Interesting Tech Projects
Bearings
I’ve found what looks like a good source for bearings for the design. It’s Skate Bearings and they sell individually as well. Price seem very reasonable. If I can’t find a local skate shop then I will probably order from them.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Andy on November 27, 2007 at 8:43 pm, and is filed under CNC. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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Change in Direction
about 3 years ago - No comments
I decided that the McWire CNC machine probably wouldn’t be able to product the accuracy I need, or have the lifespan that I need for a machine. In addition I want to be able to cut objects up to a square foot in size. The McWire design would need to be four square feet in
CNC Update
about 4 years ago - No comments
The project was paused for Christmas and New Year, now I’m wondering whether to continue with the McWire design or go with something else. I recently came across the Fireball CNC machine, which looks very nice. Each machine is hand made in the US, which appeals to me.
One of the early projects I wish to
Power Supply
about 4 years ago - 1 comment
The Yahoo group for the HobbyCNC boards contains a file which describes a linear, unregulated 10A power supply, suitable for driving four motors. This power supply converts 120VAC to 34VDC up to 10A. The circuit diagram is very simple, but a lot of additional effort and parts are required to construct a working power supply.
Here
Windows XP and Stepper Motors
about 4 years ago - 2 comments
My first test after assembling the board was to connect one motor to each axis in turn and test using Windows XP SP2 and Mach3. The test involved going to the motor tuning section and pressing the up and down arrows.
On the X and Y axis it was clear that steps were being lost. I
Testing EMC2/LinuxCNC on Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy
about 4 years ago - 1 comment
I just completed the first test of running EMC2/LinuxCNC on Ubuntu with the HobbyCNC board. I connected a motor to the X-axis and started EMC2 with the “Axis” interface. I then told it to execute the default G-code file it loads with. Lo and behold the motor started spinning! I then moved the motor to
Basic Motor and Board Testing Completed
about 4 years ago - 1 comment
I have completed a basic test of the board and motors. The motors seem to miss steps even at a very low speed, and I think this is either because there is no load on the motor’s shaft or my laptop doesn’t generate the pulses properly (happens with some PCs). Here is what I did
Updates
about 4 years ago - No comments
I found out that the linux-rt kernel is not suitable for running EMC2/LinuxCNC. Sorry if you followed those steps. You can remove it using sudo apt-get remove linux-rt. Instead the kernel must be patched with RTAI. I’m currently working out the correct steps to do this. So far I tried the pre-built kernel in the
HobbyCNC Kit Arrived!
about 4 years ago - No comments
The kit arrived and here is a picture of everything received:
Here is a close up of one of the motors:
And here is the board assembled (took about 1 1/2 hours):
Now I need to hook it up to a PC and test it with a single motor. I can’t connect all three motors until I have
Pitch Conversions
about 4 years ago - No comments
In order to set up the CNC software we need to know the pitch of the leadscrew being used. I found a Pitch Conversions Table to help with this. I have purchased a 6ft 1/4″-20 (20 threads per inch) threaded rod to use as a leadscrew. According to the table this is a pitch of
