Cheap Shop Computer
I just ordered a recertified* computer from NewEgg to put in my shop for use with the CNC machines. It’s old but has everything necessary to be a first class controller computer. The processor is a Pentium 4. It comes with a new install of Windows XP Pro which is a rock solid OS for use with MACH3 CNC controller software.
MACH3 is probably the ONLY software other than the OS I will have on this machine. The really good part is it only cost $140.00 including shipping, keyboard and mouse.
I may throw in some extra memory and maybe an old video card I have. I have boxes full of that old stuff here. The low price is unbelievable (but it IS an old, used machine.)
*I think this means it was plugged in and it booted. 🙂 Other buyers say they are dusty inside so these are pull outs from some corporate office, but perfect as a cheap controller computer. The benefit from buying it from Newegg is if it is broke, I can exchange it.
UPDATE: 5/16/10
The little PC is now listed as not available at Newegg. Got mine no problem. Works perfectly to fit my needs. It was dusty inside so I blew it out with my shop air gun. I do that with all my older computers. It only had 256 Meg of RAM so replaced it with one Gig I already owned. Video seems fine for my needs. It now runs the HB2 machine from a permanent location. It is a perfect machine controller. No need to even see the Internet. Long live XP Pro.
Proxxon PD230/E
I am considering ordering a PD230/E Proxxon Precision Micro Lathe for sale in my store. The PD230/E is a very small lathe in the size range between the Taig micro lathe and the larger Proxxon PD400. The PD230/E is about ½ the cost of the PD400.
What makes the PD230/E a very nice lathe is the fact it has a powered lead screw as well as a variable speed drive motor. It is a micro lathe on steroids.
I don’t see a reason to own both Proxxon lathes. The PD400 being the machine of choice for me, but there are certainly many hobby machinists who don’t need the bigger machine and are attracted by the lower price of the PD230/E. The attached motor drive, power feed and the complete drive system put it way above the Taig micro lathe in functionality.
The street price for the main machine is $1225.00. Adding accessories will of course push the total price higher.
If I wanted a micro lathe I could modify and/or customize, then the Taig is a great choice. But if I want a micro lathe that is ready to make parts, then the PD230/E is the better choice.
New Publication Format
I am nurturing an idea for a “future state” THMS web publication. The literal big picture is video. I believe Internet bandwidth and present day hardware are fully capable of exploiting this content delivery method. Example: My last post contains video.
Since the beginning of the World Wide Web, but more so as it became commercial, the medium has been handicapped by the belief (and a self standard) we could not abandon the old obsolete tools and practices of the past. Some websites today are still being constructed to accommodate text only browsers. I am not trying to be a techno snob but, TEXT ONLY BROWSERS!! Give me a break.
The Amish value the “simple” life, so the horse and buggy make perfect sense. But just like the horse, text only browsing is not in my view a mission of the modern highway called the Internet. Yes, it can be accommodated over on the berm*, but it is truly out of place. (*Chiefly Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. the bank of a canal or the shoulder of a road.)
I am designing my future messages using the visual method of quality video presentation as well as continue my present standard of high quality photography. The video and new photo story pages will be in a new format section linked to the present THMS website. The present “frames” site and this blog will continue unchanged.
Blogs are the hot delivery medium, and I already have three. I decided not use the blog format for my new design. I won’t be looking for easy feedback, as blogs attract a huge assortment of low life and spammers because of that feature. I presently reject 99.9% of entered comments because of off topic abuse. In my… Continue reading
HB2 Action
I ran some Lithophanes this evening. I realized I had my iPhone in my pocket so I grabed a short segment of the HB2 in operation.
What you need to note is the quiet operation with the Taig spindle running at 10.600 RPM and the bit cutting at 50 IPM (Inches Per Minute). Most of the noise is the cutter in the Corian solid surface material making the 0.10 to 0.20 depth cut. If you listen carefully you can also hear the higher pitch “chirping” of the z axis stepper motor. I am “eighth stepping” the motors so it takes 1600 steps to make one shaft rotation. You are hearing those steps.
Most folks are running very loud (screaming actually) routers or high speed rotary tools to do this work. It’s hard to even think over the noise level. I have to wear ear protection with those spindles, but not with the Taig spindle. It’s nice…
Smooth Sailing
I ran an 8×10 Lithophane yesterday which required a few minutes over 3 hours of continuous running on the HB2. Not a single glitch. It sounded and ran so good I was able to do a lot of regular work around the shop, like cleaning up.
The sound level is extremely low with the Taig spindle and the new tune up with the finer microstepping. Now the loudest sound is the cutting of the router bit through the material. No problem with normal level conversation right next to the operating machine
Most owners of these machines are using small wood routers. They do a great job (I have one) but the sound level is extremely high. It requires ear plugs or ear cans (headset) to protect hearing. Not so with the Taig spindle.
Now I can spend more time on project design and equipment refinements like material mounting methods. Breaking couplings looks like a problem solved.