[digits]

Yeah, servos are pricey, but having pretty decent torque all the way from 0-4000 rpm seems pretty special to me

I am really impressed with the elegant simplicity of your ATC Hoss - every X2 should have one IMHO

[Bob Adams]

Yeah, servos are pricey, but having pretty decent torque all the way from 0-4000 rpm seems pretty special to me

I am really impressed with the elegant simplicity of your ATC Hoss - every X2 should have one IMHO

If you take a DC motor and add an Encoder to the motor , you have a servo.
A while back I purchase a couple of DC motors for $10.00 and add a $35.00 Encoder, Total $45.00 for one.They sold out right quick before i could buy more. So look for the DC Motor Sales.

[hoss2006]

Couple final ATC videos for now.
These show how to set the tools in Mach 3 with Tool Offsets.
Show it making the Z axis home switch cover.
Hey, now I could start cranking the covers sets out to sell
Check out parts A and B here.
Later Hoss

http://www.hossmachine.com

[Bob Adams]

Couple final ATC videos for now.
These show how to set the tools in Mach 3 with Tool Offsets.
Show it making the Z axis home switch cover.
Hey, now I could start cranking the covers sets out to sell
Check out parts A and B here.
Later Hoss

http://www.hossmachine.com

Where did you get the Limit Swiches?

[hoss2006]

Hey Bob,
got the limit switches at my new favorite store, Surplus Center.
They are wired in series with one wire going to your choice of input pin on the breakout board
and the other to 5V.
Check out 'Wiring Sample 1' at the bottom of the page at cnc4pc

Later Hoss

[bobchiloquin]

Hoss,

I've been to your website and tried to send you an email, but it keeps getting bounced, so this may be a little OT. Lots of good information on your site, but I have some questions concerning your control panel. In photo 21, what are the silver buttons next to the axis buttons? I've watched the video on operating the control panel, but your hand gets in the way, and I can't really see what you are doing. How about redoing the video so the camera stays focused on the control panel instead of moving to the mill and back. I can hear what the mill is doing. I'd rather see what you're doing. In the upper right corner there are 2 black knobs. It looks like the one on the left is a 3 position switch. Is the one on the right a 2 position? Can you post a full frame photo of both the front and top so I can read the labels? Why didn't you use one of the joy sticks that was in the game controller instead of the one you did use? Did you end up having two USB cables going to your computer? It would appear that you have made more than one of these control panels. Have you given any thought to selling them?

Sorry about all the questions.

About the ATC. Did you do any experiments to determine how much pull you actually needed to keep the tool holder from spinning in the collet?

Thanks for your time and good luck on getting your mill working 100%.

Bob Hayes
Chiloquin, OR

[hoss2006]

Hey Bob,
The silver buttons are for feed hold.
They are holding pushbutton switches wired in parallel with the axis button.
Below is a high res pic of the panel that shows the 2 knobs on the right
are the twin joysticks of the Phillips game controller.
I made my own main joystick for space savings and coolness.
I've only made the one controller, way too much work to sell them.
Yes, 2 usb cables to the PC.
When you open up the Logitech and the Phillips, you can see the switches
on the circuit boards. I just soldered jumper wires from them to each of the control panel switches.
Re: power drawbar. From what I've read elsewhere, the spring tension necessary is about 600Lbs.
Later Hoss
An alternate email address for me is [email protected].

http://www.hossmachine.com

[Micro Rotors]

Hoss,

You are teasing me, :stickpoke when will you do a post on it???????????????

Thanks
Bill

[Bob Adams]

I was using a STD R8 collet till the one purchase from Tormach came, When I installed the Tormach R8. I found that it was not opening enough to change tools. So what I did was to add one more washer to the four I had, Works perfect now.
Bob A
http://www.cad2gcode.com/cncprojects

[BeerFizz]

Great work Hoss and Bob. Nicely done!

Please let me know if either of you would think this might work...

If I understand correctly, we need about 1100 lbs to compress the belville springs. The approach you took was to use an air cylinder with about 100 lbs (give or take) plus a lever to bring you up to to the 1100 or so...

So, I was wondering if a more compact device might be built by using an air cylinder capable of producing the 1100 lbs directly. This cylinder could then squat directly on top of the draw bolt.

This link shows a cylinder that has a 4 inch bore:
http://www.poweraire.com/compact-cyl...5_522_548.html
edit: this link shows a family of these particular cylinders... only up to 2.5", can't find the 4 inch one yet...

Using Bobs program, a 4 inch bore should result in about about the required 1100 lbs at 100 psi.

Do you think this might work?

[Bob Adams]

Great work Hoss and Bob. Nicely done!

Please let me know if either of you would think this might work...

If I understand correctly, we need about 1100 lbs to compress the belville springs. The approach you took was to use an air cylinder with about 100 lbs (give or take) plus a lever to bring you up to to the 1100 or so...

So, I was wondering if a more compact device might be built by using an air cylinder capable of producing the 1100 lbs directly. This cylinder could then squat directly on top of the draw bolt.

This link shows a cylinder that has a 4 inch bore:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=33513154

Using Bobs program, a 4 inch bore should result in about about the required 1100 lbs at 100 psi.

Do you think this might work?

This cylinder costs $30 and along with a plate, some bolts and spacers and a valve????

I'm sure that would work great, but for $3.95 for the used cylinder. It all a matter of the cost of the project. I would prefer the bigger cylinder if cost wasn't the factor. I think the $30.00 price is for the mount not the Cylinder.

[KOS]

how heavy is that 4" bore cylinder? i have a 5" one in my shop but it would be heavy to have sit on my mill which is a X3 so it has a larger head and column...Is it actually 1100lbs or is it less? Some where HOSS mentioned 660lbs or something but not sure if that was the spring or for collet removal

[BeerFizz]

Hi Koss,

not sure of the weight or physical size of the cylinder... I'm having trouble getting exact specs. Of course, it may be way to heavy etc. If the required force is 600lbs or so then the cylinder could be smaller... around a 3 inch bore (Bobs program).

This is the 2.5 inch bore.
http://www.poweraire.com/series-comp...ore-p-675.html

[BeerFizz]

re. the CQ2 Compact air cylinder.

http://www.coastpneumatics.com/pdfs/smc/70ASTCCQ2.pdf

The dimensions are on page 18 of this document. For the 80mm bore device, the height appears to be about 63mm + stroke and about 100mm square. The smallest stroke is 10mm which is plenty.

Weight is on page 5 and for the 80mm bore with a 10mm stroke plus rod end is about 270+170g ie about 15 oz, which seems very low. Can someone check that?

[BeerFizz]

I'm sure that would work great, but for $3.95 for the used cylinder. It all a matter of the cost of the project. I would prefer the bigger cylinder if cost wasn't the factor. I think the $30.00 price is for the mount not the Cylinder.

Hi Bob,

yes, the original link I posted was the mount. Not easy to find info on this stuff, but it does appear that the 3 inch device (80mm) is n the $70-80 range and the 4 inch device is in the $130 range.

The 3 inch device should produce about 700lbs at 100 psi and the 4 inch about 1200 lbs. The device itself seems to weigh about 1 pound.

I'll call the manufacturer in the morning and see if I can confirm this information.

[hoss2006]

The LMS Power Drawbar appears to use the same type of air cylinder you've
been talking about, something with a 2.5 to 3.5 diameter piston.
It allows them to install the cylinder inside the housing but the housing isn't noticeably
any smaller than the one I designed.
They still use a small cam and lever to get 1000 lbs of force.
The air cylinder is the main component to which everything else is designed around.
You can spend more (alot) on the cylinder to shrink everything else around it.
Might explain the cost of their unit.
To each his own.
Hoss

[BeerFizz]

Hoss,

Please don't get me wrong. What you did is absolutely fantastic. I'm not sure I have the skill set to make all the associated parts and so I was looking at alternatives.

Today, I spoke (im'd) with the company which sells that cylinder and this is basically what I found:

The 100 mm device (4 inches) sells for about $124.
At this price it has:
10mm stroke
single rod
no magnet
is double acting
is about 5 inches square and 4 high
and weighs less than 2lbs.

According to Bobs program this will generate 1200lbs at 100psi.

edit: I guess if I get a chance to do this, I would have it squat directly over the bolt with perhaps adjusting nuts for the height.

[Oldboy]

Hi everyone this is my first post. Yep Im new to the form.
Ben busy looking over HOSS web site. HOSS Your AWSOME!
Would like to ask you some qestions if you don't mind me email you?
Watch your Video's with grate excitment. Your new tool changer Video was realy something.

[hoss2006]

Email away Oldboy, I'm glad to help.

you can email directly to

[email protected]

[tsalaf]

How have the spindle bearings been holding up with the added force of the release cylinder?