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Showing posts with the label CNC Machining

Cartesian CNC Machine Build

Lately, I've been working on building some form of CNC machine (possibly a router) out of an old XY positioner. Given that the X and Y axes are not in an ideal configuration for holding a work tool, and that I would rather the machine be a gantry style CNC, I've been working on reconfiguring things a bit. Specifically, I plan on flipping the Y rails and X mounting plate around, and transposing the belt and rails for the X axis such that they are vertical. This will allow me to use the steel bed as the CNC's work surface, while also holding the machine rigid.  Here is an initial photo of the XY positioner prior to any reconfiguration.  Once the XY and axis are reconfigured, my next task will be to build a Z axis. Initially, I think I will use parts from an old CD-ROM drive to control a pen, such that I can test how well the XY components function. I am currently unsure if the machine will be too susceptible to chatter, and based off of how well the reconfigured machine works...
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Reverse engineering a parallel port with Arduino

I'm in the beginning stages of building a CNC router. In this project, I am trying to salvage as many parts as possible from old machines. Relating to the title of this post, I have an old Parallel port dual-stepper motor controller in which I decided would be good to use to test stepper motors. While there are definitely more modern and better controllers available, and I am certain I will eventually get one, I figured why not try and get this old controller working. Since parallel ports are really uncommon on computers these days, I decided to attempt programming an Arduino to send data through to the old controller.  It turns out that parallel ports effectively have 17 pins out of 25 that deal with data while the rest are ground. Additionally, the data pins work at 5 volts which is identical to the digital pins on an Arduino. Since this controller only receives data inputs from a computers parallel port, I simply needed to determine the connector's pinout and wire it up to a...
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