[tjbaudio]

I bought stuff from Automation Technology Inc when they were Keling I was treated right and the stuff worked as advertised.

[tahustvedt]

Infoshine15 is the seller I bought my VFD and spindle from. No problems, and quick to ship. I placed the order on a saturday, and the package was shipped on the following tuesday.

The VFD has a speed control knob too.

[widgitmaster]

Ok, I now have another spindle on order, this one's from Infoshine15 !
I had a tracking number 30 minutes after placing the order, so far I'm confident this one will be good!

Now, I have ALL the electronics working smoothly, everything in Mach3 setup correctly! Now I've been told by PMDX that I need a MACRO's to trigger the relay's on the BoB, so the yellow & blue LED's light up!



Can anyone help me with this? I now have a 2nd printer port to use, so there's no shortage of pins!

The 1st Macro needs t0 trigger the K2 relay on port #2, Pin #14. This turns on Yellow LED when the g-code is paused in Mack3!

The 2nd Macro needs to trigger the K1 relay on Port #1, Pin #1, This turns on the blue LED & buzzer, when the machine has stopped for a tool change.

Widgit

[ger21]

What are the Output numbers that you have those pins assigned to?

I believe that a Brain is a better choice for the Pause Output.

The 2nd one needs to be in your M6Start macro.

Let me know the Output #'s and I'll get you something.

[widgitmaster]

What are the Output numbers that you have those pins assigned to?

I believe that a Brain is a better choice for the Pause Output.

The 2nd one needs to be in your M6Start macro.

Let me know the Output #'s and I'll get you something.

The Yellow LED was installed from the beginning of the build, so not hooking it up makes the machine look broken

Sorry, I do not know which output numbers to use either!
Its a PMDX-126 BoB

[ger21]

You need to assign the pins to outputs.
Go to Ports and Pins, Output pins, and assign them to Output #'s.
Then tell me what output #'s you used.

[widgitmaster]

You need to assign the pins to outputs.
Go to Ports and Pins, Output pins, and assign them to Output #'s.
Then tell me what output #'s you used.

Thanks so much Gerry!

K1, Port-1, Pin-1, Output#1
K2, Port-2, Pin-14, Output#2

Widgit

[ger21]

OK, I killed two birds with one stone.

Unzip the file to Mach3\Brains.

Start Mach3.
Go to Operator > Brain Control. Select Widgit_LEDs and check the enable box. If it's not listed, click Reload All Brains.
Close and restart Mach3, and your LED's should work.

[widgitmaster]

OK, I killed two birds with one stone.

Unzip the file to Mach3\Brains.

Start Mach3.
Go to Operator > Brain Control. Select Widgit_LEDs and check the enable box. If it's not listed, click Reload All Brains.
Close and restart Mach3, and your LED's should work.

Thanks so much Gerry!
The procedure & macro's work like a charm! :banana:
Now I guess I'll have to wait on the spindle, or go get some MDF for the spoil boards!
Widgit

[widgitmaster]

Last night I finished upgrading the electrical diagram for the Monster, it may not be industry standard, but it clearly indicates all the components and their connections! I have made it available in AutoCAD-2000 .DXF format, for those who want a look! The plot file is 36" x 48"
Widgit

[widgitmaster]

Well, the spindle should be here soon! It's raining again, so I cant get the MDF sheets for the spoil board! But I have finished the VCarve Pro file for my 1st project!

I have always wanted to cut a really large Aztec Mayan calendar, so here's what I came up with! It's cut from a 48" x 48" x 3/4" sheet of MDF!
Now wood working is definitely NOT my strong point, but I think I can spray or paint the top surface with urethane prior to cutting. Then possibly put a dark stain on the cut surfaces, leaving the top un-stained! Or will it bleed under?

I tried to upload the 13-MB zipped VCarve Pro file, but it must be too large for the Zone to handle!

The 1st tool is a 1/4" drill, pecks 4x holes in the corners.
The 2nd tool is a 3/32" 2-flute endmill, cuts the wide areas .375" deep.
The 3rd tool is a 5/8" diam 90 deg 2-flute V-Bit, finishes all the calendar details.
The 4th tool is a 1/4" 2-flute endmill, cuts the perimeter, leaving 12x thin tabs.

[keebler303]

Widgit

I don't have much experience with hobby grade finish but in the woodshop we will normally cut the piece, spray the whole thing with acrylic lacquer sealer, then spray tinted lacquer on the whole thing, then sand off the top removing all the lacquer from the uncut parts. Then we can finish the whole thing in clear lacquer as required.

If you seal it and then cut it, the stain will soak under your urethane and make it look like crap. This is especially so with intricate designs like yours.

It would be a good idea to do some small tests before you ruin a couple days worth of work

Matt

[bill south]

Widgit;
You have my plotter. Where in the heck to you find ink cartridges for it? I bought a bunch off of fleabay and most are dried out. I'm almost to the point of getting rid of the 750C and replacing it with a newer model. Unfortunately, I only use it for hobby so it's almost a waste of money but they sure are nice to have!
Regarding the Aztec, give carve1 a shout. He is the forum guru when it comes to finishing off mdf!
Looking forward to watching your machine dance!
Bill

[widgitmaster]

Thanks Matt! That's what I expected, and I like the idea of sanding the top afterwards!

Bill, I get them from Staple's office supply, order online or at stores!
I bought it on eBay, then I had it serviced and its been problem free! The service was $75, the guy took it all apart and cleaned everything then replaced some old rubber parts too!

You can clean the jet ends of the cartridges, by banging them on the table until the clotted ink breaks loose. I do it on a bunch of tissues!
Widgit

[tahustvedt]

I usually cut the V-toolpath at a Z-level that is 0,5-1mm below the top of the material, and them plane it after painting. Wood thickness is so inconsistent, and that way the V-toolpath ends up being even across the surface, plus the amount of wood I take off is too much for paint to bleed through.

[keebler303]

I usually cut the V-toolpath at a Z-level that is 0,5-1mm below the top of the material, and them plane it after painting. Wood thickness is so inconsistent, and that way the V-toolpath ends up being even across the surface, plus the amount of wood I take off is too much for paint to bleed through.

I'll be impressed if you have a planer 48" wide and even more so if you run MDF through it!

You could put it back on the machine after painting and surface it to achieve the same effect though.

[tahustvedt]

By plane I meant with a large bit in the router. I'd love to see a video of the monster skimming the surface at 1000 IPM.

[CarveOne]

Widgit;
You have my plotter. Where in the heck to you find ink cartridges for it? I bought a bunch off of fleabay and most are dried out. I'm almost to the point of getting rid of the 750C and replacing it with a newer model. Unfortunately, I only use it for hobby so it's almost a waste of money but they sure are nice to have!
Regarding the Aztec, give carve1 a shout. He is the forum guru when it comes to finishing off mdf!
Looking forward to watching your machine dance!
Bill

Anything you do with MDF on the surface (surface planing or sanding) will make the surface rougher than it comes from the factory because the surface is rolled or compressed and the fibers are laying flat. I apply a moderately heavy coat of clear satin polyurethane using a foam brush.and wait overnight or however long it takes to harden. Colder climates may take two days. Florida climates may take 2 hours in the sun. The first coat is sucked into the fibers quickly and takes longer to cure. Then I apply two or three more coats until the surface is well sealed. Letting the first coat fully cure minimizes how much of the second coat sucks in. You'll use a lot of rattle cans spraying it on and not waiting for each coat to fully dry. Cut the calendar only when the poly is fully hardened. The liquid stains WILL travel under the poly layer as mentioned, but what I do differently is to use gel stain, which does not soak into the MDF or porous woods like the red oak I use a lot also. I dab the gel stain into the cuts with a cheap 1" chip brush and don't worry too much about staying in the cuts. Cleanup is done with folded paper towels with a small amount of paint thinner on it. (Not wet, just slightly damp) The paint thinner does not dissolve the poly while picking up the excess gel stain from the poly coated surface. Just wipe the flat areas clean. It takes a little practice but you'll get good results. When doing large projects like a 48" calendar do a section and clean it, then do another section, until completed. Start in the middle and work outward so you don't get the gel stain all over your arms.

James McGrew Woodworking in Columbia, SC has a 48" Aztec Sun Stone calendar on the shop wall. He made it on his big Camaster CNC machine.

I recently completed a small MDF project where I painted the MDF with gloss black poly, then cut a Vcarved impossible object from a drawing I found. I colored the shallow lines with neon green acrylic artist paint and used water on folded paper towel instead of paint thinner. Water clean-up is compatible with the acrylic paint and the poly or MDF wasn't affected at all. Same technique as with gel coat clean-up but using the appropriate solvent for the acrylic.

[CarveOne]

Widgit

I don't have much experience with hobby grade finish but in the woodshop we will normally cut the piece, spray the whole thing with acrylic lacquer sealer, then spray tinted lacquer on the whole thing, then sand off the top removing all the lacquer from the uncut parts. Then we can finish the whole thing in clear lacquer as required.

If you seal it and then cut it, the stain will soak under your urethane and make it look like crap. This is especially so with intricate designs like yours.

It would be a good idea to do some small tests before you ruin a couple days worth of work

Matt

My latest red oak Celtic weave Paradise box project was cut into bare wood, sanded, stained with MinWax Early American liquid stain, then sprayed three coats with clear satin polyurethane from rattle cans. Now that it has been glued together I'll add some Java gel stain in specific areas of the weave and top panel and then wipe most of it off, which leaves an aged effect.. The fourth coat of spray poly will seal it. The gel stain seems compatible with the poly and I have seen no tendency to flake off with age, as it's trapped under the final coat of poly. I'll post photos tomorrow.

[widgitmaster]

Good news! We let the seller know the item wasn't as described, and the seller issued you a full refund. This case is now closed.

Refund information:
A full refund of $196.50 was issued on Mar 27, 2014. The refund includes the purchase price plus original shipping and was issued to the same payment method you used to pay for the item.


Now I just wait for the new one to arrive from China!
Widgit