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  #1  
Old Wed 15 August 2007, 13:20
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
CandCNC.com control box components and full box solution

Tom Caudle asked me very nicely if he may introduce himself to this group and he is the first vendor to actually ask first. So, my answer to him is a generic one:

Tom, you are well respected and known around the CNC community, so please free to contribute to this group. All that I ask is that the "vending" comes secondary to a general "helping out", as you do on other forums. Welcome!
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  #2  
Old Sat 18 August 2007, 17:21
Tom Caudle
Just call me: Tom
 
Texas
United States of America
Gerald thanks for the intro. I do make my living selling electronics to DIY CNC'rs and a few OEM table vendors. I have personally built several machines (including "Florence") my first Servo/stepper/plasma/router table. I have helped hundreds others build machines and work through the electronics and software. I have been a fan of MACH (originally Master 5) since Art first introduced it over 5 years ago. All of our products are optimized for use with MACH.

I am an EE but spent the last 20 years in and around computers and networks. I moved out of the big city (Dallas TX) in 1998 and decided I wanted to cut decorative steel and wood and get out of driving 120 miles round trip and putting up with 63 whiney employees under me in the IT dept.

I built "Flo" and about 15 minutes into my first cuts realized I was never going to make money cutting steel without a working THC (Torch Height Controller) I couldn't afford anything on the market (in 2002) so I designed and built my own. Thus was born the original THC300 (analog THC) and the later MP1000-THC Digital THC.

We still have the steel cutting biz (and Flo) but it's become a "hobby" (we turn down most work) because our electronics line is become a 10 hr/day business!

I hate to lapse into marketing but I just announced a new line of modular plug together cards that cuts the amount of hand wiring in a controller with Gecko's to virtually nothing. The web site has full info.

I am happy to help anybody out that is interested in Home Shop CNC. My intense area of expertise is CNC plasma cutting but I have lots of experience with MACH, SheetCAM, Gecko's, Power supplies and controllers and starting to work with VCarve for the wood carving. We have an engraving machine and table top router and I do all of the "programming" for it and other machines in our shop.

So, if any of you want to know what it would take to make a MechMAte cut steel (with plasma) then fire away! If you need to know things about steppers and/or servo and the power needed fire away! We have shop machines that cut aluminum, wood and even a full sized Vertical Mill retro fitted with Big servo's.

I think a lot of the builders think THEY are the only ones that aren't electrical/electronic experts. Not so.

I can't tell you how many times a week I get a call that starts out:
"Well, I'm pretty good with mechanical stuff and I can build things out of wood and metal but I don't know much about electronics......."

I always tell them that they have skills and talents I don't have and I respect them for having the drive to step out and build a machine for themselves.

I invite anybody that wants to plug into another channel of builder info, to join my CandCNCSupport Yahoo Forum. It's open to all seekers of CNC knowledge ; not just our customers.

Any questions just drop me an email (address on the website). I try to answer all questions about CNC I feel qualified to answer


tomCAUDLE

I'll cruise the lists and threads and help out where I can and promise to leave my marketing hat in the closet!
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  #3  
Old Sat 18 August 2007, 20:25
Marc Shlaes
Just call me: Marc
 
Cleveland, OH
United States of America
Send a message via Skype™ to Marc Shlaes
Tom,

Welcome! I can sure vouch for Tom's willingness to help newbies understand. I was one of those people who started the conversation exactly as he stated. Tom, I don't know if you remember me but I was the one that first told you about the Mechmate forum. I knew from talking to you that your willingness to help would make you fit in here very well.

Enjoy!
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  #4  
Old Sun 19 August 2007, 16:13
Tom Caudle
Just call me: Tom
 
Texas
United States of America
Hey Marc! I DO remember! It took me a while to get around to joining. Things are pretty busy now but I still have time to help a newbie in the electronics.

TOM C
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  #5  
Old Sun 19 August 2007, 20:44
Greg J
Just call me: Greg #13
 
Hagerman, New Mexico
United States of America
Tom,

Very cool to have another knowledgeable person adding to this great site.

I would never have come close to building a CNC router if it wasn't for Gerald's site, and the helpful advice, experiences, and pictures from people all over this world. When I watch the NASA channel and see the wonderful views from space, its blows me away to think I'm building something originated from the tip of South Africa,

Hey Gerald, do you realize what you've created here?

Greg
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  #6  
Old Sun 19 August 2007, 22:58
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
I wouldn't say it originated from the tip of South Africa. Hardly anything in the MechMate is original. In fact, it is quite a conservative design based on tried and tested technologies.

What makes the project original is probably the way in which it is presented. My guess is that MechMate tells a man in the street that a pro machine is not out of reach, and then proceeds in simple language to guide one through the process - or something like that....
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  #7  
Old Mon 20 August 2007, 07:13
Hugo Carradini
Just call me: Hugo
 
Pto. Ordaz
Venezuela
Hello Tom.
Welcome. It is nice to know that there is some one qualified that can help us go to a next step keeping the technical standards that characterize this great forum. My goal after I finish my MECHMATE is building a "Plasma cutter" MECHMATE and hope you can help me.
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  #8  
Old Wed 22 August 2007, 12:47
Tom Caudle
Just call me: Tom
 
Texas
United States of America
Thanks Hugo. We can make the MechMate into a very nice CNC plasma cutting machine. You will find, that is you build a 3 axis router design and have at least 200 IPM top speeds, you can easily add plasma and torch height control using MACH and hardware we sell. We have hundreds of home built plasma cutters out there cutting away!

The thread for plasma cutting is over here:
http://www.mechmate.com/forums/showthread.php?t=428
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