Power supply/control system is complete
 

Completed my power supply/control system this morning. Everything functions perfectly and the voltages are right on :)

I still have to connect the step controllers. Unfortunately I will need to replace my Centent CN0142's with the higher voltage Gecko drives. Turns out my steppers require a higher voltage than the Centent unit can deliver.....142's have a 60V limit.

Now that this is complete, I will continue working the mechanics....hope to have it cutting by late January mayby early February.

LPT two ports in the Breakout board?
What is the function? Two drivers for each?

Yes, Mach3 software supports (2) parallel ports. This break-out board was designed to work with Mach3.

The extra port is used when your machine uses a lot of inputs and outputs, like control switches, MPG's, tach, spindle and vac control, etc... I believe my MM will only need one port.

Finally back at it.
 

After a month frigid weather, (not one day above freezing in January) I am finally able to continue building.

Here's the base, the cutting and welding is nearly complete. Just need to add the end braces...working on them this afternoon:D

Hockey puck leveling feet.
 

I made some cheap leveling feet for my MM....they are made from used hockey pucks:D They are very robust and should work good on the MM.

To make them you simply drill a 1/2" (M12) hole in the center of a hockey puck, then counterbore the hole just big enough to fit the head of your leveling bolt. Only took about 1/2 hour to make.

Wayne

That's cool!

Well, I'm going to have to incorporate your idea on my machine. Great Idea Wayne.

Tim

Continuing to make progress.
 

Made some good progress in the last couple of days. The table welding is complete and the X & Y rails are installed.

Next up....the spider plate.

One step closer
 

About finished with the z-slide assembly, all holes have been drilled and threaded.....just need to cut the "V". Think I figured out how to clamp it to the milling table, I will try cutting the V this weekend.

The Z & spider assembly is the last major part of the machine I have to build.....should be ready for paint in the next week or so :)

MechMate controller is complete.
 

I received my 203V controllers yesterday.....installed them last night. I mounted the whole assembly the the box. It's good to have this part of the project done.



The orange items are automotive air filters...they clean the air before it enters the control box. There is a fan on the top of the control box, inside the filters. Mounting a fan like this actually pressurizes the box a little, which helps to keep dust or other debris from being sucked into the control box through holes, seams or gaps.

Wayne

Lot's of good work and great photos!

I especially like the air flow approach to it : 2 huge 4 barrels carburetors air filters breathing nice, cool... snowy winter air... :eek:
No way this baby will ever see warmth !
Why think small ?
Kidding… V-Nice work, Amicalement Robert ;)

Robert, this winter has been so cold that I probably don't even need a fan....all I need to do is put the controller outside:D

Here's a picture of the airfilter cover. It is made from expanded PVC, the stuff cuts really nice. I engraved the filter part# into the top, so I won't have to try and remember a year from now;)

Motor calculation worksheet
 

Attached is the motor calculation worksheet I used for my MM electronics. It's basically a collection of motor & power supply formulas that I found on this site and put into one place. Thought it might be useful for some of you guys that are just getting started.

The resulting numbers are for the Parker Automation stepper motors (VS32B) I purchased from Ebay. The calculations were made using the factory motor specs and these formulas. This was done before making the purchase......as I wanted to besure they would work before spending any money.

Great Job Wayne, I really like your window on the control box and the filter is great filter.

Thankyou, glad you like it. The window was in the box when I got it....it will be handy to see what's going on inside.

Ready for paint.
 

Yahoo, I have completed all the parts required to build a Mechmate....the machine is ready for paint.

Here's a few pictures of the completed unit. The last picture is me dressed to work in a cold garage.....I am finally getting used to working with gloves on:rolleyes:

My friend is going to paint it this weekend. Since he normally paints custom motorcycles....I had to remind him that I did not want any flames or skulls painted on the Mechmate:D

Flames would look cool, as long as they are only painted on...:)

Nice work, you'l be cutting soon.

Wayne,
Looks really good! :) Have you gotten movement yet or are you waiting for paint before you do that? I finally see some pics of people that work like I do in the garage in the winter. All of these other guys in warm climates complaining of "cold" garages have me envious. :rolleyes::eek: Your garage looks like you should be able to hold some heat in there though? Maybe a nice woodstove?;)

Alan - Agree, painted on flames would be much better than the real thing.

Heath - No movement yet. I want to get it painted before installing the electronics (motors, sensors, wiring, etc..) this saves a lot of rework.

My garage is insolated and ready for a heater....in-fact the wife just gave me the go ahead to purchase a new gas heater:) A woodstove would work, but it's a lot nicer to just turn the thermostat up and get to work.

Great job Wayne, you will running in no time. We will have to start a new thread "Pimp my Mechmate"! I look forward to seeing flames.

"Pimp my Mech" I like it :)

The final assembly will start as soon as the paint drys. So with a little luck....I should to be making dust by mid-week.

Dust vacuum
 

I purchased this dust vacuum from a guy on Craigslist for $75. It has a lot of suction and should be perfect match for the mechMate.

This unit does require a seperator or torit, so that will have to be one of my first projects for the MechMate. I will probably build a Phil Thien seperator, it's simple and appears to work well.

A weekend of powdercoating.
 

Powdercoated most of the mill this weekend. My brother (shown in the pics below) has a large powder oven....his oven is 4' x 4' by 8' deep, perfect size for this project.

The first picture shows Dave appling Ford blue to the spider assembly. The second shows the Y and Z assembles powdered and ready to be put in the oven. The 3rd and 4th pictures show the oven and oven rack.

We worked for 8 hours yesterday, cleaning and powdering....the results made it all worthwhile :)

Painted y and z assemblies
 

Here's the finished Y and Z assembly.

We used chrome and black powder for the Z slide. Black for the rails and of coarse, Ford blue for everything else.

We did not work all weekend!
 

Of coarse, we did not work all weekend;).....we took a little time out to play in the snow:D

This is my brothers Polaris Razor. With tracks, this 4 wheeldrive goes anywhere and through anything. Here's a couple of pictures of the Razor climbing a snow hill.

Great fun!

Wayne,
Can you remove the tracks and go back to regular tires with that model or is it tracks only? Were the tracks standard with that model or an add on?

Yes, you can switch from tracks back to tires....it's simple and quick, about like changing a tire.

The tracks were an add-on. There are a couple of mfg's that offer kits for this unit, they aren't cheap but are worth it if you intend to take your machine off the beat'n path.

The painting is complete and the assembly has started.
 

The base was too big for the powder oven, so my friend sprayed it for me. He did a good job paint matching, it's hard to tell which has powder and which is liquid.