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CNC Hot Wire Cutter 4 Axis for Cutting Foam Wings

Discussion in 'Other Builds' started by Rusticalmond, Aug 27, 2015.

  1. Wayne Webb

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    Does DevFoam Pro do everything, including cutting, or do I still need Mach 3 to go with it?
     
  2. rcKeith

    rcKeith New
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    Still need Mach 3 DevFoam Pro and all of the software from Stefano e,g, Profili just generate the gcode that you upload to Mach3. Even FoamWorks has taken that route as well on the later version. Mach 3 is very good and I would highly recommend watching their tutorials. I've spent more money on software than hardware and its where you'll spend most of you time once you machine is built. Its very satisfying when it all works the way you want
     
  3. Wayne Webb

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    Right now I'm designing in Aries Graphics Sign Wizard 6.0, sending the files to Aspire 2.5 where I make the toolpaths for Mach3's postprocessor, and using Mach3 to run the foamcutter. The only problem is with the traversing cuts across letters and shapes. I'm really liking the looks of the Devfoam pro. What I want to cut are monument signs and sign parts up to 10' long, 4' high and 3' wide. I still want to design my 2D shapes in my regular sign program, then export the vectors to the foam program. As long as it will handle large projects and generate toolpaths which won't send the wire across work pieces, then that is all I need.
    I have a couple of questions;
    Will it handle projects as large as a 4x10 block of foam?
    If I design something in x inches in a CAD program, will DevFoam preserve the size which was exported from the other program?
     
    #33 Wayne Webb, Sep 3, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2015
  4. rcKeith

    rcKeith New
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    Hi Wayne
    I don't ues DevFoam Pro only DevFus Foam but I downloaded the demo version and it looks to me that if you can export in DXF format then DevFoam Pro can import it correctly. Size I don't think will be a problem because you specify your machine size so that it can validate the paths will fit your machine size.
    Hope that helps,
     
  5. Wayne Webb

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    Great, Keith,
    Yes I can export DXF no problem. Looks like this is the program for me. thanks!
     
  6. Rusticalmond

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  7. Wayne Webb

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    I think I'm going with DevFoam Pro with the dongle. I have several computers and would probably need to use the program on two or three of them.
     
  8. Rusticalmond

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    SignWorks, When I get DevFoam, I will definitely go with the dongle as my computers usually get re built from time to time. We have a WIN440CT Dongle that allows us to access our software used to get into WIN phone systems from any PC.

    I hooked 5V power supply up to CNC control board and 36V power supply up to motor controller. Then I took the 5V out on Break out Board on pin 1 and 2 to the + side on Motor Controller for Dir and Pul and jumpered the Dir and Pul - back to the ground at the end of the Break out Board on Ground. Also 5V from the Break out Board went out to Enable on the motor driver to Enable5V. Got green lights on everything and the motors got a little warm and motor shafts got locked. I do not have the USB to DB25 converter so am not able to send signals to my motor. Maybe Friday or Sat I will have them spinning.
     
  9. Rusticalmond

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    Oh and I forgot I had in my Lap Top bag last night a Belkin USB to Serial adapter. Also got Serial to DB25 adapter to communicate vi maintenance port on WIN440CT cabinets.
     
  10. rcKeith

    rcKeith New
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    I got the dongle after a Hard drive failure and a then the whole laptop. Stefano was very good and sent me new activation codes each time . After that I decide the dongle was best option.

    Keith
     
  11. Rusticalmond

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    The problem is with legacy systems such as WIN being out of business for over a year now, you can't get the software or another license. So with Dongle you have software when ever you need it.
     
  12. Rusticalmond

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    Tap.jpg

    powersupply2.jpg


    My 1st time I used electrical crimps and rigged up a tap plate. 3 Power supplies connect in parallel. I did have one power supply not power up and tracing the tap with my volt meter from each output, discovered a break in the last feed going to the 3rd power supply. Same method I used to trace bad stations on a phone system. I unscrewed the connector and the wire just fell of the crimp. So, had a bad connection cause of a bad crimp. All fixed and 3 power supplies working. Also installed 2 fans.
     
  13. Rusticalmond

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    Does anyone have experience using usb to db25 adapters to control cnc board? I have my pc and everything wired up but the PC on win xp detects the adapter as USB Printer Interface and the CNC controller as unknown printer. I have no IO range of the printer to put in Mac3 software. Also I have been trying to create a LPT port manual? I just don't know where to start on this.
     
  14. rcKeith

    rcKeith New
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  15. Rusticalmond

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    Thanks Keith, I thought the USB adapter to DB25 would work fine. It does not create a LPT Port and assign IO to that port. If I had an old printer and installed the printer drivers, I believe the USB to DB25 would work fine. I have a USB to serial adapter that I set to use com1 when connecting to old WIN cabinets or Old Toshiba Strategy Voice Mail cards by Serial or DB25 connection and it works great. So seems I have to buy a DB25 card to give me LPT1 with I/O that Mac 3 Needs. I buy lots of stuff from New Egg.
     
  16. Rusticalmond

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    Cabinet2.jpg Got all my PC and CNC electronics and wiring done. Next step will be getting the Parallel card and getting my motors set up on Mac3
     
    Mark Carew likes this.
  17. Wayne Webb

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    Good job! Looks nice!
     
  18. Tweakie

    Tweakie OpenBuilds Team
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    Unfortunately the USB to DB25 adapters just don't work with Mach3. The solution is to either use an external motion controller or, as you are planning, fit a parallel port card to your PC board.

    Tweakie.
     
  19. Rusticalmond

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    David the swarfer said:

    a usb to db25 adapter will NEVER work with Mach3 because MAch3 will not be able to toggle the pins in the db25 fast enough and 'together'. you have to use a 'real' DB25 port, either part of the motherboard or a PCI/PCIe adapter. but not just any one, read the hardware compatibility list to make sure you get the right one!

    Rosewill Model RC-302 - Low-Profile PCI Card - Single Parallel (SPP / PS2 / EPP / ECP) Universal

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815166005

    Will this card work? What hardware compatibility list are you talking about?

    Link please.
     
  20. Rusticalmond

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    I have my PCI Parallel Port delivered today, so I will post back soon as to working or not.
     
  21. Rusticalmond

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    Got the Parallel card and still not working. The card installed and created LPT1 Port and I took the IO and feed that into mac3. From my understanding without motors hooked up under Diagnostic in mac3 I should be able to see lights flash for pin activation. No need to have the cable connected to my CNC Breakout Board to test pin activation. I am running WIN XP 64 Bit. The mac3 program for driver test keeps saying no driver found/sensed load driver test. I have another computer might test this card on that runs win 8
     
    #51 Rusticalmond, Sep 9, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2015
  22. Rusticalmond

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    Mach3 will run on any Windows OS from Windows 2000 through Windows 8. The parallel port driver included with Mach3 will only work with 32-bit DESKTOP computers with versions of Windows 2000 through Windows 7, but will not work with any 64-bit version of Windows or with Windows 8. Windows 8 and 64 bit versions of windows require an external motion device which can be purchased very reasonably.
    This is a cut and paste from Mac 3 Support Faq. So why would I need the parallel port driver included with Mac 3? It says it only works with 32 bit version. I am running XP 64 Bit and have my own Drivers for the Parallel card I just purchased. So is it a requirement to use Mac 3 Parallel port driver? Also where is this Driver in the software package of Mac 3. Seems I may have to go with Windows 7 32bit software. Might be why my parallel port card is not working?
     
  23. Rusticalmond

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    I found my answer when installing mac 3 software again. Parallel port driver check box. It says installs parallel port driver. this is not needed for external motion control devices. So I take this to say that You must install and use Mac 3 Parallel driver and that driver only works on 32Bit operating system. So I am using XP so no good with my parallel card even though I have drivers that came with the card for XP64Bit.
     
  24. Rusticalmond

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    Got my Motors working today and performed driver test. So the Parallel port card does work with mac3. Windows was doing some updating in the background and it started spiking bad. Next is to clean up the windows 7 so it does not cause this problem. I need to turn all background operations off.


    drivertest1.jpg

    drivertest2.jpg
     
  25. Rusticalmond

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    My CNC motor working
     
  26. Rusticalmond

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    Is it normal for the motors to get warm after a few hours then hot even though not spinning?
     
  27. rcKeith

    rcKeith New
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    Hi
    I used and old Dell GX620 SFF(small form factor). Installed XP and have nothing else on it. Its not even networked so I don't need antivirus or to update it. I use a USB stick too get my gcode on it. I switched lots of services off too. So far never had a missed step or any other issues. I also have a couple of spare Dell's that were being disposed off from my previous employer so if mine fails I can just pop the hard drive out and put into one of them, I also have the hard drive cloned incase that fails. Work it IT so I learn't the hard way to always have two get out of jail cards.

    Keith
     
  28. Rusticalmond

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    it started spiking and going crazy during the driver test and then I noticed windows had a box going saying updating or something. Screen savers, power saver auto updates and everything else I can think of will be turned off. Also they have a txt file of suggestions. Most of my big problems are gone. Motors are wired correctly and working now.
     
  29. Rusticalmond

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    Keith

    What is your motor settings under motor tuning? I do understand your using drawer slides and your settings will be different than mine cause I will use C Beam with the auger screw.

    The Open Build Team told me under Motor tuning to start with 200 Steps per MM and it seems to be a good slow speed. From left to right I have 200 steps per mm / 127.5 speed/ 333.75 torque under motor tuning.
    I have 2 motors hooked up. One sounds sick the other one sounds great. Side to side they are in Sync and rotate the same speed. Do some of your motors have a high hum and some a low sick sound? I wander if this is normal for the motors to sound different? They are in Sync so I don't get it. Maybe tomorrow night I hook the other 2 motors up and see how they sound.
     
  30. Rusticalmond

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    Video as to what I am talking about.


     

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