[rs4race]

I'm a builder at heart, and need as many tools as I can get my hands on. Naturally this lead me into becoming a mechanical engineering student, and after a few classes using Haas CNC's, Track 3's, mills and lathes, I had to put one in my garage as well. After some reading and pricing I chose to pursuit the G0704 for a CNC conversion.

In this thread I'm going to share my build info, progress, and some projects. Earlier in the month I drove a couple hours up to grizzly and picked up the mill, shortly later I ordered ballscrew kit and motor mounts, and also the electronics. This is what I'm sitting at as far as parts list:

G0704 mill
CNCConversionkit.com Ballscrew kit
S-600-48 Power supply
MX3660 Stepper Drivers
KL23H23H2100-50-4b Stepper motors
Ethernet Smooth Stepper

I just received the electronics today, and will be getting mach3 loaded up on a spare laptop that will be dedicated to the machine. I wanted to bench test the steppers, but I am missing the plug for power to the MX3660 Drive. I emailed seller, hopefully I will receive one soon, or there is a place I can pick up locally.

I ordered the CNCConversionkit.com ball screw kit instead of building it myself because I was being lazy, and they have the hand wheels retained which I liked. I'm not very happy with this seller yet. I ordered nearly two weeks ago as he had the kit in stock. I was worried because of mail theft in the area, and emailed the seller several times over a week period for shipping info. I didn't receive any reply until I brought up the possibility of filing a claim with Paypal. About 20 minutes later I had a response, and a few hours later the kit finally shipped out. This was to be a winter project and now I wont receive the kit until class starts again... I guess we will see how the quality of this kit turns out, after my first email I searched and found bad reviews on this sellers kits... Hopefully this turns out fine.

I have to find the pinouts for these electronics so far I have found the following:

Steppers
Black - A+
Green - A-
Red - B+
Blue - B-

AC wall plug (US 110V)
Black - L
White - N
Green - Ground

If I have anything wrong, please correct me before I blow this up. Also any advice is appreciated.

[rs4race]

Reserved for build info

[rs4race]

Well. I spent the last few hours trying to set the electronics up for a bench test. I have power to the ESS and Stepper Drivers, and E-stop connected on the MX3660. Loaded the ESS plugin for mach3. Connected to the board, and everything looks good, even found the jog buttons in mach3. I cant seem to get the motors to move though. I have a feeling its either the DB25 cable from the ess to the Stepper driver or a setting in mach 3.

Any insight?

Thanks in advance.

**Solution**
The cable I got to go from 26pin header to DB25 is originally female to female. The DB25 connection on the MX3660 is also male. I went to frys and got a Female DB25 connection and installed it on the cable. I failed to get all the wires seated properly. I just rechecked this connection and all motors are moving now.

[rs4race]

So this is how I got my G0704 home. Barely fit in there.



About 45min later I had it assembled. (Took it out of the Jeep myself.. Dont ask how..)



PART #1
I kinda like manual milling. This was the first part out of the mill. It's a ripoff of a $100 wine holder. Material cost was about $15 I think. My girlfriend wants something a bit different so I'm going to tweak the design a bit. This was cut using a 1/2" endmill and 3" holesaw, I realize that a boring tool would be a better option but I don't have one yet.







PART #2
This is an auto sear and housing for ar15. Made from a36 steel. I learned here that hot rolled stock is not very nice to start with, it also slips out of the vice quite easily, and I need a better vice... This part worked in fuctions tests but not in use. I think it may be the spring stiffness or it may need to be shimmed a bit.



Next up I will be just drilling some holes in a luggage mount for my motorcycle. Next week I will be in the shop a bunch and start working on the mill to fit the ballscrews.

[rs4race]

Well I was expecting to be able to update my first two posts with build info but I guess I cant. To bench test the electronics I had to do the following:



Install Mach3 and also the ESS plugin for mach3

Set ip and gateway on ethernet used for ESS (10.9.9.1 and 255.255.255.0)

Hook up the electronics. Nothing fancy here. I jumped the E-stop on the Stepper drivers, 5V to ESS, 48V to MX3660 Driver, 26pin header to DB25 on MX3660, and plugged in the Steppers accordingly. The Pulse switch next to DB25 connector on MX3660 needs to be set on, and I set Steppers to to ~4amp and 200 steps per revolution. Oh and from an old plug I wired 120V to (48V and 5V) power supplies.

After this plug in power and Ethernet. Start Mach3, it will ask for device selection. (If not go to function cfg's->Reset Device Sel.. and restart mach3.) Select the ESS and the next prompt should ask yes, no, or cancel. Select No, and then input 10.9.9.9 for ESS ip. You will then need to go to Config-> Ports and Pins -> Input Signals -> EStop, make sure green check in enabled and active low(this is because of jumping the EStop). After this you should be able to click the big Reset button. Press Tab and jog buttons will appear. Click buttons for x y and z to rotate motors.

Here is a pic of how I am bench testing. I assume that most settings are incorrect, but will sort those out when everything is hooked up.



Next step I would like to run some G-code thru mach and ..bench test cut... just to see the process of everything. I have experience using Siemens NX and using a HAAS mill, I'm not sure how it works with this. I was always under the impression that the G-code is the same, and that M-codes were the difference. I will have to do more research.

[Shorin]

Unless you are an SOT, I wouldn't be posting that you made an auto sear. Instant 10 yr federal prison term...

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk

[dracozny]

Unless you are an SOT, I wouldn't be posting that you made an auto sear. Instant 10 yr federal prison term...

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Tapatalk

lets just end the Hijack of the thread with, double check with your Lawyer.

[rs4race]

Got the ballscrew kit lastnight and started tearing it apart. Took about an hour to dissasemble, only ran into a problem removing one of the thrust bearing races on the x-axis.

Thr kit that i got requires drilling a 1" hole in the rear of the mill. I really took my time with that and got a straight hole in line with the one in front.
After I installed the y-axis ballscrew and handwheel it was kind of late so I didnt want to make too much noise removing material for clearance with x-axis ballnut. I decided to start on z-axis and removed the bearings and gear from old leadscrew. upon attempting the installation of the gear on the new ballscrew I quickly found that the diameter where the gear mounts is too big on the ballscrew. So thats where i called it quits for the night.

I'm gonna have to call it a night and plan on taking it to the shop tomorrow and spend some time on the lathe. I'm not sure how i should fix it in there. I dont want to damage the screw, but it needs to be modified to work.

Theres other issues with this kit as far as quality and finish. I sent email to seller, so we'll see how he responds.

[rs4race]

So I emailed the seller with the issues I was having, and the best answer he had was "i dont know whay you have problem i have the same machine and is all ok please send me your phone number i will contact you"

So I sent him my number and also a request to email instead, since most of the day I am in class now and cant take calls. No reply no call..

But I have been FIXING this kit to make it work. This is what I have completed so far.

The gear for z-axis original ID was 18mm, and the shaft on ball screw was 20mm. I used a mill at school to modify the gear to fit. That issue is resolved, and now the z-axis is all good. The only issue being I have to remake the top plate. On his the material where the bearings rest is about half the thickness of original. I'm thinking about drilling the original out and using post for motor mounts, or drilling and tapping it. Any thoughts on this?

The y-axis was the next problem. Installation was simple, but after installing the ball nut adapter, it seemed to increase the pre-load on the ball nut when all the screws were tightened. I originally thought the part may be warped, but then found it was actually the adapter pressing on the plastic piece that's around the ball screw. I used the dremel to make a recess, and now this problem is fixed.

The x-axis ball nut is next. It seems I am going to have to remove a lot of material from the stock parts to get this piece to work. I'm not really feeling good about that, so I will instead make a new adapter that will fit in place better.

I will be uploading some pics when I can of what this all should look like. In some ways parts of this kit makes no sense, but I am getting some good ideas on how to improve certain parts. If this was a decent kit and I didn't have to spend so much time modifying parts this would be running already. As always if anyone has any advice please feel free to leave it.

[hoss2006]

Wish you would have posted here before you bought from CNCConversionkit.com, could have given you these warnings.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/taig_m...ml#post1126121

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy_cn...rsion_kit.html

eBay Feedback Profile for kurka12

Post your pics, we might be able to help make lemonade from your lemon.
Hoss

[rs4race]

Thanks Hoss. I found reviews after I ordered.. When ordering though, I figured the parts were so simple it would be hard to mess up a kit.. Anyone selling this should be concerned about quality.. these parts are for precision machining.... I was wrong... But I am going to get this thing running this weekend. After I get the mechanical aspect complete I will be looking at the electronics.

Pics later.

Wish you would have posted here before you bought from CNCConversionkit.com, could have given you these warnings.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/taig_m...ml#post1126121

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy_cn...rsion_kit.html

eBay Feedback Profile for kurka12

Post your pics, we might be able to help make lemonade from your lemon.
Hoss

[rs4race]

Well Some updates are in order. How about some pics to go with them.

Z-axis: I was a little intimidated to drill the base of the mill at first so I thought I would start assembling the z-axis. It was nice and smooth until I started.. to start with the gear wouldn't fit on the ballscrew... I had to mill the gear to fit. Maybe there is a difference between years, but my gear ID was 18mm and the ball screw was 20mm. Whats your guys gear ID? I had to use a gauge to find center of the hole and then program the 20mm hole in a DRO. Not bad. The other part is the top plate you can see in the pics below.





This is the last problem I have with the z-axis parts. Aside from being a terrible circle the bearing pocket is really deep. The part thickness under the bearing is really thin compared to stock. What do you guys think? Run it or make a new one? It seems that if this part is too think the bearing will get no preload.. still not sure, actually not sure if I should have a bearing underneath instead of the bushing thats there.



Anyways I was thinking about tapping the bolt pattern into the stock bearing plate and bolting up to that instead.







X-Axis: Alot has to be done to fit this axis. A 1" hole needs to be drilled in the back of the base. I started small and worked my way up to 15/16" which ended up working well. I also took some material off from the front side to make clearance for the ball nut. The original ball nut adapter just fit over the ball screw and would press on the plastic preload spacers. I decided to bore out the hole to fit over the other side of the ball nut and then I had to re-tap the threads as they were too tight. I bored the hole with a dremel (turned out better than his) and replaced the screws as his were really long. It looks like I get full range of motion on this axis after its reassembled.



















Y-Axis: I had to grind some material away to make clearance for the ball nut. I also had to file the ball nut adapter to so that it could fit in the slot. After that, I realized I wanted the handwheel on the other side. So I removed the ball nut and flipped it. Reassembling a ball nut isnt too big of a deal once you figure out its pretty much three seperate ways in there. I may redo this and post pictures. Aside from the ball nut adapter there wasnt too much fuss on this axis. The end plate actually is one of the only decent parts from this kit.





Heres an example of the precision of this kit...

Motor mount...


I have to do some research on how to tram the head, adjust the gibs, and figure out how to mount the y-axis motor plate. There are no instructions for this kit...

More to come...

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Yikes! The machining on that motor mount in the last photo is horrendous! I can't believe someone would sell something like that. Looks like it was chewed out by a beaver!

You're going to want to remove that handwheel from the Z axis - it will be a safety hazard, and will cause serious vibration when the axis is moving at any speed at all. CNC machines do not need, and should not have, handwheels!

Regards,
Ray L.

[rs4race]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah the machining is bad.

I didnt think there would be any problems with the handwheels. Im planning on removing cranks and leaving the wheels. After all the trouble I had installing I have to at least try it.

I hope that after choosing this kit because it retains handwheels that i can keep them. Although i have to admit after playing with the jog feature in mach3 I think it would be nicer to get a mpg penant and use that instead. It would make the mechanical side a bit simpler. I can also see how I would have to worry about the handles hitting something possibly.

Another update. After messing with mastercam and having no clue how to use it i went back to siemens NX and figured out how to generate code that the machine can use. I put it through my electronics and all the motors were moving accordingly.

Yikes! The machining on that motor mount in the last photo is horrendous! I can't believe someone would sell something like that. Looks like it was chewed out by a beaver!

You're going to want to remove that handwheel from the Z axis - it will be a safety hazard, and will cause serious vibration when the axis is moving at any speed at all. CNC machines do not need, and should not have, handwheels!

Regards,
Ray L.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

You will find a GOOD CNC pendant, with a high-quality MPG is FAR better than handwheels. Look at the VistaCNC.com pendants.

Regards,
Ray L.

[hoss2006]

I have to do some research on how to tram the head, adjust the gibs, and figure out how to mount the y-axis motor plate. There are no instructions for this kit...

More to come...

You'll find a few ways to tram the mill here.
Projects2
There are also projects for tramming aids and a tramming tool.
Gib adjustment here.
G0704 Tapered Gib Adjustment - YouTube
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah the machining is bad.

I didnt think there would be any problems with the handwheels. Im planning on removing cranks and leaving the wheels. After all the trouble I had installing I have to at least try it.

I hope that after choosing this kit because it retains handwheels that i can keep them. Although i have to admit after playing with the jog feature in mach3 I think it would be nicer to get a mpg penant and use that instead. It would make the mechanical side a bit simpler. I can also see how I would have to worry about the handles hitting something possibly.

Yes this is a pretty common notion I have on my FAQ page.

9. Can I keep the handwheels for manual operation?

Many think they want to keep them so they can still do manual milling. Many also find out that
once you have the mill CNCed that using the jog buttons, joystick, MDI input, Wizards, MPG or a pendant to be a much easier, accurate and pleasant way to do "manual" milling. It's easier to hold a button down than crank away at the handles. With step mode you can position the tool in as little
as .0001 increments. You can set the feed and get a smoother finish than you could by hand. You can push a button and rapid the axis much faster than by hand. There are a few other things to consider if you change to ballscrews and want to hand crank. Ballscrews have much less friction
than the stock leadscrews, this can allow the cutter to be pulled into the work especially during climb milling unless you ride the locks and even then it can. Ballscrews have lower pitches typically than the stock screws so the graduations on the wheels won't match or be as precise. The stock Y axis leadscrew is typically left hand threaded but ballscrews used are typically right handed so cranking the Y axis by hand would be opposite of normal.

[rs4race]

Thanks for the links Hoss. I'm gonna have to get this top plate (z-axis) drilled and tapped so I can get started tramming. This kit was missing the motor couplers and the seller hasn't responded to my emails from last week. I was going to make some, but got lazy and ordered some on ebay instead. It was pretty hard to find some from the US, but I found some in California on ebay.

Usually when I start a project, it is a bit modest, and then I cant leave good alone and have to make it better. I imagine I will be changing pretty much everything eventually.

I'm going to have to go back to the g0704 page and see what else I missed... it probably will answer a lot of my questions.

[rs4race]

baks again Hoss for the great info. I used one of the methods to tram the head. It looks pretty good within .0005 over 5".

My machine is up and running now. I had to sort out a few issues which lead to some bad cuts.
First the bearing pocket on the motor mount side wasnt round and the thrust bearing started rubbing and stuck. Thats fixed now.
Second problem was the z-axis randomly missing steps during rapids. I turned down the speed and accel down to 40 and 2. I might have to check the driver settings to make sure im at the correct amps.
The third issue i ran into was the x-axis coupler came loose.

So the fourth try my part came out and it looks pretty good. I just need to figure out microstep settings, measure backlash for mach compensation, and figure out good rapid speeds.

[rs4race]

I figured out the rapid speeds. After some more lubing and adjustments I have 125ipm rapids on x and y, and 65ipm rapid on z.

Also here are some random pics. The first was how I trammed the z-axis. I used a piece of 3/8" rod and hooked the dial indicator to the column first. I had the spindle on about 50rpm or so and aligned the head to the column. I adjusted within .0005" getting closer than that takes too much time. I then set up the indicator off the table and aligned the column to the table.


Here is a pic of the mill all together. Since this I have cleaned up a bit and also I removed the guard on the front as it was in the way. I also removed the gib locks as they seem somewhat pointless now.



Heres one of the first parts I have made CNC. It is a motor mount for an electric longboard project. Kinda a waste of stock, but I designed a new process that will be more efficient, using smaller stock.







Im interested in putting some limit switches and upgrading the spindle somehow. It seems that for some bits the reccomended speed is much higher than the motor will put out. Also the spindle gets pretty warm at ~2000rpm. Anyone know how to lube this thing?