X3 Mill
Cold Weather Choices
I spent the weekend deciding weather (sic) to spend time in my 35 degree workshop or my 72 degree home office. (Pun intended). You can probably correctly guess the office won the fair share of the coin tosses.
I can warm up the garage with electric heaters and make it a somewhat enjoyable work space at approximately 62 degrees air temperature. However, I am working on installing a very precise digital readout (DRO) on my big mill and I would like the temperatures to be a bit more stable. I can get the air to 62 but it takes awhile for the big chunk of cast iron and steel (of which the machine is made) to get up to temperature.
I have the non critical work done but the fine tuning needs a few days at a bit warmer temperature. It is all in the joy of trying to maintain precision in a changing environment like an unconditioned garage shop. Open the garage door in winter conditions and “whoosh”, instantly floods in 27 degree air.
I am jealous of the climate controlled workshops of some home machinists. Actually the temperature is not a problem when it stays constant. It is the warming and cooling that is the problem. Starting a series of milling operations at 40 degrees and finish at 75, the dimension reference (datum) will change. It changes anyway because the part being milled gets hot while cutting, but it is nice to reduce some of the variables. Home shop projects usually don’t demand super tight control.
The DRO PROS project will have a full product report in The Hobbyist Machine Shop is a few weeks. Watch for it. (Tell ’em Dan’l sent ya!)
The office work consisted of upgrading two of my computers. I won’t spend much… Continue reading
X3 Lighting Damage
The X3 mill motor controller was damaged in a lighting strike that took out a lot of electronics in my home. Mostly all the phone, computer and amateur radio gear. It also did some damage in the workshop.
The overhead door opener went out and had to be replaced. Here is the visual damage to the X3 motor controller board. The arc traveled between the solid jumper wire and the trace below which is ground.
The shop light transformer just burned out today. So the repairs are not finished. The new board is worth about $180.00 if it can’t be repaired.
Just another adventure after another… 🙂
Here is a picture of the backside of the board. I found another blown trace. Who knows what is also blown in those SM (Surface Mount) components. I was checking out having the board tested and repaired but now I intend to replace this board.
You know how it goes. Fix the obvious then other things start to fail like a week later. Not worth the time or aggravation…