MadModder

I found that fixing a “cheater lens” in my helmet as did gluing a piece of leather from a farriers apron to the back of my helmet down my neck to stop light entering from the rear helps enormously.
I’ve always found hitting the right spot with mig an issue that I’ve blamed on my monocular vision but maybe that’s an easy excuse. Clamping a bar parallel to the desired track that I can run the gun down, and grinding a weld prep that I can follow with stick helps me. White soapstone welders chalk also helps as it stand out in the glare.

Well, ironic possible end to this story (maybe not): NO the motor drivers were not bad.

The impetus for this GRBL project was the loss of the old Thinkpad600e laptop I used to run the CNC mill.

Since I last wrote here, I was able to get the software off of the old Thinkpad's hard drive, and image that onto the hard drive of a Thinkpad T43 laptop. And then to get that laptop's latency down via a kernel patch, to be able to run the old LinuxCNC version I had always run with this CNC mill. The T43 has a parallel port.

I therefore removed the GRBL Arduino, replaced the old parallel port breakout board that I had removed, connected up the Thinkpad, and......surprise, surprise, everything just worked! No problem with two of the drivers -- they all worked. And happily cut aluminum as commanded.

Soooooo.....something was obviously wrong with the whole GRBL scheme. I don't know why it was so flakey, and worked with only one axis. I'm wondering if it was a timing thing? Step and direction pulse width? I know you could adjust those in at least one of the CNC programs I tried. Maybe it was set too short? I don't know. I've never successfully been able to get an arduino w/GRBL going consistently.

By comparison, the LinuxCNC seems completely stable and usable.

I don't have a pressing need for the GRBL conversion now, but I get curious about this kind of stuff. I still wonder if the adapted cable would have worked, if indeed the only problem was a pulse width setting, and not the conversion itself?

Hard to let that go, even though I don't need to find out any more....

ps. I now have 4 additional brand new stepper drivers that I don't absolutely need. 

I have an old cheapie laser cutter -- built of similar aluminum extrusions, toothed belt, etc. that I absolutely never use. I think I bought the parts and built it to cut balsa, but I never have. I can't imagine using it for anything at this point. I have been wondering if I could convert it into a similar foam cutter to the one above, which I would definitely have a use for.

 

Yup. I am getting worse by the day after lessee learning to "weld" 56 years ago. Back then it was stick welding with 6013. All on a red tombstone Lincoln AC welder. Period. That was it.

I didn't progress much over the years. Maybe 6011, then 7018AC.  I'm better at grinding the blobs off, too. Okay, serviceable farm-quality welds on 1/8" and thicker steel.

Last ten years I have had a Harbor Freight electronic shade welding helmet to replace the original peephole 1930's style helmet. And two years ago, I got a wire feed flux core welder that I like a lot -- especially for doing sheet metal.

Lately I find my biggest problem isn't the welder or the brand of wire (both working really well for me). It's my ability to see what I'm doing. I don't remember having as much trouble with stick welding, but nowadays, I just can't seem to see the joint or weld puddle after the arc lights. And yet I feel it's a little dazzling, so I don't want to turn down the shade number.

My welds are all over the place, guesswork. I don't know if it's aging vision -- don't think so, I don't even need glasses normally. I weld outside due to fumes,etc. , so there's a lot of light.

Any suggestions?

No idea what you're talking about, Don, without pics anyway, but I trust that you do! As far as overseas purchases go, I always assume a kit of parts, but enjoy the low prices for them, and basically I'm a DIY guy anyway, so if I could just buy everything, and it all arrived in perfect working order, well, what would I have to do for fun?