I put in a couple of solid days working on the ShapeOko desktop CNC. The following has been achieved:
- Upgraded grbl to 0.9g.
- Combined stepper and limit switch wiring into a single 7 core cable.
- Installed drag chain for cable management and routed the cables
- Discovered the stepper signals interfering with the limit switches. Installed 0.47uF electrolytic capacitors to smooth out the signal. Thank to this link for the solution.
- Added touch plate and alligator clip for the new probe cycle. Also need a capacitor to fix interference problems.
The new probe cycle greatly simplifies the process of setting the Z height. I like it a lot. I’m using a piece of un-ethced PCB which measures 1.6mm thick. I put this on the top of the workpiece, run the probe cycle (G38.2 Z-100 F50). When the tool touches the top of the PCB I subtract 1.6mm from the Z position and set the tool offset with G43.1 Z(position – 1.6).
I ran a couple of jobs with a 3mm, 2 flute cutter on poplar (soft wood). Initially the tool load was too high at 30,000 rpm and 750 mm/min feed. This caused the steppers to mis-step and lose position. After dropping the feed to 250 mm/min everything was OK.
I finished the day by make a Christmas tree shaped ornament for the Christmas tree.
On the To Do list is:
- Enclose the mill to control dust and noise. Currently there is a lot of dust and a lot of noise.
- Control the router with Super-PID.
- Fully enclose the electronics, including power supply.
- Upgrade the frame to be similar to ShapeOko v2.0.
- Get a T-Slot Table Plate to replace the waste board.
- Modify X and Y axis drives to NEMA 23 steppers with dual steppers on the Y axis.
- Modify the belt drive taking inspiration from Bell Everman.
- Replace the Z axis M8 standard all-thread with SS all-thread for better accuracy.
I also discovered that ShapeOko v3.0 has just started taking pre-orders. I don’t think that the financial controller with authorise the purchase 🙁