Advanced Search

more update. i haven't posted here must because the discord forum usually helps me with understanding something claude is making up and I'd say I've gotten to the point where the machine is commissioned. half of the problems was just about electrical connections so, note to future self, don't use splices. just wait a day for a new wire to show up and spend that extra 20 bucks. 

so a 5axis retrofit is very doable, but:
(a) pay close attention to the physical properties of the machine. It's very use dependent. If you are carving foam, a direct drive or belt reduction is probably ok, and this actually makes a DIY solution for the physical build quite tenable. I think wood would be fine too if you are carving. For joinery, the precision will most certainly call for a harmonic drive (as in my use case). this means (A) weight, and ( the weight is about 300mm away from the Z axis guide. There is really no away around this. This then means that your gantry will either need to be fixed, or the there is some counterweight, or, "built like they used to be" (as in my case). I also think Z axis clearance is crucial. Have at least 18in.

That's it really. The rest is kinda sorta a load of wiring because the extra axis adds a lot of wires. Happy to take questions if there are any, but I think I'm safely migrating towards calibration, gui setup, and hopefully, making parts and prospering soon after. so glad I chose this over the other controllers

Yes, they are at assembly currently.

7i73 boards are not in stock at Mesa, so i'm just checkin if its still a viable board and will be back in stock at some point.
dont wanna spend too much time designing it in if not.
 

Yup! It may take some fiddling to get the speed you asked for to match the speed you get, but it should at least "just work"

gotcha, so I would just adjust it in LinuxCNC?

The 7i96S board has an analog spindle out which should work for that purpose - it's implemented as an isolated digital potentiometer.

Different question: if I want to control my spindle's speed, I do this through software, right? My Sherline mill's speed control uses a 0-7V range to control its speed using a potentiometer.

I have something very similar and would love to pick your brain on the ins and outs of your retrofit. I just acquired a machine myself and would like to bring this into the modern world now!

my machine was "only" a three axis machine too, but I just kept adding to it...
Mesa and Wifi should be OK; my machine has two ethernet ports. You just don't want mesa packets on the same wire as other packets.

My machine is only a 3-axis machine. I'm not sure of how much more I/O I really need. I plan on using the old Dell for LinuxCNC, so I really don't need to worry about having a free Ethernet port. Can you use a Mesa card and a WiFi card at the same time? If not, I'm fine with using the old sneakernet method.

If you're using one of the ethernet-connected Mesa cards, you'll want a dedicated ethernet port on your pc to access it - don't share it with a connection to your home router (if you're not using wifi). PnCconf is otherwise sufficient to get you going, although I think you'll eventually find yourself hand-modifying your config files to do custom things

One consideration for the Mesa cards: if you think you'll need more field I/O, you might as well pay a little extra and get a card with that built-in. I.e. 7i76EU instead of 7i96S

I feel like making foolish decisions, so I think I'm going to go with the Mesa card. How hard is the setup? I know you can use PnCconf, but is that enough to get you going, or do you need to do anything extra?

I am not a regular on the linuxcnc forum so please bear with me if I am not following the protocol/etiquette.  The Remora RP2040-w5500 looks like a great approach to a cost effective linuxcnc setup.  It is hard for me to understand how stable the current software/design is.  Are people using it routinely or is it still being developed?   About a year ago I started down the Remora path with one of the 3D printer stepper boards only to find out that the on-line documentation was not up to date.  I appreciate how complex this project is and can understand if it is not ready for prime time.  TIA.
 

Logthor wrote:

GRBL or LinuxCNC

GRBL is a good and cheap driver, but only with basic capabilities.
The problem is in communication, the PC sends a full line of g-code and waits for confirmation of its execution.
It is not possible to create loops, conditions or use variables.
(In FluidNC they try to bypass this, but the effect is far from expected.)
LinuxCNC does not have these limitations that will start to irritate you sooner or later.

So if you only want to use some specific CAD/CAM program to generate g-code, then you can use GRBL.
LinuxCNC, on the other hand, offers practically unlimited possibilities.

I converted a manual KBC GRIP-1340 lathe to CNC, kept the handwheels connected via encoders. I can manually machine or NC with it, It is more like a 'teaching' lathe, or tool room cnc lathe. Gives you the ability to quickly face or turn a diameter without having to write code or install a gui/cam thing to do it for you.

When i spin the handwheels, then stop, the machine stops. Encoder over-run is something you can disable. Sure you dont get feedback like a manual crank, but for the odd time doing something it doesnt matter. I put microswitches in the feed sticks and spindle fwd/rev lever, right now im using on screen dials to set the pitches and speeds, but its very similar to a manual lathe when you want it to be, and exactly a CNC lathe when it has to be.

I ended up using a 7i76E and 360ppr encoders connected with a small timing belt to 3d printed gears secured to the hand wheels inside an apron box i made from some rectangle tubing. My X ballscrew isnt in the apron it is beside the cross slide. I still have the cross slide on the lathe incase a quick taper job is required. Ill probably end up ditching it eventually for a more solid mount as its a weak point.

Anyways, the machine has made its money back and then a small fountain of cash to fund the other toys. It might not be everyones cup of tea, but it works very well.