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Thread: Extra Long LCD Keypad Ribbon Cables for sale

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by erick3525 View Post
    I think a honking big stepper would wreak havoc on the CW's plastic reduction gear train. Also, the CW uses a lot of gear reduction to accommodate weaker motors and it gives more precision to the movement.
    I meant to directly drive the belts. I thought you would not want anything to do with the backlash of those little plastic gears. That would mean writing code to deal with the two encoder feedback system like LHR has done. I thought a direct drive stepper was the simple solution.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by bergerud View Post
    I meant to directly drive the belts. I thought you would not want anything to do with the backlash of those little plastic gears. That would mean writing code to deal with the two encoder feedback system like LHR has done. I thought a direct drive stepper was the simple solution.
    Could compensate for backlash in the CNC software which to me is much simpler than writing code. I have no intention to develop my own software when there is well established opensource software for the task. To your point about eliminating the drive gears, that really doesn't sound like a bad idea. That would nix the idea of using a nema 17 stepper, but I think you could get a strong enough nema 23 in the x axis motor slot.

  3. #23
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    With the X Drive, my thoughts are that the reduction gears are the best solution to drive that weight and the double check system that LHR has developed checking for lost motion with 2 encoders, the one on the X motor and the Brass Roller is excellent. Sure I am a LHR Chearleader... without the uniform...

    So the Y and Z Axis would be a easy conversion but the X would give the most challanges in my opinion. At first in 2007 I had thought the X Servo Motor was driven by 115 VAC due to the weight and I saw the Q1 Transistor on the X Termination Board and the 115 VAC. It was only later I found out that the Q1 was the on off switch for the cut motor... I was Impressed that the little X Motor could do so much work with the reduction gears and was the same size as the Y and Z... Impressive....

    In my opinion Servo's like LHR is using are better than Steppers without feedback. I don't have much real world hands on with steppers, it's all been mostly Servos... Sony used a few steppers for light weight tasks like applying a sticker to a picture tube. From my first Navy Analog Gun Fire Control Computer in 1977 to Servo Controlled Fanuc Robots and Factory Automation at the Sony Picture Tube Plant in San Diego in 1995. Servos are Continious and steppers are like the like the name... steps... Both accomplish the end task but Servos are like a clock that is always on time... and a stepper is like a stopped clock.. only accurate twice a day.... The Stepper is always lagging... In MY opinion....

    Steppers that loose counts because the electrical push is not powerful enough to push through a problem like I had seen on the Shop Bot Forum years ago when the rails got Tweeked. But when you add a Encoder feedback to a stepper then you have continious feedback of did the stepper accomplish it's mission.... Encoders come in 2 flavors. The Absolute where it ues a Binary Disk and is zeroed once and never forgets it's home position. And... I can's think of the name... but the one that LHR uses bumps into the left side of the machine for Y and the top mechanical stop for the Z. It then counts pulses from that BUMP and knows where it is.... That is why it goes through the procedure of establishing home on startup. And if you loose power the machine will need to re home before starting over.. With the more expensive Absolute encoders for example at Sony if a power fluctuation knocks the whole plant off line you would find dozens of glass picture tubes in mid cycle stopped... They made 17 and 19 inch Computer Monitor Picture Tubes and 20, 27, and 32 inch TV Tubes in a 24 hour a day plant when I started in 95. All gone now... With the Absolute Encoders guys like me restarting the equipment were less likely to get hurt with dropped and imploding glass...

    If we can take the Sarcasum of Open Source / LHR out of this it would be an enjoyable thread for the electronic guy in me...

    so.... Show us what you GOT.... Pictures would be nice along the way.

    With this concept you could even make this a 48 inch machine..... Rails are Rails....

    Lets have some Alternate CW Fun.....

    This is the most fun in Alternate CW Fun since I heard of the machine that used 4 Air Cylinders to lower the head onto the board eliminating the 2 Jacking Screws. This let FULL LENGTH Cains be carved with a Rotary, 10 inhces at a time.

    AL

    Picture 1 is my first Analog Computer 1977
    Picture 2 is the Radar Position Input Device to the computer, off the coast of Japan 1977
    Picture 3 is a picture I took from that Gray Box as my job was to quickly aim the dish at the splash point of the rocket launched torpedo. I triggered my Vivitar 600 camera by accident from the noise.
    Picture 4 My first Digital Computer at the School in Great Lakes in 1984. The input and output device. I finished the school and then turned around and started teaching it after I made Chief (E7) in 85.
    Picture 5 the little Univac UYK-20 Digital Computer and 3/4 inch magnetic tape drive behind it. State of the Art at the time... A Cell Phone has more computing power than 10 of them now.

    So I have a Servo and Electronic background and why I have so much interest in the workings of the CW.
    Last edited by Digitalwoodshop; 10-31-2013 at 12:04 PM.
    Favorite Saying.... "It's ALL About the Brass Roller"..... And "Use MASKING TAPE" for board skipping in the X or breaking bits.

    Follow ME on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accoun...50019051727074

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  4. #24

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    A quick response to the "Sarcasm of Open Source / LHR": For a quick, basic project, a close to stock CW would be the simple solution. For a project with special considerations such as a desire for unsupported tooling, using the CW with G-code interpreter software could offer some benefits. I don't think that one is a good replacement for the other, but rather that each has a different application. To accomplish such a build, there is also some proprietary software such as Mach3 or the upcoming Mach4 that would be worth keeping in mind.

    That said, ideally I would like at some point to have both an LHR controlled CW and some form of a CW like CNC router. Actually before buying a new CW I had tried to find a broken CW to convert to CNC, but at the time, the price difference I found between a broken machine and a new CW base model was not that much different. I decided to just buy a brand new one with the intent that if it should ever die, I resurrect it to run conventional software. The change of opinion that I have had since buying a CW is that it would be worthwhile to have one in the shop running its native software, but I still would like a router built around the CW conveyors. Also, using my own liberal interpretation of the saying, "if it ain't broke don't fix it", I would want to attempt this build on a dead CW.

    I did purchase a used set of the conveyors with the rubber belt. The question to me is, whenever I do get to this build, do I use a dead CW, or use those conveyors to build a CW clone. One thought that I had was to use the CW to build the frame for a CW clone using a closed loop stepper system. I assume that the CW can handle UHMW well and that would be well suited for the frame. That could potentially allow for adding width to the cutting area of the CW, although I don't currently see a reason to go much further.

    One question, has anyone tried the CW memory card in another form of PCMCIA card reader? It would be interesting to see if another reader is able to see the card and files outside of the Designer software. The g-code files that I use now can be opened and manipulated like a text file without special software. It is probably a bit too optimistic, but I am curious if the memory card files once accessed could be viewed and possibly edited the same way.

  5. #25
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    Having the Conveyor Belt setup my first thought is to use the max width of the conveyor and start with that and build a from scratch CNC... This is getting interesting...

    As for the PCMCIA I have not heard of anyone with luck tapping into the secrets of the computer or card. Remember the machine operating system is contained on the card and having different cards with different versions of designer can be done.

    The machine is brain dead without a card installed and booted up. Similar to a PLC or Program Logic Controller use in Factory Automation.

    The closest thing to gaining knowledge of the DB25 connector attached to the copmuter is the Voice Talker Project. A Experimental Device that LHR supported the maker by adding some software to designer. It let the key strokes and LCD be turned to voice. The Designer needed to move on to another project and left the project to die a slow death of neglect. But He did prove it would work.

    Good Luck,

    AL
    Last edited by Digitalwoodshop; 11-03-2013 at 07:05 PM.
    Favorite Saying.... "It's ALL About the Brass Roller"..... And "Use MASKING TAPE" for board skipping in the X or breaking bits.

    Follow ME on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accoun...50019051727074

    www.PoconoDigitalWoodshop.com

    www.AccountabilityTag.com


  6. #26
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    One question, has anyone tried the CW memory card in another form of PCMCIA card reader?
    My wife has a babylock card reader and many cards the same size. I have always wondered the same thing. Just never tried it.
    Using Designer 1.187, STL importer, Center line, conforming vectors, scanning probe/PE, and the ROCK chuck.

    Eddie





  7. Default

    The card reader is a proprietary device that uses a token embedded or programmed into the card and reader. It is manufactured by Standard system devices. Although I have never tried to put the card into a standard pcmcia slot my guess is it would not work as it would not have the token required to read the card.

  8. #28

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    Not sure if anyone is still following this thread.

    Anyway, I recently had a component failure and with LHR apparently out for the holiday I decided to look for other sources of parts. Again, I potentially would like to have a true CW in my shop along with a second CNC router that has some of the unique CW functions and potentially some extent of interchangeable parts. The emphasis being on SECOND CNC router, not converting the original one.

    Well I found a "broken" CW that I thought I could potentially borrow parts from and at some point convert to a broader form of CNC. Did not have any history on the machine and I don't think the owner did anything more that try to sell it. Got it in today and decided to give it a test run before borrowing any parts from it. The machine had two issues that I found. The person that I bought it from did not have a card to boot it from; The front compression roller sensor was stuck. Long story short, the machine, which is a model C with 59 hours on the cut motor and 60 hours on the servos, works just fine. I can't see me gutting one of these that works perfectly fine and I don't think that I broke my other one good enough yet. I was not ready to add another full fledged CW to the shop, so not sure that I will be keeping this one since it isn't broken. I guess I shouldn't be disappointed that the darn thing works.

  9. #29
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    To address the roller switch... sometimes it is just dirty contacts or a loose or broken wire....

    But I have also found that a machine that does not have dust collection and a LP Air is used to blow dust around lets if build up on the resting plate of the roller building up layers until it rest too high to let the tang of the switch fall into the slot. So it never changes from compressed.

    Good job finding a new used machine....

    As for the CW Cards... I don't see much money in it... Meaning that I don't see where you could make any money selling large quantities of open source cards to justify the investment of time and money.... but I could be wrong...

    Back in the 80's in the days of the 12 foot Sat TV Dishes and Video Cypher.... It was found that a guy could PAY for every channel offered.... Then make a Copy of the Chip that held the Unit Serial Number and sell Thousands at the Swap Meet.... So change that chip in your home box.. and get all the Channels... That worked until video cypher caught on.... and bought "One Chip" and decoded the Serial Number... and turned THAT service OFF.... Back to the Swap Meet next weekend.... My Neighbor in San Diego worked for Video Cypher in the 80's and told me the story..... The Chip had a battery to maintain the memory until you plugged it in and one slip... it died...

    More useless info from AL....
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSC01044_WEB.jpg   DSC01040_WEB.jpg   DSC01043_WEB.jpg  
    Last edited by Digitalwoodshop; 12-02-2013 at 09:29 PM.
    Favorite Saying.... "It's ALL About the Brass Roller"..... And "Use MASKING TAPE" for board skipping in the X or breaking bits.

    Follow ME on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accoun...50019051727074

    www.PoconoDigitalWoodshop.com

    www.AccountabilityTag.com


  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Digitalwoodshop View Post
    To address the roller switch... sometimes it is just dirty contacts or a loose or broken wire....

    But I have also found that a machine that does not have dust collection and a LP Air is used to blow dust around lets if build up on the resting plate of the roller building up layers until it rest too high to let the tang of the switch fall into the slot. So it never changes from compressed.

    Good job finding a new used machine....

    As for the CW Cards... I don't see much money in it... Meaning that I don't see where you could make any money selling large quantities of open source cards to justify the investment of time and money.... but I could be wrong...

    Back in the 80's in the days of the 12 foot Sat TV Dishes and Video Cypher.... It was found that a guy could PAY for every channel offered.... Then make a Copy of the Chip that held the Unit Serial Number and sell Thousands at the Swap Meet.... So change that chip in your home box.. and get all the Channels... That worked until video cypher caught on.... and bought "One Chip" and decoded the Serial Number... and turned THAT service OFF.... Back to the Swap Meet next weekend.... My Neighbor in San Diego worked for Video Cypher in the 80's and told me the story..... The Chip had a battery to maintain the memory until you plugged it in and one slip... it died...

    More useless info from AL....
    At least there isn't anything to restrict using the card from my old machine for the new(ish) one. The new machine was almost spotless inside...aside from being stuffed full of packing peanuts...and the little plug of saw dust packed into the compression switch. It took longer to pick all of the peanuts out of it than to get it going on its first carve.

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