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RobWilson:

--- Quote from: philf on January 02, 2017, 01:28:47 PM ---
Hi Rob,
By the way - I've just made some space to get the CNC Hobbymat I got from you out of the garage and into the workshop! It might still be a long time before it's cutting metal though!

Phil.

--- End quote ---

Hi Phil, well at least it has now moved into the workshop :thumbup: , It must be a few years since you pick the machine up from me, Are you going Mach 3, Linux CNC or one of those Banggood CNC controllers for the retrofit? Anyway looking forward to seeing what you do to it.

Rob.

philf:

--- Quote from: RobWilson on January 03, 2017, 09:32:22 AM ---
--- Quote from: philf on January 02, 2017, 01:28:47 PM ---
Hi Rob,
By the way - I've just made some space to get the CNC Hobbymat I got from you out of the garage and into the workshop! It might still be a long time before it's cutting metal though!

Phil.

--- End quote ---

Hi Phil, well at least it has now moved into the workshop :thumbup: , It must be a few years since you pick the machine up from me, Are you going Mach 3, Linux CNC or one of those Banggood CNC controllers for the retrofit? Anyway looking forward to seeing what you do to it.

Rob.

--- End quote ---

Hi Rob,

Mach3 for now. I already have a licensed copy from my CNC mill. I've had the stepper drivers and break-out board since shortly after picking it up. (It was July 2013!)

I wish I could try the Linux CNC route but I had a go with Linux on an old laptop a couple of years ago and it's just too 'nerdy' for me. Some swear by it but it seems so much more complicated than DOS or Windows. It certainly wasn't just a case of popping a CD in and automatically installing and running it. (It may be now?)

I've ripped all the old control out of the lathe as it was designed to run on a BBC computer and apparently the software was not very good.

All that will remain is the motor driver and maybe the power supply.

I did get a new 3-jaw for it with inside and outside jaws.

Any nearer getting back on with your CNC mill?

Cheers.

Phil.

RobWilson:
Hi Phil,

(It was July 2013!) you say, where does time go!

--- Quote ---Any nearer getting back on with your CNC mill?
--- End quote ---

I still have a fair bit to do around the shop before I can get back on with the 626 CNC conversion or any other project come to that, the new additions to the shop need a bit TLC and there are wiring and the likes still to do. So with any luck, I could be back on with it around about March-ish.

Maybe I may have my CNC project done before yours. :palm:

Rob

AdeV:

--- Quote from: philf on January 03, 2017, 10:03:36 AM ---
I wish I could try the Linux CNC route but I had a go with Linux on an old laptop a couple of years ago and it's just too 'nerdy' for me. Some swear by it but it seems so much more complicated than DOS or Windows. It certainly wasn't just a case of popping a CD in and automatically installing and running it. (It may be now?)

--- End quote ---

Hi Phil,

Linux has improved leaps and bounds, depending on whether your "couple of years ago" was actually 2 years ago, or more like 5-10 years ago.... I've installed Linux Mint on a few laptops now, and in general it's been very simple, with the desktop being ready in anything from 10 minutes to about 45, depending on the hardware. Worth trying again, if you have a spare machine lying about.

As for the "nerdiness" of Linux itself - yes, it's definitely more of a "hands on" OS than Windows, but most things can be accomplished without resorting to a terminal window these days (or, in Windows parlance, a DOS box). Avoid the likes of CentOS though, or anything RedHat based; they're more industrial strength Linuxes than Ubuntu or Mint (both Debian-based), but I find them harder to manage and less intuitive through the UI.

At home, I now use nothing but Linux. Still using Windows 7 at work, and apart from the fact my network card is slowly dying, I've so far had not had to re-install my machine (unlike my Windows 10 colleague, who is up to 2 rebuilds now)...

philf:
Hi Ade,

It probably wasn't much more than 2 -3 years ago and I think it was Mint I tried.

From memory it still wasn't that straightforward (for me anyway) and the download didn't create a useable OS without some messing about. I remember having to create partitions and there was something to with GRUB (whatever that was) I had to sort. The laptop really was old - something like a 233MHz Dell and very little memory - and it was incredibly slow. I did a complete wipe of the hard drive and took it up to a local charity shop.

I've just binned the last of my old PCs to earn some brownie points with my wife. Perhaps I'll get one of the very cheap small form factor Dells off eBay and try again.

Mach3 can only use a one pulse per rev encoder on the spindle so threading can be hit or miss particularly if you don't have much spindle power and the speed can vary. I think LinuxCNC can take an input from a multi ppr encoder which gives a much more reliable result.

I've still got a 6" Abwood vice waiting here (for your shaper?) if you still want it.

Cheers.

Phil.

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