Arduino ?

[HS93]

A man after my own heart, Chuck.
I have always enjoyed dabbling in electronics - I bought my first transistor, an OC71, back in 1962 (not that long after they were invented) and I still remember crying when I blew it up!

My first lathe came as a swap for my Dad's old anvil, so I had to begin learning to make swarf. A set of steam-engine castings was made from milk-bottle tops, melted on the gas cooker.

When a friend gave me parts of an old, oak table-top, I just had to build a (wood) lathe to turn the legs. But I couldn't get them even vaguely similar by hand so I made a copying attachment, utilising my near-forgotten electronics.

To make it more versatile, the computer could probably control both the cutter (Z-axis) and the 'saddle' (X-axis). Enter another bout of learning, which ended up with making a 3-axis, CNC router balanced on a washing-machine casing.

Nowadays, I combine woodwork (for pattern making), foundry (for my castings), mini-lathe (for machining) and Arduino because it is flexible (and reasonably forgiving.)

Geoff

Ahh OC71 s if you scraped the black paint off you could make a light activated switch , they where a big change to playing with Xtal sets.

Peter

 

[cfellows]

Just scored one of these on eBay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280823538595?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_5138wt_952

It's a 16 x 2 LCD display and 5 button keypad shield for the Arduino. The keypad uses one Arduino analog pin and the LCD uses 7 digital output pins. I think this unit plus the stepper driver I purchase should give me everything I need for a reasonably nice digital dividing head. The Arduino reset key would be used to reset everything to zero, the up and down keys would be used to set the number of divisions and the left and right keys would be used to step backward and forward one division. The select key could be used for the home position or perhaps something else. The LCD can be used to display the number of division as well as which position you are currently on.

I know this is the easy way out, but it should be fun and I'm only out about $50 for the whole thing. Lots of other experimenting opportunities as well since I have a source for input and a display for output. Cheap at twice the price if you ask me!

Chuck

 

[Herbiev]

Philips also sold an OCP71. ( an OC71 that had not been painted). And they were expensive too.

 

[crob09]

Arduino is now offering motor shield modules(controls ) a single stepper and relay shieds 4relays on the board. Wondering has anyone here used the arderino for cnc and how it is set up and how well it works .
I know tom was doing some arduino work making his own board.
mostly curious I need to use my cnc before I think about more experimenting.
I am thinking about the relay board though cheap $20

Tin

The RepRap 3D printer uses Arduino. It's basicly a mill that extrudes plastic.

Cheers,

Rob

Http://www.whatisacnc.om

 

[Tin Falcon]

Rob

Interesting to note that the reprap 3-D printer uses the Arduino board. However these experimental platforms are nothing like a milling machine. A milling machine removes material with a rotating cutter. A 3-D printer deposits small drops blobs of plastic under numerical control.
Two very different critters. different machines different processes.

Also Please please post an introduction in the welcome sub fora . Tell us a bit about yourself you life experience. your home shop and your interest in building model engines and last but not least location.
Tin

 

[geoff p]

Personally, I would Not use the motor shield because a/ the current-capability is quite small and b/ it is an expensive way to drive a stepper.

Thanks to Chuck's earlier input, I bought two Pololu drivers, and have them driving two 200-oz-inch steppers. They are excellent! Despite the literature reminding you that they can get hot, mine remain at about room temperature. Mind you, I only run an Amp through them - enough for my needs.

I have downloaded (from GitHub) a CNC-interpreter called Grbl, and this sits on(in?) an Arduino Uno, permanently hooked to the two Pololu boards.

Having experimented with several 'communications' apps, I've settled on gcodesender.exe. I find the combination of Grbl + gcodesender is very forgiving of my G-coding mistakes.

The downside(s):
Windoze USB drops out 'just because it feels like it', sometimes in the middle of a cut;
Since it was a bit of a fiddle to install Grbl, I'm reluctant to use that Uno for anything else;
Grbl cannot (yet?) handle ALL g-codes, but they are working on it!

Before coming across Grbl, I had spent weeks trying to write my own interpreter and failing miserably. I won't bore you with that.

My little lathe has very limited capacity but I now have the facility to use my pseudo-mill + steppers + Arduino (as above) to mill (fairly) circular holes, flat surfaces, whatever: once the coding is done, send it to the machine, then sit back and sup coffee whilst the machine does the making-swarf bit.

A few years ago I enjoyed using Mach2/Mach3 software with my home-made router. Unfortunately, my present computer doesn't have a parallel printer-port - it's all USB - and I cannot justify the hassle/expense to convert Mach3 to run via USB.

The Arduino + Grbl solves the problem in one go. It is natively USB and all the calculations, conversions etc are done on the board, right next to the milling machine. The 'speed' of the port doesn't matter as the Arduino simply receives a block of code not the minutia of what-pulses-to-which-motor, and the Pololu drivers are much cheaper than the driver-boards I used to use.

Geoff

 

[crob09]

Rob

Interesting to note that the reprap 3-D printer uses the Arduino board. However these experimental platforms are nothing like a milling machine. A milling machine removes material with a rotating cutter. A 3-D printer deposits small drops blobs of plastic under numerical control.
Two very different critters. different machines different processes.

Also Please please post an introduction in the welcome sub fora . Tell us a bit about yourself you life experience. your home shop and your interest in building model engines and last but not least location.
Tin

No a 3 axis mill moves a spindle on three plains, X, Y and Z. In the case of the 3D printer an Extruder or Deposition head is used rather than a spindle like a dremel, some mills use only carbide inserts, look at vertical boaring mills.
I also have a three axis mill with four Nema 17 motors working with a VB program and Arduino as the PLC, I can provide a link to the software and it is free.
Here is a video of a 3Axis RepRap machine being setup to work with Mach3 and a DB25 interface. These are TB6560 IC's http://whatisacnc.com/driver-board/
Note: if I place a spindle on the X axis opposed to a deposition head, the machine will cut material.

 

[steamer]

Hey Crob09,

How's it going man....do us a favor and post a introduction in the welcome section and tell us about yourself. We like to know who people are. As you can imagine we get spam like you read about, and this introduction process helps us keep this place clean.

So help me out alright?

Thanks!

Dave

 

[crob09]

Hey Crob09,

How's it going man....do us a favor and post a introduction in the welcome section and tell us about yourself. We like to know who people are. As you can imagine we get spam like you read about, and this introduction process helps us keep this place clean.

So help me out alright?

Thanks!

Dave

Hi Dave,
I am well thanks for asking, how are you?
I think you asking me to introduce myself is a little off this foums topic dont you? I also don't see how I could be determined as a Spammer or Bot, obviously the information I am providing is not the style used by someone spamming.
What is your definition of spam anyway?
As for posting in another location to tell people who I am and what I am about is pointless, this is not a job, I am not applying for anything, I am just expressing my opinion and I am answering questions the best way I know how, this is the first time I have ever had a person ask me to "Introduce myself".
If you feel this is a problem I will simply stop using this forum and I will explain why I have chosen to stop using this forum based on dialogue like this on ALL of my websites.
BTW do you like steam engines? I have a whole bunch of them!
Normally a person who is spamming will do just as you suggested and use the "Intrduce yourself" part of the forum to get a link out there, you may want to reconcider your request.
If you want to know something just ask, however I will not disclose any personal information.
What would you like to know about me "Steamer"?

 

[steamer]

Well ......I tried

 

[RonGinger]

I spent a few minutes browsing around the site that Rob shows in his signature- after I corrected his typo of the domain .om to the obvious .com

The site is full of misinformation about like he as posted here. It looks like a noble effort, but just plain wrong in lots of places.

For example, from the page titled Milling:

A well known free almost CAM program is Mach3, it is used to convert the image you made using the CAD program (Google Sketchup) exported to a .dxf or .stl file, into something the machine understands like "G" code, or "M" code. Mach3 also has a Beta (new in testing) program called "Lazycam" that works as a CAD program, it can also convert non Vector images into Vector images. The program is also free.

To be correct, Mach is not free, it has a limited function demo mode. It is not a CAM program, it is controller software. It has no ability to read .dxf or .stl The Lazycam part of Mach is years beyond beta, and now into a category of unsupported.

I found many other examples, but since I am qualified to speak for Mach ( I actually do support work for Mach) I chose to highlight it.

I think this site is one to avoid if you are looking for correct CNC info.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Agreed Ron CNC is confusing enough to a beginner without being fed bad info.
Tin

 

[Herbiev]

Crob09. If you read the rules you will see what Steamer is asking. We just want to know who we are talking to

 

[Tin Falcon]

Crob09 had to be banned seem he did not want to follow the simple rules here
tin

 

[John S]

Good move, I could see the beginnings of a series of troll posts or at the least much mis-information.
Problem with the internet is once it's out there, it stays out there.

 

[Herbiev]

Good move Tin. I fully agree with John S

 

[Tin Falcon]

So back on track ? practical used for arduino? looks like pretty much limited to small applications like 3-d printers and the like I know chuck is using one as a platform for a digital dividing head.
Tin

 

[geoff p]

That comes across as pretty condescending, Tin.

The Arduino can easily control ANY three-axis machine, be it a putter-onner (3D printers) or taker-offer (mill, router, etc) or cutter-outer (laser, plasma etc) and the size of the machine is of no concern to the Arduino, which simply provides the control signals.

For the home model engine machinist, 4-, 5-, 6-axis machines are very unlikely to crop-up very often, and whilst I envy the people who can afford a complete machining-centre, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't put one in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Besides, such equipment is very likely to have it's own software/controllers/drivers built-in.

Just as desktop-computer software (I have Mach3 demo, which is blooming marvelous) can do nothing without suitable interfaces (breakout board, drivers etc) so also for the Arduino. On the other hand, you can't remove the processor from say Mach3 to control a porch light!

Geoff

 

[steamer]

I'm sorry...how is it condescending?....
Or perhaps I should ask why you think it is?

Dave

 

[geoff p]

looks like pretty much limited to small applications like 3-d printers

as if being able to control real machines but not at the same time as playing the 1812 overture just isn't enough. It reads to me as though you are trivialising the Arduino.

Let me turn your question around: what do chaps consider as a non-small application?

I do most of my preparatory work on the desktop (paper-and-pencil) and occasionally transfer some of that to a drawing package, which doesn't do .dxf files.

If the job/part involves repetitive cuts or very slow cuts or fancy curves, I simply write a .txt file of G-code (in a Text editor on my Desktop-computer) then send that .txt file to the controller of my cutting-machine, be it lathe or mill. That controller might be Mach3, on the Desktop-computer, or the Arduino computer on whichever machine.

If I use Mach3, it is recommended not to run other applications at the same time. On the other hand if I use Arduino, I can still play music/do something-else at the Desktop-computer while the Arduino digests a block of code before requesting another block. (Its speed is limited by my cutting machine - I seldom cut at anything faster than 125mm per minute. In fact one job on the lathe cuts at only 1mm per minute and takes 55 minutes for one traverse.)

Geoff