Archie wrote:
After all is said and done, would it not have been easier/better
to have purchased a more conventional and resellable system?
With today's economy, small shops,(as well as large) are being
auctioned off quite briskly.
A 3 axis bridgeport cnc mill, with tooling, recently went for $2900.
I just gave away a VMC (Mazak) w/30 staion tool changer, just
for the shipping.
Archie
Probably Archie but that is hindsight :)
I wanted a tool changer and I did not want to pay too much for shipping.
Also I had electrical power limitations in the hangar so that limited
me to a medium size mill. I was also not happy with Bridgeport class mills
as being a bit on the wimpy side.
The Bandit controller was supposed to be working but when I really got
in to it I found a lot of problems. Therefore I paid too much money for the NC mill.
Rather than waste a lot of time and money going to court over this I will spend
the same amount of time upgrading the controller that can be fixed in the
future with public domain software and standard PC hardware.
The main question is; not what it is doing now but how can it be maintained
in the future? BTW The same consideration applies to my choice of operating
system software for all my general purpose computers. Why pay Microsoft hundreds
of dollars for software upgrades when I can upgrade Linux for nearly free?
Linux also has an open hood policy with shop manuals for the operating
system freely available.
Paul Lamar
I agree. For what it would cost me to buy Windows XP plus Microsoft
Office plus virus protection software, I could buy a computer with a 2
Ghz cpu, 512 MB and 40 GB disk, plus a Linux distribution that includes
Open Office and lots of other packages. I already own Red Hat 8.0, and
it doesn't need virus software. I can install it on as many PC's as I
want. That's like getting a free computer. I mostly use Open Office for
the word processor, and it can do anything I need it to that MS Word can
do. I have never found a Word document that I couldn't load and convert
to xsw format, although I have used features I couldn't export to doc
format. I really don't know how compatible the other office application
are.
I would be willing to volunteer to help with programming the NC mill but
my life is just too complicated right now. I've programmed motion
control devices before. I did one in Z80 assembly language to control
champagne riddling machines. The controller was later adapted to control
rooftop solar collector panels. That was about 18 years ago and as far
as I know they are all still in use. I've also more recently done some
fiddling with PIC microcontrollers with the thought of using them as the
brain for an engine and cockpit monitor, and maybe as an electronic
checklist system.
Anyway, good luck with the mill. I really wish I could handle another
project because it looks like a good one.
Dick Gregory
Thanks anyway Dick. Chad is helping out.
You have just seen screen capture gif of a MS XL spread sheet loaded into Open Office.
It was Bill's MS XL spread sheet on the Schertz beam.
Paul Lamar
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