You guys are going to keep right on until I have to start posting pics all of my mistakes just to feel like an honest man. (and there is a limit to how many pics you can post on this forum):D Thanks y'all

JR
Those Nuetrik 4 pin xlr's look nice! It's nice to hear that "click" sound when you make a good connection! I assume from the order list with Markertek you are using the xlr's only on the machine end of the run and your terminating to the Gecko's directly within your drive cabinet. All future versions of my machine will have on XLR on the machine end. All the home runs will be terminated at the box through a nice strain relief. One less connection to solder up.... about 75 dollars less in parts. Every penny counts! :) Have a great day...I can't believe I am in the shop in florida and its 28 degrees....Brr....I actually had to wear long pants for a change :p
Sean

JR,
Your machine looks awesome. Save some picture room for some pics of your first projects so we can see the end results of your labor


Doug,
Your work looks fine to me. :)

Sean,
Stop complaining, I woke up to about 30 cm of snow this morning and a chilly -20 C. Drifts at my roadway with the plow spilloff was about 4 feet high. :( I have been wearing long pants for about six months now. :)

I'm going to control the router on-off with G-code and a relay, so I've added the disconnect switch for bit change safety. Just can't put a lot of trust in that router switch under the plastic when I can't see it.

Sean you're right the geckos will be straight wired, you can see the umbilical cord in the 2nd picture.

Heath, I'll save lots of room for project pics. Thanks

J.R.,

On your Slide Plate [10 40 330] of the Z-Slide assembly, what size countersunk cap screws did you use.

I'm re-drawing the slide plate, using M6 screws and it just doesn't look right. The major diameter [12 mm] of the head does not leave room for Hole B. I'm using the CAD drawing off McMaster (p/n 91294A236) for dimensions.

When looking at your pictures, it looks like drawing 10 40 330. Just wondering if a dimension is wrong :confused:

Greg I used 6mm. I will check the head dia in the morn and post. You are right, in the real thing there is not a problem.

J.R.,

Don't bother. I found the problem. My AutoCAD default was on radius and should have been diameter. :o

Sheez, if your not making mistakes, your not doing much.

Have a good evening and thanks. Sorry for wasting your time.

J.R.,

I've been using the pictures that you posted allot and just want to confirm something.

In the top picture of post 81, is the 0,0 (x,y) corner nearest the photographer?

Yours (and everyones) pictures are a tremendous help.

Greg 0,0 is diagonally across the machine. But Gerald made a suggestion near some of my first complete pictures posts (best I remember) saying I should have put the X cable chain on the other side, because it will be difficult to reach over it.
Best I remember I wasn't the first to say it, but "a picture IS worth a thousand words" ;-)

J.R.,

Your reading my mind. I just ordered the cable track last night and now am thinking about installation. Which side, etc.

Thanks,
Greg

JR

When you say that 0,0 is diagonally across the machine, does that mean any corner can be made to be 0,0? May be a stupid question, but ,if I don't ask, I won't know for sure.:) In the picture mentioned by Greg, the corner nearest to the photograph would be good for 0,0 because the cable chains are out of the way.

Paul

Paul,

Gerald is ahead of us. He has started another thread explaining the orientation of 0,0. Has drawings.

It's under
Wire & cable management / cable location & orientation

Talk about service :)

I only have experience with my cnc wood lathe. It is a rear tool post. Home or 0,0 is as far back and to the left as the machine will go. I assume :eek: a cnc router has 2 positions that can become home or 0,0. They are, when you're standing next to the side face toward the machine, you're extreme left. I would think the keyboard should be very close at hand.

Keyboard extender cables make the keyboard position very flexible :)
(Avoid wireless keyboards though :()


That limit gets raised for the good guys :D

That disconnect switch looks good and accessible. Nice location.

On the cable chains, I think that JR will agree with me that the purple version would be better from an operator's viewpoint:

There is one HUGE omission
.
.
.
Why havn't you mentioned that it already moves, cuts and spits sawdust? :confused:

As of yesterday there is a #12 fine braided ground wire running in that umbilical cord thank you :rolleyes:. I think I could get 1 or 2 more control wires in there (using grease) if I had to.

and the above is on my to do list!!!!!

You can go ahead - I have my fingers in my ears :cool:

Here I am waiting on parts:(

J.R.,

That's about the coolest / cleanest setup I've seen. Where did you get that wire duct system and what's it called?

I made it using my table saw. I think the white stuff is called starboard it's 1/2" thick, the clear pex glass is 1/8" thick. Just cut the grooves to fit your cable.

...somebody has way to much free time :)
Great wiring!
Sean

Really Inspiring, Never knew one could be " Electrically and Mechanically " so inspiring :D

RGDS
Irfan

Did everyone spot the green ground wire and the connections to the cable screens? :)

Not me, until you mentioned G', again charming as it can be. Way to go JR. :)

Irfan

JR,
Great job on your wiring. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to carry your shield closer to the geckos so you have less unshielded wire sitting out in the open. Any open wires will radiate noise. Some of the connections (the ones farther to the left) have a little more exposed wire.

Your build is looking awesome. :)

I propose that we ban JR from this forum.:D Or at least ban him from posting anymore pictures of his outstanding craftsmanship. It's not fair to amateurs like me to have my primitive creations compared to the work of a world class professional.:( From this point forward, I'm going to make my wife operate the camera thereby guaranteeing that the photos will be blurry and off center so no one can see the junk I've built.

Cool it JR. You're really embarrassing me.

You guys are just too funny! :D

I know Doug is only joking,

But J.R.'s high standards and top notch craftmanship, makes us all work harder to meet a higher level of MechMate (wow, how Zen)

Keep the pictures coming. You can't believe how much I use your photo's.

I would call it the "Art of making a Mechmate". its not just to make a mechmate but "to add soul to it", Right JR!

Meanwhile had a blast reading Dough's post,LOL, keep up the spirit Dough...... !

Great work JR

Thanks everyone I needed that. Irfan more than anything else it's probably just "somebody has way to much free time":D

JR,
I know you have heard it a lot lately about free time, but your work is "craftsmanship" of the highest level and I am often envious of your accomplishment.

The MM you are building is a work of art and the attention to detail makes it even more fun to watch & learn. Additionally, working on the machine - or anything - in the shop is the best hobby and mental therapy I have ever had. ...The hands work, the mind wanders, the finished product is perfect. Nice job!

***

On a machine note - the bearing post hold down for the Y-car...did you turn the shaft or did you buy pressfit shaft material for the bearing?

I am actually contemplating purchasing a really nice post and Cam follower bearing with the appropriate shoulder bolt for a substitute if I can't get any lathe time in during the next few weeks.

Thanks,
Sean

Have you sold these yet or changed your mind? I would be interested in your parts.

Craig, sorry they were gone the first day

At last, she is wired. I will do a move and cut test sunday.

Sorry Sean just realized there is a question on the table.

I used 3/4" cold roll steel. The shaft was just a little smaller than the bearing so I chucked it up in the lathe used the knurling tool and it became a nice press fit.

J.R.,

Very nice !!

Lots of room in that box. Wondering what your future plans might be.

An old trick, in the absence of knurling, is a lot of center punch marks with Loctite.

JR,

U still got a plenty of space in ur cabinet, how about the fifth and sixth axis :D

Ur electronics are gonna run really cool with all that space.

RGDS
Irfan

I am a little nervous of the heat transmission through the wooden box - time will tell. Summer is still a long way off for you guys - don't forget to check inside the box on a hot day.

I tried to setup the software today and discovered I have no 5 volt output from the power supply. I'll pull it tomorrow and trouble shoot. So no cuts today:(