Noisebridge - User contributions [en]

Laser Cutter/Full Spectrum Laser 40W

2012-09-24T02:44:52Z

AlanRockefeller: clarify vector

== Lasercutter (Elvis Wu) ==
'''[[Lasercutter/V4 Full Spectrum Laser 40W|Full Spectrum Laser 4th Generation 40W CO2 Laser Engraver - Deluxe Model]]'''

* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html Product Site]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/ Forums]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/lasersetupv2.html V4 Laser Download Page]
* [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual] [[File:FSL 40w Hobby Laser Manual.pdf]]
* Drivers should be thrown onto Pony and the cutter machine once we get that setup.
* [https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9dVau9GfnKxRVZCUVBPbnU3YjQ Driver Download]

== Safety information and training ==
We should have a bunch of helpful information here on safe operation of the device and who to go to to be trained on its use here.

Please visit [http://www.z136.org/ ANSI Z136 Safe Use of Lasers] and [http://www.laserinstitute.org/PDF/Z136_1_s.pdf Copy of ANSI Z136.1] for laser safety information.

''Here are [[Lasercutter/Notes | notes on Laser Cutter Use]] uploaded on March 9, 2012''

* Please speak to one of the people who is experienced with this laser cutter before using itt so we can show you where everything is, how to setup the software, how to use it without breaking it, basic safety tips, etc.

* Read the instructions first. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/files/FSL_40w_Hobby_Laser_Manual.pdf Manual]

* Never turn the current up above 15 milliamps, that will fry the laser tube quickly. Usually just a few milliamps is more than enough power to do what you want. Using too much power on wood or paper will start a fire. Instead of turning up the power, turn down the speed and/or use multiple passes. Always use the minimum power you can do to the job to prevent unsightly burn marks and extend the life of the laser tube.

* Never operate the laser cutter unattended because sometimes things catch fire. A squirt bottle with water is kept next to the laser to put out small fires. A fire extinguisher is in the corner of the room for larger issues.

* If little flames shoot up off of your material, turn down the power. Little flames can start fires and will fog up the lens, which is difficult to clean.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. This causes an awful noise and must be very bad for the gears. If the laser cutter makes a banging noise, stop it immediately and reposition the laser head before the next cut, or resize the artwork.

* Do not cut plastics which create hazardous fumes when burned. Acrylic is ok. PVC and vinyl releases the very toxic gas phosgene when heated. As a general rule, chemical resistant plastics should not be put in the laser cutter.

* Be very careful with the silver honeycomb, especially when removing it from the machine to clean little bits of debris off of it. It bends very easily and once bent can not be straightened out completely. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, but pressing your thumb in the wrong place will cause permanent marks.

* Do not laser materials that make an excessive amount of smoke. A little smoke is ok, but a large amount can fog up the lens. If it is making a lot of smoke, use more passes at a lower power.

* When cutting paper, turn down the power to a couple milliamps, or it will catch fire.

== Software ==

Any program can print to the laser cutter, I had success using Inkscape and Gimp. Gimp is not very good for doing vector cuts, a major limitation. Inkscape is not the easiest software to learn but it is not difficult either.

=== RetinaEngrave (Windows) ===
==== Requirements ====

Windows XP or Windows 7

==== Supported formats/modes ====
==== How to install ====

* Download and install USB drivers
* Download and install RetinaEngrave
* Download and install Direct Print drivers

==== How to use ====

== Rastor ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Start RetinaEngrave
* Print the image to the Full Spectrum Engineering Driver
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Set the speed to 75% or less. Press Go.

== Vector ==

* Get an image, any format
* Load the image into The Gimp and make any necessary changes
* Copy the image to the clipboard
* Start Inkscape and create a new A4 Landscape document
* Paste the image into the new document
* Select all. Go to the Path menu and select Trace Bitmap
* Print the image. Select the printer "Full Spectrum Engineering Driver"
* Switch to RetinaEngrave. Select the Vector tab.
* Set the speed on the right hand side. Press Go.

=== [https://github.com/Metalab/ctrl-cut ctrl-cut] ===
Amir Hassan and Marius Kintel are working on open source laser cutter drivers through the CUPS interface. Primarily they're working on getting it operational with an Epilog cutter, but would like to expand past that soon.

== Quirks ==

* Vector fonts with lots of curves can take a long time for RetinaEngrave to process before it starts cutting. For instance, a single 5 letter word in Arial takes only 3 seconds to start in raster but 30 seconds to start in vector. The same word in the Pokimon font takes just 5 seconds to start.

* If your PC is connected to the laser cutter with the usb cable, and you have the RetinaEngrave software and drivers installed, and you still can't get the machine to acknowledge you (e.g. you try to press the "jog" buttons and the laser head doesn't move) try these things:
** There is a button between the "jog right" and "jog left" button. It shifts between UNLOCK and LOCK. Togge it and try again!
** There is a big red emergency stop button on top of the laser cutter. It might be pressed down, which means the machine won't work. ''Twist'' the button to unpress it.

* It is easy to make the laser head bang against the side or top of the unit. Don't let it do that.

* If you are doing a raster engrave, you can not set the speed too high. Here is some artwork on paper, raster engrave, 250 dpi 85% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0190.jpg]. Here is the same image at 71% speed: [http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t265/alanrockefeller/IMG_0192.jpg]
At 500 dpi, 75% speed was too much. 72% was also too fast.
I also saw the problem at 250 dpi 71% and 1000 dpi 65%. Full spectrum engineering said on Feb 25 that this problem is caused by the belt being too tight. [http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=310]

* You don't need to watch the laser every single second, but you should at least stay in the little room while it's on and keep a general eye on it. Why? Because if you're using something burnable, there's a chance it can catch fire. Which is bad.

* Turn off the machine when not in use. The air pump gets hot if left on for long periods. It is not quite hot enough to cause a problem, but it will last longer if it is not always on, and turning it off will keep dust from accumulating inside the laser unnecessarily.

== Things you can put in the laser cutter ==

* Paper (cardstock could have additives that should not go in the cutter, test a sample)
* Acrylic and several other plastics
* Wood (careful of fire, treated wood could have additives)
* Cotton
* Many other fabrics (not moleskin books because they can have high chlorine content)
* Cell phones (check for chlorine in the plastic)
* Laptops (check for chlorine in the plastic)
* Leather
* Glass
* Anodized/coated metal
* Chocolate
* Linoleum
* "Speedy-cut" rubber

== Things you should not put in the laser cutter ==

'''WARNING''': Because many plastics are dangerous to cut, it is important to know what kind you are planning to use. Make has a How-To for identifying unknown plastics with [http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/09/identifying-unknown-plastics.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+makezineonline+%28MAKE%29&utm_content=Google+Reader a simple process].

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1" align="center"
|-
! Material
! DANGER!
! Cause/Consequence
|-
| PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather/Moleskine notebooks
| Emits pure chlorine gas when cut!
| Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system.
|-
| Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan
| Cut very poorly, discolor, catch fire
| Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because ''polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation!'' This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting.
|-
| ABS
| Emits cyanide gas and tends to melt
| ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt).
|-
| HDPE/milk bottle plastic
| Catches fire and melts
| It melts. It gets gooey. Don't use it.
|-
| PolyStyrene Foam
| Catches fire
| It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!
|-
| PolyPropylene Foam
| Catches fire
| Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles.
|-
| Fiberglass
| Emits fumes
| It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)
|-
| Coated Carbon Fiber
| Emits noxious fumes
| A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.
|-
| Any powder
|
| the compressed air will blow it away
|-
| Bare metal
|
|
|-
| Animals
|
|
|-
| People
|
|
|-
| Butane lighters
|
|
|-
| Gasoline or other liquids
|
|
|}

== Tips ==

* Before putting your material into the laser cutter, test your image on paper. If you don't test on paper first you will ruin a lot of the material you are cutting. Once it looks good on paper you can place your material on the paper so you know it is positioned properly, and refocus if the material is thick.

* When engraving raster images, they go much faster if you use a lower DPI. The lowest setting is 250 DPI and that is enough for most things. Use higher DPI only with high resolution images and with materials that show the difference.

== To Do ==

* Build a table and shelves for the laser and laser materials
* Collect images that are good to use with the laser cutter

== Cutting power / speeds ==
''[http://wiki.nycresistor.com/wiki/Laser_Power NYCR's Laser Power table]''

* Typing paper - 100% speed, 3 milliamps
* 2mm acrylic - 25% speed, 8 milliamps
* 5/8ths inch acrylic - 1% speed, 12 milliamps, 2 passes
* Plastic with metalic coating - 5 - 7 milliamps rastor, 3 ma vector
* Linen - 70% speed, 4 milliamps, 1 pass
* 1/8″ plywood: Regulate the current to just a pinch under 15mA and use 3 Passes / 18.75% Speed / 100% power. The reduced speed (25% to 18.75% – a 25% reduction) seems to account for the needed power, while the reduced number of passes (also a 25% and thus proportional reduction) reduces the excess char that is produced by the laser. (figured out by elijah at noisebridge)
* "Speedy-cut" rubber - Raster: 15% speed, 3 milliamps, 1 pass.

== Specifications ==

* Maximum material size: 13" x 16"
* Maximum engravable area: 9.5" x 14.5"
* Maximum material thickness: 2.75"
* CO2 Laser Wavelength: 10.6um
* Maximum Laser Power: 40W

== [[Talk:Lasercutter|Discussion]] ==
'''[[Talk:Lasercutter|On the Discussion page!]]'''

[[Category:Pages with a Noisebridge Tiny URL]]

Maker Faire 2012

2012-04-30T20:00:10Z

AlanRockefeller: /* Event Saturday May 19th */

[[Category:Events]]
== Noisebridge booth ==
[http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2011/] is May 19 and 20 at the San Mateo County Expo Center. If you'd like to help set up/run the booth this year, please add your contact info below. NB should be getting several free passes for volunteers who work at least a 4-hour shift. First come, first served! 
 

====Projects/Items Displayed in the Booth====

'''Project:''' Kombucha
 '''Lead Contact:''' Rameen
 '''Description:''' Kombucha samples were a big hit last year; people spent hours asking me about it and listening to descriptions and brewing instructions etc. Maybe we could make a more visually appealing version of that. Also, people loved seeing our distiller. Having something tangible to give to give or to do is most memorable, I think.

I think we should put some focus into our set-up and make our booth look really amazing this year!

'''Requirements:'''

'''Project:''' Spacebridge
 '''Lead Contact:''' Christopher
 '''Description:''' Spacebridge will be displaying their payload items (radio, tracking devices, flight computer, camera, etc) and payload buses. Above our booth, we will have a 30 foot weather balloon filled with helium to demonstrate how we loft our payloads. Tethered to the weather balloon will be a video camera and radio transmitter broadcasting a top view of the display floor. We will also have a projector displaying images from our flight and the live video feed from our camera attacked to the balloon.

'''Requirements:''' We will need 1 table to display the items, power outlets to run a laptop, a projector, the the radio receiver. We will also need the booth to be placed in an indoor location that has a ceiling above 30 feed (any of the main halls will be fine).

 '''Project:''' Bio Hacking
 '''Lead Contact:''' Rolf/Otute/Mindy/Alan
 '''Description:''' Last year we had a bio-themed table that was quite popular. We basically want to do this again, but with a few new things to show.
 
Otute and I hope to have a new version of the BioBoard to show off. This time it should actually be doing something.
We want microscopes.
 
In addition, we would like to have a "dark" tent nearby where people can come in to see bioluminescent mushrooms.
 
Definitely some overlap with what Rameen is describing above and maybe the two could be combined.
Serving Kombucha last year was really popular.

'''Requirements:''' We need 1 table to display the items, and the usual of power outlets and chairs. Of course, it must be indoors.
For the dark tent, we would have to design and build a small structure to hold up some black fabric, and where a few people at a time
can walk in.
 

====Other Items to Bring====
* NB flyers
* NB stickers
* NB t-shirts?
* 3d printer! they attract a lot of attention!

== Volunteer Sign-up And Time Scheduling!==
After adding your name and time slot, please email me (cclinco AT gmail DOT com) as soon as you can with the following information:
1) The name (first and last) you want to give to the Maker Faire people when you arrive for your free "credentials" (as they're calling the passes for volunteers).
2) When you want to start working your 4 hour shift.

Folks who want to help staff the booth:

====Setup Friday May 18th====
Setup times for the venue: 10am-8pm
 
(Note: this is tentative... because of Education Day on Friday morning, we may have to do some setup on Thurs evening)

1) Christopher Lincoln (I can get to NB at 6ish)
 2) Paul Suliin (I can give 2-3 hours any time after noon.)[[User:Psuliin|Psuliin]] 04:02, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
 3) Rolf (I will be there for Education Day)
 4)
 5)
 6)
 ...

====Set-up Saturday May 19th====
Set-up times: Saturday, May 19 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

1) Christopher Lincoln
 2)
 3)
 4)
 5)
 6) Danny (I can get down before 10AM, but not at 7.30am!)
 ...

====Event Saturday May 19th====
 1) Christopher Lincoln
 2) Danny O'Brien [[User:Malaclyps|Malaclyps]]
 3) Paul Suliin [[User:Psuliin|Psuliin]]
 4) Liz Henry [[User:Lizzard|lizzard]]
 5) Alan Rockefeller [[User:AlanRockefeller]]
 6)
 ...

====Event Sunday May 20th====
1) Christopher Lincoln
 2) Timothy Evans
 3)
 4)
 5)
 6)
 ...

====Take down Sunday May 20th====
''If you have a car that can transport projects, please state so''

1) Christopher Lincoln
 2)
 3)
 4)
 5)
 6)
 ...

==Members with Booths at Maker Faire==
"Going to Maker Faire with another group? Let us know where you'll be!"

MaxNCMill

2012-04-09T04:32:52Z

AlanRockefeller: /* DXF/QCAD */ Added information

Hereby known as "That Goddamned Mill (TGDM-"POS" for short)"

Here's the beast: http://www.maxnc.com/maxnc_10_cl-b.htm
''20110505 Edit - Bad link for the maxnc.com. Can't find a manufacturer's offical page. Evan''

MaxNC now has a new homepage: http://www.ximotion.com/
As of 10/29/2011, the page for the 10 CL-B is http://032568b.netsolhost.com/page13.html. -Britt.

A good primer on CNC machining: http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/guerrilla_cnc1.shtml

== IMPORTANT! ==

Improperly used, the mill can destroy itself, its tools, and parts of you. Please know what you are doing and don't be afraid to ask questions.

* RTFM! Know how to home each axis, and what tools to use, how to shut down, etc. http://www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html/

* Always check limits by manually running outside your mill area with the tool at a safe Z height.

* DO NOT UPGRADE THE UBUNTU 8.04 OR THE KERNEL ON THE HOST MACHINE!

* DO NOT MILL PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS WITH STEEL TOOLS! (Carbide only, see [[#Tooling | Tooling]] )

* USE EYE PROTECTION unless you like tweezering pieces of shattered carbide mill tools out of them

Though we have implemented basic safety shutoffs, we should be watching it all the time. It will very happily mill through itself without stopping.

If it appears to be getting out of hand, the F1 key should toggle Emergency Stop in the software. This will power down the spindle and stop it where it is immediately.

If it REALLY IS getting out of hand, turn the power switch off (the one on the side of the control box). Note however that after doing this you'll probably need to restart the software because it will be out of sync with the controller (it gets out of sync).

== Software ==

We are using http://linuxcnc.org EMC2 and AXIS software to drive the mill. We had to hack the config files considerably and reverse-engineer the pinout. See here for documentation: http://www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html/

We have installed EMC2 and AXIS and some other software on the driver PC. This depends on a custom kernel and Ubuntu 8.04 -- PLEASE DON'T UPGRADE!

The EMC2/AXIS software takes GCode as motion control input files. More info here: http://www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html/
We have figured out several Gcode [[#Toolchains]] for your CNC enjoyment

===Local Installation===

To experiment with EMC2/Axis machine on your personal Ubuntu/Debian setup, you may not want to apt-get emc2 because that depends on a special rtai kernel and Ubuntu 8.04. Here's a way to apt-get the pure simulator: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?EMC2_Pure_Simulator

If you are badass, you can compile the code in simulation mode following the instructions here:
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Installing_EMC2#Building_emc2_simulator

The resulting binary should run and give you a UI on your system. There's actually nothing machine-specific that you need at this point: your UI will look pretty much exactly what we have now. Select the "axis.ini" config file.

You should now just be able to:

*open one of the sample gcode files
*power the machine 'on' (unset emergency stop [red X], and set power [orange square] buttons)
*'home' the various axes (must home all axes, use radio buttons to select)
*'run' the gcode. (blue "play" triangle)

For most of the configurations there is a smaller window w/ an inverted cone representing the spindle (this is the default view). This will show the progress of your milling run. You can change the view and pan/zoom/tilt with the mouse.

For a sanity check, try simulating a run of the NB logo gcode from [[Identity]]

Then try gcode from the [[#Toolchains | toolchain ]] of your choice.

== Login ==

username: nb
password: nb

== Toolchains ==

Many tools exist for generating/converting to gcode. Here's a good list: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Cam

In particular, here's how you generate gcode from

===Bitmaps, Images===

The EMC2/Axis application will import most image formats and create a raster scan tool path with milling depth proportional to image intensity. Haven't tried this but it looks very cool!

=== Text /TrueType ===
text / truetype : http://www.timeguy.com/cradek/truetype

Hershey Stroke Fonts for Inkscape from EMSL: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/hershey

===DXF/QCAD===

DXF is a standard file format used by many CAD programs (as well as exportable from inkscape and Adobe Illustrator). It's a good choice, especially as gcode export from Inkscape seems to be buggy.

QCAD is an open-source 2d CAD program. Linux users can apt-get qcad, there is open-source executable for Windows as well (but it's hard to find as Ribbonsoft took it closed-source (wtf?) and most searches end up at their page.) QCAD is very solid and a great place to start with CAD, especially if you can't afford/don't need Autodesk/Solidworks.

The scale feature in QCAD is counterintuitive at first. To scale your object, select all, then select Modify -> Scale. Click the right arrow on the bottom of the toolbar on the left side. It will then ask for a reference point, click on the lower left corner of your image. It will then ask for the scale factor and will scale your object.

===Dxf2gcode===

We use a DXF-GCode conversion called, unsurprisingly, dxf2gcode http://www.christian-kohloeffel.homepage.t-online.de/dxf2gocde.html [URL is not a typo]. In the /home/nb/dxf2gcode directory, run the dxf2gcode_v01.py command.

Open your dxf file from File->Read DXF. It sometimes barfs on DXF exported from Inkscape (works fine for me), but is fine with QCAD, so a workaround is to load the Inkscape dxf in QCAD and save it from QCAD (it's also easy to scale and rotate if necessary).

I am still working through the various dxf2gcode options but setting "infeed depth" to the same value as "mill depth" gives you a one-pass toolpath (otherwise it seems to do it in two passes.)

Coordinate units are kind of a crapshoot and don't make much sense right now.

Note that it may be doing a lot of math without benefit of the numpy library so it can be SLOW. It has no progress indication, and doesn't redraw the screen, so it may look like it crashed. Sometimes it actually does. But be patient!

Sometimes it gives the error "Failure reading like stopped at line X. Please check/correct line in dxf file." If X is the number of lines in your DXF, don't worry, it read the whole thing.

By default it lifts the tool up unnecessarily high, you can improve cutting speed by setting the Z retraction area and Z safety margin to a lower number than the default of 15.

=== EagleCAD ===
Cadsoft [http://www.cadsoft.de/ EagleCAD ] is a schematic editor and PCB layout tool. It's not open source, but there's a
free version that is very decent and limited only to the size of board you can lay out.

To generate GCode from your Eagle layout, get the scripts from http://www.pcbgcode.org/. These do "Isolation routing," that is, they will generate GCode to mill away copper outside the traces you laid out on a copper-covered PCB (as well as drill it).

I've added MAXCNC mill-specific commands to the pcbgcode config stuff, including setting the spindle speed to maximum and turning on the motor. (Config file is /home/nb/eagle-5.6.0/ulp/gcode-defaults.h on the mill PC).

First experiments milling PCBs = success! [[User:Jtfoote|Jtfoote]] 23:57, 17 October 2009 (PDT)

I used .01 carbide end mills from here:
http://www.amazon.com/Niagara-Cutter-059918-Overall-Carbide/dp/B000N477OK/

On 1-sided copper-plated (1-oz) circuit boards from here: http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=14868+DT

To start, create a layout in Eaglecad. To work best, use one layer (which can make routing a pain), and use a minimum trace size of 0.012 inches. Make sure you do a DRC check with 10 mil isolation spacing (thouugh I have found it misses trace-pad distances).

From the Eagle command line,

run pcb-gcode-setup

This creates several gcode .ngc file in the same directory as your eagle .brd file. They have suffixes like
"top" "bot" and "d" for top copper, bottom copper, and drill. Run AXIS2 and load the appropriate file. Look CAREFULLY at the tool path. Does it really isolate everything you want it to? If not, you may have to increase spacing and re-run. Check especially places of small pitch and tight clearances, especially between traces and pads.

Milling the copper is a tradeoff between quality and speed. At fast speeds, the copper tends to get rough at the milled edges. Slow speed rates help a lot but can lead to impractically long milling times.

2.5 ips gives beautiful results, but a good compromise is something like 5 - 8 ips (set in the pcb-gecode setup). If you look at File->properties in the EMC2-Axis tool it will give you a rough idea of the milling time.

Setting the Z home at precisely zero (at the board surface) is very important, because we are working at depths of hundredths of an inch. After several attempts I don't think you can do this well with just the manual jog, and risk breaking the tool. Here's what I did that worked:

# Raise the head so you can put the tool in the collet. Put it in as far as you can.
# Tighten gently, only enough to keep from falling out.
# Drop the head to about 1/4 an inch above the workpiece. Don't touch!
# Loosen the mill tool in the collet
# GENTLY let the mill tool drop to touch the workpiece surface
# finger-tighten the collet -- tightly!
# Home the Z axis VERY IMPORTANT DON'T FORGET!!
# Raise the head and wrench-tighten the collet

I think the default Z Down dimension of -0.01 may be too much given that 1-oz copper is supposed to be only 1.4 mils thick (0.0014 inches). I've had good results with -0.008; .0.005 led to problems because I think the PCB I used was not perfectly flat at at some places this depth did not hit "bottom." With further experiments this may be because the clamps are compressing the PCB: at least it seemed to work fine more than 1/2 inch away from them.

====Drilling vias====

For through-hole components, you'll need to drill vias. Doing this is a multi-step, involved process. Because etching is sensitive to the trueness/truing of your board's surface, you only want to etch the board when it's mated directly to a metal block, but you need a plastic sacrificial stop for drilling. So, etch as normal, then add two registration marks to the top of the board. Unmount it, add the plastic backing, change tools, remount, and rezero, respecting the registration. From there, you can run the drill program after suitable modification (you need to manually comment out all M06/tool change commands).

Generating the drill file:

Settings specific to drilling:
* Machine:
** Tool Change: you can't actually change tools at the moment, so this is just to expedite your cutting process, and stay within the limits of the mill
*** X: 0.0
*** Y: 0.0
*** Z: 0.2
** Drill depth: Measure your board with calipers, then add 10mil for good measure (I used -0.100" for the single-sided board I did yesterday)
** GCode Options:
*** Ensure "Do tool change with zero step" is UNCHECKED. If this is checked, EMC hangs. No, really, you don't want to deal with this problem. It's awful close to "EMC hangs, you have to hard kill it, and then rezero the whole setup."

Once you've got the GCode files for etching and drilling generated, you need to tweak the drill file. As it's currently configured, our milling rig doesn't handle tool changes well (the CNC doesn't support automatic tool change, but the EMC software thinks it does, so the whole setup gets Very Unhappy when it runs into these commands). To remove these, open your drill ngc/tap file in a Text Editor Of Your Choice, and comment out all lines containing the tool change command M06. In GCode, comments are parenthesized lines, and they cannot be nested.

Cheat sheet:
<pre>
sed: 's/^$M06.*$$/( \1 )/;'
vim: :g/^M06/s/^$.*$$/( \1 )/
emacs: M-% ^$M06.*$$ <enter> ( \1 )
</pre>

Open your drill file in EMC and make sure it looks sane. There will be a bunch of tool change steps, where it runs itself back to (0,0,0.2), then goes back to work. This is the tool change position specified above; you may want adjust the point to be closer to the centroid of your drill pads, to shave off a minute or two.

After your etch file looks good, and your drill files look reasonably good, go ahead and set up for etching as above. When etching is completed, don't take the board out! We need to add registration marks for the remounting. Manually walk the head down to (0,0,0.5). Once you're there, turn on the spindle, and gently lower the head til it just bites the copper. Personally, I went to (0,0,-0.008), which is the depth used for etching. Leave the spindle on, and raise the head back to (0,0,0.5). You can turn the spindle off if you'd like, then slew over to (1,1,0.5). Once there, turn the spindle back on, and go down to (1,1,-0.008) to make the second registration mark. Raise the head out of the board, then turn off the spindle. I'd also recommend slewing back to (0,0) at this point, to make re-registration easier.

Next, load up the drill file in EMC. You should still have the outline of the paths the head just etched on the display, with the drill file overlaid. This is a good chance to sanity check the line-up of things, etc. Once that looks right, move to adding a plastic backstop and re-rigging the board.

With those two registration marks in place, you can re-rig the board with a sacrificial plastic backstop underneath of it. There's a few of these in the document trays next to the mill. Change out to your PCB drill-end, re-zero as for etching, and ensure you have good registration (make sure the drill-end is sitting on the 0,0 mark when you insert it, raise to (0,0,0.1), and slew to (1,1,0.01) to eyeball the match up. If you want to be totally certain, you can turn the spindle on and just bite the board, but, in doing so, you're likely to obliterate your registration mark, so I'd advise against that.

Make sure you're happy with everything, and, assuming you are, hit Run. Keep an eye on things and be ready to hit the kill switch (if babysitting feels tedious, just imagine yourself doing all these holes on the drill press, and then try not to hug your newfound robot slave/friend). -- [[User:Jbm]] 2010-05-07 13:20; a big thank-you to [[User:jtfoote]] for all his help in familiarizing me with the setup.

===[http://www.inkscape.org/ Inkscape ] ===

This just in, plugin with fix for dxf export. Haven't tried it:

http://www.bigbluesaw.com/saw/big-blue-saw-blog/general-updates/big-blue-saws-dxf-export-for-inkscape.html

Latest: the gcode export from Inkscape is buggy. It's python so could possibly fix, but it looks kind of involved.
Workaround: File->Save As-> .dxf, then use the QCAD->DXF toolchain.

For Inkscape 0.46, use this: http://bitbucket.org/jst/inkscape-gcode/
(Do "get source", put all files in /usr/share/inkscape/extensions/)

IMPORTANT: Read the "Help" tab when you Effect->Export->Export as Gcode
This tells you how to set the origin, and how to name your layers for different tools.

In the exported GCode, you need to add/change the following lines:

Set the cut height to -0.01 (for example, YMMV)
#2=-0.0100 (Height to cut at)

Add commands to turn on the motor after the first line:

G00 Z#1
S 1000 (set motor speed to 1000 RPM)
M3 (turn spindle motor on)

And you are good to go.
---

This is cool but only works for Inkscape 0.43: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?InkscapeHowto

== Tooling ==

Cutting fiberglass (PCB) will eventually destroy any kind of steel cutting tool. The glass in the resin matrix is much harder than steel. You need carbide tooling. Note that carbide is too brittle for most metals and will just snap.

Suppliers:
* http://www.precisebits.com/applications/pcbtools.htm
* http://thinktink.com/
* [http://www.smallparts.com/b/256305011 smallparts.com] carries Niagara carbide end mills in fine pitches suitable for circuit boards. Available via Amazon as well.
* http://www.ottofrei.com/ also sells carbide tooling locally, which you can pick up at their store on 760 Market street #905
* High Speed Stainless (HSS) tooling available here: http://littlemachineshop.com/
* Spring loaded tool holders account for warped PCBs and mills: [http://www.2linc.com/spring_loaded_engraving_tool.htm 2linc] <-- expensive. Cheap ones exist.
* Really small end mills [http://bitsbits.com/ bitsbits]

Search for "small parts inc" on amazon.com. They have reasonable prices and reasonable shipping for endmills. (You can also search for endmills) I believe we have a 1/4" and 1/8" collet for the mill, so you're looking for tools with a 1/4" or 1/8" shank. I mostly bought HSS for cutting plastic, but I have some harder ones with exotic coatings for aluminum and brass. --lamont

== Parallel port DB-25 pinout ==

* One pinout from http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1319.0;attach=891)
* http://www.super-tech.com/root/drawings/gif/SuperCam_pinouts.gif "setptype = user1" (confusingly not labeled MAXNC10)

OK, got a definitive pinout, seem to conform to those above. [[User:Jtfoote|Jtfoote]] 23:11, 28 September 2009 (PDT)

Pin 1: Tool speed PWM, active low
Pin 2,3: A quad input
Pin 4,5: Y quad input
Pin 6,7: X quad input
Pin 8,9: Z quad input

Pin 10: 7420 quad nand output (motion complete ack?)
Pin 11: NC
Pin 12: X,Y,Z limit (or'ed active high when at limit)
Pin 13: spare digital (unused header labeled "probe")
Pin 14: Enable, active high
Pin 15: NC
Pin 16: input to 4x PICs: enable, active low (reset?)
Pin 17: Enable, active high
Pin 18: GND
Pin 19-25 - NC

== Misc other info ==

Manual:
http://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE/Academics/Courses/Raisbeck/images/resources/cnc/MAXNCmanual.pdf

This guy rebuilt his, has derogatory things to say: http://hans-w.com/cnc.htm

This other guy has some interesting upgrades. Especially notable is the new motor mount, and appropriate dxf http://www.timeguy.com/cradek/cnc/motor-mount

[[User:seph]] was hacking on one. Some notes from him are at http://www.directionless.org/tmp/maxnc/
There's a pinout, and an emc2 config. He also recommends thinking about eventually upgrading a lot of the components. Seph's work is what I (mikew) based the current functional HAL and INI files on.

Here's the link to how to drive the mill with a pc joystick:
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Using_A_Joypad_To_Move_Your_CNC_Machine

== Workshop notes, 1.15.2010 ==
'''Machine parts and geometry'''
*The '''bed''' is the blue anodized aluminum extrusion to which the workpiece is affixed.
*The '''collet''' is mounted at the end of the motor. It holds the milling bit. '''Note:''' do not lose the collet, as it is basically impossible to obtain a replacement.
*The '''milling bit,''' which superficially resembles a drill bit, is used to machine the workpiece. To setup the machine, bits are inserted into the collet and then tightened with two wrenches.
*The '''workpiece''' is whatever you're milling - copper-clad board for PCBs, aluminum, acrylic, etc.
*'''Workpiece holders''' are small threaded rods with metal "clips" that are designed to hold the workpiece firmly to the bed. They should not be over-tightened, as it can cause workpiece distortion.
*'''Backing material''' is a piece of scrap material used between the bed and workpiece. It's important to use backing material to protect the bed.
*'''Limit switches''' are located at the end of each axis. These act as safeties in case the milling machine reaches the end of its travel. '''Note:''' if you're milling and manage to trip a limit switch, the mill shuts off, in which case you'll need to redo your work. Be diligent.

*The X axis runs side to side; e.g. the "width" of the bed.
*The Y axis runs forward and back; e.g. the "depth" of the bed.
*The Z axis runs up and down; e.g. the space between the bed and collet.

'''Affixing the workpiece to the mill'''
*Use a piece of aluminum stock between the PCB and the bed.
*Use adjustable wrenches to cinch down the workpiece holders to the PCB. You only want the bolts to be finger-tight; the fiberglass substrate can actually be compressed if too much pressure is used, causing distortions in the milled part. '''Do not use pliers.'''
*The collet faces ''upwards'' (like the tip of a rocket) into the spindle.
*Keep the plastic guard attached to the milling bit. Place the bit into the collet, and bolt the collet into the spindle.

'''Zeroing the machine'''
*'''Note:''' In the MaxNC control program, it's important to zero the mill - to set it to 0,0,0 - before routing a board. Occasionally, the milling machine will not home to 0,0,0 in the MaxNC control program. To fix this, go to ''Machine > Zero Coordinate System > P1 G54.''
*In AXIS' ''Manual Control'' tab, adjust the X, Y, and Z axis feed controls until the tool is at the upper right corner of the circuit board.
*Chuck the bit, finger-tight.
*It is critical to zero the Z axis correctly. The idea is to drop the bit down onto the surface of the copper, with zero force, and then zero the axis. Use the manual controls to drop the bit, step by step, until it is about 1/4" above the surface of the PCB.
*Loosen the collet so that the bit drops onto the board. Tighten the collet.
*Immediately zero the Z axis.

'''Milling'''
*Controls for starting / stepping / stopping milling operations are located in AXIS' top toolbar.
*At this point, all of the axes should be zeroed.
*Click the Go button in the toolbar to start milling.

== Upgrade ==
I'd like to upgrade the maxnc. Right now its a bit sloppy. I want to (1) fix it up, (2) make a locating system for two-sided PCBs, (3) make a sweet document with tons of pictures so its easy. -moo

Hey moo, who are you?
The mill seems plenty accurate for our purposes, are you finding it isn't? (though a pcb jig would be sweet).
I think someone bent the X spindle through misuse, if we fix anything let's fix that... [[User:Jtfoote|Jtfoote]] 05:37, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

I recently stopped by and was told that the CNC was dead, or at least not working right, so I took it upon myself to dismantle the motor and spindle, re-oil everything, fix the belt tension, etc. It mills aluminum just fine now, as long as you don't try to take too heavy of a cut. I'm going to start working on a PCB mount system as well. - cole

=== Ideas for maxnc accuracy improvement ===
In order of utility and least cost
* tear-down + lube, wax x-y interface
* inspect replace x-axis gib
* replace set-screws, with hex cap with nut to lock down
* x-axis motor mount (stiffer)
* do swivel ball bearing set screws. (make sense with a gib? ) (anyways grease + locktite)
* add bearings at ends of lead-screws to stabilie (original MaxNC has these... )
* z-motor mount (plans at http://www.timeguy.com)
* spindle replacement

=== dual layer PCB fixture & locating system ===
''' Part 1 ''' work plate for prepared pcbs (i.e. has holes for locating)
* make pin indexed work plate that attaches with t-nuts (no need to drill holes in the maxnc)
* add large dowel pins for indexing PCBs with pre drilled holes.
* release pockets to scoop under pcb

''' part 2 prep work-plate'''
* something sacrificial with indexing corner, to drill holes in PCBs needed to locate in dowel pins above
* Face mill both to get '''flat surface'''.

This could make it really easy to get good dual sided pcbs.
Process would be:

# load prep pate, clamp down pcb in corner
# home
# run pre-written g-code
# swap plates
# home.
# Place pcb in dowel pins, glue, mill side 1
# Flip pcb (release, reglue)
# Mill side 2
# Remove, release CA glue with acetone

Rooster Brigade

2012-03-31T11:01:04Z

AlanRockefeller:

[[File:Sparklesleep.png|300px|thumb|right|'''UNACCEPTABLE''']]There's an ongoing problem with people [[sleeping at Noisebridge]]. This is a practice which is unacceptable to varying degrees depending on whom you ask. Although there is no clear consensus on how to deal with this, it is clear that some of the sleeping behavior is not excellent. But in the middle of the night, social pressure to be excellent wanes, and this is largely the only tool Noisebridge has for enforcing the One Rule. The Rooster Brigade is an observational effort to understand the nocturnal underbelly of the Noisebridge community and hopefully disseminate excellence beyond the midnight hour.

The Rooster Brigade maintains no official policy on how to wake or interact with people who are sleeping at Noisebridge. The only rule at Noisebridge is Be Excellent.

==Possible Members of the Brigade==
*[[User:Hurtstotouchfire|hurtstotouchfire]]
*shannon
*danny
*martyn
*rayc
*jesse
*superq
*Katherine
*Alan

==Rooster Log==

*October 6 - Dec 15
**Laurent. Found daily in classroom and in laser engraver DJ booth. Sleeps in either one or two office chairs with legs propped on second chair.
*January 16 - January 31
** Daily forced wake up of everyone sleeping at Noisebridge by Katherine at 6:30 am. Number of sleepers drops dramatically during this period
* February 1 - Present
** Daily wake up now additionally enforced by throwing out people who do not wake on the first try by Katherine. Several people removed. This has been daily at 6:30 am.
*02/03/12
**9 people appear to be crashing at Noisebridge. Eric [https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Non_gratae&oldid=23048 took some notes] with basic descriptions and a few first names.
*02/04/12
*02/05/12
**A guy named John who sometimes sleeps at Noisebridge (Ben has photographed him) was removed by Ben, Rayc and another guy after becoming violent and threatening people in the space. He was picked up outside by the police.
**Eric asked one person in the morning not to sleep at Noisebridge. Update: talked more with her that evening. She said that she once objected to someone waking a sleeper because she had just given the sleeper in question a massage on the couch and they had dozed off. It was 4 or 5 in the morning at the time. I suggested that 4am bodywork which leads to sleeping should be done at someone's house, because sleeping in the space is a really touchy issue right now.
*02/06/12
**Eric kicked out another one of "Amber's minions" who was crashed out in a chair less than an hour after arriving in the space.
*02/07/12
**[[User:Malaclyps]] popped by at 7AM. A bunch of people were sitting around really trying hard not to fall asleep, but not able to do much else. I smiled kind of nervously, and went home feeling sad.
**Apparently an anonymous rooster, present in the space that morning, was keeping the would-be-sleepers in line. I will see if I can learn any more about this anonymous contingent of the late night crew that is clearly attempting to enforce excellence. -[[User:Hurtstotouchfire]]
*02/08/12
*02/09/12
*02/10/12
*02/11/12
*02/12/12
*02/13/12 [http://purplethoughts.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/house-guests-are-like-fish/ Houseguests Are Like Fish]
*02/14/12
**"Katherine" wrote:
***For 2 straight weeks there have been no problems with anyone attempting to live at Noisebridge and the sleeping problem is mostly gone. Katherine's consistent morning patrols and enforcement have maintained the space starting bright and fresh each day with her 6:30 am arrival. And thus the kingdom was saved.
***not too sure what the above poster is talking about, but I count at least 10 different entities trying as hard as they can to pretend they aren't living and sleeping here. Some clues are things like strategically hiding empty yogurt containers in backpacks in the shelf in the middle of the space. Maybe there is an outbreak of severe yogurt container stealing going on?
*02/15/12
*02/16/12
*02/17/12
*02/18/12
*02/19/12
*02/20/12
*02/21/12
*02/22/12
*02/23/12
** At around 4am, an older guy (kind of small, short gray hair, wearing a brown leather jacket with lots of air force patches) crawled under the electronics bench and started sleeping. Robert started yelling loudly "No Sleeping at Noisebridge". He said he was not sleeping, just listening to an audio book. 2 hours later, he was still there, and clearly sleeping. -- [[User:Alan Rockefeller|Alan Rockefeller]] 19:41, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
*03/31/12
** Sean has been coming to the space for 2 days. He plays nintendo for many hours, and does little else. He has been asked not to sleep 3 times in 2 days. [[File:Seansleep.jpg|300px]]

File:Seansleep.jpg

2012-03-31T11:00:41Z

AlanRockefeller: Sean sleeping

Sean sleeping