Yet Another HF 7x10 Buildup...

[knudsen]

Looks like a really nice, clean build-up, Justin! I'll bet you are anxious to start making some chips soon

[justin bowser]

Today I modified the cross-slide motor mount (again) to allow for full travel and mounted a couple of my limit switches. I plan on putting an adjustable limit switch at the end of each axis and wire them in parallel. I probably should install some sort of E-Stop switch as well but that will come down the road a ways. As you can see in the following pics it's already covered with aluminum swarf with the results in the third picture.

Once I get all of my switches mounted I will wire everything to one terminal strip on the R/H end of the lathe. I have this sitting on a one drawer "service cart" and I will put the PC on the lower shelf, the keyboard in the drawer, and build some sort of stand off the back for the 17" LCD monitor to be secured to. This will then be a self contained "mobile" machining center that can be wheeled out of the way when not in use as my shop is totally out of room!

Today's pics...

[blades]

Looking good! Where did you get that limit switch bracket that clamps on the way? I like that!

[justin bowser]

Blades, I milled it out of a chunk of aluminum and JB-Welded the switch to it. I have another like it for the opposite end just don't have it mounted yet. Unfortunately (I guess) I don't have any drawings or sketches for anything as I kind of build stuff like this on the fly. I look at what I want to accomplish and then make something... :-p If I'm doing precision stuff (like watch case parts) then I make a working drawing in CAD before I even make one chip!

[blades]

Lol, dude, you sound too much like myself, I always used to build stuff on-the-fly. I've also made a few watch cases (stainless & titanium) but no CAD drawing.

[justin bowser]

Well, update time I suppose! This sat for a few weeks due to other priorities but was able to play around with it a bit last week. I got all of the limit and home switches mounted and stuffed some of the wiring into that corrugated split-loom stuff. Wiring is far from done but it's tied off and won't get into the works so I can at least use it. The wire I used on the switches is way overkill but I didn't have any light gauge stuff laying around.

I also moved the PC and driver electronics to the bottom shelf of the service cart and made a monitor mount to clamp the monitor to. Everything plugs into one outlet strip so it's easy to roll around and stick in a corner to do it's thing while I do something else! I have ordered a slim-line compact keyboard and I will attach a small shelf to the monitor "pedestal" to hold the keyboard. Right now it is in the service cart drawer but I have plans for that space!

Here's a few pics with it covered in swarf as I have actually been making parts on it this week!

[blades]

Lookin' good Justin! BTW: what are you using for a controller?

[justin bowser]

Thanks, Blades. I'm just using an old clone 950 Mhz PC with Ubuntu Linux and EMC2. My driver electronics consists of a parallel port opto-isolation board and MD-Fly Bi-Polar stepper driver boards powered by an old XT power supply... I use a wad of big resistors to limit the current to the stepper motors. I'll take a snap of "Frankenstein" and post it later...

[blades]

Sounds really low-budget, I love it! BTW, how many times during your trial run did the Z axis stall on you from the limit switch getting shorted out from chips?

[justin bowser]

No stall - Yet! :-p When I finalize the wiring I'll use heat-shrink over the connections. I need to replace he yellow 14 ga stuff with something a bit more reasonable...

[knudsen]

Looks like you've been busy, Justin! Great work!

[justin bowser]

Haven't had much time lately to mess with this but this week had a little time so I changed my Z axis feed to a ballscrew I snagged off fleabay. Nice Going from .012 backlash to .001". :-) Hopefully after I replace the regular ball bearing closest to the motor with the new angular contact bearing I received in the mail today I will have .000 backlash!! Next will be a ballscrew for theX axis as soon as I find a reasonably priced one...