electronic lead screw

[Qtron]

hiya Greenail,
Its been a while!
Hope all's well.

- certain 'political' activities where we live really threw nasty 'spanners' into the whole ELS effort here.
At one point we were not allowed to go to ANY retail shops bar for necessities, but that got killed off after a few miserable weeks.
[Full on commo stuff!!!]

Could you pls tell me whats happening w developments, any iterations, link for the code, if released yet and schematics/docs?
cheers!

 

[greenail]

Could you pls tell me whats happening w developments, any iterations, link for the code, if released yet and schematics/docs?
cheers!

I use it all the time, happy to add some documentation, tell me what questions you have.

code is here: https://github.com/jschoch/ESPels and here: https://github.com/jschoch/espELSfrontend

Basically you just need to have an esp32 configure it with: microstepping, wifi SSID, name, pin mapping, and lead screw pitch. Then as far as hardware you need to wire up 2 pins for the encoder (ttl quadrature) and 3 pins for the stepper. You may want to use stronger pullups for your encoder but you can use the internal pullups for the esp32. Do you need a circuit diagram? I have a display on it but it isn't being used and I can try to make it compile time optional if you want.

 

[Qtron]

excellent Greenail,
Been a bit slow to respond, up ALL night fitting antennae to a Dell laptop, then jumping thru a heap of driver/MS hoops to get mobile BB connectivity
- it just doesn't want to co-operate!
Weird thing is i just had the patch antennae hanging out the back end of the laptop to test, and I couldn't stop it from connecting! (despite a strong local wifi)- now its being fiendishly rebellious.
Anyway glad ESP32 works well, consistent!
Yes would love schematics & a display screen, but only if U have time for that.
Would be great to see a pic of your setup too, if U wish
I finally caught up w Clough42 vids, that $110USD servo stepper motor from Stepperonline is a hoot. It flies!
I've never seen a stepper at 3000 rpm with some torque left up its sleeve.
Could U pls tell me how to save gerber files off github.. I can see the folder, & its contents, but i cant save it..
[Dont tell me i have to copy all such files & then zip em up to send to JLCPCB, do I?]
If so, how does one assoc the drill files with it, so that it all makes sense their end? - i'm presuming, of course.
BTW:

is this the right animal: ESP32-WROOM-32 Espressif?

 

[flork]

can someone advice most capable diy electric leadscrew ? im thinking about elsv2 from hobbymachinist

 

[Dabbler]

can someone advice most capable diy electric leadscrew

The rocketronics product is very mature and in over 1000 installations.

 

[RJSakowski]

Welcome to the forum!
What is your skill set and what tools do you have at your disposal? There are several diy ELS builds which vary in features and in complexity. Perhaps the simplest in terms of features is the Clough42. It will cut a variety of predefined inch and metric threads and feed rates. It has several possible kit options for those who don't have full machining capability and a fairly complete set of videos to walk you through the build.

There are other ELS builds which have more features but require a better understanding of what is involved, particularly from the software side. @greenail did a fairly comprehensive description of his build. If I recall correctly, it has considerably more capability. @WobblyHand is wrapping up his design and build which also has more capability, including incorporating an integral DRO.

 

[flork]

im thinking about building this

maybe someone here build it and have some opinion , i want to create most versatile els, about my tools, i have access to soldering iron, hotair, i build few 3d printers, so i think it is possible, im just dont do coding.

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

I like the capabilities of that one and it seems to be fully (damn near?) CNC, it does not look to be an easy build and with no help videos of the build...seems daunting. I would love to go full cnc but without losing manual control, maybe a good fit, but like you, coding and problem solving, it might be frustrating for me (I have a G0602 with the Clough ELS) I have found the limit of the stepper Clough used on the leadscrew and am a bit nervous to change to what he changed to, probably for the same limitations.

 

[RJSakowski]

If I were thinking of going that route, I would seriously consider going full CNC. With a CNC lathe, you change change the functionality by simply writing G code. CNC conversions abound and are fairly well documented.

I have the Clough42 ELS on my 602 and the only thing on my wish list was the ability to enter custom thread pitches from the UI. That has been partially accomplished by kwackers on github who has modified the code to permit custom metric thread pitches. ( It lacks the resolution to enter inch pitches accurately. ).

As to threading to a shoulder, I can accomplish this by virtue of my variable apeed drive which permits me to slow the lathe down to zero rpm as I approach a shoulder. For the few times that it is required, it isn't a problem doing this manually.

 

[flork]

yes, but after spending some time reading, found good vid about comparistion, and its look likt its not worth spending time, for saving few $ when you can buy els v4 in basic setup, and only connect two close loop steppers