Excellent progress!

Your Gecko does sound suspicious. No harm in removing its cover and checking inside.

Hi Mike and Gerald, Thank you for the advice, Grounding:I removed the anodizing,at the point where I screwed it to the alu plate, ran a direct ground from Eleck supply to that point with a continued ground dicect to the motor = same effect
1) Removed step/Dir/Comm from PMDX 122 = red/green led replace these again
2) I removed one leg of phase B= red/green Led replace phase B leg
3) Removed one leg of phase A = GREEN LED

I think that gecko need to be replaced

Suggest you phone Geckdrive and discuss it with them. Be ready to answer the questions on their form:
https://www.geckodrive.com/upload/STEPPER%20RETURN.pdf

First cut
 

Hi one and all
I have received a new Gecko, the red LED is something of the past, my MechMmate is smooth as a clock (for someone inexperienced as myself), I am sure there will be some setting and adjusting to be done in the next week. I made the first cut today, nothing much only a circle. I control the spindle manually on the VFD, I still need to learn how to start/stop via Mach3
Regards

Koning,
Looks like all you need now is some labels and your good for a serial number! Looking great!

Well done Koning!

Koning,

Congratulations...!!

Koning,

Congratulations, smooth cutting :)

Koning - congrats

is that earth wire running thru the motor?

Pragtig ! Glad to see it nearly finished.

Koning, there was something unusual about your last picture, and it took me a while to figure what it was . . . .

The dust is so neatly stacked next to the cut.....there is no air stream from the router/spindle. It is now obvious that a water-cooled spindle will leave you with a cleaner workshop.

Goed gedaan! Well done. Koning

Vacuum
 

Thank you, it’s a nice feeling to see it cut,
Irfan, yes that is earth direct from the 220V main power supply, the blue wire is for the Z zero
Gerald
It is nice and clean, that cut was made with no suction on, what bother me is the little nick opposite the cutter, at that point the circle goes wider, will play today and see if it repeat itself.
I have made a swing arm that follow the Z axis, used 4" straight connectors to suspend the hose, fishing swivels between the hose and bracket to allow the hose more flexibility, it works for me, just add blue paint and it will be perfect.

and yes i see the water bucket - does it have a fish pump in it :)

Have a slow read through this thread: Circles are not cut round

Hi Irfan
An ordinary submersable water fountain pump, a fish tank waterpump does not deliver at pumphight (head) of 2meter
Regards

Thanks Koning - thats exactly what I was thinking :)

RGDS
IRfan

My Mechmate is official
 

I have been playing today with the MechMate, did my first cut today that I designed in TurboCad, Then we had the naming ceremony tonight...... nice isn`t it
Regards

Great job Koning!

Congrats on #20

That is a proud man!

Thank you Gerald and GregM, I am proud, strange how something small like pasting a name can make a man so happy.
What would be the range of Velocity and acceleration values be for the Z axis, mine i have set to Velocity 300 and acceleration 100 for the direct drive motors, does that sound right
Regards

Koning,

Welcome to the Members Serial Number Club. Congratulations on #20.

congrats #20 from #19 :)

Congratulations!!!:)

Koning,

Congratulations on Serial #20, one fine machine.:)

The updated Builder's Log is here.

What are the cutting dimensions of your MechMate? I would like to add this information to the Builder's Log.

Regards,
John

Well done Koning...you just pipped Hennie too the post....looks like it was a busy weekend for building and finishing Mech Mates this weekend. Looks like you are putting a band aid on a patient there....Well done ;)

Baie geluk Koning!

Thank you everyone
 

Kobus I had a bussy few months behind me, first my 21 days vacation in SA was cut short to nine, been in Pakistan end December-January,Philipines beginning Feb, (18th honeymoon) and next week Turkmenistan. The good looking man on Kobus's left is my father, I could not wait to show him what the MechMate is all about
Regards

Well Done Koning! That is a great looking machine! :)

At last, I thought you lost that photo...ha ha

Koning,

Thanks for the E-Mail with information about your MechMate. The updated Builder's Log is here.

Please let us know how that spindle works for you. Pictures always appreciated.:D

Regards,
John

Thank you John
You will know the day i get the spindel controlled with mach, at this moment i control it manually, I cannot get to calibrate the spindel with the PMDX 106, all the LED`s light up that should but no spindel turning, I have send a copy of the andeli VFD to Steve Stallings, and is awaiting his comments, I will soon post the wire diagram and ask help from the brotherhood.
It Happend today...... gantry lifting off the rails.....

A gantry lift off is good . . . . . . less damage than if it could not lift off! :)

Hallo to all the friends
I have not posted for some time, but here is some pictures of what I have been doing, I have divided my dust collection hose so that I have a nice moveable hose to suck all the dust on the table, the vacuum is controlled by two slide gate valves that I made from MDF and Plexiglas, the collection bags have also been moved away from the MM to reduce the noise level and to keep the dust level low that will soon be a closed room.

I have place thin conveyor belt rubber between the spoil board and the X axis channel, cleaning up is now effortless and dust collection suction has a better effect when cutting is done on the edge of the spoil board.

Because 99% of the work on the MM is done at night ( because the boss think I need to spend more time at work) have I placed a florescent tube light below X axis that make it much easier to see what is going on at the table
I have started to close the famous patio with dry walling and will install a air conditioner to keep the humidity levels low during the hot summer months

Nice to see these pictures of your machine. Well done Koning. Closing up will also keep the neighbours happy.:D

Some nice ideas there Koning! It is really looking good.

Hi Chaps
The rubber does helps allot to keep the work place sort of clean, it is the type that is used on luggage X ray machines, thin so its easy to lift it for clamping. Soon I am going to move the spider plate backwards to allow the vacuum hose to be right next to the spindel,
I never see or hear my neighbours, all property is surrounded by high walls and they spend no time outside, bonus for me.

The light
 

Not to bright just right

Be careful about moving the spindle far away from the Y-motor. You could get to a point where the y-car rotates when the cutter takes load. A cure for such an issue is to put a second y-motor on the back of the y-car. Also, the table top then needs to be moved if you still want to cut full sheets.

A nice thin rubber with fiber reinforcing is used for gasketing. We call it "insertion rubber" out here, but google says it is not a common description around the world.

Insertion Rubber
 

Hello Gerald

That's the term for that type of rubber here in Australia to.

Ed