#2014F - the Birth, life and fall of a machine...

[Gadgetman!]

A bit dramatic title, but one does what one must to make oneself noticed...

That said, this won't be just a build log, but will also detail and modifications that happens in the future.

The package arrived yesterday, and I spent an hour and half to roll around in the parts(checking that they were all there) and starting on the build.

Tools...
The 13mm wrenches will come in handy. I only have 4 of those hanging in my garage.
The 5/16? Drop forged? I think I'll stick to a proper Chrome Vanadium 8mm, even if I only have 2 of those.
Pliers are OK.
The thin screwdriver I can imagine getting some use later, too. Bl**dy difficult to find so long screwdrivers with such a narrow blade.
The Allen wrenches are OK. Not the best quality, but then again, I lose these at an alarming rate anyway, so best quality is wasted on me. They're longer than most I've seen, and again, that's a plus.
The M5 tap. I do have a tap already, but this handle is more compact and nicer than the one I have. Big win.

Beginning assembly.
Putting the wheels and idlers together was easy... Too easy in fact; some of the bearings slid in without any problem. That I foresee to be a problem later, at least with the idlers.

Then I started on the Y-axis idler.
Methinks there's a problem with the holes as the eccentric spacers won't fit the holes.
Didn't fit on the Y-axis motor mount, or the X-axis plate, either.
No problem with the Z-axis plate, though.

Also, there's a problem with the M3 washers. 3 of them aren't M3 at all, so I only have one left after fitting the X and Y motors.
(I may have some somewhere in my office... I've needed an excuse to tidy that room for a while, anyway... )

That was yesterday...

Today sees me with a round file...

Fitted the 6 missing eccentric spacers and wheels.
Tapped one slide and mounted it.
Seems I may have messed up the threads in one hole... I'll pick up some longer M5 bolts tomorrow or saturday. Then I'll also pick up a box or two of Nylock nuts.

On the the MAkerslide the X-carriage moves on there's one slot along one side and two on the other side.
Should this slot be towards the top or towards the bottom?
(Picture doesn't show) Or doesn't it matter?

[cvoinescu]

A bit dramatic title, but one does what one must to make oneself noticed...

No matter what the title, it still shows up under View unread posts. Also, I hope only two out of three items in the title are descriptive. Unless you're referring to the fact that it's September.

On the the MAkerslide the X-carriage moves on there's one slot along one side and two on the other side.
Should this slot be towards the top or towards the bottom?
(Picture doesn't show) Or doesn't it matter?

Short answer is that it doesn't matter. Long answer is that it makes only a small difference for single X, and it's better to have the slot at the bottom. However, for dual X, there's something to be said for an arrangement where the front rail has the lone slot at the bottom and the rear rail has it at the top. The V without a slot is more rigidly coupled to the rest of the rail, so it makes sense to put it in the positions with the largest loads. This becomes more important once the larger sources of flex have been eliminated (rails bolted or glued together, metal spacers, steel V-wheels).

An easy improvement over the stock instructions, requiring no extra parts, is to flip the X axis around, with the Vs toward the front, also reversing the order of the spacers and V-wheels on the four bolts that connect the motor plate to the carriage plate (assembly step 5). It's only a small gain, but it shortens the arm the milling forces have over the X V-wheels and takes some of the flex of the carriage assembly out of the equation, with no downside. In that case, it is also marginally better to have the single T-slot at the bottom.

[bjbsquared]

Then I'll also pick up a box or two of Nylock nuts.

You might think about getting some type of lock washer in case the bolts aren't quite long enough for the Nylock nuts.

[Gadgetman!]

Picked up a box of M5 Nylock nuts, lock washers, M5 20mm bolts, and even a small bottle of 'generic LockTite'

Will take a closer look at the flip on the X-axis but that's for later. First I want to build it 'stock' an get it to work before beginning to upgrade it. (I have the dual-drive kit, but that won't go on, either, before I get it working)
I'm also taking stock of available upgrades and what should be improved in which order.

Longer slides made of Anodized aluminium before upgrading to steel wheels. Stuff like that.

Been looking at the Z-axis motor and couping. Not too satisfied with it, really.
There I intend to cut a couple of mm off of the end of the motor shaft. That way the M8 rod can go a bit further into the coupling.
(The alternative is to either leave a very short piece above the nuts, or to shim the motor even higher up. )
I'll also file a u-shaped cut along the rod(across the threads) to make it a more durable coupling.

[whimmel]

Been looking at the Z-axis motor and couping. Not too satisfied with it, really.
There I intend to cut a couple of mm off of the end of the motor shaft. That way the M8 rod can go a bit further into the coupling.
(The alternative is to either leave a very short piece above the nuts, or to shim the motor even higher up. )
I'll also file a u-shaped cut along the rod(across the threads) to make it a more durable coupling.

I did something like this. I replaced the M3 screws and plastic spacers with a pair of 25mm brass standoffs. It's quite a bit sturdier and leaves more room inside the coupler for the threaded rod. You can see it in my old post here: http://www.shapeoko.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=792

[Gadgetman!]

Thanks for the tip!

Checked my crates and found a big bag of M3 spacers. Unfortunately, they're all the same length, and 4 of them together is just barely longer than the 2 nylon spacers. Still, I may have some of other sizes at the office.
Anything to avoid having to cut the shaft on the motor. That's bl**dy hard steel...

Another idea I just thought of is to make some long 'u'-shaped shims with 3 holes, so that it matches the screws and with a gap large enough to comfortable clear the coupling.
One of those in the middle of all those nylon spacers should stiffen up a stock system.
(Or one could use shorter spacers or brass standoffs and add more shims for even more rigidity )

[Gadgetman!]

5pin connectors arrived today and went straight int othe 'upgrade parts' box for later.
(Won't be needed until I make some sort of enclosure)

Looking on eBay for those linked cable carriers. The biggest problem seems to be picking a suitable size...

Is 7x7mm inside good for the Y-axis?
Not even beginning to think about the X-axis, Z-axis or the spindle motor cable, yet...

Who cares...
I'm ordering up some 7x7 lengths anyway. That stuff is just too cool not to have...

[Improbable Construct]

I use 18x25 on my setup. It is big enough for all the wires, including the spindle power.

[Gadgetman!]

18x25?

Exactly how thick are the wires you're using?

I will of course have to pick a slightly larger size for the Z-axis and spindle, and should probably leave room for thicker spindle wires, in case I later buy a stronger spindle. Saw some Chinese 3-phase (400Hz) stuff mentioned in another thread that might be interesting later.
Also have to consider if and how the wiring is to be bundled with the X-axis cables. But again, no hurry.

[Gadgetman!]

Got the frame assembled...

When I try to move it, the Y-axis feels a bit weird; smooth in the middle and harder at the edges as if pushing it up a slight incline.
Also, I think one of the wheels isn't perfectly round.
The weirdness I expect to get rid of whend I 'true' the frame.
The wheel probably just needs to be introduced to a good file or something.

Unfortunately, to true the frame I need to mount it on something solid. Which means it's probably time for me to get hold of some MDF or something. Maybe even the circular saw I've been wanting.

The spindle...
The instructions on the wiki shows it being mounted with 2 nylon spacers on each screw. Except that when I try that, it's too loose to hold anything, so skipping the spacers.
Also looking into good ways of fastening the belts.