A Computer for Mach3 & the Taig Mill CNC Conversion
Taig Mill CNC Lead-screw Conversion
Stepper Motors
Controller
Breakout Board
Pendant
Relay Box
E-Stop
Limit Switches
CNC Rotary Table
Tooling Plate
First, I
assembled a computer to handle
the Mach3 Mill software, a 4-axes LPT1 interfaced stepper controller,
a LPT2 interfaced manual pulse generator (MPG) pendant, relay control box, CAD, & the internet.
775 socket
Asus μATX MB with LPT1 output, Intel Core 2
Duo 2.2 GHz CPU & 2GB RAM.
This low-cost Asus P5VD2-VM SE motherboard has integrated graphics & high-fidelity
audio.
The CPU is pin-less.
Running XP Pro SP3 OS & attached to a wired LAN on a high-speed cable
WAN.
The supplied Intel CPU fan has plenty
of reserve cooling capacity for this application.
The
magenta colored connector to the
left is LPT1.
Pre-graphics card configuration with 2GB RAM, a 320 GB WDC
SATA 3 Mb/s, 16 MB cache, 7200 RPM HDD,
Samsung
LightScribe DVD, a multi-card reader & a Viewsonic Optiquest Q91b, 19" LCD monitor.
Added a Jaton
Video-PX8400GS-LX graphics card with nVidia GeForce 8400GS graphics engine, PCIx
(16x), 256 MB DDR2 memory.
Also added another 2GB RAM.
With four fans (CPU, graphics card, power supply, & chassis) this system
runs very cool is but still quiet.
Power meter measurements: 70W at idle (55W without the graphics card) & 100W peak on
boot; 300W power supply.
This computer was built specifically for & is dedicated to controlling the Taig mill in 4 axes
using Mach3 Mill.
This low-cost, Core 2 Duo CPU-based system easily generates 100,000
pulses/s &
higher.
25,000 pulses/s is fine for my application & does not burden the CPU.
This photo shows Mach3 Mill depicting the tool path for
cutting a circular pocket.
This enclosure has a door in an extra effort to reduce swarf
infiltration; it is effective.
The low-profile
μATX case was selected to
optimize placement under the bench.
Added a LPT2 PCI card to interface the
manual pulse
generator (MPG) pendant remote control.
Wall-mount bracket for the computer's 19" LCD monitor.
The bracket allows the display to move vertically, pivot, rotate, &
tilt.
Removing 4 small screws allows the OEM base to be completely removed.
The 4.75" x 4.75" x ¼"
plate attaches to the 4, pre-existing M4-0.7 threaded mounting holes.
Top monitor bracket pivot.
Wall bracket holds the monitor completely off the bench.
I use a Microsoft wireless mouse as I like the
backward/forward page buttons, wide tilt scroll wheel & ergonomic shape.
Added a programmable HP wireless keyboard to further reduce clutter &
it allows me to completely remove them from the work area.
I have the two USB receivers located above the bench top as they were having
difficulty working through the 3" thick granite surface plate.
Upgraded to Logitech Z-4 speakers which included a
subwoofer.
The Z-4 has a decent price to performance ratio.
As with the monitor, keyboard & mouse, the install emphasized lowered bench
clutter & the mitigation of swarf effects.
The computer & LCD monitor plus the opto-isolation &
pendant interfaces are protected by a computer monitored (RS232)
APC uninterruptable power supply while the stepper motor control circuit
is protected by a standard APC surge protector.
Taig Mill CNC Lead-screw Conversion
Stepper Motors
Controller
Breakout Board
Pendant
Relay Box
E-Stop
Limit Switches
CNC Rotary Table
Tooling Plate