CNC Project

[wmgeorge]

Listed on Facebook Marketplace (Iowa) and the price is decent with stepper motors not servos.

Dynamyte 2400 CNC mill for sale. This will need some work the get running. It is missing the control package. There some great open source options that won't break the bank. Location: Cambridge Iowa, Price: $600 obo

[John MacArthur]

I have that same machine - it's very rigid and heavy. One would be better without the original controls anyway. The only thing about these is that they have "anti-backlash" leadscrews. These may have sufficient accuracy, but I rebuilt mine for ballscrews, new stepper motors, and Flashcut controls. It works wonderfully. $600 seems quite reasonable to me.
Johnny

[wmgeorge]

I would love to do it and would used Mach 4 and same controller I used on the last project but trying to downsize a bit.

[DR]

I have that same machine - it's very rigid and heavy. One would be better without the original controls anyway. The only thing about these is that they have "anti-backlash" leadscrews. These may have sufficient accuracy, but I rebuilt mine for ballscrews, new stepper motors, and Flashcut controls. It works wonderfully. $600 seems quite reasonable to me.
Johnny

I also have the same machine. And a retrofit is in the works. So far all I've done is remove the Z axis stepper to verify the 8 wire motor connections. My tentative plan is to use the existing steppers to see how I like the mill with an Acorn Centroid control. I did run it a bit when I got it 20 so years ago, it seemed to have enough axis force to cut steel. If it works fine I'll eventually add Cleapath servos.

[Bented]

Servo motors last for years, why not use them?

[Doozer]

I had one, and it actually worked.
But it was missing the Servo milling head.
I gave it to the local HS for their technology class.
They come with acme screws with a plastic anti-backlash nut.

-Doozer

[Bented]

As you well know Doozie I respect your remarkable skills.

However I will no longer run a manual machine all day.

Give me CNC or give me death.

I simply will not turn manual handles ALL DAY LONG, that time of my life is OVER and done.

[wmgeorge]

I have that same machine - it's very rigid and heavy. One would be better without the original controls anyway. The only thing about these is that they have "anti-backlash" leadscrews. These may have sufficient accuracy, but I rebuilt mine for ballscrews, new stepper motors, and Flashcut controls. It works wonderfully. $600 seems quite reasonable to me.
Johnny

But can you actually do something with it? Thinking of getting rid of a good drill press that never gets used and taking on this as another project. But has anyone used the Buildbotics controller that has been suggested?

[John MacArthur]

[QUOTE=wmgeorge;n200967 9]But can you actually do something with it? /QUOTE]

Absolutely: https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/5-regul.../#post-1215434 and: https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/5-regul.../#post-1207974 and: https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/5-regul.../#post-1217782 There are many more parts of my clocks that this little machine makes gorgeously, like: https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/5-regul.../#post-1250853 and: https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/5-regul...2#post-1313096
It represents a huge savings of labor. Good question though; the learning curve for CAM and CNC is fairly steep. I've not used the controller you speak of; I have used Flashcut from the beginning.
Johnny

[wmgeorge]

Well versed in CNC and building one, But never heard of that controller before and wondered if anyone had used it and especially on that machine. Buildbotics seems to have it all, built in stepper drivers and LCD read out and more. There also exists Post Processors for the gcode in the VCarve program and perhaps in Fusion 360.

[John MacArthur]

Probably will work fine then. Flashcut is similar in that it has power supply, stepper drivers, controller, and software all in one package. The digital readout is on the monitor, and it uses a standard post processor which is in CamBam, can't remember right now which. I'm not associated in any way with the company, and am not particularly recommending it over other capable systems. The machine work envelope is rather small, which is ok for clocks but may be too small for others' projects.
Johnny

[Rich Carlstedt]

...........But can you actually do something with it? Thinking of getting rid of a good drill press that never gets used and taking on this as another project. But has anyone used the Buildbotics controller that has been suggested?

WELL, it's history time, Francis Moseley started Servo company and the Bridgeport power feed world changed forever
Mr Moseley was also into live steam hobby railroading and in the 1970's he marketed a steam powered miniature turbo generator
So in 1976 I attended the giant Machine Tool Show in Chicago and there in the Servo exhibit was a small CNC Mill making miniature Turbo wheels
I think I was the only guy who knew what they were
I don't know if they were for sale or just exhibiting Servos capabitiy
Rich

[wmgeorge]

Rich what has your post to do with my question? Buildbotics controller?

[garyhlucas]

Had a Servo 5000 CNC bed mill at a previous job with a 4th axis. A beast of a machine weighing 6000 lbs. Very strange CNC controller but it worked well except for tool length offsets. The way they were implemented made them useless. I even got the C+ source code to fix it but left before I could get it done. Paid $6000 for the machine with 100 hours on it, a $10,000 4th axis that was never on the machine with a 10" 6 jaw chuck, and 23 Cat 40 toolholders, 7 with Jacobs Supreme ball bearing chucks! A true You Suck.