# My Jorney Into The Cnc World.



## REdington (Sep 22, 2015)

Back when I was just finishing up machine tool in Vo-Tech (1975), they had just received a NC Bridgeport to start training the next year students. I dropped in a couple of years later to see the Bridgeport in action and wanted a CNC mill since. Back then you had to manually write the G code to a machine that then punched a bunch of holes into a paper tape. The paper tape was then put on a NC part of the Bridgeport to run the machine. How the world has changed since those days. Anyway, I never found a job in the machinist field and I ended up driving a trucks for the last 30 years, and over the road in a team operation the last 12. I had always wanted a mill and a lathe and I got my first small armature lathe in 1990. In 1998 I bought a HF round column mill-drill and installed a DRO on it. A year later I bought my Bridgeport (with DRO) and a Clausing 14 X 48 lathe.

I was kinda late coming to the computer word and discovered the internet in about 2004 and found CNC zone. I made the plunge to convert a Cummings Tool 7877 mini mill (X2) to CNC. I bought the plans from fignoggle, the electronics from Xylotex, machined the all the mounts and ball screws. Also did the belt drive conversion on the spindle drive. Got it so the all the axis to turn with Mach 3. Now I had to start learning CAD and CAM. I tried a few and never could get anywhere with them and I gave up.  Here is how the mill sits today.







In 2012, I meet a guy that was forming a group to build some 3D printers and joined in with the thought that I would learn CAD and CAM. Got the printer, a Ord-Bot built and improved the design of the extruder we was using. I built about 25 of the Ord-Bot design printers and on the last 11, I increased the build to 300mm X 300mm X 300mm. As luck would have it, life got in the way, the group disbanded and I lost track of everybody, so I didn't get any help with CAD and CAM.

Here is one of the 300mm cubed printers.








  I'm was to the point that I had to take some time to learn CAD. I discovered Shetchup 8 and watched a few youtube videos and I was drawing in no time at all. Now I can print everything I draw up. My son who is a computer nerd talked me into building a computer for working with 3D CAD programs.  Now I have a computer with a I9 processor, solid state harddrive and very good processing graphics card.


This is where I'm at today.

OK now to the CAM part. I know my way around the slicing program (but when I updated it, I got lost and had to go back to the version I'm use to) I'm using. So now I need to learn a CAM that will work for the mill. A few years ago, I found a guy on craigslist that had a copy of Mastercam V9 for sale and he agreed to teach me how to use it if I bought it. Got it installed on my computer and he passed away a week later.

Being I have a hard time learning anything on the computer, I want to learn only one CAM program for now. I think I'm going with DeskProto being that they have a hobby version that supports the 4th and 5th axis. I found a few videos and I'll start looking at them tonight. But before I download the free trial, I want to update some of the stuff on the mill like the electronics and do away with the belt drive on the X and Y axis. I also need to build a good stand that will have a support for the column to keep it from moving.

Rodney


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## REdington (Sep 22, 2015)

Here is how I have the X and Y driven now. They are both driven 1 to 1. The ball screws are 5/8" X .500" pitch.













The motor on the X axis has a spot on it where it won't hardly turn at all, like the armature is hitting something, and will get replaced. These are 425 oz, 4 wire motors and I have a set of Vexta motors that are a little smaller. I'm going to get them on and leave the belt setup for now and see how bad the backlash is before I change the X and Y to direct drive.


The old electronics is way outdated and doesn't have the power for the 4.4 amp Vexta motors. A couple of years ago I bought 4 DQ542MA drivers and a C10 BOB to do this update.












For the power supply, I have a 36 volt but from what I been reading lately, I think I need to go to 48 volts.
I have a pair of 24 volt that I'll wire in series to make 48 volts. I haven't tried it yet to see if it will work, but I'm sure it will.

Rodney


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## REdington (Sep 24, 2015)

I'm going to build my own enclosure for the electronics. I'll make it out of .062 aluminum without a brake. I've done this before and it works slick but a little more work. I'll wire the 2, 24 volt, 10 amp PS in series to make 48 volts. The small PS is for the 5 volts for the BOB. The fans are 24 volts and will be powered off one of the 24 volt PS. Here is the layout.







I need to go to town get the aluminum and then I'll get started on it.

Rodney


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## bpratl (Sep 26, 2015)

Nice layout. That's a good idea in placing your two 24V switching PS's in series as I would have done that instead of fabricating an expensive 48 volt PS. The transformer and compactors  cost me more than 2 24V PS's.
Plus your layout is a lot lighter and neater. Next time I will do your approach. Bob


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## REdington (Sep 27, 2015)

Well, the PS wired in series didn't work and fried both PSs. 

I just bought a used Meanwell 48 volt, 10 amp from feebay for $53 shipped. The old 24 volt PS that came with the original Xylotex kit is only 6 amps. The new motors that will be on the X and Y are 4.4 amps, 2.2 volts. and I hope the 10 amp will be enough to run everything.

 Here is the enclosure that I built. I thought about using sheet metal, but I didn't want to take the time to prep and paint it all. I used .125" for the bottom and will act as a heat sink for the drivers, and the rest is .062".  




















 Rodney


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## JimDawson (Sep 27, 2015)

Thanks for that info.  Now everybody knows what won't work.


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## REdington (Sep 27, 2015)

Well crap!!!! My son (a IT, electronics, computer guru) just showed up and I told him about the PS failure. He opened them both up and found this on both of them.












Dummy me didn't think to check to see if they worked before I tried wiring them in series.
My new rule on PS's is "check them out" when they arrive (I bought these several months ago).
He is going to fix them and I'll try the series wiring again.


Rodney


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## REdington (Sep 27, 2015)

The PS's are fixed and everything works like it should.







Rodney


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## bpratl (Sep 27, 2015)

That's great that it's fixes, I was pulling my hair out in trying to figure out how they could self destruct by putting them in series.  
It's a good point to pre-check all the components before the finial assembly.


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## REdington (Sep 27, 2015)

bpratl said:


> That's great that it's fixes, I was pulling my hair out in trying to figure out how they could self destruct by putting them in series.



I know what you mean, cause in my mind, I couldn't figure out why it didn't work the first time.



 I drew the C10 BOB and the a fan mount in sketchup and have the BOB printing now.


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## compsurge (Sep 27, 2015)

Progress looks great!

If you'd like to get into CAD and CAM, download Autodesk Fusion 360 and give it a try. It is free for hobbyist use (I don't know if that is a one year promotion or not). It is extremely easy to use and the CAM is excellent. If you do end up having to pay the yearly subscription fee, it is worth it for the software capability, continuous feature upgrades, and updates.


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## REdington (Sep 27, 2015)

compsurge said:


> Progress looks great!
> 
> If you'd like to get into CAD and CAM, download Autodesk Fusion 360 and give it a try. It is free for hobbyist use (I don't know if that is a one year promotion or not). It is extremely easy to use and the CAM is excellent. If you do end up having to pay the yearly subscription fee, it is worth it for the software capability, continuous feature upgrades, and updates.



 I have it downloaded, but haven't taken the time to play with it. I've never heard how well the CAM work within it though.
The way I understand the it, it'll be free to all who use it as a hobby or production and don't make more than $100,000 a year with it.

 Thanks for your opinion of it and will try to work with it when I have time.

Rodney


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## rcaffin (Sep 29, 2015)

REdington said:


> Here is how I have the X and Y driven now. They are both driven 1 to 1. The ball screws are 5/8" X .500" pitch.


I really *really* strongly suggest you put fairly close covers over all those tothed belt drives, and keep *all* the chips out of them. Otherwise you will shred the hell out of the belts, and travel will be uneven.

Cheers
Roger


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## REdington (Sep 30, 2015)

rcaffin said:


> I really *really* strongly suggest you put fairly close covers over all those tothed belt drives, and keep *all* the chips out of them. Otherwise you will shred the hell out of the belts, and travel will be uneven.
> 
> Cheers
> Roger



Thanks Roger, I'll be doing that then.


Rodney


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## chips&more (Sep 30, 2015)

Just curious, what was the problem with the power supplies? Are you trying to show us a pic of the choke? And I think you can have big problems with a switching power supply that does not have an insulation transformer in it. When you hook up units in series you should be very careful of a floating ground.


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## REdington (Sep 30, 2015)

chips&more said:


> Just curious, what was the problem with the power supplies? Are you trying to show us a pic of the choke?



I guess they are chokes, anyways, two of the wires that were soldered to the pc board were knocked loose. Paul (my son) soldered them back up and they worked.



chips&more said:


> And I think you can have big problems with a switching power supply that does not have an insulation transformer in it. When you hook up units in series you should be very careful of a floating ground.



Well I have no idea what you are saying. Would you explain it to me. What is a floating ground??? Is that the ground that is on the one PS hooked to the positive on the other??? 

 I do have the enclosure wired so it has a earth ground and the PS's are mounted in the case, so they are grounded. 




 The enclosure is done and I want to post some photos but my hosting site is down. I'll get them uploaded soon I hope. BTW that is why some photos are not showing up.

Rodney


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## chips&more (Sep 30, 2015)

Hi again Rodney, if you already have them hooked up in series and they are working, then you should be OK. But maybe in the future if you do a similar. I would check every connection input and output and make sure it is all the same. And even then, I wouldn’t say you were guaranteed to not smoke something. Just got to thinking, maybe an isolation diode between the two PS would be in order?...Dave.


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## REdington (Oct 2, 2015)

chips&more said:


> Just got to thinking, maybe an isolation diode between the two PS would be in order?...Dave.



 Dave, what is a isolation diode??? I have a bunch of diodes and don't know the difference.

Thanks

Rodney


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## REdington (Oct 2, 2015)

Well here is what the enclosure look like now.  While I was looking for something else, I found this fan that I had forgot that I had. It'll move more air than the 2 fans that I was going to use. Still need to make some sort of filters for the air inlets. I was just going to use screen wire, but I think a filter of some sort will keep it a lot cleaner inside.

I got the new PS, but I'm going to use the duel 24's to make sure it will work before I switch them out.

























Rodney


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## compsurge (Oct 2, 2015)

You can get some activated carbon filter material for cheap from Amazon or a roll of filter material from Home Depot/Lowe's


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## John Hasler (Oct 2, 2015)

An isolation diode is a diode rated for the supply voltage and full load current in series with the supplies and the load to prevent one supply from reverse-biasing the other if one supply should come on faster than the other.   Better would be a reverse-biased diode connected across each supply.  That would protect the supplies against reverse bias without passing the load current through a diode in normal operation.


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## REdington (Oct 2, 2015)

John Hasler said:


> An isolation diode is a diode rated for the supply voltage and full load current in series with the supplies and the load to prevent one supply from reverse-biasing the other if one supply should come on faster than the other.



 This would be a diode where the 2 PS's are wired together, right.




John Hasler said:


> Better would be a reverse-biased diode connected across each supply.  That would protect the supplies against reverse bias without passing the load current through a diode in normal operation.



 Would this be a diode across the leads that supplies the 48 volts going to the stepper drivers?????

Thanks for the help
 Rodney


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## John Hasler (Oct 2, 2015)

It would be one diode in parallel with each power supply with the cathode of the diode connected to the positive terminal and the anode of the diode connected to the negative terminal of the supply.   First check the specifications for the supplies, though.  It may be that no diodes are needed.


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## REdington (Oct 2, 2015)

Thanks John, I got it now. 


Rodney


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## REdington (Oct 3, 2015)

Got the new stand built. Angle iron and 3/8" plate for the top.












Rodney


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## markba633csi (Oct 3, 2015)

REdington said:


> The PS's are fixed and everything works like it should.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## markba633csi (Oct 3, 2015)

I guess what us electronics type folks were wondering was if you grounded your "Com" line to the frame of your system or not?  I see the picture with the two supplies wired in series,  ONE of them would usually be grounded so your 48 volts has something to "push off" from.  
Mark S.


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## John Hasler (Oct 3, 2015)

markba633csi said:


> ONE of them would usually be grounded so your 48 volts has something to "push off" from.


It needs nothing to "push off" from.   The circuit just needs to be complete from the power supply positive to load and back to the power supply negative.  You might want to connect power supply common to the frame (at one and only one point) but you should not rely on the frame as part of the circuit.


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## markba633csi (Oct 5, 2015)

"Push off from" is probably a poor choice of term, but I have seen cases of instability that can result from floating power circuits that are not "tied down" at one end.  Susceptibility to static discharge and such.


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## REdington (Oct 5, 2015)

Since mounting them in the enclosure, I ran the earth ground from the 110 v power cord to the enclosure to ground it. Then I have a earth ground wire to each one of the ground's on the PS's. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to try running a wire for the negative side of the 48 volts (just the one PS) to the earth ground and see what happens.

Rodney


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