[TUTORIALS] V-TFT beginners example projects

[Megahurts]

Hi MaGik,

I thought you would like those pictures, but not my best work at taking them.
I'm surprised that you did not call cheating on me for saying I was building this from scratch after you saw the XY plotter bed lol.
Truthfully, I was not sure I was going to use it, but some other projects came up that will need this to be more robust than the original
stepper motor parts I was going to use with the Click-Stepper driver boards.

To use these motors, I will need to make a different MMB-stepper driver controller (2 motor drivers), to handle the power they will need to
run quick and cool instead of the Click stepper controllers. The stepper on a rail (in last picture) with cog belt drive was original planned parts to use for all axis,
so Click stepper controller could be used to drive/control them.

Is the CNC going to have the ability to change the width of a particular track that is expected to carry a large amount of current?
Or would it be needed to go through that particular track more than once to create the required width?

I'm not sure I follow the questions sorry. The terms "current" and "track" in this usage is causing me some confusion?

Are you wondering about the cutting bits size if large, causing heavy load on power to steppers driver(s)/controllers?

For milling soft metals (aluminum, brass, copper), the router bit used will be almost the smallest I have on hand now (approx. 1-2mm or smaller).
The largest for soft metals is around 3-4mm diameter. Probably will only drill, cut (cutoff disc) or grind hard metals with the CNC unit.

Soft materials like plastic and wood will use larger bits, up to around 1cm I think (not in my shop to check), but will probably be able to use
full size normal wood router bits (on wood ).

I've learned that it is usually better to use small diameter cutting bits and feed it slow so the temperature on bits are lower and their teeth stay sharp and finish of
the work done looks better and has less mistakes.
Bigger bits can grab too much material and try to wander and cause kickback chatter that causes errors and possible damage to CNC frame alignment or axis moving HW.
I will also implement an automatic oil/water system that can keep the router bit lubricated (longer bit life, smoother surface with less noise and flying material generated) if needed and allowable for the work stock material.
The bottom bed for the Y-axis will be a stainless steel tray/tub that captures all fluids (oil & water) and cut material carried there by the fluids.

Any milling cut to be made that is wider than the bit being used, will do it in multiple passes with bit milling off material in bites that are
half of the bits diameter and feed travel is done so cutting face of bit is always spinning into new material to be removed (most resistance to moving).
(trying to do it by hand like a CNC would is near impossible and gets harder the larger the cutting tools diameter is.)

Have you ever taken a Hard Disk Drive apart and looked at the milling done inside to make the different seats at different heights for mounting
the spindle motor, R/W head arms bearing, arms magnet(s) cage/shield, heads driver/position circuit board(s) and pass thru electrical connectors?
This mill should be able to do any of that, that you see in there, and if it operates (and is physically aligned) correctly, the swirly pattern(s)
you see in the milled away flat bright areas (not painted) of the aluminum will be what this mill does also, if bit is sharp and free of nicks
on cutting faces.

Here is one more picture of a air powered salt shotgun for killing insects I made without a mill, just a high speed dremel in a very nice brass and aluminum
freehand router stand and aluminum clamping plates I made for one of my vises to hold parts and provide a flat plain for moving the dremel
around on above the held part (only XY movement milling cuts are done to part until all needed material is removed, then turn router off and
lower the z axis (bit) down to repeat as many times needed).
(note: I could also clamp guides/fences to my vise clamp plates that acted as travel limit stops if I needed precise flat plunge cut faces (Z axis plain faces) done or put a template cut out shape between the router and clamping plates to make slots or round plunge cuts.)
(fine table salt is ammo, siphon fed to barrel and shoots a small pinch each shot. 30-40 shots per fill)

BugSaltGun_profile1.jpg (270.79 KiB) Viewed 12971 times

I made a wooden pistol grip for it after that picture was taken and I sold it to my mothers boyfriend a week ago. It is now halfway
across the U.S. from me and being used to fight off hummingbird size mosquitoes (he claims ).

I need this mill going so I can make more (but different design) of them, as I am now unarmed and our hunting season is getting into
full on assault mode (the mosquitoes and spiders and flies, not me now, damn it, there is No a Salt flying).
New design will use preset mechanism to deliver same amount of salt to barrel right before air piston is released and the pistons spring/size will be larger, no more wondering if bug was hit/killed.

Everything but the screws and air piston cylinder and springs was handmade milling or lathed from scrap/spare aluminum/brass I have stored around home/shop.
Zoom in* and look closely at the trigger and you should see the milling swirls on the rear narrowed (milled down from each side) area.
*(sorry, I tried to do that myself and image quality is not as good as I thought/expected. looked better when it was a bmp before converting to jpg )

Oh, and the bug gun can kill many insects @ up to 2-3 feet, closer is better. point blank (inches) range and they disappear, usually blown
down range with wings or legs missing and dead/dying fast. Long range hits may not be known, but I find some insects I thought I missed laying dead shortly after sometimes.
If one grain of the salt penetrates most bugs bodies, they are done for and won't be seen again.!


WARNING:!! Using these guns is addictive and is known to cause people to leave their homes windows or doors open
so more targets/game enters to be shot at after the users clear a home of offensive intruders.
(too quickly many say)


Anyway, let me know if I guessed right on your questions, or set me straight Robert.

[MaGiK]

Hi Megahurts
Thank you so much for the detailed answer and the photos.
Your photography skills are way better than mine

I'm surprised that you did not call cheating on me for saying I was building this from scratch after you saw the XY plotter bed lol.

To be honest here, I couldn't tell that it was a ready-made plotter bed because of two reasons, the first is that I'm not very experienced in this stuff, and the second is that your own personal customized stuff look so amazing that I'd guess they are ready-made as well! ... Seriously!

As for my questions, you've answered them in your detailed post without even knowing that you did

Have you ever taken a Hard Disk Drive apart and looked at the milling done inside to make the different seats at different heights for mounting the spindle motor, R/W head arms bearing, arms magnet(s) cage/shield, heads driver/position circuit board(s) and pass thru electrical connectors?

Nope, not really. So, I'm glad that you shared this information with me.
*Looks evilly at the computer and says* "So ... I'd like you to meet a nice friend of mine ... well, he's nice to me, but I don't think you'll like him, he's called: The screw driver! "

Mosquitoes and squirrels! oh my god! What's going on there?!?
... Well, I can stand the squirrels, but the Mosquitoes must meet another friend of mine

Keep up the great work. It's very appreciated
Best Regards

[Megahurts]

Hi MaGiK,

Your photography skills are way better than mine

The camera used is usually the real star or culprit right?

My GoPro H2 was used to take that last one, set on medium FOV 8MP. You can tell by the 'fish-eye' wide lens appearance the picture has.
Wide FOV 11MP setting on GoPro H2 is extremely fishy looking results and only good for panoramic scenery shots. I rarely use that setting.

*Looks evilly at the computer and says* "So ... I'd like you to meet a nice friend of mine ... well, he's nice to me, but I don't think you'll like him, he's called: The screw driver! "

I would have to say that "You should leave your PC's HHD alone, you're scaring it so carefully put the PC access panel back on and put away the tools so you won't be tempted again."

They do not like being shocked and it might 'take a dump' anyway now at anytime (because they are so fragile after all ),
and see if you can find one or more heading for the local garbage or recycle turn in point to dissect instead.
(you're probably making your computer very nervous now when you look at it like you probably are, right now )

And it will probably be a few different sizes of Torx head bits instead of a screwdriver you will need to take one apart and there are hidden screws
under the stick on label and metalized seal stickers.

In case you keep thinking about looking inside yours, I hope you know that once opened, a HDD is never going to work more than a
few seconds before there is permanent damage to the R/W heads and the disks surface causing loss of the data (All) on the disk!

(if you can not find one soon, and start looking at your PC in a way that makes it feel uncomfortable, let me know and I will get a picture of one I'm sure I have here posted,
so your PC's can resume sleeping at night again, ok? )

* * * (me NOT responsible for anyone getting too curious and looking inside their good working HDD either!) * * *

You can (should) keep a look out for any PC's being tossed or can be gotten very cheap that still have HDD(s) installed. If you like strong magnets,
these are dangerously strong around steel and a lot more dangerous when handling more than 1 in close proximity to another one.
Rare Earth Magnets are also very brittle and letting* them slam together or on metal or dropped on hard surface will shatter them,
turning insides to coarse magnetic powder that exposure to air over time will weaken them until practically magnetic charge is zero.
[Tip] If outside nickle plating gets damaged/torn/peeling, put some superglue on it to stop further spreading damage and seal out the air.
Put a thin coating on any exposed internal compound visible and any breaches of the outside nickle plating to prevent them getting weaker.

I never throw away HDD's. I dissect them for the precision bearings, disk platters and the aluminum ring disk spacers
(if multiple platters present in drive), the stainless steel (or alloy) screws and most important --- The Super Powerful Rare Earth Magnet(s).
(The bearings on the disk platter and R/W Head positioning arm are extremely tight in tolerance, no wobble or movement of the
mechanism attached off of the rotation axis is possible. The motor bearings are designed for high RPM use, the arm bearings for absolute low constant friction and no variances of movement off rotation axis. Both provide the ability for the R/W heads to 'float' above the disk surface at less than the diameter of a smoke particle )

The rest of the drive gets separated into collections for turning in to recyclers company for cash.
If you clean up (remove) any non aluminum parts from the bases and covers (including the stickers), they are then considered prime clean material and pay the most for weight submitted.
Some recyclers may pay more for the drives if left completely intact, but I want those parts regardless and only turn in what I don't have a need for.
The PCB controller board on the bottom of the drives are also collected and turned in for cash when collected enough to need space in shop or some extra cash is needed.

[I forgot to leave these before, in first post of this reply, after squirrels got mentioned ]
A couple of sites that have DIY articles on building your own CNC machines and other projects a lot of people here should check out.

http://hackaday.com This site has many contests for designing something going on, with prizes given to winners and member voting activities also happening monthly.

http://www.instructables.com Cool site for finding instructions on how to make/build many different things from art crafts to spacecrafts I believe.

Mosquitoes and squirrels! oh my god! What's going on there?!?

Well...... Down the Rabbit Hole We Go...... R U Ready ........

Our Mosquitoes are not that bad where I live (size and numbers), but there is a risk of getting West Nile Disease by being bitten by them in some years.
I am mildly allergic to the anti coagulant they use also, so I don't let any I spot live to tell others where the feast is.
Our family line has blood veins close to skin surface and low body fat tendencies, so we "smell really good" to them and any biting/blood suckers, and have a large radar signature to them.

But my Mothers Boyfriend lives in Minnesota (he was vacationing here) and they had a very wet spring (flooding) this year on top of the "thousand Lakes" the state is famous for,
so the Mosquito is the State Bird, I think and strangely, Not Protected from hunting/killing even without a hunting permit.

We also have a growing problem of the invasive Hobo Spider here now and they are big ugly SOBs that are (were) not afraid to attack anything that bothers them.
They prowl for prey and only use web to make a home den hide out property claim staked out so others move on when looking for a home spot.
Only a couple of our native indigenous species can and will kill them, but mostly they kill any other types here for food too.
(But now some are more leery/cautious about hunting out in the open in the shop and run for cover when they see I seen them)
Been bitten twice and it is no fun. The wounds took a year and couple months to heal and it will never completely regrow skin/flesh that looks normal and flat surface as before.
Luckily, scar is smaller than the maximum size the wound got to, and never been bitten again.
Very nasty insect and I am always thinking of better/different ways to make them suffer horribly before dying by my hand.

Strangely, until a few days ago, we had not seen hardly any this year and those we did, were small in comparison to last years victims we got.
My luck, now I don't have the new weapon to use on them and the CNC is not ready to help with making a new one faster than that last one took to make/build.
Started on it in early spring (March I think) and worked on it a little each week, if I could and more time on it as summer got here and
then frantically worked on it in mid June when "Live" testing proved to leave them alive!

The 'Piston' cylinder used is actually a pneumatic actuator with a weak spring inside to return piston after air pressure is removed.
It was gotten from a Army Surplus warehouse we have here and was never intended to be used in reverse and at faster piston speeds.
I had to find ways to make it produce a lot more power and it took a few very careful modifications to get what I did get without ruining it.

After getting two kills last night (Hobo's but only smashed flat, not as fun and they crunch which sounds/feels terrible) of the
larger game size (after one had ran across my foot and I got down off the ceiling) and one (at least) still at large with a limp
(tried to use an AirSoft air gun to kill it, but only winged it ), I am thinking of putting in the time
to make a "slide in to barrel" salt shot adapter for pellet guns that might only take a few nights to make.
(if so, I won't be posting for a few days until I have 'one shot, one kill' results from it. )

We like the squirrels too, but it is an on-going joke* and daily ritual with our Pomeranian to go outside and look for squirrels with him.
And cats, cows and birds. Those four words are not spoken out loud, where he can hear them, unless you're ready and willing to go outside Right Now!
Pomeranian's have a habit of spinning in place (left or right only, each dog different) and barking until you appear to be going outside or they get too dizzy and take a short break, then resume until you are actually out the door (holding it open) waiting for them to oh so casually make their entrance into the world, unless there actually is a cat in the yard, then, get out of the way.
(Lord help us if he ever learns how to spell too, mouthing one of those words even is all it takes to set him off spinning and barking, he can read lips )

If you have never been owned by a Pomeranian, it is hard to describe/explain the social status I/we have (with him) and the day to day activities he demands/expects us to do.

"On-going Joke"*: To fully understand the SQUIRREL references you have to watch the animated movie UP by Pixar Studios,
or have spent a lifetime watching canine behavior with a generous amount of humor applied to it all.
Then apply the general characteristics observed to everyone you know or meet from that point on.

[Hint] - As Squirrel is to a dog , Shiny is to a Human.

If not clear to anyone, you can also try crossing your eyes to make it out of focus then snap them back into focus by having someone slap you in the back of the head without warning. Robert.

silly day, excuse me, but have fun regardless everyone. must be all the squirrel activity lately and now I wish there was a squirrel smilies also

And seriously, quit staring at your Hard Drive like it is food and you're hungry!..... Now!

[MaGiK]

Hi Megahurts

The camera used is usually the real star or culprit right?

I totally forgot about the GoPro and its outstanding features!
But still though, you do have some photography skills

I hope you know that once opened, a HDD is never going to work more than a
few seconds before there is permanent damage to the R/W heads and the disks surface causing loss of the data (All) on the disk!

Saved by the bell! I was really thinking about doing it the other day, but thanks to your warning, I'm reconsidering it.

I didn't know that you have dissected so many things. I did read it in your (About the author), but I didn't know it was this serious!
So, thanks for sharing many information that would have taken my lots of years to learn. I'm really into this kind of stuff.
Also,thanks for the links. These two sites look interesting. I'll make sure to keep an eye on them.

Mosquitoes and spiders can be this harmful?!?
Please take care. The last thing we want is for Megahurts to be megahurted.
That was an awful pun, but hey, I tried

I think all pomeranian are cute, but I didn't know they could be this demanding. Thanks for the heads up.
I'll tell you when I watch that movie. I saw the trailer, and it looks very promising.

Thanks for everything Megahurts. I really appreciate your presence in the forum and all the time and effort you spent/d here.
I'm sure I'm not the only one

Best Regards

[Megahurts]

Hi all,

For everyone following this thread, I have a new tutorial released on LibStock yesterday. This one is a summary of the topics that got covered in another thread topic on user pointers to V-TFT objects.

It is a simple V-TFT project for the PIC32 mmB that shows how to use the objects properties to easily have reusable button State management for multiple functions menu buttons.
The download package (zip) includes source files for V-TFT and mBASIC Pro for PIC32 Compiler and V-TFT screen export for importing to your projects and an 18 page PDF tutorial manual (in English) that has 'main' and 'events_code' V-TFT project files complete listings.

I did something different in this manual with the files code listings, all BASIC code and V-TFT elements are shown colorized to help readers track the different projects elements throughout the code listings.
Here are images of what you will see in the tutorial manual:

code_color_convention_usage.jpg (147.66 KiB) Viewed 12786 times

color_coded_code2.jpg (370.01 KiB) Viewed 12786 times

I hope you all find this method easy to digest the contents better and the examples help you with your own projects that might need to use the methodology I devised and show in it.

The link to the LibStock page for it: http://www.libstock.com/projects/view/1 ... t-tutorial

There is a separate file for the manual only to download too, if the site has updated my project Blog editing I did today.

[9/9/2014]-New updated version 1.01 PDF Tutorial @Libstock now. 3 new sections (text) + this colored program Flowcharts page.

Color_Flowcharts.jpg (369.29 KiB) Viewed 12755 times

You can get the new PDF version (Ver. 1.01) at this link directly:
http://www.libstock.com/blog_docs/get/6 ... tft-st.pdf

Thanks for following this and @MaGiK- Thanks for the words and postings, Robert.

[Megahurts]

Hi Everyone,

Good news and Bad news.
The Bad: I won one of the "Road Test" SAMA5D3 Xplained bundles given away at Element14, so progress on the CNC controller will be delayed possibly 2 months while I play with and write a review on it.

The Good: I won one of the "Road Test" SAMA5D3 Xplained bundles given away at Element14, and I can not think of a better trial project to put it to use in than the CNC controller as possibly the main brains controlled by a remote (maybe WiFi) dsPIC33EP mmB!

Whichever way it goes, I will be busy fulfilling my obligations to write a review/report for the HW bundle they (and MikroElektronika) provided me.

I will post when I can about this cool package of tools though, so keep an eye open for them. Robert.

[MaGiK]

WooooHoooo!
Man! I'd not be happier even if I had won that bundle! ... I'm serious
Congratulations! I really hope that you enjoy playing with the new toys

I know that I'm definitely gonna wait for your review on Element14, but I might forget to check for it in two months, so please notify us here in this thread when you post your awesome review. We all know very well that I'm one of your stal ... followers in this thread, so I'll remember to check your review this way

Were there any squirrels in the package? hehehe

Best Regards

[Megahurts]

(nice catch on the "following")

Yes, I will be sure to keep everyone notified on the progress of that review and more so if it turns out it will be used for the CNC project.

In fact I have decided to put it to use for this, as the Atmel SAMA5D3 Xplained board is a very powerful system.
With built in GMAC and EMAC Ethernet and two LAN connectors, it solves any communication issues from a Host PC to it.

The MPU being a A5D36 ARM Cortex running @ 536Mhz delivers up to 850 DMIPS of 32-bit program execution speed!
(plus it has a built in 32-bit FPU with Vector functions!)
Compare to a PIC32 mmB with 1.56 DMIPS/Mhz or 120 MIPS @ 80Mhz,
or a dsPIC33EP mmB that does up to 70 MIPS.
Hard to decide what to "Aim" this thing at.

I spent an hour last night taking pictures of the equipment and of the components before and after soldering the header pins in place.
They (the pics) will be included in the review.

But I have to go now and find some documentation for a couple of the components still, the "bundle" came with very little
paperwork that pointed to where to get the real docs online and some links are no longer valid.

Laters all, Robert.

[Megahurts]

Hey MaGiK,

Were there any squirrels in the package? hehehe

Funny you should ask that.

Sorry, I had to do some pic editing before answering the question about "squirrels" in order to present the horrible truth and forensic evidence.

I did not catch or see the perpetrator, because it probably intercepted the package somewhere in route once the squirrel
CIA bosses got wind of a package heading my way, but yes they managed to let me know they are on to me,
being on to them.

One of their special operatives managed to do this to the TFT screen's protective plastic film before being detected,
and thankfully could not finish what I'm sure would have been more severe damage or mischief.

squirrel_mischief_to_protector.jpg (1.11 MiB) Viewed 12669 times

Have to stay alert to those darn squirrels I tell ya, they are worse than gremlins and more stealthy.

btw, have you watched "UP" yet? Robert.

[MaGiK]

Hello Megahurts

Yes, I will be sure to keep everyone notified on the progress of that review and more so if it turns out it will be used for the CNC project.

Thank you so much! That would be very nice of you

the Atmel SAMA5D3 Xplained board is a very powerful system. With built in GMAC and EMAC Ethernet and two LAN connectors, it solves any communication issues from a Host PC to it. The MPU being a A5D36 ARM Cortex running @ 536Mhz delivers up to 850 DMIPS of 32-bit program execution speed!

I've read a few documents about the Atmel board, and I must admit that it's indeed so powerful that it's a little scary

But I have to go now and find some documentation for a couple of the components still, the "bundle" came with very little paperwork that pointed to where to get the real docs online

Ohhh ... I'm sorry for you, but I'm very happy that the bundle had been received by such a passionate hard working guy
I thank you in advance for your hard work on the review

and some links are no longer valid.

WHAT!?!?!
Other than the SHT11 sensor broken link in MikroElektronika's SHT11 Click board page, were there any other broken links?!?
It's a little disappointing if the Atmel board has broken links as well
But you know ... I gotta be fair here, it's too hard to keep on updating the links in a website when the links vary in such an unusual speed.
So, I forgive MikroElektronika (And probably Atmel as well) for these small "typos" (I don't even call them mistakes).

they managed to let me know they are on to me

Oh My God!
No! No! No! Just Nooooooo!

One of their special operatives managed to do this to the TFT screen's protective plastic film before being detected

*Looks at the picture*
This is indeed the work of a special operative
I'm glad no more time was given to finish the job, or should I say "finish the screen!"

btw, have you watched "UP" yet?

Yes, and I enjoyed it, and I love this made up trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5KQQWlIgGc
Watch it until the very end please

Best Regards

[Megahurts]

Watch it until the very end please

Ha Ha.

But there is suspiciously, no mention of squirrels in that trailer
(~Thinking~ "must be part of a cover up conspiracy")

WHAT!?!?!
Other than the SHT11 sensor broken link in MikroElektronika's SHT11 Click board page, were there any other broken links?!?
It's a little disappointing if the Atmel board has broken links as well

Not actually broken links, but as stated- no longer valid - most did a redirect to page where you needed to
sign in or pick a product family then device before actually showing the choices of related available and
then had to search for the best match to what was printed on supplied paperwork.
Very easy to get distracted at Atmels site, soooo muuuch shiny to look at....

and look....... SQUIRREL


I have a folder just for anything related to the bundle items, and so far 45 downloads of text release notes, PDF's, ZIP files and install applications,
mostly for the Xplained board and 2 for the TFT & Adapter PCB - of which, neither really covers that display with this Atmel board.

Guess we'll see what happens when it gets powered up, after another photo shoot and I get a metal box made to mount the Xplained into
and screen on outside so nothing gets shorted or ESD damage from handling.
Need another photo shoot because GoPro can't do close ups, as seen by pic I posted, blurry. Using different camera today.

And yes, I also think this thing might be scary powerful, ... and it's a given - way more complex than my "comfort-zone" with mE tool chains.

Laters, and Thanks for the moral support, much appreciated, Robert.

[Megahurts]

Just a quick picture posting:

My home towns river (Snake River), the Falls in city center and my chopper load of free parts.

Chopper_load_of_parts2.jpg (657.27 KiB) Viewed 12640 times

Out doing a Road Test of them.... or was I supposed to Ride Test them.. ........ I Better go check which I'm to do..

[MaGiK]

Take your chopper to the hospital dude ... It's way too sick!
Nice photography skills too

Now, the original reason of this post:
Just a quick question.
Do you think the stuff that I learned from your tutorial for V.TFT would apply for V.GLCD as well?
I'm very interested into purchasing a V.GLCD dongle, but I'm hesitating. Your answer would help me a lot to make my decision

Best Regards

[Megahurts]

Hi MaGiK,

Do you think the stuff that I learned from your tutorial for V.TFT would apply for V.GLCD as well?

Yes, it pretty much applies to that SW too.
The main differences is the lack of color controls (object properties).
But how a projects layout and framework is generated is very close to a V-TFT projects.
There is same file (module) structure used so tips n tricks about user code areas and usage
is also valid.

When I was using GLCD's, (before I had switched to mmB's), on my easy PIC5 and custom built PCBs,
I used bmp images, fonts and direct draws to the screens to make the GUI's.
I also had to make my own TP activity detection routines and hard coded "TP Hot Spots/Zones" for user inputs.

It took a lot longer to make them that way, and the code was smaller than SW generated, but completely application
specific and not portable to other applications for reuse for the most part also.

So it might be a good idea to use V-GLCD as you can make designs reusable easily. Hope this helps you with the decision.


Now to current happenings:
1st. @ MaGiK, I had a moment the other night where I finally figured out why I was confused with your CNC Mill questions
where you used the term "circuit" in the question. It dawned on me the differences between European and American
linguistics when referring to races or motorsport events, (was watching European racing on SAT TV), and that the
sports announcers would call the track a "Circuit", referring to to its route, and we call it a "Course" when referring to the tracks
layout and "Circuit" refers to all of the tracks races take place at in a season.
But the main reason I didn't comprehend your question was that for me, the word "circuit" firstly made me think "electrical"!

So not your fault, as the term is valid in its usage. I was preloaded to think "circuitry" was being referenced.

Thanks also for the comments on my "chopper". That bike is the planned for recipient of electric motor drive
modifications and the custom ESC management controller I've been working (and still) on too.
I need the CNC finished so I can make some parts for it. I was going to use a large motor from a go-kart, but
have decided to make the motor from scratch and make it a rear wheel Hub Motor drive instead.
The original idea motor needs many amps at 48V to operate and mechanical solutions to implement getting the power
to the rear wheel that would have been complex, heavy and hard to keep it so a person could pedal it still,
and it does need to have functioning pedals to be "Legal" to ride without requiring license and registration.
(can you imagine trying to pedal 4 car batteries plus own weight and motor and bikes weight (and it is not a light bike as is too)
combined, with only one gear ratio? (adding gears for rider also planned)
I like riding to stay fit, but that probably would have gotten me a stay in the hospital.

So the CNC project got bumped to first before it.

2nd. I've been busy with the Road Test review HW and not able to check back here as often as I'd like.
Sorry for that.
But it looks like I will be using the Xplained board kit I got as the CNC's controller brains.
Also might be getting help from a fellow Road Tester on it, as we both want to build a multiple function computer
controlled fabrication tool.
Planned functions of it now are: Router, Mill, Hot Wire Foam Cutter and 3D plastic printer all in one.

I got some work done on it (the HW) the last couple of nights also. I finally got the holes marked and drilled on the
gantry's uprights that will position the HP Plotters bed I'm using for the X and Z axis structure done, and pics taken,
but not uploaded from the camera to PC yet. So when that gets done, I'll pop back in and post a couple.

3rd. For those wanting to follow the progress of the Road Testers on this Xplained bundle review, you can see our dialogs
at Element14's site by using this link:
http://www.element14.com/community/roadTests/1348

Hope everyone is doing good and making their own successful progress in projects, catch ya all later, Robert.

[Megahurts]

I got a photo ready finally of the Gantry standing upright, like it will be when attached to its base that will have the Y-Axis
material holding horizontal movable "Bed" or "Table".

Gantry_on_upright_posts1.jpg (352.96 KiB) Viewed 12538 times

(The Red Arrow points to my Hydrogen/Oxygen water cell experimental unit)

Here are its dimensions as it is now.
Width: 18.5" (of the large silver aluminum plate)
Height: 13 3/8" (of the large silver aluminum plate)
Total Height: 22 9/16" (from bottom of leg stands to top of aluminum plate)
Clearance Height: 9 3/16" (from bottom of legs to bottom of aluminum plate)

The Clearance Height will actually be more than what I listed when mounted to its base. Probably closer to 15" is what I'd like.

The plates attached to the legs bottoms are just there for making it stand upright.

The image shows the plotter beds spanning arm in the center position. It will be the thing that moves the tools on the X-axis.
On it you can see some metal near the center sticking out both sides, it moves up and down and will be a Z-Axis actuator for
light tool attachments like the Hot Wire Foam Cutter and 3D printer head planned for addition later.
It will also be equipped with a "touch" sensor of some type (to be determined still) that can provide feedback to the controller
as to the shape and surfaces location to aid in setup for working. It can also be used to "probe" anything on the table to make
3D data files of the sample probed.

This design will have 2 separate Z-Axis stepper movers, a light duty one described above, and a heavy duty one that will be
mounted on a beefed up tool mounting jig that will span across that spanning arm and on its own horizontal slider rods
so it can take the strain a larger cutting tool will induce on the whole unit.
This tool mount is still being designed and parts built for it. It will be moved up and down on the Z-Axis by a linear screw drive,
with the mount ridding on large chrome steel rods.

It is also planned to have a stepper motor mounted on the heavy duty mount to control the tools rotation through 180 degrees
from doing left side on cutting to right side on cutting angles.

Hopefully, this will allow some very intricate and complex milling to be done without needing the work material to be remounted
at different angles many times during the milling/cutting/shaping process.

Stay tuned for further updates, Robert.