Leo Voisine
Member
- Messages
- 5,729
- Location
- East Freeetown, Massachusetts
In retirement many people do a lot of different things.
Some go traveling
Some go on Cruises
Some buy a retirement home
Lots of things people do.
Me - I love my shop and making cool stuff.
I love my CNC
I know lots of folk have CNC routers and I do too - but - I am obsessed with it.
I know I'm obsessed, but that's OK.
I think of this sort of thing like supping up a car.
Since I have had my Chinese machine I have had issues with it.
The "bones" are ROCK solid.
The machine is all welded steel no aluminum.
The "TEE slot table is a bit soft for my liking.
It works, but it is not ROCK.
For most people the table would not be any sort of an issue at all.
For me - I am accustomed to industrial machines with solid granite bases and tons of cast iron.
So, my table needs to be "beefed up" - but not at this time.
The "Z" axis and spindle mount is also a bit "soft" for my liking.
So, this also needs to be "beefed up" - but not at this time.
Then there is the "electronics" part of the equation.
I use Mach3 - which is good - BUT
Mach3 is an older technology with limitations.
I have managed to hit some of those limitations
- I have run code with over a millions lines - Mach3 is not really good at that.
- I have some issues with Acel / Decal on 3D with short and rapid changes in axis direction at high feedrates. The problem is time. When running a large 3D model it can take 10 hours or more because I need to slow down feedrate.
- Mach3 was never designed to run on a USB. I am running a USB cable with some dumb Chinese work around software plug in emulator.
- If I hit my ESTOP - the machine go totally wonky --- DON'T ASK what that means - but it can take 2-5 hours of frustration to recover.
My BreakOutBoard is a Chinese made Mach3 board
- I just don't trust it.
- It relies on the Windows CPU
- If there is a hickup in Windows or on the CPU because of windows it affects the machine.
Sooo, for years I have been thinking about upgrading my CNC Router to make the "electronics" part as ROCK solid as the steel part of my machine.
I am going to upgrade to Centroid.
- Centroid Acorn BOB -- this has it's own CPU build in - not dependent on the main windows CPU (I know I am not saying that right - it's not a windows CPU)
- Centroid Probing - Digitizing software - I will be able to do 3D digitizing
- Centroid Tool Touch measuring
- It is ALL made by one company and will all integrate quite well
- USA made - sweet
- All sorts of inputs and outputs - DC, spindle coolant, lights, air blast, etc etc
- REALLY good support
- User forum
- Great documentation
- No USB - No Parallel --- this is ethernet driven
- MUCH better acel/decel
Whooo Hooooo ----- I just need $2500 to pay for it, fortunately I have made enough $ in 2021 to cover the cost.
This is going to be a winter, snow on the ground fire in the woodstove kinda project.
I know it's not really a CNC forum - but you all all my friends.
I am sooo excited about this.
Some go traveling
Some go on Cruises
Some buy a retirement home
Lots of things people do.
Me - I love my shop and making cool stuff.
I love my CNC
I know lots of folk have CNC routers and I do too - but - I am obsessed with it.
I know I'm obsessed, but that's OK.
I think of this sort of thing like supping up a car.
Since I have had my Chinese machine I have had issues with it.
The "bones" are ROCK solid.
The machine is all welded steel no aluminum.
The "TEE slot table is a bit soft for my liking.
It works, but it is not ROCK.
For most people the table would not be any sort of an issue at all.
For me - I am accustomed to industrial machines with solid granite bases and tons of cast iron.
So, my table needs to be "beefed up" - but not at this time.
The "Z" axis and spindle mount is also a bit "soft" for my liking.
So, this also needs to be "beefed up" - but not at this time.
Then there is the "electronics" part of the equation.
I use Mach3 - which is good - BUT
Mach3 is an older technology with limitations.
I have managed to hit some of those limitations
- I have run code with over a millions lines - Mach3 is not really good at that.
- I have some issues with Acel / Decal on 3D with short and rapid changes in axis direction at high feedrates. The problem is time. When running a large 3D model it can take 10 hours or more because I need to slow down feedrate.
- Mach3 was never designed to run on a USB. I am running a USB cable with some dumb Chinese work around software plug in emulator.
- If I hit my ESTOP - the machine go totally wonky --- DON'T ASK what that means - but it can take 2-5 hours of frustration to recover.
My BreakOutBoard is a Chinese made Mach3 board
- I just don't trust it.
- It relies on the Windows CPU
- If there is a hickup in Windows or on the CPU because of windows it affects the machine.
Sooo, for years I have been thinking about upgrading my CNC Router to make the "electronics" part as ROCK solid as the steel part of my machine.
I am going to upgrade to Centroid.
- Centroid Acorn BOB -- this has it's own CPU build in - not dependent on the main windows CPU (I know I am not saying that right - it's not a windows CPU)
- Centroid Probing - Digitizing software - I will be able to do 3D digitizing
- Centroid Tool Touch measuring
- It is ALL made by one company and will all integrate quite well
- USA made - sweet
- All sorts of inputs and outputs - DC, spindle coolant, lights, air blast, etc etc
- REALLY good support
- User forum
- Great documentation
- No USB - No Parallel --- this is ethernet driven
- MUCH better acel/decel
Whooo Hooooo ----- I just need $2500 to pay for it, fortunately I have made enough $ in 2021 to cover the cost.
This is going to be a winter, snow on the ground fire in the woodstove kinda project.
I know it's not really a CNC forum - but you all all my friends.
I am sooo excited about this.