NEW iCarver 1520 Has Landed!

Stuart Ablett

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15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
As some of you may remember from >> THIS << thread and >> THIS << thread I kind of walked into a free CNC carving machine a few years back, wow, almost four years ago :eek: It was a real prototype that I had fun with. That machine led to a second machine, a which came >> out of the blue << a year after that. When the second machine came, I gave Alex the first machine. Unfortunately it did not last long for him and it died, and I had a software problem that in the end turned out to be a windows problem which slowed me down on the second machine for quite some time. About a month ago I got another email from GeeTech, asking me if I'd like to test drive a full production model, until now the two units were prototypes, pre-production units. Of course I said yes!

Full discloser here they gave me the machines, I had to pay import tax ($250) and I give them feedback. They want honest feedback and they ask me to tell it like it is, they have never tried to get me to temper my comments if I find a problem or two. While I did not purchase the machine, I did have to pay to get it, and they do not compensate me in any other way for test driving their machines. So take from that what you will, I'm not a shill, I'm being open and honest about what I have and what I got. :)

The new iCarver 1520 showed up in a crate....

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but really it was not that heavy, so I had some time and decided to open up the crate and see what was inside....

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..... OK a big cardboard box and then a lot of Styrofoam. Also a small took kit and a copy of ArtCam Express to use!

Digging deeper...
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Oh boy, even more Styrofoam!

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This box contained some parts that look like a dust collection port or something.

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Wrangled down from the heavens (first floor) into my Dungeon, sitting pretty on the SawStop for now, I have some things to work out before I put the new iCarver into the soundproof cabinet it will live in.

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I think that is how the dust collection port goes on, seems to work.

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Now the front brush, you have to remove it to see the tip of the tool when positioning an origin point on a work piece, the way the DC port was made, you had to unscrew the two knobs completely to get them out, this is a waste of time.....

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...I solved this by making the two holes into to slots, now I just have to loosen or tighten the knobs to remove or replace the front brush.....
iCarver_1520_12.jpg


Next thing is the wire for the control module is too short for me, as my iCarvers live in a soundproof box with access only from the front, it the wire needs to be longer. Nothing too complex, an 8-wire cable, and some connectors....
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Anyone know what they call this kind of connector?

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Fired up and running on it's first job

Now what happened to my preproduction Ver 2 iCarver....?

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I took a quick trip down to Zushi today and dropped it off at Alex's workshop.

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Alex made some room for it on his storage loft. I sure hope that this one lasts a little longer!

I noticed that the new machine I have now has most of the changes and tweaks that I recommended after getting the preproduction Ver 2 unit and running it through it's paces. I doubt I was the only one to see the obvious changes that needed to be made, but I did make the suggestions, and it is rewarding to see many if not all of them used. Now I have to get my head wrapped around the new software so I've got some reading to do.

Cheers!
 
Looking good Stu. I think there is a bounty of interesting projects in store with this tool. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to bring it down.
 
It is good to see that Alex is catching all the overflow from your good fortune. It will be interesting to hear what you think of the new model after you put it through its paces.
 
Yes, it is great to be able to share my good fortune!

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First job cut.
Looks great, and no sawdust left behind!

It is noisy to have the shop-vac running all the time, so I think I'll end up building another mini cyclone and putting a small vacuum cleaner in the soundproof box or something like that, as the noisy of the shopvac running all the time would get old fast.
 
Very cool. What a great Toy, er, tool to have!

Just think of the chess pieces you could carve with this...
 
"It is noisy to have the shop-vac running all the time, so I think I'll end up building another mini cyclone and putting a small vacuum cleaner in the soundproof box or something like that, as the noisy of the shopvac running all the time would get old fast. "

Will the computer or sensitive electronics be outside the soundproof box the reason I ask is could the vac create more heat not good for the electronics.
 
"It is noisy to have the shop-vac running all the time, so I think I'll end up building another mini cyclone and putting a small vacuum cleaner in the soundproof box or something like that, as the noisy of the shopvac running all the time would get old fast. "

Will the computer or sensitive electronics be outside the soundproof box the reason I ask is could the vac create more heat not good for the electronics.

The electronics seem robust, they are cooled by a cooling fan in their box on the back side of the machine. I will vent the soundproof box that the machine will live in, and most likely the new shop vac will be in it's own sound proof box on top of the one the iCarver lives in, not really enough room in the main box for the vacuum.

Cheers!
 
I did a run into Akihabara to day (the famous electronics area in Tokyo) and had a good look around maybe 10 shops there that sell parts, no one had or had ever seen this connector..........
iCarver_1520_13.jpg

and some where quite curious where it was from. I've asked the guys at GeeTech if they can source me a longer cable, if they cannot, I'll just splice the cable to make it longer, not the best solution, but not a bad one.

I also bought a very bright, but small LED that runs on 12V to put near the cutter head, so I can see the tip of the tool as I position it for the starting point. Now in the darkness of the DC shroud it is very hard to see the tip of the tool.
Still more to learn on the software side....

Cheers!
 
Stu thats fantastic. I see General Canada has this unit in their CNC line up.

For those interested here the page price is around $4500 Canadian.http://www.generalcnc.ca/icarver

Alex looks as pleased as punch with that naughty boyish look on his face. :) So cool to see a guy so happy.

Now as to the connector i suspect is from Molex. They one of the biggest most common manufacturers of thsi kind of connector.

If you could take a few more pics i can try to help you out with finding it in Canada and do you a return favor and post it to you.

Looks similar to this series

http://www.molex.com/molex/products...troduction&parentKey=wire_to_board_connectors

I ordered something similar recently and got the crimps and housings so its not impossible.

Besides that looks like a standard pitch footprint on the pcb on a worst case basis you could replace the header with a equivalent pin config in the form of pitch between pins and solve the problem. Whats on the other end of the cable though.

The finished product here certainly looks to be a huge step up. Amazing that its taken them so long to get through the development pipeline given this is version 3.

Can you give us some more insight into what the machine can and cannot do. I note that its called icarver but this final version looks capable of a bit more than carving.

Even though you get the machine for the cost of the duties they getting a great deal on all the R&D and consulting and exposure you giving the unit so i would say they the guys getting the bargain. R&D staff and consultants in this field would cost more than the three machines thus far. KUdos to you for getting this recognition. One hand washes the other in this case so i can understand why you are happy.

Enjoy it.

Now......mmmmh thinking about this perhaps the Chessboard needs to return to have some name engraving done. :)

Oh Oh version three of the chessboard in the works....;):rofl:


Oh and thanks a ton Stu. I have been wrestling for years trying to remember "Akihabara" . Its quiet a unique area of Tokyo and for the life of me i could not remember the name...grey hair kicking in.:)
 
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Don't forget to ground your vacuum system, static electricity can play havoc with the electronics. I looked at the iCarve before I bought my Shark, but the price was outside my budget.
 
Very good, Stu. No need to apologize about (not) being a shill. I have written many product reviews. The time spent on junk far outweighs the value of the few good products you get to keep. I'm looking forward to more of your experiences with it.
 
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