have over travel on my Retro fited Tree Mill, but never used the homing sequence, as I just make home where wanted on the table. With an open bed CNC lathe , is there any particular advantage to having X and Z axis "home" ?

Again, thanks for the reply.

Adobe (old as dirt)

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Adobe We are in parallel universe. I am right now in ACAD on my other computer designing a combination spindle & "C" type axis for a different conversion. I have room under the spindle itself for the servo/ spindle motor, so I place it there and tension the belt with the motor attached to a plate that can be adjusted & locked in place by screws. That way the motor is out of the way & out of danger. Later

[Al_The_Man]

is there any particular advantage to having X and Z axis "home" ?

If you have many programs that you wish to use over and over I would say that if you have a zero position initially then you don't have to go to the bother of setting a ref manually, also it probabally depends on how you customarily write programs.
Someone like Hu may give you a more definitive answer from a machinist point of view.
Al.

[Adobe Machine]

Richard Zastrow: Cool, do we get pictures of that project ? And maybe some on your Tree if you buy ?

I spent a good part of the day hand scraping the end of the lathe where the Z axis servo plate will be attached .Used lots of blueing to scrape in, but good cast iron is not that bad, kinda fun, but do not think I would want to make a living hand scaping , my arms and shoulders are toast tonight. Did get it flat, and the plate is 90 degrees to the shaft,so some assembly tomorrow and the Z drive will be done.I still will not pin or torgue to specs, as I have to pull the assembly apart once , to install the ball shaft bellow covers.
Will post the compleated Z axis photos tomorrow.

Next will be the build on the control panel and installing the spindle encoder.I have been looking at a mechanical tach I have from a past project ( crashed Fuel Flat bottom boat ) and I may incorporate that in the control panel. Reminder of foolish days past .

Al The Man: Again , thanks..I think I will work with the lathe awhile, get everything working correct and safe, then review a home switch.

Adobe (old as dirt )

[Adobe Machine]

Rechecked the scraping and leveling that I did on Saturday, it was acceptable,(gotta tell you , my arms and shoulders are still sore from scraping) so I took the Z axis assembly as a unit and clamped it to the machine, lined up the center of the shaft using a plug I turned on Le Blond lathe that matched the OD of the machined hole for the pully flange, then bored a center hole that matched the OD of the Z axis shaft where it is machined on the end.This worked OK, except the unit assembled was a lot heavier than I could handle from the wheel chair.My wife came out and helped, but there was a little oil or WD Forty on the unit and it slipped out of her hands..No one got hurt , just a little scar on the bottom of the assembly, so what the heck..took a few with the file , looks ok ( like you can see it any way,its about a 1/16th above the lathe catch pan )

Drilled and tapped the six mount holes..Good cast iron, took awhile, then mounted and rechecked center with the plug..looked spot on.Assembled the upper ( large ) pully, the servo and its pully, both the guide and tensioner, then the belt.I was a little tighter on this measurment than the X drive, as it tightned up with the tensioner moved just a little off the O position. Installed the back cover, hooked up the battery from My Hot Rod and ran the axis back and forth a lot. I was really suprised how fast 12 volts will drive the axis, saw no binding and for what and how I was doing the test, seemed real smooth ( not a real scientific test )I did retest back lash, and there is none, but again not under cutting conditions, so its kinda of a no account test..

The pictures show the installed drives for both X and Z, and their relation to each other.I have to partially disassemble the Z axis when the protective Z axis ball shaft bellows arrive, mount the sender for the DRO,and mount the Ingus for the wires that will move with the saddle.

Next: Design and machine a control panel that will have the machine ON switch, Emergancy Stop Switch,servo amp switch, coolant over ride switch, and a spindle tacometer . I will leave enough room for other up grades and switches if needed. I am going to use Desk CNC and Vector to Engrave the function of the switch under the cut out for the switch, then use a good paint, let it dry and sand off the excess so the engraved names really stand out..Man I like CNC, I can remember when we had to machine part numbers in the compleated part with a Manual Mill , what a PITA that was..


Adobe (old as dirt)

Hey, any suggestions on a panel layout is greatly appreciated !

[Adobe Machine]

Control Panel and housing . Using Vector, drew up the control panel, printed it out on a 1 to 1 basis,glued to a piece of cardboard and tested for fit and ease of operation from my wheel chair and shop stool, felt comfortable, so I cut out the material from a large piece of 6061 t-6 alum. (.25") and milled all of the switch holes, the hole for the tachometer and the opening for the foward/reverse spindle motor. Also engraved all of the switch functions
( note, the ALT 2 is for the spindle 2 speed motor relay, 1150 RPM or 1750 RPM) Used some "Candy Apple Red " base paint left over from painting the Hot Rod frame, brushed into the engraved names and let it dry. Used a 180 grit wet or dry paper then a 400 grit wet or dry and sanded the whole panel, cleaned it up ok ( Most of the alum. I'm using is salvalged from jobs many years ago, and storage has not been pristine to say the least, so either I have to surface it or sand it..1/4" alum does not surface real well, wants to curl,so I sand it.
I've sent my manual Tachometer to be cleaned , recalibrated and new a face plate with numbers, they are changing the spring inside so the range of the tach is from "0" to 3000 rpm (instead of 9000 rpm ) The old tach has gotten wet a couple of times, as I crashed the Blown Fuel Flat it was in more than once, suprised there was not more rust inside, but looked pretty clean.I'm using the Hot Rod tachometer for mock up.
Got the sides cut, will fit and cut the top tomorrow, then drill/tap for all of the fastners. The DRO will be directly above the control panel using the really nice bracket they sent to mount the head on, which will allow the Head to tilt or turn as needed.I have the same type of DRO on my mill, very nice looking units , the one on the mill performs good, has lots of functions ( some I use )for 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a domestic one.The instruction language is old kings english and ?, but the units are very good quality. Real sad..just wonder what kind of mess we are leaving our grand kids with everything going overseas.I'm afraid my generation will be remembered as the ones that let it go to sh.. in a hand basket...
All of the wiring will go to the control cabnet mounted directly behind the machine, the top of the control /electrical cabnet will be at the same leval as the top of the control panel.
The following pictures are just mock up, to make sure everything will fit, but should have it assembled by this week end.

Adobe (old as dirt )

[Kipper]

I always look forward to the email with a new post in here :cheers: Looks good as always bud!

[Adobe Machine]

Thanks for the kind words Kipper, I have been held up this weekend as we had some "unexpected guests" that are requiring a tour of the beauitiful area we live in, so will be tomorrow before I can get back to it..again thanks

Adobe (old as dirt )

[balsaman]

Extremely sweet

E

[Adobe Machine]

I skipped over an item on the Z axis drive assembly: As you can see in the
1st picture,there is a round plate attached to the back plate of the Z axis drive cover.I located and machined a pocket for a precision ball bearing that fits the end of the Z axis ball screw shaft. This gives absolute support to the end of the Z axis ball shaft, so that there can be no bending of the shaft under hard torque. In other words, there is the fixed angular bearing and housing, then the drive pully, then the precision ball bearing.

Completed the Control Panel assembly, drilled the sides for the cable supports,installed the electrical cabnet, installed the DRO mount, drilled the electrical cabnet and put in six bulkhead connectors for all of the circuts that are a part of the control panel. I have not drilled and tapped the fastners for the top of the control panel assembly untill all of the wiring is done, but it fit so tight had to use a screw driver to pry up and off.

Next, will start drilling and tapping the electrical cabnet mount plate for the electronic componets, then start wiring , but that might be awhile, as I enter the hosbital next week for 4 days ( 3rd fusion)then will be down for a couple of days after that.

Picture 1. Precision bearing mount, end of Z axis.

Pictures 2,3,4,&5Different views of the control panel assembly and Electrical cabnet.

Picture 6, long front view

Pictures 7and 8View from the tail stock end.

picture 9 inside of electrical cabnet showing the six bulk head fittings.

Picture 10 & 11 shows inside of the control panel assembly..You can see the support straps and the back side of the bulkhead fittings.

Adobe (old as dirt )

[Adobe Machine]

Started on the sub panel and mounting the electronic componets. I bought the electrical Enginering kit from Machine Tool Camp.They make it easy for an electrical challenged person like me, supplying a complete list ( down to the drill size)of needed parts,supplies and a 1 to 1 chart that you can use to position, punch and drill for all componets, then a circut by circut wiring diagram that would be real hard to mess up, even with colors !
The Machine Tool Camp system takes you step by step through the test procedure and final hook up.The little I paid for their engineered machine solution and book is cheap compared to frying componets and wondering why it will not work.

Picture 1 is the blank sub panel,

Picture 2 & 3 show the 1 to 1 position and punch chart, along with the tap, drill and decimal sizes.

Picture 4 shows the componets , not including the wire duct, which I will cut and mount tomorrow.

There is one componet position I changed , having a fit problem with my mill set up and that is the orientation of the Desk CNC Control Card, it needs to be rotated 90 degree, as the interface cable from the P.C. is put into a real bind.

Next: finish and install the componets on the sub panel, then wire the Desk CNC Controller and the Servo Amps while the sub panel is still out and laying down, then wire everything else after the sub panel is installed..

I finally got a ship date on the Ball Screw covers today. (ordered and paid for 3 weeks ago ) Still no ship date on the Igus assembly, but can get around that.

Adobe (old as dirt)

[Adobe Machine]

Here are the pictures:

Adobe (old as dirt)

[Adobe Machine]

Thank you very much Balsaman, I have been following your thread " 2 cylinder Inline water Cooled" and really in awe at the craftmanship and accuracy that you have in building your little motor.That really takes some concentration and patience..Very nice work. In fact, I have noticed how many fine machinests live in Canada..Maybe your long winters ?.. Again thanks

Adobe (old as dirt)

[Adobe Machine]

Electronics and controls: As I stated, I'm "Electronically Challenged", so this part is a slow go..I check and re-check, test each as I go, and solder each wire at all connections. I manufactured speciality construction equipment
( Asphalt) the last 12 years in business, and found most of the reliability problems were in the electronics, deriving from poor connections and bad grounds..Getting called out at 0400 in the morning by a mad customer that had just purchased your machine was not nice..especially when they had about 15 people standing around, all on the clock..talk about feeling about 2 inches tall when you find all it was is a poor connection..man did I change the way we assembled the electrical system in a hurry. All connections soldered, all connections with heat shrink, avoiding "hidden" connections you could not check with out spending hours tearing things apart..so to say,
the least,I'm cautious when asembling electronics.
Drilled and tapped the sub panel according to directions from Machine Tool Camp,changing a few items. The "Magic" box ( Desk CNC control Card) required 4-40's instead of 10-24's as called for, but I remember that snafu from doing the Tree Mill, and I changed the orintation so that the USB to serial cable is not in a bind. Although for right now I'm only installing Servo Amplifiers for the X and Z axis only, but left room and drilled and tapped for 2 more , as I'm now in the process of designing a 6 Tool Auto Tool Changer that will use a small servo and air to operate.
Installed all of the wire gutters, the servo amps, the 2 solid state relays ( 5 volts DC, switch 110-240 volts, 10 amps maxium) controlled by the Desk CNC Software, Desk CNC magic card,Main Contactor Relay and the ribbon cables from the Desk CNC Controller to the servo amps and the solid state relays.Compleated the DC wiring from the power supply to the servo amps..
Accomplished some AC wiring, contactor to Emergency Stop and Servo On switch...
But have a long way to go. After I'm released from the hosbital and After Care, I should be able to resume the wiring. The Hosbital did say I would be able to use my Lap Top as they have WiFi ? and I will use it to design the swival mount for the LapTop (dedicated) computor that will control the Lathe.
Following are some pics of the little bit I got done on the wiring.

Adobe (old as dirt)

[Al_The_Man]

Just a point about general practice of component mounting.
It is usually the custom to mount all heat radiating devices like transformers & power supplies at the top of the cabinet and heat sensitive devices like drives, at the bottom or below them lower down, just to avoid overheat problems.
Something to keep in mind for the future.
Al.

[Adobe Machine]

That makes sense..Although, even in the hot Arizona summer I have had no problem with the retro Tree mill that has the same stack of componets. The electrical box will also have a good fan, I direct that at the servos.., possibly one of the reasons I've not had problems is that the air intake is high in the box, and the out let is low, so that the transformer heat does not rise to the servos ?
That may be one of the reasons the original Tree system failed, they had two huge transformers in the bottom of the cabnet..when I removed all the componets and wiring, everything looked like it had been hot for a substained time..
I will incorporate your suggestion in the next CNC effort (Plasma Cutter)
Thanks

Adobe (old as dirt)

[lerman]

I try to connect everything with crimp connectors and terminal (barrier) strips. That way, every signal is accessible so that I can look at it with a meter or a scope.

I also try to color code the wires to make things easier to follow.

BTW: that's a beautiful job you are doing.

Ken

[Adobe Machine]

Ken, thank you for the nice words, I have been in the hosbital all week ( 3rd major back surgery ) and their WiFi and Internet was not working in the new area I was in..Actually, I solder the end of the wires after stripping and like you use the crimp connectors. All of the wiring except incomming AC ( thats just black and white) is color coded, which I've built a list for ,so I can remember !I will say that Scott @ Machine Tool Camp did a good job on the Electrical Engineering and diagrams..even a dummy like me can put one together.
Speaking of remembering, how is your Mill conversion going ?Seems you were working on one about a year before I started my Tree retrofit ?
Anyway, again thanks..will be back working on the lathe in maybe a couple of weeks..

Adobe (old as dirt)

[RotarySMP]

Adobe, Hope you are recovering well form your surgery. Your lathe conversion is great.

Are the ball screws you are using just the cheap rolled screws? Does you software have a way to map the lead errors and compensate?

You shouldn't solder the stripped wires before crimping a connector on. Solder creeps at room temperature, so those crimp connectors will sooner or later start causing intermittent faults.

[lerman]

Adobe,

My mill conversion is complete. Since I use it mainly for prototype work, it isn't heavily used. For those who haven't seen reference to it before, it uses Elrod conversion components, ebay servos, pico-systems controllers and servo drivers, and EMC for software.

My present efforts are to cnc one of my lathes -- probably my Rivett. My plan is to build something like the Omniturn. They sell an attachment that is essentially an XY (I guess it is really an XZ) table that is fixed on the ways. It is intended for gang tooling which should be just what I need for light production of small items. So far, I've acquired ball screws for it on ebay. I'm in no hurry for this project.

An additional effort is to build a conversational interface for EMC (and to convert my mill over to EMC2). Again, this is a long term project which I hope to get in reasonable shape during my vacation in March. The conversational gcode generator will look function pretty much like the mach3 addons from newfangled solutions. So far, I still haven't found an easy way to generate the graphic background screens I need. I suspect it might be time for me to really learn Adobe Illustrator.

Regards,

Ken