# Where to start? Thinking of converting my mills and lathes to CNC.



## GoMopar440

I've been giving some serious thought to converting my mills and lathes over to CNC. I've had 16 years of machinist training and experience in the Navy, but none of it was on CNC machines. I never knew how to use any 3D drawing programs before, but now I'm in college learning AutoCAD in the Drafting Tech program. The gunsmith school I attended after retiring in is now offering CNC training to current and previously graduated students. I'm thinking of taking that class next summer since it's only a month long and would help me piece together all the training I've gotten into something useable. However if I don't use the knowledge, I know it will just go to waste. So on those lines. I'm getting together a plan to convert my machines over to CNC. 

There's four machines I have that I'd like to convert over:
*1) HF mini mill #44991 (Seig X2 clone)*
The X2 clone has had the head counterweight system removed since it always got bound up and wouldn't let me get the full Z axis travel. The X and Y lead screws and dials have been replaced with the "True Inch" kit from Micro Mark. that kit makes each dial revolution = .050 instead of the ridiculous original .0625 per revolution setup. Everything else is stock on it right now.
*2) Micro Mark 7x14 mini lathe #82710 (Seig)*
The mini lathe has been lapped in, and the rocker tool post was replaced with an A2Z QCTP kit. Everything else on it is stock.
*3) Bridgeport Series 1 "J" Head Mill (w/Mitouyo 2 axis DRO)*
The Bridgeport will be here tomorrow, so I don't have a lot of first hand details on it yet. It's in good shape and already has a Mintouyo 2 axis DRO installed. I'll just need to level the machine and bolt it down before I can start to make some test parts on it.
*4) Atlas 10x54 lathe w/QCGB
*The Atlas lathe is completely stock and currently undergoing a (slow) restoration/refurb.

I'd like to convert the two mini machines first since they are both currently fully operational and have already been tuned up a bit. They should be the cheapest to convert as well from what I've seen of of the conversion kits out there for them. The Bridgeport would be next and the Atlas last (after I get it fixed). 

As far as computers go, I have a fairly new laptop with AutoCAD 2013 loaded onto it. It's the free educational version, but other than the "_Educational version, Not for commercial use_." watermark it puts on the drawings, it's exactly the same as the full blown retail version of the program. I know I'll also need some kind of CAM software to convert the drawings to machine tool paths. I've never used any CAM software before though so which one I'll need is still a mystery to me at this point. 

Beyond that, I'm not too sure what questions to ask or what parts or specs to look for in a conversion kit. Anyone care to give me a crash course to the basics of getting setup in CNC?


----------



## DMS

Take a look at Jumps4's thread "rung fu clone RF-45 ZX45 cnc conversion". He is tracking his conversion of an ZX45 square column bill (he's basically done). He did steppers and used Mach3 for the controller.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/8187-rung-fu-clone-RF-45-ZX45-cnc-conversion

Also, check out 

hossmachine.info

Hoss has taken to X2 beyond the limits of reason. He has extended the range, and added an automatic tool changer, as well as countless other enhancements.

There are also a lot of other resources on the web for converting the X2, as it is a very common machine, and lot's of people convert them. You can even buy partial kits.

The main things you are going to need are

1) Motors (steppers or servos). 3 Of these, one for each axis. Steppers are slightly cheaper, and have better low end torque. Servos are a bit more, and have a more consistent torque across their whole rpm range. Most people use steppers, and they work just fine.
2) Drivers (one for each motor). Lots of people use the drivers from Gecko. I have the servo version of their drivers (the g320x)
3) A breakout board. These are about $20, and convert the pins of your stepper motor into terminal blocks so you can wire them to your drivers and switches.
4) Various wiring
5) Power Supply. You gotta run those motors somehow. For steppers, lots of people use old computer power supplies, as they are plentiful, cheap, and high output.
6) A computer to control the thing. It doesn't have to be new. If you don't have one hanging around you could get one surplus. If you have a laptop, you could use that, but you will need a usb interface to it, as your laptop probably doesn't have a parallel port. You can get something called a "Smoothsteper" if you are going to run Mach3. This is a USB breakout board. Really, it's a little more than a breakout board, but you can read up on that 
7) Controller software. Most people I have seen use either Mach3, or LinuxCNC (used to be EMC2). LinuxCNC is free, and is what I use, but will not work with USB interfaces (you need a real parallel port). Mach3 is about $150 as I recall. Lots of people use it, and it is supposedly very flexible, and easy to use. I don't personally have any experience with it.

That's about it for the mill. I would probably start with the mill as more people convert mills, and you will be able to find more (knowledgeable) help in the endeavor. I spent a lot of time researching things for my conversion (a import knee mill). In the end it was really straightforward. Ultimately a conversion ends up as a bunch of motors strapped to the machine; the software does all the hard stuff.


----------



## jumps4

here is a step by step with everything you need to do the x2 we just did here a few months back. http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/6680-X2-Mini-Mill-CNC-Conversion mgp in this thread is going into gunsmithing also.
 I use emachineshop for drawing and d2nc for cam both are really easy and fast. i draw and make most parts right at my machine in minutes. if your not careful you can really over think this and way overtrain for something your wanting to do as a hobby. in a lot of cases instead of complete drawings i just draw the procedure i want the machine to do, then center the material at the right location and angle for the cut i need and hit go. not trying to cut out the entire part in one massive program. for one off parts that is the fastest way i'm not mass producing parts.
my son blew up his mini bike motor the rockerarm bracket was a casting and could not take the rpm. I sat down with a caliper and a flat surface and measured out everything making the drawings needed in one evening and he was riding it the next night. by breaking it down into steps instead of complete parts it becomes a lot easier.
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Going to school full time and some truck problems have been keeping these projects on the back burner. I'm still looking to start gathering parts over the winter break though.

From what I've been reading here and elsewhere, everything will need to be beefed up to handle the Bridgeport size and weight compared to the smaller X2 clone. As a result the cost of parts needed for the Bridgeport are going to be quite a bit more than I had hoped. So for now, I'll just look at converting the X2 and the mini lathe for now.

I found a couple of ebay links to parts that I was thinking of using.
For the motors one of these kits:
Nema 34: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170550595629?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Nema 23: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170631971210?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 I'm still not sure if I will need the stronger Nema 34 motors on the small mill I have or not. If I can use the Nema 23 motors it will be about $170 cheaper than the 34's.
For the controllers I haven't been able to fine a USB controlled one I liked so I was thinking of this kit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390492206049?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I doubt I'll ever use the 5th axis on the X2, but I can keep the extra controller as a spare or just use it on the mini lathe. I already have a few rotary tables I can convert over for the 4th axis so it's not too far fetched to see it being added on in the near future. 

Any inputs (good or bad, I can take it) on the kits listed above would be appreciated. I just ask if you say I shouldn't get one of these kits for any reason, please offer an alternative and why it's better. I seem to learn best when I can understand the way things work.


----------



## jumps4

hello
here is my thoughts...
the nema 23 motors and controlers you found on ebay are the perfect size and match for an x2 but throw away the breakout board it comes with, it is junk way to slow. just buy a cheap no frills breakout board and use a uc100 usb controller. see my 9x20 cnc lathe thread. the x2 can be run with the original screws and the loss is in speed not accuracy, if its your first cnc i'd go that way first. i would concider buying a 4 motor setup like the one you found though. if your going to want 4th axis it is cheaper to buy it all at once than another motor and controller later. you dont need the last set of controlers you showed the first set has everything in it, the breakout board is just no good and a replacement is about $8. the uc100 is $139 from cnc4pc.com. you can do without limit switches if the motors run to the end of travel they dont hurt anything, they just buzz and you lost position and rezero. everything i suggested would make a nice mill that would work well.
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Just got back from checking out the HossCNC.info site mentioned in a post above. I must have missed it when it was originally posted before. Lots of good info there, but way more complicated than I want to get with my X2. 

For the screws, I'd really like to use ballscrews and ballnuts to allow it to be able to take advantage of the travel speeds you can get out of a CNC machine.

On the break out boards, the ones I've seen have given me mixed signals on what they need or are capable of. Some say they can only be used with Windows XP or 32 bit systems. I'd like to find something that is compatable with at least 64 bit version of Windows 7, and uses USB cables for communication between the PC and the break out board. Of course that also means I'll have to use CAD and CAM software that also meets those criteria as well. I have free full (student) versions of most of the Autodesk programs (AutoCAD 2013/Inventor/Revit/etc...) through my school since I'm taking Drafting Tech as my major in college. That's one of the biggest reasons I'm trying to find parts that will work with modern PC specs.

In the long run I'd like to set this up with the extras installed like limit switches and an E-stop switch. I'm used to working on full size shop equipment with those capabilities built in, so it just makes sense to me to put them on the X2. I realize that it adds a little extra cost and setup to add it initially, but I feel it's worth it to me.

I also just checked out the CNC4PC website you mentioned and found some kits that could work. Like this one: http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=75_83&products_id=429 It looks like it is a good quality kit, but I need to research more still to understand everything I'm looking at in the kit.

For the 4th axis, this is the rotary table I already have that I'm considering using. http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2183&category=1963256910 I also have a much smaller rotary table from HF, but it doesn't have a tailstock with it and I don't have any idea where I'd put the stepper for it. A standard Nema 23 motor would dwarf it.


----------



## jumps4

your going to have problems with windows 7 and the cost of software new enough to work will kill you. the 64 bit is not going to do anything since it is the usb speed we are using not the processor speed once you go usb. higher processor speed is needed if windows and the clock is doing the pulsing through a parallel port. with a usb board the pulsing is done by the processor on the board and the pc just sends the commands not the pulses. my zx45 with the uc100 usb controler (100,000kh) will do rapids of 200ipm but i have it set down to 80max the increase in speed only helps you in rapids cutting speeds are much lower determined by the material and cutter your using. i have two windows 7 pcs now but they are not running machines the software i use does not like win7 and is too buggy. you also dont need 64bit software for cad an cam it does not control the speed of the mill only the speed you process or convert your drawings and g-code. long story short once you go usb the pc can be a dog it is not running the machine the usb controler is doing the work with it's own processor.
I hope that helps you
steve


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Well I have been to the Airsoft website, I read that Windows 7 32 bit will work. Just not the 64 bit. I have a tower that is Windows 7, but I bought that machine back about 2 years or so ago.. I am thinking that it is a 32 bit machine. Right now I am kicking myself in the ass, due to the fact that I just went through a fall cleaning, trying to make room here in the apartment, there is just no where to store much. Well I just got rid of two computer towers, but that is no prob. I can easy get another one, the scrap house has them all the time. 

But I had a CD disc with XP Pro on it and I am afraid that I may have gotten rid of it, by mistake. Right now I can not find it, but then a lot of times I put things places and then forget where I put it. 

Still though, I am sick that now I wish that I had not done the fall cleaning so much.


----------



## jumps4

I havent tried this yet but it was given to me by a friend and may work for windows7 sooner or later everyone using windows will need a fix.
https://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx
it is supposed to make the xp softwares work
steve


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Steve, 

I am going to bookmark that page. But right before going over to that fellows place that I met at the scrap yard, I found the CD for the XP Pro, I guess I am going to have to learn how to do a duel OS set up. 

Doc


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Any programs that I will have to download onto the lap top will have to be keep just as the file, use a jump drive and move it to the other machine and install it there. Something I have never done.


----------



## jumps4

i have all my programs set to save and look at the ubs drive first, that way i have the newest file with me always. all my computers have the same softwares there are 3 in the shop and 2 in my bedroom i use all the time so having it save on the usb makes it easy. that is untill i lock up and go in the house only to find i left the drive in the shop lol. having two pc's together makes it easier for me to learn things fast one has the directions running the other i'm trying it on... I dont get lost flipping back and forth.
steve


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Well that makes certain sense. When it comes time, I will try that program that you gave me the link to.. hopefully that will fix it, for Windows 7 that is. 

Doc


----------



## GoMopar440

The need for 64 bit compatability doesn't really have to do with the CNC side so much. The only PCs I have are 64bit because I have more than 3gb of memory in both of them. A Windows (XP, Vista or 7) 32bit OS can't recognize anything over 3gb of memory so anything above that goes to waste. In my desktop I have 8gb of memory, and the laptop I run AutoCAD 2013 on has 16gb in it. Once the OS is installed as a 64bit system it is not downgradable to the 32bit version without a complete wipe and reinstall. That's not really an option unless I have some kind of terminal HDD failure down the road.


----------



## 7HC

jumps4 said:


> I havent tried this yet but it was given to me by a friend and may work for windows7 sooner or later everyone using windows will need a fix.
> https://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx
> it is supposed to make the xp softwares work
> steve



Using the programs in that link will allow you to run a full version of XP within any version of Win7, just select your Win7 version from the dropdown box.

It works just like a dual boot except without the hassle.  You run Win7 as normal, then when you want XP to run a legacy program you go to the 'Start' button (bottom left of the screen) and select 'all programs', then choose 'Virtual XP'.

The XP startup screen will appear just as it would if you were booting an XP machine, then XP runs; it's as simple as that.


As someone mentioned, Win7 64bit can't be downgraded to 32bit, but if you have the OS disc you can reload it as 32 bit; you get to choose 32 or 64 during the install process.

IMO, unless you're doing memory intensive work like video processing, Photoshop, of major spreadsheets and *need* to use more than 4GB of RAM I really don't see the need to run in 64bit mode.  


M


----------



## jumps4

GoMopar440 said:


> The need for 64 bit compatability doesn't really have to do with the CNC side so much. The only PCs I have are 64bit because I have more than 3gb of memory in both of them. A Windows (XP, Vista or 7) 32bit OS can't recognize anything over 3gb of memory so anything above that goes to waste. In my desktop I have 8gb of memory, and the laptop I run AutoCAD 2013 on has 16gb in it. Once the OS is installed as a 64bit system it is not downgradable to the 32bit version without a complete wipe and reinstall. That's not really an option unless I have some kind of terminal HDD failure down the road.



the 64bit makes sense in your case so i'd buy a used xp pc and wipe the drive clean, reinstall xp and us it for the machine only. as long as it has 2.0 usb you will have all the speed you need for the machine at probably under $100 dollars. the low cost usb controlers like my uc100 run at 100000hz and that is 4 times the parallel port speeds. I do that now, my pc in the house i draw on in the evening is 64bit and wont run my g-code programs so i take the dxf to the machine pc and convert to g-code from within mach3 with d2nc. it works well and is really fast for most small parts i dont even draw everything.
steve


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

The Laptop that I am using to access the net is is a Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OS machine. Microsoft will not even let me download the program to save so that I can transfer it to the other computer. Which I believe is a Windows 7 32 bit OS machine. But what I did find, to which I thought that I had accidentally thrown away was my Windows XP Pro CD. I could try to do a dual OS set up with the other machine and leave it in XP Pro mode.. Or I could wipe out the hard drive and then recapture the disc, which I can due to I have the XP discs for that and just make it a XP machine. But I would rather see if I can do the dual OS option instead.


----------



## DMS

Just make sure you back up anything you care about before trying a dual boot


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

DMS, 

Did some research about doing that before going to bed last night. With Windows 7, in order to make it work it appears that you have to do the following. First, you two drives, then XP "should be" on a IDE drive, Windows 7 "should be" on a Sata drive. But I think it is more that new machines have gone away from IDE drives. Ok, XP needs to be installed first, with the DVD/CD-ROM drive as first boot drive, the drive that would have XP would be the second boot drive and then you install Windows 7. It appears that this is the only way to get a dual boot to work. From what I have read last night, if you try to do it the other way around. The machine will have constant issues and Windows 7 will always try to take primary control and not allow you to bring up the XP. 

That said, the link that Steve provided to me, which 7HC also made light of, is an Virtual XP Mode for Windows 7. But my laptop is a Windows Home Premium 64bit OS. When I tried to save it to transfer it to the other machine, Microsoft said that I could not download the Virtual XP Mode unless I upgraded the machine to Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise or Ultimate. 

Doc


----------



## 7HC

OakRidgeGuy said:


> DMS,
> 
> Did some research about doing that before going to bed last night. With Windows 7, in order to make it work it appears that you have to do the following. First, you two drives, then XP "should be" on a IDE drive, Windows 7 "should be" on a Sata drive. But I think it is more that new machines have gone away from IDE drives. Ok, XP needs to be installed first, with the DVD/CD-ROM drive as first boot drive, the drive that would have XP would be the second boot drive and then you install Windows 7. It appears that this is the only way to get a dual boot to work. From what I have read last night, if you try to do it the other way around. The machine will have constant issues and Windows 7 will always try to take primary control and not allow you to bring up the XP.
> 
> That said, the link that Steve provided to me, which 7HC also made light of, is an Virtual XP Mode for Windows 7. But my laptop is a Windows Home Premium 64bit OS. When I tried to save it to transfer it to the other machine, Microsoft said that I could not download the Virtual XP Mode unless I upgraded the machine to Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise or Ultimate.
> 
> Doc



Dual booting *can* be done using two drives, although there's no need for one to be a IDE and the other SATA, but it's most usually done on a single 'C' drive using a separate partition.
It would take too long to explain here, but basically each OS is on a separate partition and when you boot up the POST screen gives you the option to select one or the other.  

Re the MS link, I suspect that the reason it's telling you to go to higher edition of W7 for Virtual XP is because you're running in 64bit.
IMO 64bit is great in a business enviroment, but for domestic use not so much.  There are many, many programs consumer programs that 64bit won't play nicely with.

Finally, to echo the advice of a previous poster, backup any thing you don't want to lose.  Do it on a regular basis whether you're going to be messing with your OS or not.  You can back things up to an external drive, a thumb drive, a CD , a DVD, or use a Cloud.

The two most important computer operations you can do is to backup *everything* you can't afford to lose, and to run a well recognised anti-virus software _and keep it up to date!_ )



M


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

I will do some more checking into it. Once the computer is in XP mode, I will leave it there.. unless there is a power failure and have to bring it up again. 

Doc


----------



## GoMopar440

I'm still around, just have been dealing with studying for finals right now. Something I should still be doing right now instead of goofing off on the internet...:whistle:

Anyway, I remembered something that would be of help to anyone wanting to run different OS's (XP, Vista, 7, 8, etc...) on one computer simutaniously. There's a free program called VMware Player that allows you to configure as many OS's as you have liscenes for. The program is free and can be downloaded here ---> https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/free#desktop_end_user_computing/vmware_player/5_0 
There are 6 files available for download in the link:
- First file is the VMware Player for PC's using Windows 32 or 64 bit OS *(most people will need just this first file)*
- Second file is the VMware Player for PC's using the Linux 32 bit OS
- Third file is the VMware Player for PC's using the Linux 64 bit OS
- Fourth file is VMware VIX for PC's using the Linux 32 bit OS
- Fifth file is VMware VIX for PC's using the Linux 64 bit OS
- Sixth file is VMware VIX for PC's using Windows 32 or 64 bit OS
_* I don't know what VMware VIX is as I've never used it. It's not needed to run the regular VMware Player though.*_

While VMware will allow you to run older OS's on a newer PC, I don't believe it will allow you to run newer OS's than your PC's internal hardware can handle. If you PC has Vista, you can load 7 and have it function properly. I'm not sure if Win 8 will work on a Vista based machine as I haven't installed 8 on anything yet. If you have a PC running XP currently, It really depends on the capabilities of your computer hardware wether or not you'd be able to run Vista or anything newer on it. This program is basically designed to give you backwards compatability to let you run most older programs that require an older OS than what you have currently.


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Thank for the link Mopar! Now that you mention that, I do seem to remember that program. I went ahead and bought a used XP machine.. with the Windows 7 and the virtual PC and XP mode on the Windows 7, the Mach3 driver test would only pulse at about 3.3K.. with the XP machine, it pulses as it should.. at 25K


----------



## slowtwitch

Another avenue to look at, when using 64 bit OS's, laptops,  is the Smoothstepper. Preferably the Ethernet version. Windows 7 32bit works fine with Mach3, as the PP driver is 32 bit. So the need for the Smoothstepper is not really needed. But when using the Win 7 64 bit version or a laptop...The smoothstepper is the way to go.


----------



## GoMopar440

Thanks for the tip slowtwitch! I'll have to look into that. 

I'll be getting the funds to set aside for this project this coming Friday, so I had better get cracking on nailing down exactly which parts I'll need pretty soon. The spring semester starts the Monday after that so that'll slow things up again unfortunately. 

Isn't that the way it always seems to work out though? When you have the time, you don't have the money. When you have the money, you don't have the time. I will move this project forward, just not as fast as I had hoped. )


----------



## GoMopar440

I was finally able to set a decent amount of money aside for the X2 conversion. Does anyone have a suggestion which kit to get? Ebay? Website? where should I start looking? If at all possible I'd like to order from as few different places as possible to keep the shipping costs to a minimum.

I'm planning to just stick with converting the basic 3 axis on the X2. I'll save the 4th axis setup for when I get ready to do the Bridgeport. 

I ordered a bunch of work holding equipment for the Bridgeport a few minutes ago (vise, angle block, 1,2,3 blocks, parallel set, tee nut & bolt sets, etc.) but until it all gets here, I'm pretty limited as to what I can fabricate right now. Are there any decent kits out there that have the stepper motor mounts for the X2 pre made? I'll also want to upgrade it to ballscrews at the same time so I'm reading up on the necessary mods to make them work with this little mill. 

I'm also going to be ordering the belt drive kit from LMS so I can get that upgrade done before I start the the CNC conversion. I've been wanting to do that mod for a while and now is as good a time as any.

EDIT: I found the ballscrew and motor mount kit I was thinking of. It was the X, Y, Z kit at CNC Fusion. Now I just need to figure out the rest of the components  for it. I also just ordered the Belt drive kit as well as the optional head counterweight air spring assist kit from LMS. It's gonna be getting busy in my shop pretty soon.

EDIT EDIT: Just ordered the CNC Fusion kit #2 for the X2. http://www.cncfusion.com/minimill1.html   Thats all for me for tonight. I'll hunt down the remaining parts tomorrow.


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

I went with the CNC Fusion kit for my SX2 mill. Most of it went smooth as to putting it on the mill. The only snag I had was that the Z axis mount for the ballscrew had to be shimmed a bit to get it to line up right. After that, without the tension attachment on the mill head, the mill head would wind itself to top of the table.. so I put the tensioner back on the mill head and it stays in place now.. I can grab the screws and move the head by hand just twisting the screw.


----------



## GoMopar440

What kind of head tensioner do you have on your SX2?

I was also wondering where You had to shim it? On the head or the column? The videos of the Z-axis install on CNC Fusion's website didn't mention shims anywhere. Do you think it may be a result of the difference in size of the SX2 compared to the standard X2?

BTW: Those videos were very hard to sit through. The setup could have been a lot more streamlined and planned out better to reduce the repetitiveness.  The guy in the videos kept moving and removing the head support clamp lever to clear the ball screw during installation. Why not just pull the head completely off before you start and flip the clamp over 180* to put the lever on the opposite side and then not have to worry about it at all?:thinking: On the bright side, from what I did see the install looks a bit easier than I had imagined it would be so the videos are still useful to watch.


----------



## GoMopar440

How does this kit sound? http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Free-Ship-3Axis-Nema-23-Stepper-Motor-425oz-3-0A-Dual-shaft-Driver-CNC-Mill-/300844470892?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460bba526c

I'll probably use a different BOB and a UC100 USB controller that Jumps suggested.

EDIT: They didn't have a Buy-It-Now so I just went ahead and put a bid on it for the opening price. I'm still looking into BOB's and that UC100 USB controller.


----------



## OakRidgeGuy

Mopar, 

My SX2 is from Little Machine Shop.. I had to shim it on the head between the side of it an the mount that attaches to the head.. As for the tensioner,  I am using the one that came on the machine. I didn't get the oversized ball bearings for the nut on the screws.. I have read several times, that you will wear out your ballscrews faster that way.. so I went with the standard set up.. 

As to when I set up the mount for the Z axis, I did just as you have mentioned. I removed the head completely and went from there.. In fact I took the Z axis completely off and laid it down on it's back to do the work on it. 

Doc


----------



## GoMopar440

While I'm waiting for the stepper kit auction to end I went ahead and got a usb pendant I spotted on eBay. I figure I wouldn't lose much if it's junk, as it was only $25 and had free shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/271126015400?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I've heard some mixed reviews about the Lovejoy couplers like the ones supplied with the CNC Fusion kit. So as a precaution I've been checking out some aluminum shaft couplers like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261072881826?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 They're so cheap ($15.88/5 pcs) I thinking I may just go ahead and get them as a precaution. The shaft mounting holes are a little smaller than I need, but that can be easily remedied in a few minutes on the lathe.  

EDIT: I went ahead and got the couplers anyway. I figured if I needed them they'll already be on the boat heading my way.


----------



## GoMopar440

Got the stepper kit for the opening bid on eBay.:drink2: No tracking number yet but it says expected delivery is date between Jan 18th to the 25th. 

The CNC Fusion kit is supposed to take 2 weeks to ship according the the email I got from them. Not too sure how long the LMS order will take to get here, but they said it would ship out within a day of receiving payment (paid on Jan 14). And now comes the wait... 

I suppose I could track down a couple more of the little bits I still need in the mean time like some shielded cable, BOB, UC100, etc. I may be able to get a couple of older computers for free when the college I'm going to upgrades a few PC in a couple of weeks. That sure would be nice if I can snag one or two of those. I have access to a couple legal copies of Windows XP so I could just make it a dedicated CAD/CAM station(s).


----------



## AirChunk

Can't ait to hear how the kit works out!


----------



## GoMopar440

The LMS order showed up on my porch today. I'll be removing the X2 head and disassembling it for the steel gear install. The plan is to just leave the head off the column until the CNC Fusion kit shows up, and then reassemble it all in one go. There's no point in doing the same work twice if I don't have to.


----------



## GoMopar440

Picked up a few more bits on eBay tonight. I was reviewing Steve's (Jumps) 9x20 CNC conversion thread and picked up the simplified non-opto BOB and DB25 gender changer he mentioned in post #54. Here's the links to the parts I got:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300775143431?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190685170549?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

That's probably all I'll be able to do for parts gathering until I get paid again at the beginning of next month. Unless it's something else really cheap like these last two little bits were.


----------



## GoMopar440

I went out to the shop today to get some of the prerequisite upgrades done to the X2 before the CNC parts arrive. I started off by pulling the entire head off the column and completely disassembling it (except for the spindle). I pulled the center hi-lo gear and lever out of the head since this function will now be handled by the LMS belt drive kit. While I had the head apart I drilled and tapped the left side of the mount so I could move the gib adjusters and lock arm away from where the new ball screw will be. After all the holes were drilled and tapped (6mm x 1.0mm) I countersunk the outside with a center drill bit and hit the inside with a small stone to remove the burrs. While I had the stone out I also cleaned up the raised divots from the gib where the tips of the adjuster screws had mashed it up. 



After I reassembled the head and test fit it to the column, I noticed the rivets holding the vertical scale to the long black piece on the column were hitting the gib adjuster nuts. I unscrewed the black piece holding the scale to give the adjuster nuts the needed clearance. With that gone I'll go ahead and remove the pointer since the scale that it points to isn't there anymore.



I'm going to wait till the CNC Fusion kit gets here before I mount the hydraulic lift kit since it looks like there may be some clearance issues to work out with the upper Z axis mount. The LMS kit came with a longer gear rack for the column, but since the ball screw will be handling the chore of moving the head up and down, I just removed the rack from the column. 

After moving the gib to the opposite side, the entire head shifted over about 1/4" to the left. I will most likely need to shim the ball nut bracket that mounts to the head in order to compensate for that. 



On the right side of the head there is a lot more room freed up where the fine feed dial was previously mounted. I'm planning to use that space to mount an aluminum box that will house a Mach Tach half-size kit. The box is cast aluminum (Hammond Mfg# 1550D) and has enough room to house the half size kit.



After I got in today I checked on some other parts for the CNC conversion and picked up a couple more parts. 30' of 4 wire shielded cable and 4 pin connectors to hook it up. I bought 4 of the connectors since I'll be using one of them for the Mach Tach sensor wires as well as three more for the X, Y and Z axis steppers.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160632659191?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280929733116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I still need to pick up a UC100 cable, but that will have to wait till after I get paid. They're pretty spendy ($129) for a fancy piece of wire, but it's seems to be the best way to hook the system up from what I've read so far.


----------



## GoMopar440

The stepper kit was waiting on my porch today when I checked so I opened it up to make sure everything survived in transit. One of the controllers had a couple of tiny cosmetic dings (very minor) on the outer edge of the top row of the heat sink, but other than that, I can see no apparent external damage to any of the parts. This kit shipped from a warehouse in the US, but I don't know if they did a QC check when the parts originally arrived stateside. I would guess they get at least a cursory glance at minimum when the parts get repacked from the bulk shipment into the individual box for shipping out to the customer. 

Here's the pics of the components:
Got everything they said they would send. That's always a plus.



The big form fitted styrofoam case for the steppers had some broken walls between the steppers but nothing got damaged and the wires were all intact thankfully. The styrofoam shipping case was made for a 5 stepper kit so there was an empty bay between each stepper.



Here's the BOB that came with the kit. I already ordered the one Steve suggested so I'll just save it as a spare unless someone else wants it. Shoot me a PM if you do and it's yours for the cost of shipping.


----------



## angelfj1

Hello!  I have been following this topic with much interest and hope to  convert a mini mill in the near future.  I would appreciate if someone  could explain something that I find confusing, not just on this forum  but also on others.  Both X2 and SX2 are referenced and sometimes the terms interchanged.  I understand that the X2 is the milling machine manufactured by Shanghai SIEG Machinery Co., Ltd, and sold under many names, but what is SX2?  How does it differ from the X2 and are conversions to CNC identical?

Many thanks,

Frank


----------



## GoMopar440

You can think of the SX2 as a "Super" X2. The table is larger (X & Y axis) and the motor is stronger AFAIK. I'm not sure if there is more travel in the Z axis. You could ask OakRidgeGuy, as I believe he is building his CNC conversion on a SX2 from LMS. Mine is the standard X2 sold by Harbor Freight (part #44991) with the R8 spindle.

While I was out in town running some errands today I got a text from one of my classmates. The IT guys put a bunch of old PC's out in the hall for anyone to grab what they wanted. I picked up enough pieces and parts to make something usable from it. Unfortunately most of the PC's were Win 98/Pentium 3 machines, but even if I can't make one of them run on Win XP, I at least have plenty of (free) enclosures to work with now. The black one is(was) a Pentium 4 with XP Pro installed on it, but when I opened the case everything was already removed. The large case with all the sides off is a server case with a dual Pentium 3 CPU motherboard still in it from what I can see.



In addition to the PCs, I also picked up a few old clickety clackety PS2 keyboards and some CRT monitors. I was hoping for flat LCDs, but I'm not going to complain. Free is free.



Once my meds kick in and my back recovers from lugging those heavy pieces around, I'll start tearing into them to see what I have to work with. I'll probably use either the black Dell P4 case or the server case to mount the electronics in and then try to get one of the other P3 machines up and running to run Win XP on.


----------



## angelfj1

GoMopar440 said:


> You can think of the SX2 as a "Super" X2. The table is larger (X & Y axis) and the motor is stronger AFAIK. I'm not sure if there is more travel in the Z axis. You could ask OakRidgeGuy, as I believe he is building his CNC conversion on a SX2 from LMS. Mine is the standard X2 sold by Harbor Freight (part #44991) with the R8 spindle.
> 
> While I was out in town running some errands today I got a text from one of my classmates. The IT guys put a bunch of old PC's out in the hall for anyone to grab what they wanted. I picked up enough pieces and parts to make something usable from it. Unfortunately most of the PC's were Win 98/Pentium 3 machines, but even if I can't make one of them run on Win XP, I at least have plenty of (free) enclosures to work with now. The black one is(was) a Pentium 4 with XP Pro installed on it, but when I opened the case everything was already removed. The large case with all the sides off is a server case with a dual Pentium 3 CPU motherboard still in it from what I can see.
> 
> 
> 
> In addition to the PCs, I also picked up a few old clickety clackety PS2 keyboards and some CRT monitors. I was hoping for flat LCDs, but I'm not going to complain. Free is free.
> 
> 
> 
> Once my meds kick in and my back recovers from lugging those heavy pieces around, I'll start tearing into them to see what I have to work with. I'll probably use either the black Dell P4 case or the server case to mount the electronics in and then try to get one of the other P3 machines up and running to run Win XP on.



*GoMopar440:  *Thanks for the explanation regarding X2 vs SX2! I'll have to read OakRidgeGuy's posts.

You should have No problem running XP on those old boxes.  However, try to install the maximum amout of RAM that the motherboard will hold.  I just upgraded an old machine for my 10 year old grandson.  The difference in performance between 512Mb vs 2Gb was dramatic!  The RAM upgrade, 2 x 1Gb cost only $30!

Regards,

Frank


----------



## GoMopar440

I was planing to return those steel gears for the X2 to LMS since they aren't going to be used with the belt drive conversion. But now that I think about it I may just hold onto them for a while and see if I can thin up the larger end of the double gear on the spindle shaft and use it as a window plate for the Mach Tach pickup. I'll have to look it over when I get home from school and see if it's going to be feasible to do this or not. If it works it will be a clean setup since I should be able to hide the sensor wire by running it through a hole between the head and the tach enclosure. Then the only tach wire exposed would be the small power wire.


----------



## GoMopar440

Anyone seen this USB CNC mk2/4 connector before? It's supposed to be able to run via regular USB on a 32 or 64bit Windows XP, Vista or 7 OS, and not need Mach 3 to operate. 
http://www.planet-cnc.com/index.php?page=shop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZBo_aufes

I'm going to try to find out more about it, but most of the info I've found elsewhere on the web has been in various European languages.

EDIT: The mk2/4 is listed for 99 Euros which is equal to $131.79 US dollars (about $2 more than just the UC100 cable)


----------



## GoMopar440

Just got an email that the CNC Fusion kit shipped out today. It should be here next Wednesday according to the tracking info. 


Is it too early to use this icon? :ups:


----------



## GoMopar440

Not much to update yet since the CNC Fusion kit isn't supposed to be here till This coming Wednesday. But I did receive a couple of the other small parts I had also ordered for this project. The 5 aluminum shaft couplers (only need 3 though), 4 pr. of the 4 pin connectors, DB25 BOB, 30' of shielded 4 conductor hook up wire and the hand held Mach 3 pendant controller thingy.


----------



## David Kirtley

GoMopar440 said:


> Anyone seen this USB CNC mk2/4 connector before? It's supposed to be able to run via regular USB on a 32 or 64bit Windows XP, Vista or 7 OS, and not need Mach 3 to operate.
> http://www.planet-cnc.com/index.php?page=shop
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZBo_aufes
> 
> I'm going to try to find out more about it, but most of the info I've found elsewhere on the web has been in various European languages.
> 
> EDIT: The mk2/4 is listed for 99 Euros which is equal to $131.79 US dollars (about $2 more than just the UC100 cable)




The guys over at Phlatboyz are US distributors.  

It comes as a bundle with the software.  From what I have seen, the software looks pretty nice. I don't know that it supports 4th axis or lathes.


----------



## GoMopar440

I doubt I'll try it on this mill conversion since I didn't find out about it till after I had already ordered everything under the assumption that I'd be using Mach 3. Maybe I'll give it a shot with the mini lathe when I get ready to swap that one over to CNC. Maybe not if I have to relearn another set of software. I guess it really depends on how comfortable I can get with Mach 3 and SheetCAM and whether the other card and software works with lathes or not.. 

I was messing around with those old P3 PCs today and got one of them up and running. The IT guys forgot to wipe a HDD and it had Windows XP on it already. While I was getting it running, I hopped on the internet and looked up the PC hardware specs for Mach 3. Unfortunately, even with the updated OS, the hardware in the P3 machines won't cut the mustard. The fastest CPU in the bunch is 800 MHz and Mach 3 requires a minimum of 1 GHz.  

I was able to pick up couple more free PCs from the school last Friday that were Pentium 4 machines however. Two of the P4 PCs I picked up that are fairly complete already have a 1.6 GHz processor. Unfortunately none of any of the PCs have a DVD reader, so I'm out of luck getting Windows to load until I can get one installed. My home PC only has a DVD burner and all I have are DVD blanks to put the Windows XP Pro ISO files onto. 

Just out of curiosity I looked into which P4 PC had the best specs (FWIW: it was a Dell Optiplex GX280 mini desktop) and then looked at what kind of headroom it had for upgradability. After looking around a couple of PC hardware forums I had my answers. When I headed over to Pricewatch.com to check out prices for the various items, I was a bit shocked to say the least. The 3.4 GHz P4 CPU with Hyper Threading was $8. The 1 GB, 533 MHz  DDR2 memory modules were $38 for four (4 GB total). A basic DVD/CD ROM reader drive was $19.95. and an ATI Radeon HD4550, 512 Mb low profile video card was $22.98. Both vendors that I found these parts at had free shipping on all the parts I was looking at. :whiteflag:  I gave in and ordered all of it for just a hair under $89. 

I also have a spare 250 GB IDE Hdd I bought a long time ago that never got used, so it's still brand new. The computer that it was supposed to go into got replaced with one that used SATA Hdd connections instead of the older IDE/E-IDE connections. That 250 GB HDD will fit rather nicely in the GX280 (especially since I can't use it anywhere else anyway).


----------



## jumps4

just to add a little about controllers i have been fighting a uc100 in threading mode (spindle sync mode in config ports and pins ) for mach3turn and it dont work.
i have been in contact with the manufacture in hungry for a few days to sore it out but untill fixed dont buy it for a lathe if you plan on threading
it works fine on the mill
that other usb controller and software looks interesting i'll have to read up on it
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Got the CNC Fusion kit was waiting for me on the porch when I got home from school today. Everything looks pretty good with the kit so this weekend I'll be starting the mechanical portion of the conversion process. The aluminum spiral cut connectors will have to be drilled out on one end to fit the ball screw shafts, but I was expecting that so no surprises there. 

Before I tackle the Z axis part of the job I'll be making a slot wheel out of one of the spindle gears inside the head that are no longer being used due to the belt drive conversion. The slot sensor is going to a Mach Tach kit I built that will be mounted on the right side of the head towards the front for easy viewing. I still need to cut the openings in the aluminum enclosure I got for the tach, but that shouldn't take long since I have that Bridgeport just sitting around begging for some work to come it's way.

After the tach job is finished and the head is finally buttoned up and reinstalled I'll be able to mount the top Z bracket to column and get a measurement for how big of a shim I'll need to make for the lower Z bracket. I'll try to make it in one piece if possible to keep it simple and solid.

Once the Z axis is mounted I'll finally be able to tackle the head hydro assist kit. I'm thinking the head mount part will need to me moved further away from the column to clear the upper Z axis bracket. I may have to use some kind of spacer (about the same length as the front mount is offset) to keep the lower end of the hydraulic lift parallel with the column to prevent it from binding during travel.


----------



## GoMopar440

The flu bug hit me pretty hard last weekend so I never got around to installing the kit onto the mill last weekend. I'm shooting for this coming weekend to get the mechanical parts installed as long as I'm feeling up to it. Still not quite feeling 100% yet. 

This past week I've been trying to get one of those P4 PC's up and running. Unfortunately the one I picked looks like it has either a bad motherboard or power supply. When I tried to power it up I didn't even get a POST beep before the power button light and error LED on the motherboard both lit up orange. Of course I didn't find that out until AFTER I put all the new parts in it. DOH! Luckily the motherboard and power supply were about on par with the other parts (ie: cheap) so I have one of each of those parts in route already. The PC will pretty much be almost all new except for the case and the floppy drive (that I'll never use).


----------



## GoMopar440

I'm still working on this project as school and my health allow. hew:

The P4 PC is now completed after I replaced the motherboard and the power supply and is up and running well. I loaded XP Pro (32-bit) on it then had to find the original drivers for the hardware on Dell's website. Since I installed a DVD drive in it as well, I was able to burn the drivers onto a blank DVD with my home PC to get them onto the new (rebuilt anyway) PC. After getting the Ethernet drivers loaded I was then finally able to connect it to the internet and get the current updates for XP loaded. I also loaded both the free versions of Avast for an anti-virus program, and Spybot Search and Destroy for malware and spyware protection. I will probably just turn them off after I disconnect this PC from the internet and bring it to my shop for CNC duty. That way I can just turn the protection programs back on before hooking it up if I ever have to bring it back inside the house to reconnect to the internet for any program updates.

I spent this past weekend tearing the mill all the way down in order to be able to start fitting the CNC kit parts from the bottom up. I noticed a few dings on the base along top edge of the Y axis dovetails so I cleaned them up with a couple of light passes with a fine file and a stone. I also flattened out the area around the serial numbers where the metal had been puckered up around the stampings. It's not the surfaces that the saddle rides on, but it was just bugging me to know it was there.

The first thing I noticed when test fitting the parts was that the Y axis ballscrew was hitting the base casting at the back end of the screw and keeping the new front mounting block from being able to sit flush against the front face of the casting. I measured the interference to be a little under 1/8" so I scribed a line across the back edge where it was to be cut. I took the base over to the bridgeport for a couple of quick passes with a 1/2" hogging endmill bit. It's all going to be hidden under the table so I don't need to use a finishing endmill to try to get a pretty finish. Now there is right about 1/16" clearance between the back of the base casting and the end of the ballscrew.

The spiral cut shaft connectors need to be drilled out on the side with the smaller hole to fit the end of the ball screw shaft. On my 7x14 lathe the length of the chuck jaws was barely able to grip the coupler. I had to press it into the chuck and then hold it there while I used my other hand to tighten the chuck key. Next time I'll do a little more research and just try to find some couplers that have the correct size openings for the shafts I'll be using. I didn't have a boring bar small enough to bore the hole so I used the closest undersized drill bit to my target size. I finished it to size by wrapping some emory cloth wrapped around a smaller drill bit and then used that to sand the bore to size (checking the shaft for fit periodically). FYI for any machining newbies reading this: Don't forget to remove the set screws before putting the coupler in the chuck or you'll give yourself a headache trying to keep the bore straight when sanding. These particular couplers I got are aluminum and the set screws are steel. If you hit the steel you'll hold up the sand paper and leave ridges in the alumnum.

My back was telling me to call it a day so that is as far as I got out in the shop for now. I didn't have my camera or cell phone out there with me, so I have to add the pics at a later time.


----------



## GoMopar440

My camera batteries were dead so I used my cell phone camera to take a couple of pics. The quality of the pics isn't great so I drew a couple of lines with MS paint to try to clear up the details I was talking about in my last post.

This first pic gives a good overview of a couple of things. The *red arrow* shows where the ball screw was protruding out the front of the base casting and not letting the aluminum motor bracket sit flush. The *green arrow* shows where the other end of the ball screw was hitting the base casting, which was causing the bracket mounting problem at the other end. The *blue ovals* are circling the areas that were dimpled or dented by the factory during manufacturing.



In this second pic I tried to show a close up of the clearance I milled into the base but the photo came out pretty bad. The *red line* is where the opening in the casting originally stopped at. The *yellow line* is how far back I milled it for clearance. The *green line* is showing where the end of the ball screw sits now that it has clearance. The gap between the green and yellow lines is about 1/16" with the motor bracket installed and sitting flush against the front of the casting.



I'm going to change out the batteries in my camera so I can be sure to get better pics next time.


----------



## GoMopar440

I just finished reassembling another PC tonight from the ones the school threw out. Now I have an extra backup PC in case anything happens to the primary PC. If the first one holds up ok I'll just save the second one for the other CNC projects down the road (Bridgeport mill and Atlas lathe) since they're located in another building away from the mini mill and mini lathe. 

Here's the rebuilt PCs after I finally finished all the updates:



The smaller one on the left is the better one and will be my primary CNC PC. It's a Dell Optiplex GX280 with a 3.4GHz P4 CPU, 3Gb DDR RAM, 500GB SATA HDD. I just ordered a 1Gb ATI HD6450 PCI video card for it to replace the other card I ordered that arrived DOA. Pretty much everything inside the case on this one was replaced during the rebuild, so it's practically a new machine.

The one on the right isn't too far behind technology wise so it should still be more than adequate for what I'll be using it for. It's a Dell Optiplex GX260 with a 2.4 GHz P4 CPU, 1.5Gb DDR RAM, 250Gb E-IDE HDD and a 128Mb ATI Rage Pro AGP video card. This one was built entirely with parts scrounged from three different PCs to make this one a good one.

Both PCs now have Windows XP Pro (32-bit) with all the current updates as well as all the latest drivers from Dell's website for each machine. They also both have Avast antivirus (free), Spybot Search and Destroy, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Irfanview, and Google Chrome. Those are the common programs I always seem to use the most so I installed them all while I have them connected to the internet. Once I have all the software installed I'll be disconnecting the internet and bringing them out to the shop where they'll be staying most of the rest of their useful lives.

I'm going to take a look at the specs for AutoCAD tomorrow and see if it will work ok on these PC's. If so, I'll install that next. If not I'll just do the drawings on my laptop or my main home PC and then transfer the files to the shop PC via a USB thumb drive.

Next up will be the Mach3 demo since I've pretty much settled on using that program. I'll have to poke around their website to see what the latest version of the program is currently. I already reviewed the specs and both of these PCs meet (or exceed) the hardware requirements for Mach3  fairly easily.

The one thing I need to figure out is what I will use to convert the AutoCAD drawings to something that Mach3 can work with. So what is everyone else using for this step? Something with a free demo would be nice to check it out before buying, but I'm also looking for something simple to use and relatively cheap to buy the license for it if I like it.:thinking:


----------



## jumps4

i use d2nc for all of my simple 2d g-code generation in mach3
if you go to this site you can see the demo videos, watch the second to last one and it will give you a good idea how easy it is to use with a dxf file.
http://d2nc.com/html/screencams.html
it also has it's own drawing features but i have never used them. the only problem i have found in the software is that it does not do islands in pockets but i have a work around for this.
d2nc is $79.00
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

I got all the software (AutoCAD 2013, D2NC and Mach3) loaded onto the primary CNC PC and then defragged the HDD afterwards just for good measure. I'l start playing around with the programs a bit later to start to get a feel for using them. I also downloaded the manuals for D2NC and Mach3 to my desktop so I'll have a copy of the files for both of those programs right there on the PC if I ever need them.

After that I grabbed an empty PC case that I'll use for housing the motor controllers, break out board and power supply and toted it out to the shop for a bit of surgery. These Dell cases are similar to the PCs I just rebuilt that open like a clam shell and have a removable motherboard tray. The problem with them was the cages for the HDD, floppy drive and CD drives were crowding the inside of the case when it was closed so I needed to cut those out to make room. I also cut off the raised screw holes on the motherboard tray so I would have a flat surface to mount everything to. After a bit of work with a 4" angle grinder this is what I ended up with.





After I figure out where I want everything mounted and drill the mounting holes I'll put a coat of paint on the bare metal.


----------



## GoMopar440

The thought of possibly adding a 4th axis later on was still nagging at me. If there's any chance of me doing it than I should account for it in the planning stages early on while I'm building the controller enclosure mounts. Soooo.... I went ahead and ordered another driver and a slightly smaller Nema 23 for the 4th axis. I'll wait till I get the primary X, Y and Z axis completed before I make the mount for the 4th axis. That'll probably be my first CNC project after it's up and running.

Here's the driver (exact same as the other three I already have):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271115223142?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 

And here's the Nema 23 motor (same 4 wire and dual shaft configuration as the others, but it's only rated at 1A, 287oz.):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270848225792?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I got both of these from the same ebay vendor as the originial 3 axis kit, but unfortunately they didn't offer shipping from a US based warehouse like the first kit was. Still, since the drivers are exactly the same, I can just swap one of the ones I have on hand around while figuring where to mount them until the new one gets here.


----------



## GoMopar440

Today I made a mounting plate that I can attach to the motherboard tray. I used some threaded steel standoffs and welded them to the tray to give me some room for the attaching nuts to clear on the underside of the mounting plate. The mounting plate is just a flat sheet of 16 Gauge galvanized steel. Once I had the standoffs attached to the tray I cut the sheet metal to fit with the angle grinder using a 1/16" cut off wheel. Then I laid the drivers, power supply and BOB on the plate and shuffled them around until I was happy with the layout. I made sure to leave an extra slot for the 4th axis driver and drilled the holes for it as well. I used some small risers and positioned the BOB so the gender changer adapter will pass through the back panel on the mounting tray. Once everything was drilled and test fitted I pulled it back apart and shot both pieces with some self etching primer. 




On a side note. The picture in the ebay ad for that stepper I chose for the 4th axis appeared to be a 4 wire, but I got an email today stating that it was actually a 6 wire. Hopefully they can change it out before they ship it, otherwise I'll just have to wire it a little differently than the other three 4 wire steppers.


----------



## GoMopar440

Hey Steve, 

Is there a particular way this DB25 BOB needs to be wired? If not, do you have a recommended way to wire it up?

I still need to turn the standoffs down to keep them from hitting the adjoining pins that protrude from the back side of the BOB and then get some smaller screws and nuts to mount it all up. I also need to make a new back panel plate to replace the one on the motherboard tray. I want to keep everything that is wired together and mounted on the tray assembled as a modular unit. I'll use plugs where everything connects to the tray to keep it easily removable without having to unscrew a bunch of wires. The back panel will have the parallel connector, 4 motor connectors and the AC connector on it. Can you think of anything else I'll need to put on there like a 5V connector maybe? 

The E-stop and main power switch will be mounted on one of the front panel covers. I may also connect some light pipes and mount them up front as well to give a visual indication of what the drivers are doing. I'm just not sure how to make a quick connector for those just yet.

The drivers are side mounted so I can put a couple of fans (to the right of them) to keep them cool. I may make a aluminum cover to help guide the air across the heat sinks as well as tie the drivers together to stabilize them a bit better. The mounting plate feels a bit flimsy with all the weight of the components bolted to it right now.


----------



## jumps4

i need to know where you are getting your 5v for the controllers
post a pic of the board your using you have 2

on the bob:
pin 2 is x step/pulse- 
pin 3 is x direction-
pin 4 is y step/pulse- 
pin 5 is y dir- 
pin 6 is z step/pulse- 
pin 7 is z dir- 
pin 8 is A step/pulse- 
pin 9 is A dir- 
pin 15 is e-stop-

steve


----------



## GoMopar440

I'm using the simpler one that you suggested (the smaller blue one). 



I'll also be using a UC100 cable to connect it to the PC but I won't have the cable in hand till after payday at the beginning of the month. The smaller BOB doesn't have any documentation on it in the ebay ad unfortunately. I'm guessing I'll have to set the pin/port configuration in Mach3 somehow right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300775143431?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Here's the driver type I'll be using for all 4 axis (SP?).


From the top down the connectors are labelled:

PWR/ALM (EDIT: Never mind about this one. It's just the label for the red/green LEDs on the side)

*Signal[PUL+(+5V)
*Signal[PUL-(PUL)
*Signal[DIR+(+5V)
*Signal[DIR-(DIR)
*Signal[ENBL+(+5V)
*Signal[ENBL-(ENB)

*Setting[SW8 (Pulse/rev)
*Setting[SW7 (Pulse/rev)
*Setting[SW6 (Pulse/rev)
*Setting[SW5 (Pulse/rev)
*Setting[SW4 (ON = full current / OFF = half current)
*Setting[SW3 (Peak current)
*Setting[SW2 (Peak current)
*Setting[SW1 (Peak current)

*Power[DC-
*Power[DC+
*Power[A+
*Power[A-
*Power[B+
*Power[B-

Did you want me to post up the two tables that are shown in the pic as well? If so there's a lot of info there so it'd take a little while to get it drawn up.

For the 5VDC, I'm not sure how I'll attach it just yet. I was looking for some suggestions if you have any.

Also for what it's worth, the motors I have for X, Y and Z are rated at 3 Amps each and the smaller 4th axis motor is 1 Amp. And just to clarify, I do plan on installing limit switches as well as an E-stop switch.


----------



## jumps4

in post 29 you asked about a kit is that the kit and motors you bought?
are you going to use a usb power cord to get 5v from the pc or are you going to get a 5v power supply?
I have drawn the wiring diagrams i need to find where i posted them and i will get you the entire wiring diagram
once i know the ebay item number for the motor kit you used i can give you all of the switch settings on the controllers.
i'll try to get everything to you today but we are under a severe storm watch with tornados and if it gets bad i'm unpluging everything.  a storm cost me $5000 last year in lightning damage.
I'll also find an xml setup file for your mach3 so setup is easier and post it for you
steve


----------



## jumps4

this should give you a good start, it is the wiring from your breakout board to all 4 controllers the controller motor wiring and the power supplies to both the breakout board and the controllers.
edit: i used the words: step and pul(se) in the wiring diagram they mean the same thing sorry that could be confusing, but step and pulse are the same.
steve


----------



## jumps4

i still want to see the ebay listing for the motors you ordered so i can make sure the motor wiring to the controllers i gave you is the correct colors
you might want to put everything you have ordered into one post so it is all easier for me to find
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I just got back from spending all day at the ER in the VA Hospital.

I was thinking along the same lines as you as far as consolidating the info on this build into a single post in this thread. I've been hunting all over this thread and in my ebay history gathering info for my replies the last couple of days. It would make sense to put all that info in one place since I already have most of what I'll need to finish the project. Give me a few minutes and I'll put something together


----------



## GoMopar440

Here's the parts breakdown so far:

Stepper kit, 3 axis NEMA 23 steppers (425 Oz./3 Amp/dual shaft/4 wire) w/ drivers, power supply and DB25 cable ($309 w/ free shipping):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300844470892?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

CNC Fusion, kit #2 w/ X,Y and Z ballscrews ($600 incl Shipping):
http://www.cncfusion.com/minimill1.html

USB Pendant, 4 axis ($25.99 w/ free shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271126015400?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Aluminum Felx couplers (15.88 for 5 w/ free shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261072881826?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

DB25 Break Out Board ($6.50 + $2.20 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300775143431?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

DB25 Gender changer adapter ($1.22 + 2.26 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190685170549?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Shielded 4 conductor, 18 Ga motor wire, 30' ($27 + $5 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160632659191?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

4 pin XLR plugs for motor wires, 4 M&F plugs ($13.96 w/ free shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280929733116?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

DM542A 4th axis driver (identical to the ones in the 3 axis kit), 4.2 Amp rated ($36.99 + $18 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271115223142?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

4th axis NEMA 23 stepper motor (dual shaft/ 287 Oz/ 1 Amp/ 6 wire) ($20 + $23 shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270848225792?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

20V-48V to 12V DC/3A voltage converter ($2.99 + $1.69 shipping):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150987907819...84.m1497.l2649

20V-50V to 5V DC/3A voltage converter ($2.99 + $1.69 shipping):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150987911654...84.m1497.l2649

12V slim (3.1"x3.1"x.6") fans (x2) ($5.98 (for 2) w/ free shipping):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230914379043...84.m1497.l2649

UC100 cable ($129)
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/prod...roducts_id=481

E-stop switch, A9-Latch Twist-Release ($7.50) 
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/prod...roducts_id=138

Limit switches (x6), A7, N.O. ($3.52/ea, $21.12 for 6)
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/prod...products_id=79
*Shipping for the 3 items from www.CNC4PC.COM was $13.25 via USPS Priority mail which was the cheapest option available.



The PC's are such a big variable hardware-wise I'll just post the basic specs that pertain directly to the software requirements. Here's the minimum stated requirements I was able to find for the software I'll be using:

AutoCAD 2013 (32 bit): 
OS= Win 7 (Ent., Ult., Pro. or Home), Win XP (Pro or Home) w/SP3 or later
CPU= For Win 7: Intel P4 or AMD Athalon Dual-core, 3.0GHz or higher w/SSE2 tech.; For Win XP: Intel P4 or AMD Athalon dual-core, 1.6GHz or higher w/SSE2 tech
RAM= 2GB min (4GB recommended)
HDD= 6GB free space for installation (leave extra room for files)
Monitor= 1024x768 resolution with true color minimum (1600x1050 true color recommended)
Browser= IE 7.0 or later

D2NC:
Video card= Must support OpenGL V2 Spec

Mach3:
CPU= Intel P4, 1GHz for 25KHz, 2GHz for 45KHz, faster still for 100KHz (not verified)
RAM= 512Mb min (1Gb recommended)

I'll go back and update this post if I add anything else or if I any find any corrections to the software requirements stated above.


----------



## jumps4

ok
when you have it all i'll double check myself and then post the switch settings and xml for mach3
i also need to know if you ballscrews are metric or imperial if they are metric they were probably 1605's. 16mm 5 pitch if imperial they are probably 5/8 5 tpi. let me know
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Not sure. They're the ones that ship with the CNC Fusion kit. I didn't get the ballscrew upgrade since I've heard they wear out faster than the normal ballscrews that come with the kit. I'll go poke around on the CNC Fusion website and see if they have any info posted on the regular ballscrews.


----------



## GoMopar440

The CNC Fusion Forum says they're 200 steps per revolution. Is that the number you're looking for?

EDIT: hold on. I think I got something out of wack there. BRB with an update in a min.....  OK, it's .200" pitch and 5 revolutions per inch.


----------



## jumps4

lol
that was quick they are imperial
ok i'll try to do everything tomorrow
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

No rush Steve. Between being sick the last couple of weeks and still trying to go to school full time, this is turning out to be a slower project than I had originally intended.


----------



## jumps4

posting this here so i can find it easy tomorrow
it has your 6 wire motor on it
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

I just finished modding those little aluminum spacers a couple of minutes ago. They were the full thickness of the larger shoulder at the bottom all the way up. I turned about .050 off to make it clear the pegs sticking out of the bottom of the PCB. The base shoulder was left at the full width to make it a little more stable on the thin sheet metal below it.


----------



## GoMopar440

I found a solution to the source for the required 5V for the drivers as well as 12V for the two fans I want to add.

Here's the 20V-48V to 12V DC Voltage converter:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150987907819?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

And this one is for converting 20V-50V to 5V DC:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150987911654?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

With these I can just take the 36V output from the power supply and get 12V for the fans and 5V for the drivers. I won't have to add any extra cords coming into the enclosure or bulky power adapters that plug into the wall.

Speaking of fans, I got two of these 12V slim (3.1"x3.1"x.6") fans to keep the drivers cool. Each fan will be covering two drivers at a time.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230914379043?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I'll add these new bits to the post above to keep everything consolidated.


----------



## jumps4

i'm running a bit behind i have a few projects to complete and i'll get back to your remaining files...
the voltage converters should work i have never tried them i'm sure the one for the fans will and if the 5v is a clean flat line signal it should also.
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Like I said earlier, there's no rush. I'm still waiting on that other driver to show up before I'll be able to finish the wiring anyway.

On my way back from classes today I stopped at Radio Shack to get some more wire so I will have enough to finish wiring everything up. I was almost out of green and completely out of blue. I picked up a three pack of red, black and green 18 ga wire as well as come clear speaker wire (also in 18 ga) since they didn't have any blue wire.


----------



## GoMopar440

Got paid today so I put an order in at CNC4PC for a couple more parts. The UC100 cable, an E-stop switch and 6 limit switches. I'll put links to the individual parts in the consolidated parts list above so everything stays together.

EDIT: Oops. The forum software will not let me edit any posts but this last one for some reason. Until that gets sorted out I'll just put the info here for now.

UC100 cable ($129)
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=93&products_id=481

E-stop switch, A9-Latch Twist-Release ($7.50) 
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=29_87&products_id=138

Limit switches (x6), A7, N.O. ($3.52/ea,  $21.12 for 6)
http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=29_84&products_id=79

Shipping for all of these items was $13.25 via USPS Priority mail (cheapest option available).


----------



## GoMopar440

Scored a 20" Viewsonic flat LCD monitor at a local flea market for $5 today.) I plugged it in and it works fine with the GX280 and it's new video card. 

While I was out in town I stopped by Best Buy and picked up a full motion swing out wall mount monitor stand. Here's a link for anyone that wants to see what I'm talking about: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sanus--...lack/9004356.p?id=1218008113446&skuId=9004356

With this stand I'll be able to bolt the mounting bracket to the wall behind the mill and swing the monitor where it will be easiest to view it and then push it out of the way when it's not needed. The plan is to mount it high enough to keep it right above the driver enclosure and the PC which will be sitting on top of the enclosure. I'm also thinking of making a tray that will hold the keyboard and mouse directly under and in front of the monitor. I haven't worked out how I'll make the tray just yet, but I'm thinking simpler is better.


----------



## GoMopar440

The CNC4PC order arrived yesterday along with the fans from ebay. The 4th axis's stepper motor and driver just arrived today (it must have come over on the FAST boat from China :rofl . If the voltage converters get here by the end of the week, or very early next week, I may be able to get this all assembled soon. Unfortunately I don't have time to mess with it this week since I'm in the middle of mid-terms. However, my brother will be arriving here this Sunday and visiting with me for a couple of days. He's already said he wants to help me out with the CNC project so I should be able to get a lot done. Might even be able to finish it (3 axis at least) before he leaves next Wednesday if all goes well. If not, Spring Break starts the week after next, so I'll have plenty of time to wrap up what ever doesn't get done.


----------



## jumps4

if there is any part of the wiring diagram i sent or another part you may need help with ask
the rest is e-stop, limits, cooling fan(s) and 110ac power if your not sure about these i can draw them also but it may be a while i have a few people i'm trying to help all at the same time   lol   if your not sure ask i'll reply as fast as i can.
steve


----------



## jumps4

in post number 70 the wiring diagram on the top row far right is your 4th axis 6 wire motors wiring
black A+
green A-
red B+
blueB-
the other 2 wires are not used 
i'll get an xml file to get you ready for testing and the switch settings for the controllers to you soon
steve


----------



## jumps4

here are the controller switch setting i would start with
1. on
2. off
3. off
4. off
5.  off
6. on
7. on
8. on
 1-3 set current to between 2.69 and 3.76 amps
4 sets current to half to reduce heating when setting still
5678 set the driver to half step or 400 steps per revolution

if you have plenty of power after tuning you may be able to use a higher microstep later to reduce motor vibration, noise and increase accuracy
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Thanks for those settings Steve. The diagrams you posted are easy enough to understand so I don't think I'll have any problems following them.

The only hold up at this time is going to be the voltage converters. I'm hoping they get here soon so I can see how big they are. That will determine where they get mounted on the mounting plate and also where the attached wires will be routed.


----------



## GoMopar440

Looks like the edit function is back so I added the parts from CNC4PC to the consolidated parts list in post #64 above.

I've been getting more of the wiring done today and should have it finished by tomorrow. Except for the 12V & 5V voltage converters which haven't arrived yet. 

I'll start making the plug panel for the motherboard tray after that. I dissected an old power supply for the 110V AC power cord plug socket and I'll be adding that into the motherboard tray back panel as well (if it fits that is). I'll use some of the extra 16Ga steel I have left over from making the main panel mount. Here's a quick MS paint rendition of the back panel layout showing what I have in mind.


----------



## jumps4

I try to keep ac away from dc every chance i get because of interference
if you have the room maybe moving the plug away from the motor wires is advisable if not use shield wire on everything in the area its easier to do it first than to try to find a problem if your having one. this system works on 5v but small stray voltages can cause crazy things to happen. an ac wire next to another wire will cause induction in the other wire producing unwanted voltage and or signal interferance to the controllers.
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

The AC power plug socket has choke loops on all three of the wires and I'm tying all the motor cable shielding wires to the case to ground them. If you don't think that will be good enough I can always move the motor plugs to the other side of the DB25 plug. However it will be a lot more crowded on that side of the panel if I do. I'm not sure if I will have enough room to fit all 4 motor plugs there. If not, I could put 2 on either side of the DB25 plug, with the top two as far away from the AC plug as possible.


----------



## jumps4

if the motor wires are shielded you should be ok
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Thanks Steve. That's good to know.

The 12V and 5V DC voltage converters both arrived in the mail today so I should have everything I need to finish up the driver enclosure box now.


----------



## jumps4

here is an xml file to start testing your motors
unzip the file and copy it to c:\mach3 it is named "gomopar440.xml"
when you start mach3 chose it to test you mill
other things will have to be set to your needs as you get used to using your mill.
if you havent done it already when you install mach3 reboot the pc before trying to run your equipment or it wont work right
they will probably run faster but i set them to 40ipm for testing you will have to tune them once mounted on the mill.
40ipm is pretty fast to start learning 
the estop is disabled in the xml file for testing and should be enabled in setup and set to the correct pin number.
if for some reason you need to stop all movement hit the space bar or escape key and the motors will stop.
when you install your e-stop hook one terminal to ground pin24 on the breakout board, and the other to pin 10 on the breakout board.
i'll tell you how to enable it to work once your done testing your other wiring so there is no conflict but get it working before trying your mill.
 cnc is dangerous so these things i'm helping you with are guide lines and should all be treated with the possible chance of harming yourself so be careful its scary when your trying one thing and the mill is doing something else. i'm not there and there are a lot of settings so i have no  way of knowing your doing this right. i have to say i'm not responsible for anything your doing just trying to advise. yada yada yada
  this file should be set close to the correct pulse per inch for your ballscrews we can get it perfect once running.
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

Well, My brother wanted to help get the dirt bikes running while he was here instead so the CNC project got put on the back burner for a couple of days. He flew out yesterday so I'm back working on the electrical stuff. 

I've figured out where I want the voltage converters and I have them bolted to the base plate now. 



I left room for the fans but still need to make some mounting brackets for them out of some pieces of 1/2" aluminum 90* angle with some 1/2" flat aluminum for top supports. While I was looking over the other parts I went ahead and mounted the E-stop switch and a 110V lighted rocker switch for turning it on.


----------



## Pitchfire

I don't know if an X3 kit would work on an X2, but Grizzly has kits in their catalog with everything but the computer for $2600 (T25435) that seem quite reasonable to me (less than an hour total instal time, not much more $ than do it yourself approaches).

Sorry, didn't read through all the posts to see that you're well on your way!


----------



## GoMopar440

I've got the enclosure plate almost finished as far as I can go for now with the wiring shown in the diagram above. I just need to figure out how to wire the power switch and the E-stop switch next. 

I'll also need to dig out my multimeter and replace the batteries on it so I can check the power supply output voltage and also verify the correct voltage is coming out of the 12V and 5V voltage converters.


----------



## jumps4

connect estop to pins 10 and pin 24 (ground) use the nc terminals on the switch
i need to know if your power switch is lighted to help you there
steve


----------



## GoMopar440

It's a lighted switch. I'll post up a pic tomorrow of the wiring diagram from the back of the package.


----------



## GoMopar440

School started getting pretty hectic over here so this project got bumped to the back burner till finals are over. I'll be glad when all the tests are finally done (5/15) and I can get back to finishing this so I can start making some chips.


----------



## GoMopar440

Schools out, honey-do list is caught up and I finally got some free time to start on this project again. hew:

Today I started out test fitting the X axis ballscrew to the saddle and it looked like there was some interference. The ballscrew and the aluminum pinch clamp were hitting the top of the saddle and keeping the ballscrew sitting way above the correct center line. I put a little Dykem on the saddle and after it dried I then set the ballscrew assy in place and scribed around the points of contact. I left the saddle in place and slipped the gib in place and locked it down tight so it was locked solidly to the base. Then I brought the base and saddle over to the Bridgeport mill and bolted to to the table. Since I was using a 1/2" hogging bit I did the milling at full depth (.250" deep) and cut a rectangular box pattern that was just large enough to make all the scribe lines disappear. When I set the ballscrew back on the saddle, it now appears able to sit just a little lower than will be needed when it is bolted to the table and adjusted. 








The pics can probably show it better than how I'm explaining it. If anyone has any questions about what I did or why, just put it in a post and I'll try to make it all clear.


----------



## GoMopar440

With the saddle now clearanced to fit the ballnut and the aluminum pinch block, I attempted to fit the table. The ballnut assembly was contacting the table from both ends and preventing it from being able to slide over it. I used some Dykem on the ends and scribed around the areas that were hitting the table. From there I took the X2 table over to the Bridgeport and started to whittle away at the bottom of the table. I made stepped passes with a 1/2" ball endmill (biggest one I had) and cleaned up the rough casting surfaces on both sides of the center channel. I rechecked the table on the saddle and it now cleared the pinch block but was still hitting the ballnut itself in the center. I reblued it and scribed it on both sides and brought it back over to the big mill. I used a 1/2" hogging bit centered on the radius I had traced and made a full depth pass to try to get rid of the scribe line. It didn't get rid of the line on the opposite side so I lowered the endmill just enough to make it disappear and cut it again. After that I swapped the ball endmill back in and then ran the center along both sides of the 1/2" cut. This time the table fit on the saddle with enough room to clear the ballnut and pinch block assembly through the full range of motion. 








The table gib was put in place and the tension was set to make sure it was still going to clear when in it's normal assembled state. So far so good. I'll make sure to put some good rustproofing paint on the underside of the table before it gets bolted together for the last time.


----------



## GoMopar440

I spent most of my shop time working on the Atlas lathe rebuild/refurb project today. I did get around to painting the bottom side of the table while the paint was out.





I'm thinking that I'll repaint the X2 mill with this paint as I reassemble it. I never was a big fan of the color red.


----------



## westmc45

GoMopar440 said:


> Not sure. They're the ones that ship with the CNC Fusion kit. I didn't get the ballscrew upgrade since I've heard they wear out faster than the normal ballscrews that come with the kit. I'll go poke around on the CNC Fusion website and see if they have any info posted on the regular ballscrews.


DOnt buy **** from these people I am still waiting over two months for them to replace my x axis ball screw that was defective. They never reply to my email and did not send me the part they said they would , I called my credit card company and complained and also with pay-pal, and the BBB they are crooks.....


----------



## GoMopar440

Luckily the parts I received from CNCFusion seem to be of decent quality for the most part. The one notable exception are the spider couplers that have slop in them even though new. I knew about that issue from researching them online before ordering so I had already planned on replacing them with some solid 1 piece spiral cut aluminum couplers anyway. 

The CNCFusion website stated the wait times for their kits, but I don't know about how long it might take them to get replacement parts. Depends on who supplies the ballscrews to them. Kinda tough if you can't get an answer from them though to know where it stands on getting the parts you need.

Unfortunately the Honey-do list took priority over the summer so I had to put this project on the back burner for a while. Now that I'm in the middle of the fall semester at school, all the rest of my other projects are on hold as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get started back up on this project (and the Atlas 10F rebuild) again once winter break starts.


----------

