Fryer MB-11 Bed Mill Retrofit

LOL. That is pretty funny, Andy. Do you have any feelings about how good/bad the product is for the sated purpose? Did you need to back it up with a sheet of metal for rigidity?

Finally, you mentioned a photo in a previous post but there wasn't one attached. Now I'd especially like to see one.

regards,
Alan

The mistake is mine. I *thought* you had said, "the photo of my machine shows..." without a referring link. But after I posted my last post, I decided I'd better go back and check to make sure I didn't miss an attachment. Hmmm... Instead, I couldn't even find the note. I must have had a dream about CNC machines or something. Eeek

Good God, man, you are tenacious! You were truly committed to reworking that machine. Although I have the passion to do what you did, I have neither the time nor the energy. I'm having a hard enough time even getting my CNC ready Hurco finished. . But I applaud you on the efforts. It is impressive.

I've thought about retrofitting a Deckel CNC mill. That would be a good amount of custom work, especially with logic ladders and change gears. But the real effort would be to write a layer on top of LinuxCNC so that the result behaved like a Dialog 3 control. That is what makes the Deckels work so well, per my friends that have one. But all of that takes more time than I have on my hands now.

Anyhow, enough of hijacking the other Andy's thread.... Back to DiBond... I think you and I are on the same plane. I figured I could (inexpensively) try different "things" with it until I settled on what I really wanted/liked. Then I could make a permanent panel if the DiBond didn't please me (aesthetically or physically). I'm pleased to hear that you had positive results with a similar approach.... Adding a substrate to stiffen the panel isn't a problem for me. The bigger issue is whether or not I can remove the switches once the wires are soldered on. In the original Hurco setup, that was not possible, but they looked to be soldered by gorillas... Massive blobs of solder that precluded the nut from passing.

Alan,

$100 for a piece of aluminum big enough for the face of the panel??

Youve got me thinking about my console redo with all this talk.

I really like the idea of the selector for axis and the zero button based on that.

I have also been looking into building a custom keypad, and having keyboard keys printed for the functions I wish to have. I cannot find any company that will do one off membrane keypads, but Cherry MX switches arent too expensive.

I think I am going to go for a simpler approach then this one. Right now im still trying to decide if I should leave the current console intact and sell it or reuse the buttons... The little buttons are $27 each to replace.

What gui do you plan to use? Ive always loved the simple approach of haas and fanuc controls with everything being physical buttons. Im now looking at a modified gmoccapy with the touchscreen though...

Im a ways off of doing this as I am currently re-arranging my shop so that I can finish the full enclosure of my machine so I can get flood working.

-Adam

Ah, good... I'm glad we didn't scare you away, Andy! I kind of felt like I hijacked your thread, and I apologize for that...

$100 was an estimate at eBay prices for (roughly) a 3/16 x 15 x 23 (-ish) panel for which I can use the rest of my old enclosure. I haven't checked my local supplier, but I suspect it will be more. What I can say for sure is that the Dibond approach is way cheaper by comparison. I think it might be a good way to experiment until I perfect what I want. At that point I can decide if I still like Dibond or go to a full aluminum panel.

I don't think you'll find it economical to get a one-off polycarbonate membrane switch panel. But, you could get all the graphics and 'switches' done. Then you can use traditional push button switches the go through a hole behind the membrane. I've seen that work. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it though... And, frankly, I've never seen a really inexpensive/durable way to DIY a polycarbonate or have someone prototype one for you in a size large enough to suit our needs. I am not sure why that is the case. Circuit board prices tanked a few years ago. You can go to China and get 20 boards made of a reasonable size for next to nothing (well... don't know if there is a tariff being applied to that so it could change). Polycarbonate panels, with or without keys/embossing, are another matter though.

Switches are *very* expensive indeed! I'll send you an email on some ideas there though.

I don't work in the machinery trade so I haven't ever played with a Haas or Fanuc control, so I can't really give any thoughts on that. I wish I could. Almost all of my experience is with an old Hurco and that is not very representative of a new system (conversational, not even G-code... although quite nice to use).

I like buttons, but as you stated, they are expensive. I don't like the idea of touch because of dirty fingers, but I am populating my control with a touch screen because I wasn't sure where I'd go in the future... I also don't like the idea of a mouse, frankly, but I have to have something for the odd control. If I can get away with all the 'common' things being with dedicated switches then I'll be happy. That is why I've taken so much time trying to look at what others have done, learning their weaknesses and strengths.

I bought a 1200mm x 2400mm sheet of 1.6mm aluminium for about AUD $60 or so the other day. But I went to an Aluminum supplier not ebay. Shame you guys aren't a bit closer.

Rod

Metal prices have gone through the roof here with all the noise out of the other Washington. I bought 5klbs of steel last month and it was 40% more than in December. And this was for domestically produced strip steel.

John

Indeed, those are nice buttons... In my particular case I'm a little bit in a conundrum. I scavenged a whole host of buttons off my Hurco when I decommissioned it. They are generally pretty nice, but I only have one button that is not latching and, in my tentative console design, I think I'll need three. I would prefer to have a consistent type, if possible, so I'm hunting down some others.

I do like the guys you have show, though.

So, given your experiences with your own consoles (and noting your own wishes for changes to buttons/layout), I thought I'd pass by what I was thinking of. I'd love to hear your comments. The text is for informational purposes only. It would be cleaned up with a different font, location corrected, grouping graphics added, etc. Here are some of the considerations:

• Easy access to Estop
• Ignore the small circles to the right of the switches. Those are placement holes to prevent rotation and are covered by the front of the button bezel
• The inter-button spacing (not grouping) is actually what was on the original Hurco KMB1 console. I think it is probably ideal. The inter-group spacing (1.5" OC) is my own machination
• Console on the right of the machine. I thought it would make everything less obstructed to have the buttons on the right of the display
• Inc/dec, and feed override buttons are up/down spring to center switches that are used instead of a pot (per a comment from Adam, actually, because he had indicated he didn't like his pots)
• Inc/dec refers to a tool ID (which would be on the display). The idea here is to select the appropriate tool to calibrate/zero and then you'd press calibrate. I don't think I've seen this yet so if it isn't possible to/suggested to calibrate tools this way then definitely let me know, please.
• space at top for future buttons or indicators, if required... I can't think of anything else right now
• MPG and jog buttons work, of course, as a function of the two 6 position switches to the right.
• Coolant Auto and Spindle Auto would likely be latching buttons. However, all of the buttons I have contain lights so I can reflect state via illumination easily enough.
• You can kind of get an idea of the grouping via the spacing. Eventually there will be nice borders on the graphics to delineate the groups (and text)
• Concerns: Home and Zero may be too close to one another?
• Home: would home all axis
• Zero: would home the axis selected by the rotary switch... For use with a touch-off probe.
• The blue lines delineate the bezel for the display (which is a touch, although I don't presently know if I'll use that feature)
• I'm not sure of the difference between Hold, M1 Hold. I added these because Adam had them at the start of the thread (sorry, my Hurco didn't use traditional G-Code. Further, I don't know if 'Step' is a capability in LinuxCNC. So, again, comments on these buttons are especially appreciated.

That is about it for now... Again, this is a talking point design, not a final product. Your critique is appreciated