Hi Gene, Thanks for the feedback. I find, and maybe it's a good thing, that there are less and less "roll your own" types out there so that's why I wonder about the future of LinuxCNC. MachineKit died now maybe the BeagleBone Black wasn't the best solution but it was a simple one and with the co-processors formed a tight CNC system.
But when links to web pages for support vanish it's almost like a book burning. You want to look it up but the book was burned last month and there aren't any copies. John > -----Original Message----- > From: gene heskett [mailto:ghesk...@shentel.net] > Sent: November 26, 2024 11:56 PM > To: emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] LinuxCNC future. > > On 11/27/24 01:48, John Dammeyer wrote: > > I was in a discussion with a friend about CNC systems. He's acquired a > MASSO box and commented on the superb documentation compared to his > UCCNC system for his router. > > > > My comment was that a standard PC or Raspberry Pi4 (Pi5?) and a MESA > Ethernet Interface like a 7i95 at the lowest level will run simple CNC machines > like CNC routers without fancy tool changers etc. > > > > And I reminded him that the FPGA's on the MESA products have open > source configuration. The question asked was, and I didn't have an answer, > how open source are they really? If someone wanted to do their own PC > board layout could they build an equivalent 7i92H or is there still stuff that's > proprietary? The rest of LinuxCNC is all open. May be a mine field of very > confusing and difficult to understand information but it's there for the people > who know. > > > > Nice as MASSO looks or some other systems I prefer the MESA and PC (or > Pi4/5) solution. But how does one justify a LinuxCNC solution for a simple CNC > system. Not a major overhaul of old iron that gets the old paper tape stuff > thrown out. But a brand new mill from the far east that is retrofitted with > inexpensive AC Servos? > > > > John > > > I went thru that several years ago when I bought a far eastern 600x400 > gantry mill that was 4 axis cnc with BBLB stuff much of which, like the > vfd, was thrown away because It was only manually controllable. The z > motor was too weak to pick up the spindle, and I needed a 4th B axis > too. So the electronics went in the trash trailer, a decent psu was > fitted and at first enough 2m542's found to move xy at 200 ips. I had > then just converted my sheldon to better 3 phase motors. So I bought two > more, put a 1NM 3 phase, a direct, same physical size on the Z at the > same time the OEM spindle had failed, bearings shot. Z can now lift a > kilogram heavier motor quite nicely at 75ipm. > > These 3 phase motors are stepper/servo's. Looking for a B axis, I bought > an RVS30 5/1 worm, printed a stick chuck and printed a base for all that > including the shaft adapter for the 3NM motors 8mm shaft to the 14mm > input on the RVS30. So now I have a B axis that can do 500 rpm while > synchronized to Y. Then, wanting to use buttress threads on the vice > screw I planned to make by syncing B to Y. But the 7 degree taper on the > load face looked like a lot of ticklish code to write so I printed a 7 > degree wedge to put under the spindle motor and raise it 20mm while I > was at at. Its still there. Bit is a 1/16" RN with 1/4" DOC. Wrote the > code for that, and have now made 9 screws about 50mm in diameter, with > 4mm tall buttress threads on double start for a 12mm feed per rev of the > handle. The screw is hard maple, about 12 threads engage the printed > nuts for a leg vise screw about 21" long. There is not a similar vice > making kit on the market at any price. > > Someone needed do it and the only volunteer I could find was me... I > also made an air compressor strong enough to clear the chips off the > screw, which if cutting metal can also serve as a mister. 5 little $12 > 12 volt thingy's, so quiet I cannot hear it over the spindle motor. > Figuring that bit was fragile, I've now made 9 screws and have only > broken one out of a ten pack. > > It can be done, but its been a 5 year trip so far. Now I'm rebuilding > much faster 3d printers to make the rest of it, but with only one > printer, its about 2 weeks a screw to make the rest of it. I'm plowing > new ground there too with the stepper/servo tech. Its capable of > printing a minimum of 5x faster than OOTB. > > So this 6040 mill has a shelf above it with all the electronics on it. > But I'm running out of time, 40+ years as a DM-II, And now 90 years old. > > Cheers, Gene Heskett, CET. > -- > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: > soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." > -Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940) > If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable. > - Louis D. Brandeis > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
