I recently bought the LittleMachineShop spindle controller for my SX3 variant. It works fine, but I was disappointed that the LCD no longer worked and the buttons were disconnected. I designed a replacement button board with LCD control, IR tachometer, and button breakout. Its a drop-in replacement for the stock board and even uses the same cabling/connectors as the original.
There is a video of it in operation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ghr...ature=youtu.be
And some more information on my website: LCD Control Board for SX3 Mill
I have two extra PCB's if anyone is interested in building their own. Just send me a message if you are interested. The board is full of fine-pitch SMD components and I *cannot* assemble them for you, even for a fee. You will need to pretty proficient at soldering if you want to attempt to assemble it. I also cannot spend a lot of time walking you through programming the board -- I just unfortunately don't have the time. If you think you can be self-sufficient in assembling and programming, I am very happy to ship a board anywhere in the continental US for free.
The code and board files are available on Github:
https://github.com/esoren/sx3_tach/
https://github.com/esoren/sx3_tach_lcd_board
Final note/question:
With the Little Machine Shop board the max RPM I can achieve is ~1700 compared to the 1800 rpm I was able to achieve before. I have confirmed I am getting a full 10V output from the MESA board and I have also adjusted the trimpot on the Little Machine Shop board through the full range in both directions. Has anyone else encountered or solved this?
I am also trying to decide where to mount the tach sensor. I'm leaning towards the top of the mill, but if I can find a place to mount it internally where it can "see" the rotation of the spindle that would be excellent.