Yesterday I got my Max NC 10 to run a demo for me.
I first had to build it from 115V/60Hz into a 230V/50Hz. That was easy.
Then I had to find a PC with a parallel port. That was hard, because I first took a wrong path trying a PCMCIA pluggable parallel port on a laptop. That just didn’t Work, although I really tried. A week later, a friend came by with a laptop with a built in parallel port, and my Max jumped in action almost immediately.
Now Mach3 has been set up for initial runs and I saw the first run without a tool in the spindle.
Success…
But the Max is without limit switches, so i should really fix that first. Everything will be so much easier if Mach 3 knows the machine limits and some well known reference position. That is my next goal.
I had serious problems with my parallel port on the laptop with lost steps and power. The solution was a 10.- parallel-port card with pci powermanagement. Great to see your machine breathing!
I find it easier to just add a external PCI parallel port to a MATX board best to find one with a single PCIe for a low end GPU and 3 PCI to add LPT cards (I have 2 with the second configured for many more inputs)
I wouldn’t recommend a laptop though im using a old dell 15" monitor and may one day add a usb touch panel to it
I totally agree on the laptop thing. I’m still in the build-up process. When major problems are out of the way I will set up an ordinary PC, with reduced Windows XP and touch screen.
I amalso designing and building a tablesize CNC router with a friend, and this is the machine we are going to use to mill and drill some of the parts for the large CNC.
The Max NC 10 have never been running. It was stored out of the way, when the former user found out is was 115V. It was my luck to be at the right time at the right moment to get my hands at it.
I’ll look into the MATX board that @Mark_Collins write about.
XP end of life is just for security updates though the OS itself will still work (correct me if I’m wrong) and since your machine should not be connected to the internet then it shouldn’t matter ?
@Mark_Collins
Define “work”. Having a CNC machine not networked is a bit inconvenient. I guess you can always feed it floppies of gcode to run. heh Just use LinuxCNC Mach3 sucks anyways.
@Mark_Collins
I looked into Mach3 a bit more earlier and you can even run it on Windows 8. So you can run an up to date OS version. I still think Mach3 looks like a half ass video slot machine though.
It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows XP. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware and help keep users and their data safer. PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014, should not be considered to be protected, and it is important that you migrate to a current supported operating system – such as Windows 8.1 – so you can receive regular security updates to protect their computer from malicious attacks.
@Henrik_Larsen the standard mach3 gui is not the nicest - but there is a gui editor, and a lot of themes out there. I like mach3 - but linuxcnc is great, too.
I was talking about the linux one…But who wants flash? Plain n simple, especially with software that has to be run on older type machines with parallel ports. I mean, that’s just what you need on a 10 hour run, is for it to skip a few steps because it was busy calculation a screen update for the fancy GUI… right…?
@Henrik_Larsen
What a machine is capable of is determined by a number of factors. Power output, and spindle rotational speed are two that will decide if it is at all possible. Then there is rigidity, if the machine can run without chatter. Satisfy all of that and you can do the work.
All of that having been said I’ve heard about people upgrading the spindle motors on a MaxNC 10 and ultimately moving on to a larger machine too.
I will say they didn’t put those mounting holes in that machine’s base because they had nothing better to do. Bolting that machine down to a solid foundation would increase its range. When I say solid foundation I’m thinking about something heavy too. Like maybe an old engine flywheel, or perhaps a sink cut out. That might dampen chatter for you.
I know on my mill what way oil I use is a large factor in cutting down chatter too. I use chainsaw bar lube. It makes a big difference. Industry standard is something like Vactra #2 bar oil is just easier to get though.
There’s your hot tip of the day use bar lube on your machines! Do NOT use motor oil! Motor oil contains detergents that are hygroscopic. That means they attract water out of the air. Which is fine if your oil goes into a cylinder now and again to flash off. Not so good laying on the surface of machinery though. Bar lube sticks like glue. So go out and buy a quart.
Bar lube can also resurrect noisy computer fans for all of you computer geeks out there. Just get some of that lube up in there on the shaft and it’ll run better than new.
You’ll be able to accurately predict what will happen before a cutter hits your workpiece. The value of that cannot be overstated. Not with what tooling costs.
