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  #61  
Old Thu 05 July 2012, 14:29
danilom
Just call me: Danilo #64
 
Novi Sad
Serbia
50N will be ok to counterweight 5kg , you should measure weight of total Z axis, so rack, z plate and torch together

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Kg_is_50N
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  #62  
Old Thu 05 July 2012, 14:58
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
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cool, thanks
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  #63  
Old Fri 06 July 2012, 05:36
alan254
Just call me: Al #95
 
mystic ct
United States of America
Have two new gas shocks I will sell they are Macmaster –carr
#9416K181 20 lb
and
#9416K361 15 lb

If they work i will sell cheap.

Al
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  #64  
Old Sat 07 July 2012, 05:12
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
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@alan254; sorry mate ordered them already localy...
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  #65  
Old Mon 09 July 2012, 08:46
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
updates...

dismounted everything on friday, cleaned and painted... The paint cured over the weekend, started to mount everything back where it was..

I love the color, sorry its not a mechmate blue ;-)
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  #66  
Old Mon 09 July 2012, 14:24
Alan_c
Just call me: Alan (#11)
 
Cape Town (Western Cape)
South Africa
Send a message via Skype™ to Alan_c
Our first dwarf Mechmate! (sorry - vertically challenged ) Never mind the colour, it looks cool.
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  #67  
Old Mon 09 July 2012, 17:40
zumergido
Just call me: Fernando
 
BS AS
Argentina
if you make it deeper you can use it as a swimming pool.

yellow its a nice color for a machine. dewalt maybe looking for a pattent rights.
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  #68  
Old Tue 10 July 2012, 05:08
Robert M
Just call me: Robert
 
Lac-Brome, Qc
Canada
Send a message via Yahoo to Robert M Send a message via Skype™ to Robert M
A nice fresh different set up….Congrads Branko !
To…. It’s more like an “old school” low-rider HOT-ROD…..
Great work, amicalement, Robert
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  #69  
Old Thu 12 July 2012, 02:33
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Alright folks,

some updates and questions...

We finished today our box for the electronics. Got also 3 fans to manage the cooling of everything. One huge ( 80 mm) fan is going to be mounted on the back of the box, two smaller on the sides, on the left lower side for fresh air intake, on the right upper side for warm air outtake.

As you can see i took a 1,5 mm aluminum sheet for my base plate, my first question is: should i use some sort of material that isolates the electrics from the rest of the box??

Second question; Is the allignment of the BOB and geckos alright this way?

My box is 60 cm high and 50 cm wide, did I make a too small box?? I still got my THC to fix in there...

And last but not least, how much space should i leave between the components for cable managment? Is 3 cm enough?

Thanks in advance
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Last edited by Brain; Thu 12 July 2012 at 02:35.. Reason: forgot pics
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  #70  
Old Thu 12 July 2012, 06:31
MetalHead
Just call me: Mike
 
Columbiana AL
United States of America
Is your plan to attach this to the table? I would not directly attach it to the table. Look through a few threads and you will see some nice examples.
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  #71  
Old Thu 12 July 2012, 06:41
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
@Mike; either it will be wall mounted or part of a "terminal" together with the pc screen and worktable...
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  #72  
Old Fri 13 July 2012, 05:41
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
I wish I made my plasma table as tall as this. I think I only has 50~70mm of water in my tray,,,
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  #73  
Old Wed 18 July 2012, 20:18
riesvantwisk
Just call me: Ries #46
 
Quito
Ecuador
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Branko,

I would put the torroid flat, not on its side, its just far more sturdy and it seems like you have the room.
I would also give the gecko's a bit more room for cabling.
The fans look like the 12v kind of types, i might be wrong... My personal preference for the big fan (80mm i see) is a more heavy duty 115v/230V type.
I am still missing the mains relais ?
Lastly, thats a beautifull machine you have there!
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  #74  
Old Tue 24 July 2012, 04:34
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Roadrunner aircuts....

Its alive ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta2hT...ature=youtu.be
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  #75  
Old Tue 24 July 2012, 12:21
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Hi folks,

some updates and problems...

As you could see from the previous post i got my machine to draw a roadrunner

Nice feeling to get your machine to move the first time..

So i began to play with my motor speed, acceleration , and steps per mm settings..

Also fun

So i started to get it to move in x direction and i noticed that my screen shows me movement in y direction when i reality move in x direction....

So i started to dig deeper, googled, asked for advice and so on...
It turns out that my machine doesn't do what i want it to do.

Danilom send me a calculation over on how to set the steps per mm value and i did it that way and on paper it made sense. i got 1,8degrees per step, thats 200 steps per revolution, i got a g203V drive with 10 micro steps by default, a metric gear module 1 with 24 teeth which multiplied wit PI gives me a circumference of 75,39 mm. Then i divide my 2000 micro steps with 75,39 and get a value 26.528 steps per mm. Ive thrown in the data into mach 3 and got movement....

But not very precise movement... Suddenly mach 3 shoved me on the screen that my y axis is from start to finish 8400 mm long That shocked me a little bit since I was pretty sure that should have a 2100 mm long y axis according to my build

So i tried, and tried, and didn't get it... After a while a friend stopped by and asked me if there is a different method to calibrate the whole thing.

As it turned out there is. Under settings there is a calibrate axis button, which after pressing it asks which axis i want to calibrate. So i say x and since mach thinks my x is my y i got to calibrate my cart first . Then it says, how much do you want me to move this axis. I don't know why but my friend said lets try 400 mm, so i typed 400 and it moved the cart for what mach thinks is 400. Then the screen said i should measure how far it drove. I took my meter and measured 100 mm.
So i said to mach you traveled only 100 mm, and then it suggested to me that my steps per mm are in fact 106.something.. (I'm at home right now and cannot remember the correct value.

After that i drove the cart from end to finish of my gantry and i got my 2100 mm in y direction although shoving up under x axis movement.

So we again sat down and figured, read all the manuals, searched online and didn't come up with anything.

After i got home i figured still a little bit more and i checked some mach3 tutorials on youtube where art says one thing that i know was checked but should not have been and thats the Max CL enabled checkbox. This one will set the pins and ports automatically regardless of what you say your pins and ports are.. I also noticed, but forgot during the day, that only after checking it i got movement on my machine...

I guess this will solve my problem regarding the wrong readings on each axis.

But still one unsolved problem for me remains. Why aren't my steps per mm value right, but 4 times higher then they should be? Could this be because of my motors being connected to half coil? I can't imagine that steps get lost only because i didn't use the other two coils?

Any idea on that anyone?

Long post but i guess my anxiety is speaking because i can't wait to get up tomorrow and play around a little bit more.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

ciao

Last edited by Brain; Tue 24 July 2012 at 12:24..
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  #76  
Old Tue 24 July 2012, 20:53
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Stuff which affect the configuration are
1) pinion teeth number,
2) rack & pinion specifications
3) belt reduction ratio (1:1 is for direct drive)
4)Microsoft stepping

check if all of them are in order.
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  #77  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 01:00
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Hey Ken,

as i said, i built my according to plans, which means:

1) pinion teeth number is 24 teeth
2) My rack and pinion are Metric modul 1
3) I got direct drive so the ratio is 1:1
4) Microsoft stepping is the factory settings which should be 1/10

Im not really sure about number 4 , and i dont know where i can find this one out, maybe someone got any info....

reguarding problem with max cl settings, i fixed it and i got my movement and my mach3 reading in order...
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  #78  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 01:42
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Little update...

Our calculations were correct, indeed i got 26.5258 steps per mm...

It seems that the max cl checkbox was the cause of all my problems..

I again did the calibration of X and Y and my machine now goes in each direction as it is supposed to.
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  #79  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 02:14
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
That is the cure for most setup problems . . . . . leave it alone, go and have a night's sleep, and it will all be solved early on the next day.
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  #80  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 07:22
smreish
Just call me: Sean - #5, 28, 58 and others
 
Orlando, Florida
United States of America
Gerald....you forgot to add "drink a pint"
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  #81  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 08:49
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
@smreish: Thats what i did to regain health and mana
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  #82  
Old Wed 25 July 2012, 13:51
darren salyer
Just call me: Darren #101
 
Wentzville mo
United States of America
I think its more like "drink at least a pint".
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  #83  
Old Fri 28 September 2012, 11:27
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Alright friends,

after a long time of not being able to do any real progress (due to lack of time, money, parts....) i am finally able to announce that i got my first real cuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygMDIb5Imc&feature=plcp

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAlU1aA9dXM&feature=plcp

My iphone lens is scratched out to the max so the video quality is poor, but i guess you guys can figure out what its all about.

All this was cut without water in the pool, since my first and major concern were RF interferences, which btw. are non existing.

I pretty much got all the components working, but my cabling on the table was connected only to see if everything works. So the weekend project will be to connect everything like its supposed to be connected, to finish the paint job and to finish my groundings, since im still not really feeling 100% sure about possible interferences.

I got one major/minor concern.. All the parts that i prepare in sheetcam, lets say the part is x=100 mm, y=400mm, end up cut out x=400, y=100mm.. and they are upside down, so when i cut lets say text, the side of the sheet that is facing me is mirrored... I didnt really have the time yesterday and today to figure out where the problem is but i suspect its either the thc postprocessor or my motor settings in mach, although mach homes everything correctly.

If someone had the same problem, maybe i could get a tip from him/her for free :-)

Im a little bit afraid to ask, but can i stand i line for a number already ??? ;-)

Greetings from rainy croatia
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  #84  
Old Fri 28 September 2012, 12:58
MetalHead
Just call me: Mike
 
Columbiana AL
United States of America
Dig up the dxf files in here and cut yourself some thin guage logos and paint em white and stickem on and we'll get you a serial number for sure !!!

Can't wait to see MechMate on the side of the yellow fire beast

Congrats on your build.

What plasma is that ? Those cuts on 1/2 inch plate look great !!
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  #85  
Old Fri 28 September 2012, 19:00
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brain View Post
Alright friends,


I got one major/minor concern.. All the parts that i prepare in sheetcam, lets say the part is x=100 mm, y=400mm, end up cut out x=400, y=100mm.. and they are upside down, so when i cut lets say text, the side of the sheet that is facing me is mirrored... I didnt really have the time yesterday and today to figure out where the problem is but i suspect its either the thc postprocessor or my motor settings in mach, although mach homes everything correctly.
The easiest way is to re configurate your Mach3 setting, change the X to Y axis & Y to X axis.
To change the motor direction, just swap two wires at its connection to the motor driver.

Last edited by KenC; Fri 28 September 2012 at 19:05..
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  #86  
Old Sat 29 September 2012, 00:15
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Hey Ken, thats why i asked, i didnt know which way to go, since i could have swaped this in sheetcam aswell as in mach...

@metalhead: im gonna stick em on after i finish it all, and then come and ask for a number, since im really not yet satisfied with everything.
The power source is an Esab powercut 1500 with the pt21ax cutting torch, i also have the manual cutting torch with 7,5 m cable... I got the machine for 4 years already and it served me really well, the thickest material i have cut with it was 30 mm manualy and it didnt really have any problems, two weeks ago i had some 10mm heat resistant steel to cut ( resistant up to 1200 degrees celzius) and it did a fabulous job, the only thing that i needed to adjust was the compressed air preassure to 7 bar. Didnt yet have the opportunity to cut aluminum, but im gonna go out next week to buy myself some nitrogen and to cut out my beltdrive housings that i will setup on each of my steppers.

Any questions or comments on my build are welcome.

I must admit, now that the journey is coming to an end, that this was the most fun project i ever worked on. In my career so far i have build or participated in the build of some really cool stuff but this one blows it all away. Although i became aware during the built that the mechmate design is for most users overkill for a plasma table i have no doubts at all that the decission to go with this design was the only one correct for me. The learning curve that this build started still doesn't end, and now i can proudly say that i built my own machine, that i know every detail of it, that i can mentain and repair it myself, and most importantly, that i invested in something that is going to make money, with about 30 % of the initial cost of a commercialy available router table.

Thanks everyone for your help, im gonna post some crisp pictures after i finnish the cabling like its supposed to be done.
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  #87  
Old Sat 29 September 2012, 01:38
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Congrats!!!
Welcome to the club!!!

One last question, you was worry over insufficient ramp acceleration with direct drive ramp acceleration. Now that you have a running machine, what is your verdict ?
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  #88  
Old Sat 29 September 2012, 05:24
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
its too soon for a verdict, because i ha only a few cuts on thicker sheets, my worries were concerning thinner sheets, 2mm and beyond, but i guess it shouldnt be a problem...

I also forgot to mention my mate Ivan whithout whos contribution i surely would still cut manualy all my sheets
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  #89  
Old Mon 01 October 2012, 14:38
Brain
Just call me: Branko
 
Lipik
Croatia
Send a message via Skype™ to Brain
Alright, so the first orders are already rolling in. Our first job on the mechmate plasma:

http://youtu.be/3RCk3zRBotc

Im gonna buy myself a new camera, so you guys can see some closeups of the cutouts, in the future. Im really satisfied, they are smooth , 90 degrees, and precise....

Still got some finetuning to do, but im gonna keep you up to date
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  #90  
Old Tue 02 October 2012, 01:44
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Great to watch people earning money!
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