I'm interested in trying this but as an add-on to the routy I'm building. I already have a RTOS LinuxCNC with parallel port TB6560 and optical(IR LED) home switches. I don't know how accurate it will be yet but the motors can do 1.8 deg per step and I think the controller does 1/32 microstepping. Think it will work?
That will certainly work. however you don't require ANY microstepping for a router (unless you are make really tiny things). You do need IR home switches though (not physical ones, they bounce and are way too slow for definitive work). typical routers though are not in much of a hurry to do anything as most assuredly you'll burn the work up and/or your cutting tool!
http://xdztst.netii.net/ check out this project i made... you need a OpenGL compatible browser ( notice, it works correctly if show some FPS counter on left side of screen and some arrows near the textbox's to change the XYZ values... then it submit.
hi, and thanks.. well it should work in chrome.. i think the animation only work in chrome.. try to update it... its some robot arm, i make the code for arduino control 3 servos (180º) so the robot "hand" move as a CNC... with XYZ coordinates... im sorry for the bad english if anyone is interested i can share the code and the concept
That sounds very cool but cannot get it to work. It will not show up at all in Chrome (latest version) but does show up in IE and I can rotate it around zoom in and out and such but thats it the submit does nothing at this point for me at least.
well were is the "real" arm its my first prototype xD it work in my chrome, it must have WEBGL activated, it should look like this... and move after hit submit... last try, check this website: http://threejs.org/ if any of the samples work, my site should work too.. thanks for the replys
Ok it's working now (needed hardware acceleration turned on in Chrome settings) very cool the way it moves nice job! http://xdztst.netii.net/
you need to replace all those servos with metal gear digitals. this will give you much higher resolution and smoother movement, though I suspect some of your jitters are from your software. digital servos could be updated at 400hz so you could micro step from position to position.
if you use belt/chain/cable drives, you DO need microstepping (unless you have some sort of reduction between the motor and the belt drive, but even then...) in general, stepper motors run better with microstepping as it helps to avoid resonance, so use it if you have it even if your application does not need it for resolution. what is a typical router? my woodworking router spins at 24000 rpm and cuts as fast as I can push it. in fact if I feed too slow, THAT is when it burns the wood. advocating slow feed speeds is counter to the science of cutting. The CNC router I use will happily cut plywood at 2000mm/min at 30000rpm. Please see my extensive posting on feed speeds in the OX build thread. In short, use existing science to calculate feed speed. If your machine is not stiff enough at that speed, reduce only the depth of cut, for example, with a 1/8" bit, instead of 1/16" depth, use 1/32" per pass.