A high school senior's adventures in CNC

I am building a JGRO CNC router (with minor modification) for my high school engineering class senior project. I have chosen to do the project on my own for the class, but there are many people that have contributed to this project. As a result, after starting the build about 2 months ago, I am now just about finished and preparing the final assembly. Until now, I have been a periodic "lurker". Now, I'll be documenting the project. (haphazardly at first - until I get it completely built and turned in) Soon I'll be posting pictures and possibly video. I'll try keep the thread as up to date as possible!

Hey ME, just wanted to welcome you, by now i'm sure you would've realized in here it's all about encouragement and support, where ever we can help just ask, we'll try to assist, looking forward to see pics of your build and if possible a video or two.

Good luck.

Hello ME,

Good luck with your build. If you have any questions you can ask any of the guy's here. I'm sure they will be glad to help. If you have been lurking awhile you have probably soaked up every thing you need to get the job done.

Have fun, it should always be fun...

Rob.

Have at 'em!, I'll probably be on tomorrow to post any explanations for the photos,you can also let me know if there is anything you would like to know in detail as well.

(I can't seem to get the thumbnails to come up for these so I'm just linking them back to where they're hosted on my site.)

This old UT2004 box is running Ubuntu (Dapper) with EMC2 installed
http://x17.50webs.com/computer.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/computer_side.jpg

The drivers, interface, and power supply all fit neatly into an old computer case I had, the only thing missing is a cooling fan
http://x17.50webs.com/the_controller.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/controller_guts.jpg

My precious PICStep V4 Drivers with the PMINMO 4 axis interface BOB
http://x17.50webs.com/drivers_and_interface.jpg

This was an ebay deal, it's a 24v 12.5 amp regulated PS with internal cooling fan
http://x17.50webs.com/powersupply.jpg

Some specially machined parts made at my local robotics club, the plastic came from a friend and major contributor to the project, Bob Cole, another member on CNCZONE
http://x17.50webs.com/leadscrew_end.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/abnut_with_awblock.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/motor_coupler.jpg

This is the overall machine state as of tonight. Note, most of the mdf (with the exception of the support tables) was cut using a 4'X8' cnc router at a local sign shop, Bob Cole is also to thank for this wonderful favor! Thanks again Bob!
http://x17.50webs.com/machine_front.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/machine_front_corner.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/machine_side.jpg

These motors were a steal at $20 a pop (they retail new at ~$200) from Electronics Surplus Inc. (ESI) in Cleveland, Ohio
http://x17.50webs.com/motor.jpg
http://x17.50webs.com/motor_label.jpg

My router is a reconditioned Craftsman I got from a Sears service center
http://x17.50webs.com/router_in_mount.jpg

The work table is made with glue and pin nails (I got a 23 gauge pin nailer from Harbor Freight for ~$25) - (be warned these things are easily jammed if working to fast, in my experience, a jam usually breaks it) anyway, when not jammed it did a great job, the big reason for such a small gauge was to not split the mdf
http://x17.50webs.com/worktable_supporttable.jpg

Here's the nifty z-axis
http://x17.50webs.com/z_axis.jpg

(if any of these give you an error 403 forbidden, just reload the page and it should work) --(in Firefox you have to go to the address bar and click the address and then hit enter to get it to work; In IE, it doesn't work. In either case to see the image you can copy and paste the link text into the address bar and it'll work)

I'll fix this sometime tomorrow! Sorry
http://x17.50webs.com/abnut_with_awblock.jpg

I just finished the final assembly!!!!! (with the exception of attaching the final work tabletop)

After fiddling with my drivers, and thinking that one was fried (I even ordered 2 new replacement H-bridge driver ic's that the picsteps use) I found that the driver was not dead, but it only had some questionable looking solder joints which could have shorted... Anyway, without that driver I only had 2 axes running which was no fun! Now after some cleaning I've all three to moving about, and with the router mounted in this thing it's looking pretty sweet!

As for a fix to the pictures, I think I'll make a brief html page on my hosted site to get around the webserver error; alternatively I might look into cnczone's gallery. The way things are going I hope to be posting some video soon as well!

Oh and by the way, I neglected to give you guys a name to call ME, Tom sounds better :)

Thanks
-Tom

Hey tom, why not just try posting your pix directly into your thread, when posting a reply just click on "manage attachments" like this:

Here's the pics from a couple days ago, tonight I should have some more recent ones up.

Nice job Tom. Where are you going to college?

Hi all,

Just updating the post with the latest photos, I cut my first part today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the 3d chips sample that comes with emc. (the head and feed are cut short because I used a 2x4 and the nose and stomach are left flat because my router bit's flutes aren't long enough.

Glider, at this point I am limited in terms of colleges, I have applied to Carnegie Mellon, Rensalear Polytechnic, Case Western, Rose-Hulman, and Kettering University (GMI). I am accepted at Kettering and Case, however; if I don't get any acceptance letters from the other schools, It's looking like Case... I intend to major in Computer Engineering, because it seems to combine Electrical Engineering and Computer Science into an engineering degree. I like to make electronics like the controllers in this machine, yet I also like to program machines and devices to work autonomously.

Picture explanations:

The first picture is of the controller which I had to rewire a little because one of the drivers wasn't working..? Works now! (I think it was the ribbon cable)

The other is my makeshift cooling fan for the controller

Then there is a screenshot as emc was running

The router mounted with the bit installed

The first part I cutout

and a couple shots of the machine from the side fully assembled (that's Zelda for Wii in the background in case you're wondering)

Niiice, you're well on your way, now you can do all sorts of stuff, i like your cooling fan, i have one exactly like it.

Tom,
nicely done. Where ever you go to college, they will be glad to have you. You will go far. Thanks for the pics.

Glider, thanks!

I will be posting a video of this here, (and probably a duplicate post in the jgro video thread) shortly as soon as I can get a youtube account and remember to bring my digital camera to the shop where the machine is at the moment. I should have it on monday or tuesday next week. I will most likely be running an emc sample the same one I cut out of wood, only this time using HDPE foam (sign foam). Eventually, either using demo software or purchasing some, I should be able to make a video of it making some of my custom designs. (those may be down the road a bit, anywhere from this weekend to up to a month from now)

-Tom

(At least until the bobcad-cam demo runs out! :))

I definitely think I will be saving up to purchase bobcad-cam this summer, unless anyone has other suggestions... The first time I used it, I had no luck getting the code produced to work with EMC, although I didn't have the EMC post installed and I was exporting a binary gcode, not plain text code. After a second fiddling session with it, I was successfully able to open a dxf, open the gcode editor, set the cut depth, tool, and define the cutting paths!!! And then!!! The real kicker was bringing the code over to my controller computer and actually having EMC loading it and running it with no errors!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, I will connect the machine to it and see it route my first real part (real as in not just a sample, but one I made!!!)


[Here's the sneaky plan part!!!]

As a side note, the first real "part" I will be making will actually be a graph!

-In my advanced math class (pre-calc) my teacher has assigned us a poster project. The teacher is a trig nut! and right now we are learning to graph trig function graphs by hand...

-Anyway, we were each assigned a function to graph out by hand and give any written information about the graph as well. My first thought was that I should engrave my graph in a piece of wood instead drawing it on a lousy poster sheet. Unfortunately the teacher turned the idea down, however, my secret idea is to instead do the graph on the poster sheet but use a pencil or marker mounted in my router to draw it for me!!!

-After that I could trace over the whole thing to give it some imperfections and ta da I did my poster!!! I'll probably bring the machine back to school tomorrow to carry out this dastardly plot and bring my camera to get a video of this unique "part" as it's made!!!

You are going to be one wiz-bang engineer. Looking forward to seeing your graph.

Looks pretty good. I am impressed that you assembled the drives yourself. what are you planning to make once your project is over? anything robotic?

Looks pretty good. I am impressed that you assembled the drives yourself. what are you planning to make once your project is over? anything robotic?

Possibly, my first intentions were to use it to make model rocket and airplane parts, such as the ribs for wings, propellers, solid wings, custom nose cones, engine mounts...

P.S. Sorry about the delay of the video of the graph, I found out that using a pencil to plot the graphs would be a little problematic without a specialized mounting. Therefore, I am now messing around with the idea of a pen... or a spring loaded mount for the pencil... Either way, I will have to have something up by Monday. :)

Oh and I forgot to say thanks :)

-Tom

Hey everyone,
I just shot the video of my machine drawing my graph today, unfortunately, I left my laptop with the memory stick reader at my house, so I won't be able to upload this until tomorrow.

Soon,
-Tom

No rush, but you should know you have a big audience waiting for your video.

you tell him dave :mad: , but no rush tom, just note as dave said, we are waiting :).

I know, I've been keeping you guys waiting awhile, I have been working on getting my youtube account setup and am now trying to get the video converted from a quicktime .mov format to something that's easily editable on windows so I can speed it up and add music or at least remove my sped up audio. I am currently using Rad video tools to do the conversion but it keeps messing up, I will try another converter tomorrow and should have it finally up by tomorrow night :)

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, by the way, is youtube acceptable for a place to post this to or is there another preferred place I should up it?

Thanks,
-Tom

tom
I use Utube exclusively, however if I were starting over, I'd use google because of the playback tools. either one is great.
dave

ps I use MovieEdit pro 11. $50. best editor ever. 16 individual parallel tracks.

Finally, I have finished cutting the video down from a real time job time of roughly 17 mins to around 5 mins without the ability to increase play speed. I have left the original audio in place because I don't have any free/open music to put in the video. Please excuse the choppiness of the cuts, I tried my best with what I had -Windows Movie Maker :( Anyway, if you watch it and start to get bored, skip to about halfway through, for that is where I start to let the camera ride the machine and it gives you the same effect.

Enjoy
-Tom

Oh, the link is :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtkIyB9CnXY

PS at the moment the video is not yet active (11:34 EST)

Very nice...Aren't these machines cool.....

Thanks. And these machines are indeed cool, the best part of them is their versitility. Eventually, I may use this machine to manufacture parts for itself or another machine, or I may use it to make a thermoplastic extrusion head for itself which would turn it into a rapid prototyper / 3d printer! I plan to do most of that with this machine, although, until I acquire and learn a good piece of cam software I'm a bit limited. Anyway, now that I am working again, I should be able to have the money to get some software in a month or two, and in the meantime I can use demo's to train myself.

-Tom