New PM25MV on the way!

Good work John. I am not much of an electronics guy. I am not sure I would take on a project like yours. I just picked up a small xp touchscreen computer with a serial port for $125 bucks. If I decide to CNC my machine it will be perfect to run Mach3 on. Looks like Mach4 will support USB so it may be a waste, but we will see.




JohnsonFabrication said:
This weeks' update:

I was having problems with the cnc control box, and i want to say Arturo Duncan at Cnc4pc was a great help, and his taking the time to answer my emails was greatly appreciated, and helped me figure out the problem.

The problem in a nutshell is that i wired the drivers wrong which was shorting out everything else. So, over the last 2 days, i have been completely rewiring the box, and I installed some terminal strips to make troubleshooting and working on the box much easier. One major modification I did to the box while i had it all apart is to replace the 24vdc fan with a higher cfm 120vac fan. the fan is wired into the 120v circuit and comes on when the on/off switch is turned on. Some of these components put out quite a bit of heat.

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This is the only picture i have to upload this week, as all i have been able to do is work on this box. The ebay mill head came in on Thursday, but I haven't taken it out of the box yet. The next thing I will do is get the mach3 configured, get the motors and connectors wired up. Then I will go back to installing the ball screws and mounts, lastly, will be a motor upgrade for the new mill head, since i need to replace the missing motor controls anyway. By the time i get all that done, the back ordered saddle and mill slide should be here, then the mods begin in earnest.
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no pics yet of the mill head, i haven't taken it out of the shipping box as of yet, will probably do that this weekend. I'm going to be working on the control box software and getting the motors all wired up during the week this week. Digging deep into the nooks and crannies of Mach3 now!.

I still have one more piece to purchase to get all i need for the second mill, and that is the table. I don't need the end plates for the table as the cnc kit replaces them.
 
GA said:
Wish someone made a Taiwanese quality version of a '45...
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Here you go... Optimum BF46, only $5800 (excluding shipping ... from Germany!)
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http://www.optimum-machines.com/products/milling-machines/bf-46-vario/index.html

Or you can buy a (real) Taiwan Rong Fu RF 45 from Enco... only $3500 (- and additional 15% off this month):

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http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMKD&PMPXNO=12387323&PMAKA=326-1022

I seem to recall Ray mentioning once about Matt evaluating a Taiwan RF45.... call Matt and ask!

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john.oliver35 said:
Are all the Enco Rong Fu's made in Taiwan?
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They used to be (speaking of the brand name Rong Fu, not of all the square column mills they sell, the enco branded mill is chinese).

Who knows, things change, and $3500 seems cheap for a Taiwan RF45... Chinese ones sell for that price these days. Call enco and ask, they will tell you.
 
Success! I got motors to spin tonight, the box is now working! woohooooo!!!:victory:

I had problems getting Mach3 to clear the e-stop condition. I contacted Arturo Duncan again, and he suggested I might have a brain enabled that was looking for a pendant stop. Well, i disabled the pendant brain since i am not using a pendant at this time, and voila, the e-stop clears!

I did a quick motor tune and now they work! I want to review the tuning to make sure i have things set for the best operation, but there is light at the end of the tunnel now. It's back to the mechanical side of things now!.
 
Congratulations!!! It's almost time to make chips.
 
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Opened the box on the extra mill head today, and to my surprise, i got a bonus, the 3 bolt mod is already done to it, so more work i don't have to do! The asssumption on the part of the ebay seller that the head was new was incorrect, as a new head would not have the 3-bolt mod done to it. But, it is still a good deal just the same, new, the complete head is over $1200.

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This may be an older model head, as the label says it has a 750w motor, so, an 1100w motor upgrade with a belt drive is in order for this machine. Now is the time to do it before it gets put on the new column.
I'm going to get some Precision Matthews colors of paint tomorrow and mask the new parts up for painting. I want everything to match:makingdecision: the wife, she likes the green color, but I like blue, so blue it will be :rubbinghands:

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What 1100w motor are you upgrading to? Agree with the color choice too. I've gotten to where I like the blue on my PM25. :)
 
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