On 2/5/2015 2:04 PM, Gene Heskett wrote: > On Thursday, February 05, 2015 11:08:52 AM andy pugh wrote: >> Have I already asked this? >> >> It would be really nice if an M-code could send a network broadcast to >> all the machines on my local network (Mac, PC, Linux) to tell me that >> a machine needs attention. >> >> (At the moment that attention is unclamping the A-axis so that it can >> re-position the part) >> >> Any ideas? > I have, in my mind, a similar project, in my case I need to energize an air > valve that will inject about 100 psi into the body of my A table and free it > up to be able to move under the control of the motor on it, this need created > by the rotational backlash in it if the center bearing is not pulled down > tight. > > Uber cheap 100 USD 4" centerless table from Grizzy. And its still a bit big > for my mill as I need, but have not made, a 45 degree mount so the motor is > not in the way of the head from sticking out at a 45 degree up angle. > > The air pressure, which also blows the grease out thru the bottom bearing, > lifts the table rim off the base casting and frees it up so the motor can move > it reliably. > > I keep scouring the net looking for a suitable electrically controled air > valve, but anything worth buying is in the $100 USD range so I am > understandably dragging my feet. The other option would be a heavy contact > relay to start and stop one of these auto tire cigarette lighhter driven > pumps. That too would need a healthy 15 volt supply at probably 15-20 amps. > Or a cheap trickle charger on a lawn mower/motorcycle battery. Duty cycle > wouldn't be excessive in most usage. > > As far as the control of the valve , or pump is concerned, I think Motion may > have an output I can trigger the valve with. But I don't ATM recall its name. > Might have to rig an interlock for about a second to give the pump time enough > to make usable pressure if thats how I do it. Hal and motion have all sorts > of stuff to carve up a usable control. That may in fact be the better way to > do it. Perhaps your table lock could be rigged similarly? > > See what happens when I let my imagination out to play? :) > > Cheers, Gene > Gene,
Harbor Freight has a cheap as hell air compressor that goes on sale frequently. >>http://www.harborfreight.com/3-gal-13-hp-100-psi-oilless-pancake-air-compressor-61615.html I bought one to inject air into my well water system (the system is complex.. long story) I wired one of these in almost 3 years ago and it cycles periodically. Maybe every few days. I bought the first one on sale for I think, $39 and I bought a second one since I was pretty certain the first one would fail within a year. That didn't happen. (I did follow the break in instructions.) If you get one of these and buy a quality surplus air valve off Ebay (Asco red hat etc), you should be set. The air reservoir tank will help float the table. If you need more air tank capacity, a 20 gallon propane tank mounted upside down (so water does not collect in the tank) is a cheap reservoir. Dave --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dive into the World of Parallel Programming. The Go Parallel Website, sponsored by Intel and developed in partnership with Slashdot Media, is your hub for all things parallel software development, from weekly thought leadership blogs to news, videos, case studies, tutorials and more. Take a look and join the conversation now. http://goparallel.sourceforge.net/ _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
