Converting an old Microrouter to LinuxCNC/EMC2
Posted: Wed 12 Sep , 2012 10:42 am
Hi
I have an old Microrouter, which when I acquired it from a school was working. Since then, the motor has failed (brushes), then the motor control board. Since this was too expensive to replace, I simply fitted an ordinary hand router with manual speed control. This worked to my satisfaction.
Now something else has failed; the machine keeps "forgetting" where it is whilst in the middle of a job and randomly goes off and mills the wrong bit! I'm fairly sure that this is not mechanical stalling as I can't here it, and have re-greased the threads. I therefore conclude that it is either another control board, or possibly the serial interface that has failed.
Anyway, long story short; I'm seriously considering scrapping off all the control electronics and replacing them with new but extremely simple stepper motor control boards connected to the parallel port of a PC, then using Linux CNC (formely EMC2) to control the machine. I'm not fussed about the door interlock (I'm disciplined enough to leave it shut whilst milling), nor am I fussed about automatic control of the spindle motor as my manually controlled router works just fine. I therefore think that all I need to connect up is the drive circuit for the 3 steppers, and the 3 home sensors.
Has anyone already done this conversion, and if so, could they offer any experienced words of advice?
Thanks
I have an old Microrouter, which when I acquired it from a school was working. Since then, the motor has failed (brushes), then the motor control board. Since this was too expensive to replace, I simply fitted an ordinary hand router with manual speed control. This worked to my satisfaction.
Now something else has failed; the machine keeps "forgetting" where it is whilst in the middle of a job and randomly goes off and mills the wrong bit! I'm fairly sure that this is not mechanical stalling as I can't here it, and have re-greased the threads. I therefore conclude that it is either another control board, or possibly the serial interface that has failed.
Anyway, long story short; I'm seriously considering scrapping off all the control electronics and replacing them with new but extremely simple stepper motor control boards connected to the parallel port of a PC, then using Linux CNC (formely EMC2) to control the machine. I'm not fussed about the door interlock (I'm disciplined enough to leave it shut whilst milling), nor am I fussed about automatic control of the spindle motor as my manually controlled router works just fine. I therefore think that all I need to connect up is the drive circuit for the 3 steppers, and the 3 home sensors.
Has anyone already done this conversion, and if so, could they offer any experienced words of advice?
Thanks