Laser cenrtre edgefinder ????

[Dawai]

Bob:

I am interested to see if the driver/program I downloaded will work with your microscope.
I want one, just not won one yet on fleaboy.
Kinda the same way with my ball bearing chuck, I bid on six of them before buying one at my price I had in my head.
THEY have not made that intel microscope since 2004. or was it 2002.??

[mayfieldtm]

Can't see your Screen so well.
Are there X & Y Jog buttons?

I like the adjustable circle.

Could this be made into a custom page for MACH2?

Should make a really nice measuring tool. Zero cross-hairs at one point, jog to another point anywhere on the table and display distance plus x and y offsets accurate to 0.001" easy.

A couple of White LEDs mounted on the camera for illumination might be a thought.

I'd probably mount it on a straight 1/2" shank for use in either a chuck or a R8 Collet.

Also... One can mount it in the Lathe Chuck and use it to adjust tool center.

Nice work Dan.

What is the thickness of the camera?

Tom M.

[This message has been edited by mayfieldtm (edited 02-17-2006).]

[Evan]

The camera doesn't need to be mounted on center with the spindle. It can be mounted anywhere on the spindle assembly and looking at an angle. All you need is another point light source like a laser pointer also mounted at an angle opposite from the camera. When the laser spot is centered in the camera cross hairs the spindle is at the right height above the work for centering the work. The laser can then be turned off and only the camera used. Two cameras would also serve the same purpose if the images were overlaid.

If the laser spot can be made precise enough then you have a system that once calibrated can be left in place permanently.

[Dawai]

Camera is a ball style webcam. 2.35 diameter

Evan, for this application, the center spindle mount is king, for the scanner, a laser and angle mount will be. It needs both for MY use here.

Because I use fluid coolant, I need to remove the camera.

Once tuning is done to a spindle mount arbor, much like Evan did with his laser, it can be placed back on the machine in a minute.
Repeatability is the key. No slop.

I need testers for the DRO/camera software. It is free, I am the author. Code will be available as soon as I upload it.
I know, it needs the 8255.dll windows driver but not sure what all else to publish it. I have that driver bundled up with the old cheapass_dro software on www.metalillness.com site..

If someone wants to open a yahoo group discussion where we can exchange ideas that would be great, I do not have time to moderate one thou so I am using Adrians site.

I am at version #5 now, it can adjust circle diameter, crosshairs, both, grid on screen, and uses a logitech webcam. DRO is waiting on a cheap way to convert the multiple ttl chinese scale signals to a single usb port. CHEAP.. or it is useless. I can do it for $350, but then that would be the price of a regular scale.

Eventually, you will be able to scale camera view port, apply a polar pattern directly onto your photograph. Lots of scaling to be done for that to work, or known setups. FIsheye was one problem I see right off the bat. BUt in the center of the lens it is more linear.

Laser edge finder?
A laser led throwing a non-circular 1/8" spot is as useless as tits on a boar hog. They need to affix a adjustable aperture and collimating lens and or, a cross hair scope to view spots. THEN, this idea of thiers would be viable. But that is just my opinion.
I'm out of work and hungry. A electrician by trade. They called me a engineer on several jobs, but I am not.

I need Evan's skill at making optics work. I need others machinists skill at making the mount work in a simple design, I need to complete the software and post it and code for all to have and use freely. I am stubborn as a goat. This will work soon. The crosshairs center finder are already worth adding in a small pc to a manual machine.

[Dawai]

Mach2.3.. yes I am running that here. I have not investigated making pages yet for it.

A very good idea to transmit a gcode movement from the camera page to the mach2.3 MDI page.
It is a simple one line command to transmit keystrokes to another application.

I'll add that to the list. Additional job tasks could be engraving via microscope by hand-mouse-mach3-camera-photograph-overlay.

[bob_s]

David:

I'd originally purchased the QX3+ to use as a cheap circuit board inspection device, but found that it had much wider range of application in a shop setting in terms of machine tool alignment, work setup, etc.

Focal length is about 1 to 1.25 inches (23 - 29mm).

I still haven't made a proper stand for it, as shoptime has been really limited for the past couple or three years - work just gets to be what life is all about.

-bob