[atalon]

Has anyone had problems with corrosion in the limit switch wires? I have tried several different coolants but after a few months of running I start getting false triggers from the limit switches. The switches themselves are sealed units, but when I check the wire connection at the switches there is corrosion, and cut the wire back and find one to two inches of corrosion inside the shielding and the wires are crap. I tried different automotive sealers and marine sealants also different coolants. Cool Mist seems to take the longest to cause enough corrosion to be a problem.

What is everyone else using to seal your soldered wires at the limit switches?

David M.
San Jose CA

I am not using limit switches just yet but I would suggest using silicon caulk to cover any area of exposed metals or areas that might allow moisture to wick in.

[skyguynca]

Thanks, but already tried all forms of silicone caulk from home depot, inside outside bathroom, they all turn to jelly in about a month

[rcazwillis]

Have you tried connectors designed for underground use? The ones for phone lines can be purchased at hd. They use an epoxy

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[metalfixer]

This is the switch that I have been using. The drawing doesn't show the 3 embedded wires, but they
are 20" long.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#8085t16/=19x6lcq
Larry

[Chuck Bogardus]

Finally have the time blocked, etc... Time to purchase parts.

I'm thinking real hard on going with the Automation Tech closed loop motors/drivers, and a Masso dedicated controller board.

Figuring on this for the X and Y...

https://www.automationtechnologiesin...-110vac220vac/

And adding their largest closed loop motor/drive combo for the Z - I drill a LOT of holes...

Anyone do anything similar? I am also planning on picking up a Chicom harmonic drive setup, pitching the 23 motor that comes with it, and using one of the closed loop 23 setups...

Basically, I want accuracy to engrave small characters, combined with enough power/guts to do a lot of up/down pecking with the Z...

[CL_MotoTech]

Lost z-steps has never been an issue while drilling, stalling the spindle however is.

[skrubol]

That kit seems to come out to about $200 more than it's components.. Am I missing something?

[Chuck Bogardus]

Yeah, I think that they're figuring in motion control/breakout... Or something. I'll be buying the individual parts anyway...

I'm not so worried about lost z steps while drilling as I am about overheating things as it pecks up and down through about 60 holes, some fairly deep, per part... Especially if I hang a heavier motor/belt drive on the head...

I'm wondering what ratio will be best for the harmonic drive too... I'm guessing that a 100:1 will have less torque strength than a 10:1, right? I can just imagine stripping the teeth off the gears if I get carried away with cutting while turning...

[cd_edwards]

Haven't quite got to the full CNC of my G0704 clone (King Industrial KC VS20). Last couple of days, I decided to take it apart some what and remove some of the chinese goop all over.. One thing I noticed with my y Axis is I have a little bit of play and the front bearing mount is some of the source of it. it seems that, the inside bearing is slightly below the pocket and has some slop between the front of the base and the bearing mount. Should I be worried about this slop? I'm getting play of about 6 ticks of 0.002" according to the dial. My DRO's do not tick over during this amount of play. On another note though, everything is now silky smooth moving. it's easy to move the Y axis using the handle. Z is no longer the pain it used to be. Right now I've got X and Z hooked upto stepper motors in preparation for a CNC move. One thing I was thinking of doing in the meantime, is to create an arduino program for moving the X axis. Wouldn't be hard to hook it up with a rotary control for speed, a couple of push buttons for forward/reverse and possibly a limit setup. Been looking, but I haven't seen anything like this being done before..

[skrubol]

Haven't quite got to the full CNC of my G0704 clone (King Industrial KC VS20). Last couple of days, I decided to take it apart some what and remove some of the chinese goop all over.. One thing I noticed with my y Axis is I have a little bit of play and the front bearing mount is some of the source of it. it seems that, the inside bearing is slightly below the pocket and has some slop between the front of the base and the bearing mount. Should I be worried about this slop? I'm getting play of about 6 ticks of 0.002" according to the dial. My DRO's do not tick over during this amount of play. On another note though, everything is now silky smooth moving. it's easy to move the Y axis using the handle. Z is no longer the pain it used to be. Right now I've got X and Z hooked upto stepper motors in preparation for a CNC move. One thing I was thinking of doing in the meantime, is to create an arduino program for moving the X axis. Wouldn't be hard to hook it up with a rotary control for speed, a couple of push buttons for forward/reverse and possibly a limit setup. Been looking, but I haven't seen anything like this being done before..

So you've got .012" of play on the Y? That's not terrible for a manual machine, but it is likely to cause problems for CNC. It does have ball bearings, or are they just bushings?
I think what you're describing is basically a stepper driven power feed. I think I've seen cases where people have done similar, but few do because it's most of the way to full CNC. Also I've seen machines that have steppers on the X and Y with a manual Z, which can do full 2.5d machining, with some human intervention.

[skyguynca]

I have a c3 board I put on the g0704 with a different controller a d4gs, I need it for mach3 to control the spindle speed. The led on the board is flashing in time with the slot on the timing wheel, when I turn the spindle on the rpm indicator jumps up to 38 or so then goes to 1 and stays there no matter what rpm I run the spindle at manually.

I have the index turned on, to the right port and pin, board is set to low and open collector and have tried ttl also but mach 3 is not interpreting the signal correctly, I have spindle sync on and spindle averaging too.

Help please?

David M.

San Jose, CA

[skyguynca]

When I check the diagnostic screen, the index occasionally blinks, and at random

David M.
San Jose, CA

[CFLBob]

I have a c3 board I put on the g0704 with a different controller a d4gs, I need it for mach3 to control the spindle speed. The led on the board is flashing in time with the slot on the timing wheel, when I turn the spindle on the rpm indicator jumps up to 38 or so then goes to 1 and stays there no matter what rpm I run the spindle at manually.

I have the index turned on, to the right port and pin, board is set to low and open collector and have tried ttl also but mach 3 is not interpreting the signal correctly, I have spindle sync on and spindle averaging too.

Help please?

David M.

San Jose, CA

Count me among the folks who would like to help, but don't know enough about the boards.

What it sounds like to me is either a real intermittent connection or something that makes it not work as well as it should. I'm not familiar with what C3 board or D4GS is, but a quick search showed me a C3 Index Pulse board from CNC4PC for motor control, and that sounds like what you're doing. Is that what you mean? On page 6, the manual talks about needing an external pull-up resistor. That could do what you're seeing, so is it configured?

It would help me if you could tell more about those cards, what they are, maybe link to the user manuals.


Bob

[skyguynca]

OK, I got it figured out, Arturo had a few suggestions but I am not sure they work with Mach3 or 4 at all, they just keep a record of what works for different users who figure out the problems. The Mach forum was totally useless, alot of people have posted these problems and no one from ArtSoft ever replied.
I spent about 30 hours going thru the software/drivers that came with the ESS boards, and Mach3, numerous combinations, kept a real good record on what I did and how it failed. I did figure it out eventually.

I now know the spindle sync and such in Mach3 Mill does not work so give that up.(they should not even put it in if it does not work)
To get the C3 board to work accurately and reliably with Mach3 Mill, using the ESS with the C10 boards you have to have 2 slots on the timing disc, 180 degrees apart, use the index not the timing in ports and pins then set your prescale in the ESS configuration software to 2, then you will get very accurate RPM's and then you can run the calibrate spindle and it will get within 40+- rpms thru your rpm range, do not forget to set min and max rpms in your spindle pulley.


David M.
San Jose, CA

[skyguynca]

I had dropped a few emails to hoss over the past few months and had not heard back. He is pretty good about replying. His last post here was back in July...I hope he is ok. Anyone heard from him since July?

David M
San Jose, CA

[Joey5226]

I got an email from him Aug 4th.

[skyguynca]

Ok, I did Hoss's cnc conversion 2 years ago. I have had no problem with it except wearing out gibbs. So I opted to do the linear rail conversion using my old column but to keep using my machine I purchased a new column and installed it so I could use my machine while I work thru the linear rail installation on the old column that has the worn out ways.

Well I took the whole machine apart and cleaned it, installed new gibbs with the re-installation of the saddle and the table.

In going thru the setup for movenment and backlash, as I have done every time I go thru gibb replacement, I noticed that my table was .002 Higher on one end.

I took it apart and checked to make sure under the saddle was clean and not causing the table to be at a very slight slant, but all was good.
I checked the ways on the table, all is good.

Now I know the column is within .0005" at the full travel of 14 inches true 90 degrees to the base.
the saddle is true to the base within .0005 at full travel of 9.7 inches. (yes I have both of Hoss's extension mods installed)

So with both so accurate how is it my table from one end the test indicator does not move more than .0005 over 8 inches, then climb .002 linearly over the next 8 inches?

I even tried reinstalling the tooling plate and faced it, the mirror finish on the aluminum tooling plate shows the head is correctly trammed, yet when I attached a test indicator to the head
and then run the table full length and still shows the first 8 inches is withing .0005 and then it starts a steady climb of .0005 every 1.33 inches of travel until it max out at the end of .002 rise in height.

Please throw all suggestions at me so I can try and fix this.



David M.
San Jose, CA

[skyguynca]

It is fixed now, I took it apart again, I worked the table back and forth and found binding in the last 8 inches of travel. It was not found during reassembly of the mill. That is because the gibbs were not fully seated. The final adjustments made to stop any play in the table, saddle or column had not been made yet. When they were made everything was moved with the steppers and the gibbs were adjusted to take all slop out.

Well it ended up being the gibbs I received from Grizzly. I put the new gibbs in with the steppers disconnected and slid the table end to end and after a adjustment I could only move the table half way before I could feel the binding starting and getting worse towards the end of the table. It would get so tight I would need a rubber mallet to move the table back past the half way point so it would be loose enough to move by hand.

The Y and Z gibbs are OK, but the X gibb is slightly greater in taper from thin to thick and in height.

I put the old X gibb back in and everything is fine, back to normal.

David M.
San Jose, CA

[MiniSoCalCNC]

I got an email from him Aug 4th.

Concerned ... somethings up - His domain expired 12/6/17 ...

Anyone heard from Hoss ?

[cd_edwards]

I emailed him beginning of dec for replacement files for his drawings and videos. I got a response immediately