[samco]

Just to reiterate - mesa has quite a few solutions that replace the printer port for < $100. These are not buffered solutions but realtime. (And almost unlimited expandability)

Ethernet support in linuxcnc is pretty new. (I have been testing for atleast a year now). The next release version of linuxcnc gives you ethernet support + the new trajectory planner-thanks again Tormach! (among other improvements). V2.7 is darn close to release - testers welcome

[curiosity22]

Hi Steve

Chuckle. Perfectionism is certainly part of it, but ...
You see, my CNC is more of a VMC, and I routinely set the zero to within 5 microns. It can hold that accuracy over a few hours, and needs to. But then, after replacing a dead spindle driver recently I noticed that my Z axis was drifting by >40 microns over a 15 minute machining cycle. Noise. Not good enough!

Cheers
Roger

Dam Roger,

What are you milling that requires 5 micron accuracy? I'd say you have too many toys at home :P lol. Kudos to you that you have the patience and equipment to do so.
Well the good news on my end is that Aussie post email works, they told me my uc100 is running late, this is now day 7/8 traveling from Qld.
The better news is my Flame Flicker has arrived from Germany that only took 3 months to get here sighhhh.. So I have another engine to add to my collection, something else to polish and clean.

While I wait for my UC100 to arrive, has anyone fallen over any easy methods for converting 2d to 3d bass reliefs?

Cheers,
Steve

[RCaffin]

Hi Steve

> What are you milling that requires 5 micron accuracy?
Well, 50 micron would probably be good enough on one small unit, but I am machining 10 units at a time. These units are part of an assembly and they all have to fit together fairly accurately. I found that any drift tended to accumulate down the row, so that 50 microns drift per unit could easily be 500 microns error at the last unit. And that was not good enough by itself.

Actually, 'drift' and 'accuracy' are two fairly different things. Yes, 50 microns accuracy would be fine or even very good for most of the parts I make, but drift in the zero position from one unit to the next is not so good. If the zero drifts between units, you can get to the stage where some of the parts will just not go together properly. When that happens I have to scrap the parts.

As an extra inducement, the parts are small and have to seal against propane under high pressure, with thin O-rings. Any drift in dimensions can lead to leaks, and leaking propane is unhealthy - especially as there is a flame nearby. (There is.)

Anyhow, since the basic step resolution of the machine is 0.8 microns, it seemed to me that a serious attempt should be made to have zero drift. After all, if you accept the idea that some drift due to noise is acceptable, where do you draw the line? So, I am working to ensure that there are no errors due to noise pickup.

What's a Flame Flicker?
Ah - a search for 'flame flicker engine' (I had to guess the 'engine' bit) reveals all: a Stirling engine!

Cheers
Roger

[curiosity22]

Roger g'day,

Well yes leaking propane is not healthy - I have a couple of gas burners for my steam engines that leak lighter fluid and make a fuss but thats half the fun of it lol trying to keep your eyebrows in one piece.

A flame flicker is one of these babies with an accurate machine that you have you would have fun building one. Not rocket science but wonderful to play with.



Steve
or build parts for them..

[RCaffin]

Cute, cute!
Did you see this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ircYNaWxHQ
A 4-cylinder job no less.
Or this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0wJSEeKpF0
12 cylinders!!!!

> half the fun of it lol trying to keep your eyebrows in one piece.
I can't afford that. These are ultra-light mountaineering stoves for use in the snow at sub-zero temperatures.
Burning your tent down in the middle of a storm is not very healthy.
Being without hot food at -15 C and at 3,000 m can be a bit serious as well.
Trying to handle a cranky stove at 6 pm when you are tired and cold and low on energy - not smart either.
Yes, I sell them. Just selling them is a high-risk activity in itself!

Cheers
Roger

[curiosity22]

I love these engine, I love the sound they make.

The 4 Ive seen before and theres lots of variants, seen a 6 as well but never a 12 that was a pleasure to see. ty for that.

Ok now ultra-light mountaineering stoves wheres the pics give it a plug - I am curious, they could be used to heat up Steam Boilers for our toys.

How much are you selling them for.

Last time I was back home it reached -35 went outside and it felt like someone was boxing my ears.

Thank god mum has a routine up early in the morning every morning gets the stove come cooking stove (burn wood variety) I had my ass back in the house quick smart. Nice warm coffee was waiting and a glass of plum brandy.
All was right with the world.

Cheers,
Steve

As a by the by have you every built any steam type / sterling toys ?

[RCaffin]

Hi Steve

Oh, I am sure my stove would go well, but I suspect the price would render it instantly out of consideration.
Attachment 290246
This composite shows two of my stoves in use in the field in wintertime. They use an INVERTED canister, which means they run on LIQUID propane/butane mix. There are techie reasons for this. They can use any of the common backpacking canisters, and with a bit of clever whatname they can use some other formats as well.

How much? Remember: these are for extreme ultra-lightweight backpacking fanatics. $US$177 plus P&P plus Paypal fee. Some of them didn't hesitate.

You could get a far, far cheaper unit to run your engines. If you are interested I can point you to some suitable ones.

I have never built a steam engine or a Stirling engine, but I did have a German ESBIT & boiler-driven steam engine when I was a kid - bought late 1950s in Europe. Oh well, yeah, so what. I showed it to a collector friend, who went 'drool'. Turns out it is a serious collector item these days. It was either a Marklin Steam Engine (MiniSteam.com, $1165.60) or a Fleischmann Live Steam Stationary engine, (MiniSteam.com, $695) - or extremely close.

Cheers
Roger
PS: CNC mostly back together tonight. X, Y & Z axes run fine. Yet to power up the spindle drive - tomorrow.

[curiosity22]

You could get a far, far cheaper unit to run your engines. If you are interested I can point you to some suitable ones.

Start pointing lol I'm always looking for something new to heat up my boilers. Saito make some brilliant burners that roar like a jet when working.

Mind you what your selling and the price your asking really isn't much - for a quality purpose built unit actually its quite cheap.

And yes some engines are collectibles, some do ask outrageous prices for models in poor condition. My pet hate is when the listing states it has the right amount of patina for the age, which translates to me rusted and some bastard was too lazy to polish and maintain the unit. Imagine the Queen having the right amount of patina on her silver or gold spoon service lol - twood be go check the patina of ye olde irons in the dungeons.

Cheers,
Steve

[RCaffin]

My stove has several extreme features you simply don't need.

Instead, have a look at these. I think they are all meant to use an upright canister, which is just fine for your needs.
High Quality Heat-resistant Portable Folding Split Type Camping Stove-15.11 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com
http://www.cnbulin.com/en/showproduc...49&class_id=31
http://www.fire-maple.com/en/productsinfo.aspx?pid=8
Spider | KOVEA

You will have to hunt around to find places to actually buy these (except for GearBest). But any of them would do just whet you need.

Cheers
Roger

- - - Updated - - -

My stove has several extreme features you simply don't need.

Instead, have a look at these. I think they are all meant to use an upright canister, which is just fine for your needs.
http://www.gearbest.com/camping/pp_48213.html
http://www.cnbulin.com/en/showproduct.asp?id=349&class_id=31
http://www.fire-maple.com/en/productsinfo.aspx?pid=8
http://kovea.com/product/spider/

You will have to hunt around to find places to actually buy these (except for GearBest). But any of them would do just whet you need.

Cheers
Roger