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Community supported PCB milling machine - Page 19 — Parallax Forums

Community supported PCB milling machine

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  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2006-09-27 18:18
    Bean, as concerns scoring your PCB, I have some cone shaped carbide cutters which I don't use.· I'll be happy to send them to you if you like.

    Sid

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    Sid Weaver
    Need a TV Module?

    Newzed@aol.com
    ·
  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2006-11-10 15:43
    I crtainly hope this thread hasn't died - haven't seen anything for some time.

    Anyway, I wanted to make a little board with an SSOP chip but I wasn't sure I could do that with SuperMill.· Decided to make a trial run and here are the results.· I made two errors.· If you look at the picture with the chip you will note that two of the lands are missing.· They lifted when I tried to tin the board.· I should have cut the two vertical paths in the middle of the pattern before I cut the horizontal paths, and second, I wasn't using FR-4 material.· I think the copper adhesion is better on the FR-4 than on the cheaper laminate I was using.· Alignment is pretty good, as you can see by the picture with the chip.

    Does anyone have a small piece of FR-4 - say 2 or 3 inches square -·they would like to donate to a good cause?

    Sid

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    Sid Weaver
    Don't have VGA?

    Newzed@aol.com
    375 x 221 - 4K
    375 x 406 - 9K
  • PLJackPLJack Posts: 398
    edited 2006-11-12 19:25
    Nice work Sid. The accuracy looks impressive.

    Ive been meaning to ask, do you have encoders attached to your stepper motors?

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    - - - PLJack - - -



    Perfection in design is not achieved when there is nothing left to add.
    It is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.
  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2006-11-13 16:44
    Thanks, PL

    By encoder, do you mean controller.· I use two IB463s and a Gecko.



    Sid

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    Sid Weaver
    Don't have VGA?

    Newzed@aol.com
    ·
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-11-13 16:46
    Sid,
    ·
    ·· Encoders are usually optical or hall-effect and provide feedback to the main microcontroller as to how many steps the motor actually moved in relation to how many steps it was supposed to have moved.·

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • NewzedNewzed Posts: 2,503
    edited 2006-11-13 16:59
    Thanks,· Chris.· I've never used an encoder.

    It takes 2568 pulses to move the X axis .100 inches.· That is equal to
    .0000375 inches per pulse.· Can you imagine trying to track that with an encoder?

    Sid

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    Sid Weaver
    Don't have VGA?

    Newzed@aol.com
    ·
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-11-13 21:35
    Sid,
    ·
    ·· I was generalizing…On CNC machines the encoders can be more complex and actually monitor linear motion of an axis, regardless of the steps the motor takes to get there.· The concept is to monitor motion to be sure the unit actually moved.· What if the stepper motor was sent 2568 pulses, but several missed or the stepper was jammed?· How would you know if the unit moved the correct distance?· =)

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • PLJackPLJack Posts: 398
    edited 2006-11-13 23:01
    Chris said every thing I should have when I asked the question. smile.gif

    On another note.
    There is an excellent two part article on converting a Harbor Freight table top mill at BalBots.
    They can be found here.
    www.balbots.com/article_info.php?articles_id=10

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    - - - PLJack - - -



    Perfection in design is not achieved when there is nothing left to add.
    It is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.
  • bubbleheadbubblehead Posts: 36
    edited 2006-11-27 19:05
    Something that may be of interest:

    Just got a Sears flyer in the mail.· They are taking pre-orders for·what is basically a Craftsman CNC router for about $1800.00.· It won't actually be available until the end of December.

    It looks like a benchtop thickness planer with a Dremel-like tool sticking up through the top.· It has·some built-in·designs and can read desgns from a memory card.· New designs can be created on a PC and saved to a memory card.

    It would be interesting to see one up close when the come out.

    Found it online at: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Bench+Power+Tools&pid=00921754000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Jointers%2C+Planers+%26+Shapers&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

    I have no connection with Sears or Craftsman.

    Post Edited (bubblehead) : 11/27/2006 11:24:29 PM GMT
  • SailerManSailerMan Posts: 337
    edited 2007-03-26 18:24
    Has anyone seen one of these Sear Carving machines??

    If someone, anyone kitted up a CNC router that did circuit boards, they'd be instantly rich.

    Eric

    PS I know an old thread.
    ·
  • jknightandkarrjknightandkarr Posts: 234
    edited 2010-03-23 07:18
    Chris Savage pointed me to this thread, and I was wondering if someone could help me make my own cnc machine? Most likely using the Propeller, since it's what I'm learning to use, & since the SX chip has reached its EOL. Not just for pcbs, but for some other uses as well, probly nothing like steel or hard wood. I have some buttons I wish to make & a cnc machine would be usefull.

    Joe

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  • jknightandkarrjknightandkarr Posts: 234
    edited 2010-03-25 06:09
    Anyone?

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    I'm going insaine. It's SOOOOOO much fun. lol
  • jknightandkarrjknightandkarr Posts: 234
    edited 2010-03-28 03:25
    Guess not...

    Joe

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    I'm going insaine. It's SOOOOOO much fun. lol
  • danieldaniel Posts: 231
    edited 2010-03-29 12:33
    Have you considered the design of the FireballCNC (groups.yahoo.com/group/Fireballcnc/ and in particular www.probotix.com/FireBall_v90_cnc_router_kit/)?

    It is a good machine, in kit form, and just needs the motors, drives, and controller to finish it off. The controller is typically a PC running one of the CNC programs--EMC, Mach, TurboCNC, etc. Motors and motor drive electronics choices abound, mine uses Gecko step motor drives (www.geckodrive.com/) and a PMDX breakout board (www.pmdx.com/BreakoutBoards).

    There is no particular reason you could not build the machine from scratch. Nor is there a reason that the Propeller could not adequately serve as the controller--you would just need to roll you own CNC software.

    Daniel

    Post Edited (daniel) : 3/29/2010 12:51:04 PM GMT
  • jknightandkarrjknightandkarr Posts: 234
    edited 2010-03-29 15:39
    Well right now spending about $600 is out of the question. I downloaded TurboCNC. I'm just not sure how to make the propeller operate a cnc via the software.

    Joe

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    I'm going insaine. It's SOOOOOO much fun. lol
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2012-03-01 05:40
    Good thing a spammer bumped up this thread, because I have never seen it before. Now that I have it bookmarked, one of these days when I have spare time, I will have to read it,
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