up and running

[corrie]

Hello all been away for a while but I,m up and running .have been playing with desk engrave on my machine lately but found I,ve been loosing steps in the Y-axes while cuting fonts in a linear path .It might be binding ,have to sort it out.If you havent been to this web site do so,I,ve met the man and he has some nice machines and has been a great help in my progress.www.durhamrobotics.com .I would like to thank everyone at the zone for keeping us newbies constantly in motion as well.here are some pics of my machine,cheers.

[CNCadmin]

Nice job, how well does it cut?

[ynneb]

Thats a good post corrie.
Lots of nice pictures.
Youve done a great job.
Why dont you also post some picture of what you have cut.

[corrie]

Thanks Guys,it Cuts Pretty Good.using Stepper Worlds Sp3ht Set-up With All In One 3-axes Driver Board And Thier 85 Oz.in Motors.so Far All I Have Been Doing Is Using Desk Engrave,basicaly Just Cuting On Scrap Wood For Practice.i,m Averaging About 7.5 Inches A Minute.tried Different Settings With The Board But Its The Best That It Can Do I,m Afraid.i,m Also Writing G-code Now But Only In A Linear Fashion,some Codes Work Better Than Others Due To The Fact I Get Binding At Sharp Angles.lead Srews Are 1/2" 13 Threds,sometimes I Think I Should Have Gone With 1/4.just Started Learning Autocad 2000i .huge Program,but The Book Autocad 2000 The Bible Is Pretty Good ,it Takes You Step By Step With Tutorials.i,ll Post Some Picks Of Some Cuts The Machine Can Do.i Dont Know If This Makes Any Sence But After I Make A Cut And The Machine Goes Back To ,lets Say X0 Y0 The Cutting Bit Is Off By About 1/32 So Repeatability Is Not That Good Oh Well,like Most Have Said ,dont Build Your Last Machine First.also Using Cncpro.thanks

[ynneb]

The Fact I Get Binding At Sharp Angles

Does this mean the steppers are not strong enough?

[corrie]

Hello Agian.no I Think The Problem Is Low Frequency Resonance.if I Jog The Axes X Or Y Back And Forth I Have No Problem.when I Do A Move Command Lets Say X4 Y2 ,i Have No Problem But When I Do A Move Command Back To X0 Y0 I Find The Y Stuttering Or At Times The X Stutters .a Freind Of Mine Asked Me To Put A Little Bit Of Presure On The Opposite Side Of The Motor Shaft And See What Would Happen,well I Did That And The Axes Freely Started To Move .so He Told Me That A Hockey Puck With A Centre Hole Drilled Through It Could Act As Fly-wheel To Help Deaden Any Vibration,due To The Fact That The Hockey Puck Was So Dense. Back To The Point Of The Steppers Being Strong Enough, Is This,when I Jog Or Do A Move Command I Cannot Phisicaly Stop The Gantry From Moving Unless Of Course I Was To Put My Whole Body Wieght Into It.all In All I Think That The Stepper World Sp3ht System Is An Entry Level System,good For Engraving And Short Depth Routering .i Havent Tried On Aluminum Yet But I Will,just To See How It Works Out.

[corrie]

Originally Posted by ynneb Thats a good post corrie. Lots of nice pictures. Youve done a great job. Why dont you also post some picture of what you have cut.

ok here are a few cuts not much but a good start .i wrote the code but as i said before ,just straight line stuff for now ,havent got around to the i and j commands.still learning.

[Graham S]

What software are you using to run the machine. It may be the pulse rates and accelerations that need adjusting

Nice work

Graham

[ger21]

Originally Posted by corrie all In All I Think That The Stepper World Sp3ht System Is An Entry Level System,good For Engraving And Short Depth Routering .i Havent Tried On Aluminum Yet But I Will,just To See How It Works Out.

What voltage are you running at? If 12V, changing to 24V can double your speed. I haven't seen anyone who's used the SP3 board recommend it. I've heard of people doubling there speed by switching to a Xylotex board. Also, the 85oz motors are probably a little weak for the 1/2-13 rod. You might want to try 3/8-12 or 3/8-16 acme. It's lighter, and the threads are more efficient, so it might help. I think the extra inertia from the hockey puck might smooth out your machine, but will probably also slow it down.

[corrie]

hello and thanks,yes im running at 12volts and using cncpro.the hockey pucks worked fine and i think they did slow me down a little but not too much.i am thinking of changing the lead screws,but only in the x and y.i,m having no problems in the z due to the fact it doesnt do as much work also that the z has its own wieght which seems to help in the dampaning.today i was actualy able to cut out some paterns out of 1/8 plexi just as a test and everything was great.the machine just doesnt like certain sharp angles.ive messed with the configuration a few times but seem to come back to the settings that worked the best.maybe new driver boards and bigger steppers would help alot but for now its all in the practice and i,ll have to put up with what i got for a short time .i actualy plan on buying a machine come christmass from www.durhamrobotics.com if things go my way.his machine looks real fine and priced well i think for what you get.if you are familiar with cncpro and know how i could posably improve the settings i,de be greatfull,but running such a small driver for three axes is maybe asking too much........mistakes its the only way to learn i suppose.thanks once agian.