[rhadiem]

Hey guys,

About 6 months ago I bought a CRP4848 kit and have been slowly working on it, and now I'm finally done with kit assembly and working on fine tuning, cleanup, and such.

I didn't do a full build thread because this was a bit more than I expected and my first build of any thing like this, and I did it with just some basic tools, a drill and a chop saw.

My background is in computer graphics (photoshop/3D Studio Max) and web programming.. not machining, carpentry, etc. But I went slow, stopped when I got frustrated, and took a long time figuring out what to do before doing anything. I'd say for every hour of actual work, I did about 2 trying to figure out what to do. But it's done and working. Thanks to you all on the forums, especially tooldesigner's videos on Youtube (you were my lifesaver), and a very patient Ahren.

Here's a video link to an overview of my build:

http://youtu.be/fysHtra_FJ8

Sorry for the shakiness.

I asked a few questions in there so feel free to comment here or on Youtube for any tips, tricks and suggestions.

I'll update this as things progress.

Cheers

[LouF]

Your video is set to private I can not view it..


Lou

[rhadiem]

sorry, try now. I have it set for link only viewing right now

[LouF]

Works now thanks.

[LouF]

Good video nice machine the noise that it made when operating the Z axis was it travled to far need to set your limits..


Lou

[rhadiem]

Thanks, yeah I realized that in the video and set the jog to really low % and was able to pull it back up. I was worried I'd have to disassemble it all but I just loosened up the set screws and up it went.

Still trying to figure out where to set soft limits though, but haven't looked too hard. I'll spend more time on it Monday/Tues.

Thanks for the feedback

Edit: if you look closely, there is some inconsistent Z axis movement going on, and a pulsing/binding sort of sound during the first couple up/down motions before I "derailed" it. Any idea what this is?

[LouF]

Mesure your travel of each axis and set the soft limits about 1/2" less than the full travel. are you using limit switches?


Lou

[LouF]

Thanks, yeah I realized that in the video and set the jog to really low % and was able to pull it back up. I was worried I'd have to disassemble it all but I just loosened up the set screws and up it went.

Still trying to figure out where to set soft limits though, but haven't looked too hard. I'll spend more time on it Monday/Tues.

Thanks for the feedback

Edit: if you look closely, there is some inconsistent Z axis movement going on, and a pulsing/binding sort of sound during the first couple up/down motions before I "derailed" it. Any idea what this is?

Is everthing square and tight that is where I would look first..

[ahren]

Thanks for the video, and good tip on the e-chain routing of the cables to avoid a pinch point -- we'll update and add that to our documentation as well!

We just released our "tips and tricks" document that goes into alignment of the rails and assembly of the Z axis. I wouldn't worry too much about your X axis, but you may want to go back and insure the 1/2" spacing off of the extrusion on your Z if you are getting binding on that axis:

Tips and Tricks for Machine Construction | CNCRouterParts

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

[rhadiem]

Thanks for the video, and good tip on the e-chain routing of the cables to avoid a pinch point -- we'll update and add that to our documentation as well!

We just released our "tips and tricks" document that goes into alignment of the rails and assembly of the Z axis. I wouldn't worry too much about your X axis, but you may want to go back and insure the 1/2" spacing off of the extrusion on your Z if you are getting binding on that axis:

Tips and Tricks for Machine Construction | CNCRouterParts

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

Thanks Ahren,

Good tips in that document, I plan on getting some locktite.

What "color"/strength is recommended?

Do you have any tips you want to give on tramming using your mounts, or will that not be necessary?

Also, do you recommend surfacing the work surface? I have a bit for that, but not sure when the best time would be to do that, considering it could affect tramming/etc.
Would MDF be ok, or should I get something better?

[rhadiem]

Also, does anyone have any suggestion on where to get a relay that'll work with the Gecko to control a 110v router on/off power? I'd love to get it to e-stop and spin up via Mach.

[rhadiem]

Here's a link to a handy diagram for the Gecko 540.

I'll plan on setting up limit switches like this.

http://www.homanndesigns.com/pdfs/EN010_V8.pdf

[rhadiem]

Mesure your travel of each axis and set the soft limits about 1/2" less than the full travel. are you using limit switches?


Lou

Thanks Lou, yes I plan on it. Possibly home switches also? Not sure, as I believe limit switches can do double duty as home also? Still learning about all that, tips and tricks welcome.

[ahren]

Blue loctite should be fine for the pulleys.

As to the work surface, MDF works well since it doesn't have a grain to it, and we do recommend surfacing the table. If your head is not trammed, you'll notice little ridges in your cuts, as the cutter face is not parallel to the work surface. However, you can get things flat enough to do a head tram with a rough surfacing pass -- you just need it globally flat enough that whatever flat surface you a tramming off of is parallel to your XY motion plane

For tramming, we recommend using shims behind the dowel pins that locate our mounts to the z extrusion. You can tram using a dial indicator on a flat plate. Once you've got this dialed in, you can re-surface lightly -- it shouldn't take much.

As to relays, we have some 48V relays available -- we'll put them up on the site later today. These just connect between your power supply and the G540 outputs so nothing fancy is required.

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

[Analias]

For tramming, we recommend using shims behind the dowel pins that locate our mounts to the z extrusion. You can tram using a dial indicator on a flat plate. Once you've got this dialed in, you can re-surface lightly -- it shouldn't take much.
CNCRouterParts

Ahren, would it be possible to get a video of how to tram a head when using one of CRP's spindle mounts? I have the 80mm one and I've been curious about how to tram the spindle after reading that the dowels were part of that process.

[ahren]

I don't have time to do a video at the moment, but we do have some new instructions up on our site for the assembly of our router and spindle mounts, and these show the dowel pins that you can shim behind:

Router Mount Assembly | CNCRouterParts

For the older style spindle mounts that did not have the adpater plate, it's a bit more difficult, as the units just were designed to be flush with the side of the extrusion. However, these are compatible with the base adapter plates. They're just a little more of a pain since they are slightly taller and obscure the base adapter mounting holes, so you need to take things further apart to make an adjustment.

Best regards,

Ahren

[Analias]

@ahren, I was thinking more of along the line of putting the request for the video on the queue along with the other things to do with your spare time

In my case, the 80mm spindle mount overlaps access to the mounting bolts for the Z-axis. I had to mount the adapter plate to the Z-axis and then mount the 80mm mount to it.

When I saw the dowels I was curious how they were used to tram the head. Were they contact points for a machinist's square? If so, that would limit adjustments along the plane of the Y and Z axis. The only way I could see of adjusting the head along the plane of the X and Z axis was to shim the top or bottom of the risers where they contact the gantry cross beam.

My complete lack of knowledge is probably hanging out and flapping in the wind.

[rhadiem]

Thanks for the info Ahren. I didn't find the relay on the site, but you can put it with the rest of the stuff and email me a paypal invoice. I'll actually take 2.