CNC Engraver Score

Hey folks,

Here is my latest score--Vision 1624 (16"x24") CNC engraver. The ball screw was jammed on both X & Y, but easily fixed on X. Still have to take apart Y. Includes very nice head.
The controller is missing key and being DOS is not supported anymore and is pretty useless. I will need to put a new driver and controller. The steppers are Nema 23 4 wires, but have no idea what are the parameters (they have no stickers, except it is a Pacific Scientific on Z). Any ideas what to do with those, or is it easier to replace with known ones, all together?

http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/Engraver1.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/EngraverScrew.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/EngraverHead.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/EngraverHeadFront.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/EngraverMotor.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~markfuksman/EngraverController.JPG

Four wires on your steppers mean it probably a bipolar type. Nema 23 is the form factor size of the motor. Does it say how many OZ of torque it's rated for? If your set on dumping the original driver and getting into something new, I would suggest a board from Xylotex, or if your feeling DIY, get some PCB's from PMINMO.com.. That guy has several different topologys available. Most run off your PC printer port.

If your origanal driver box runs off the printer port, you could probably look at the data lines on a scope and figure out what pins need to be connected to what and assign them in the software of your choice.

For software, you can use a very popular program for Windows called Mach3, or if your a Linux guy, download a live CD of Umbutu that includes EMC2.

There are others available but I know nothing about them.. Eather way your going to need to get a CAM program to generate tool paths of your artwork... I don't know anything about engraving so my knowledge stops there.

I'm pretty sure the belt that runs your spindle is wrong.

What a beauty!!!

If it's a DOS-based control box, there's 99% probability that it runs off a standard parallel port - as this is the only simple way of getting out of DOS real-time.

The above-mentioned Mach3 (available in a demo version) can be set up to use any combination of in/out parallel pins, so it should be possible to configure it to run the system (excluding the control panel, which is another story)

The alternative is to DIY the stepmotor drivers - it's not hard at all to do this with the L297/L298 chips set, which will output 2A at up to some 40V - controlled directly from a parallel port.

Somewhere in a stack I have the schematic I used for my first engraver - let me know if you need it, and I'll start some archaelogogy...

btw - Vision engravers: http://www.visionengravers.com/

updateable controller: http://www.visionengravers.com/products/Series-3-controller.html

Jakob E.

ps: the drive belt you have may very well be the right type, even though it looks kinda funny. look at the pics at visionengravers.com

ps: the drive belt you have may very well be the right type, even though it looks kinda funny. look at the pics at visionengravers.com

Your right. I suspect the Z axis is spring loaded to float across irregular work? I gave up on engraving on my mill because my work might have been .005" higher in the middle than at the edges, so it always looked bad and snapped the delicate end mills with ease.

Very nice Mark.
Uses the same engraving spindle as mine.

it will serve you well for many years.

Gyraf is right, the parallel port is the ticket and MACH 3 or equiv.
Congrats!

Note the engraving spindle has clicks to set tip protrusion, as the outside ring rides the stock and the Z axis may be spring loaded as a result, as mentioned.

I also bought a vacuum attachment to replace the original outer ring. I run a shopvac at half-voltage and it takes the dust far away.=)

I might add that an engraver of that staure could probably also do some other things. I have several 'sleds" I built for my CNC router. One holds the engraving setup and one holds a Bosch Roto-Zip which has several collets used for drilling and light milling. And I do mean light, lol.

But you can auto-drill your pcb protos by importing the excellon file into Mach 3 or equiv with that robust of a unit. Other uses might even include milling tiny brass pieces, dunno.

you can import excellon straight into Mach3? Need to try that.

And if not, there are NC converter apps abounding.

btw, Mark, I see a vacuum line now on your in back. That's good.

I actually called the guys in "Vision"--the driver key, upgrade to WinXP, etc. will run me at $3200 :shock: :shock: :shock:
Quickly checked and on ebay the CNC controller/driver with parallel port is about $100-$150.

I actually had no idea, but now checking it, the head is indeed spring loaded, and now I understand the intention of a collar, which adjusts the play over a wide range.

The rounded belt is right for that machine and is there for a reason. It appears that on Larry's pic the whole head along with the motor is moving on Z, but on mine however, the motor is stationary in this plane, and only the spindle with mounting plate will move in Z, so the belt will "follow" the spindle move, still being aligned with the motor puley.

There are no any markings on the steppers, so I just have to guess...

[quote author="Larrchild"]And if not, there are NC converter apps abounding.

btw, Mark, I see a vacuum line now on your in back. That's good.[/quote]

Yep. I just have to make an adapter to mate it with the shopvac.
I was thinking of making some attachement to hold Roto-Zip.

Best, M

The whole engraver is VERY heavy--heavier than my mill. Looking at all its structure I can see that it won't be actually very difficult to reinforce the platform (taking off a spindle driving motor, of course) and bolt down a colomn with the head from my milling machine:



The question: will the linear sliding bearing on the engraver be rigid enough and take the increased forces?

Stepper torque will crap out before that binds.