I like what you've got going. I'm in the middle of my first conversion. Bought a brand new PM1340 lathe and now have it torn apart putting in ball screws and steppers. Using Mach 3 and have it controlling the motors on a bench. Just need to connect the ballscrews to the motors and cross my fingers.
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Taking the CNC Plunge
- Thread starter TomS
- Start date
Good luck with your conversion. This is the most shop fun I've had. Can't wait to get back to it tomorrow.
Tom S
Don't worry about making mistakes. It happens. Don't let it keep you from moving forward on your conversion. I can assure you that some of the parts on the mill are not first edition.
Yes, I did make the manifold. It's a 1" x 2-3/4" x 4-3/4" block of aluminum with a bunch of 1/8" NPT threaded holes.
Tom S
Do you have a build thread going on this project...
Reason I ask: Some of us are waiting for our 1340GT's... hopefully January 2015 delivery.
Would be great to see the innerds of the lathe, before we get ours.
THX in advance if you do!
John
Today I got the head mounted and a few other minor details completed. Next step - wiring!
The head mounted and Z axis motor sitting on top. Wish I could figure out how to rotate pictures.
Here's my electronics enclosure. Picked it up at the local Sears store on clearance for $70.00.
The bottom drawer is 17" x 22" x 10" deep. Should be plenty of room for all of the electrical and electronics goodies. I'll use the top two drawers for tools specific to the CNC mill.
Here's a picture of the electronics set in the drawer. I'll mount everything on a piece of aluminum plate so I can wire it up on the bench then bolt it to the drawer with some stand-offs. The two power supplies (lower right) are 9" tall.
Another picture showing the extra space for the BoB, relays, breakers, etc.
Thanks for looking.
Tom S
The head mounted and Z axis motor sitting on top. Wish I could figure out how to rotate pictures.
Here's my electronics enclosure. Picked it up at the local Sears store on clearance for $70.00.
The bottom drawer is 17" x 22" x 10" deep. Should be plenty of room for all of the electrical and electronics goodies. I'll use the top two drawers for tools specific to the CNC mill.
Here's a picture of the electronics set in the drawer. I'll mount everything on a piece of aluminum plate so I can wire it up on the bench then bolt it to the drawer with some stand-offs. The two power supplies (lower right) are 9" tall.
Another picture showing the extra space for the BoB, relays, breakers, etc.
Thanks for looking.
Tom S
- Joined
- May 10, 2014
- Messages
- 74
A tool chest for the controller enclosure is a fantastic idea, wish I had thought of that. A+ on that idea! :thumbzup3:
I'm just about at the point where I will be wiring the power and electronic circuits which means a decision on motion control software is near. My initial plan was to go with Mach 3 because it's well established and there's a huge support/knowledge base out there. Couldn't ask for a better situation when you need help. The down side is that Mach 3 will be phased out over the next year or so now that Mach 4 has been released. Not sure I want to buy software that is near the end of it's life.
Mach 4 is now on the table and I like what I've read but what I've read comes from the Newfangled Solutions web site. I particularly like that it will run on a laptop because I have a spare. Running Mach 3 I will need a desktop with XP which is not easy to find and with XP not being supported by Microsoft anymore makes it that much more unattractive. I also realize that Mach 4 being a new software package there will be bugs to work out and there aren't many/any add-on features yet. I'm really not sure what to expect.
Do I buy the established software that has a huge following and support network but may not be sold and supported by the manufacturer or do I go with the new package that may have some de-bugging to be done but has room to grow? Or is there other motion control software to be considered. I'd like to hear what you have to say before I make a decision.
Tom S
Mach 4 is now on the table and I like what I've read but what I've read comes from the Newfangled Solutions web site. I particularly like that it will run on a laptop because I have a spare. Running Mach 3 I will need a desktop with XP which is not easy to find and with XP not being supported by Microsoft anymore makes it that much more unattractive. I also realize that Mach 4 being a new software package there will be bugs to work out and there aren't many/any add-on features yet. I'm really not sure what to expect.
Do I buy the established software that has a huge following and support network but may not be sold and supported by the manufacturer or do I go with the new package that may have some de-bugging to be done but has room to grow? Or is there other motion control software to be considered. I'd like to hear what you have to say before I make a decision.
Tom S