Hi,
This is my first post here so a quick intro (skip to the text in bold if you want to get straight to the fun parts).
I have been machining moulds and dies for most of my life, from age 15-20 I was a machine operator for my dad running some extremely old pantographs, lathes and other equipment (all manually operated). A few years later I was introduced to cnc machines by one of my dad's customers and offered a job. Since then I have designed for and operated many different machines ranging from 3 and 4 axis cnc (Kuhlmann, Prokomat, Roland, gravograph, with software ranging from dos to windows based) and have also worked on several laser engravers (c02 and yag), 3d scanners both probe and laser (NextEngine, Roland) as well as vinyl printers and cutters and many other machines in between.
Not only have I operated these machines I have also been responsible for their repairs and maintenance so my knowledge and experience with them should help me with this project.
I was recently given an old Champion H-Square 2d Engraver.
I have no software or manuals for the machine, in fact I don't even have a pc with serial port to plug it into.
The website that I keep getting referred to is also extremely outdated, none of the download links work and sending them an email results in a permanent failure ( Index )
First prize for me right now would be to find a way of doing a test cut before I even bother with changing motors and controllers, who knows, there may even be some software out there that would allow me to do some xyz cutting with the machine as is but I doubt that, hence this post.
I will update as I go along and maybe someone will find this handy in future, I have seen these machines selling online for $25 so it may make an excellent base for a little "cheap" diy project.
If anyone else has any experience please shout, I would live some input or feedback.
I pulled this machine off the top rack in a store room where it has been standing uncovered and practically untouched for the last 10 years.
It had a thin layer of cutting oil and dust protecting it from rusting and moisture
"Z" Stepper Motor.
Machine and controller labels.
I gave it a quick wipe down with a bit of degreaser to get rid of the excess muck and asked a friend to bring me the machine as it would not fit in my car.
I took the controller and cables as well as the cutters and other accessories that were still around home with me.
Yesterday the rest of it arrived and I put it together.
I manually turned the x and y screw by hand to check that all the bearings are in place and nothing had seized.
The z has very very little tension when there is no power to the motor so that can easily be moved up and down.
After having the z axis grind into the top a few times while I was trying to get the machine to initialise I found that the Z's limit switch had come loose and that the bit of brass sheeting being used to press the limit switch is suffering from metal fatigue.
Once that was fixed the machine travelled home perfectly.
The spindle also turns on and off without a hitch.