As some of you might know I am installing an NC
   controller on my Kasuga heavy duty mill.

   http://www.rotaryeng.net/Nc-Mill-How-To.html

   An NC mill is as close to printing money as you will every
   come unless you happen to be the government :) I need it
   to make parts for rotary engines.

   There is a open source for the software based on Linux.
   http://www.linuxcnc.org/

   It is very up to date and has far more computing power
   than your average used NC mill selling for $10,000 on up.

   I bought this self contained little mother board with
   processor for $89 called EPIA mini ITX Mainboard.
   http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/ProductSeries.jsp?serialNo=2

   There was some question whether Ubuntu Linux would run on this
   cheap 17 mm by 17 mm mother board. The good news is yes Ubuntu 9.04
   (Cost me $16 for the DVD and the magazine.) works fine as does
   Windows XP pro. For some strange reason Fedora 5 does not like
   the built in video driver.

   If I had to buy a new  mother board for a  Hass or Fadal used
   NC mill it would cost thousands and then would have only one tenth
   of the memory.

   Paul Lamar


   Paul, Ubuntu is available on the linux.com website with a real time
   kernal
   and their EMC-2 program for CNC already compiled when you download it. I
   chose it to convert my big cincinatti mill with dual ballscrews and
   stepper
   motors.I am lacking one ballscrew on e-bay to put it together. That is
   next
   after I get the rotary engine castings done, and will be usefull for a
 lot
   of things.

   george grimes

   Does it come with an install program?
   How do you install it on a virgin hard drive?
   Can it be burned on a DVD and then installed from that?
   What version of Ubuntu is it?

   Paul Lamar

   The version is 8.4 although you can download the EMC-2 software
 separately
   and assemble and compile it on any version of linux'. Some versions of
   linux ( such as linux puppy) can be run from the DVD drive without being
   instaled. The real necessity is a simplified version of linux. You
   definitely don't want debian linux for this. This  program needs a
  stripped
   down linux so that it won't be trying to multitask when you are
 machining
   something and the command stream of the G-code would get interupted. The
   good folks at linux have taken the latest version of unbutu and
 assembled
   it
   with a real time kernal,( This makes it process only one program at a
   time),
   and assembled the EMC-2 ready to run.

   You can partition a large hard drive
   like a 500 Gb serial  ata (SATA) with multiple partitions to  boot other
   linux or windows operating systems at start up. They show the latest
   release
   and most stable release on the website and all are totally free. There
 is
   no
   advantage to a higher number release since we are only running a real
 time
   application, just choose the latest stable release.

   Yes you do burn the
   downloaded file to a DVD and do the install from there. It installs on a
   blank hard drive or an empty partition of an existing hard drive.The
 drive
   has to be partitioned during it's initial installation. Jimmy
 partitioned
   his up to drive L to use to troubleshoot almost any operating system
 from
   win 95 thru vista and many linux systems.

   It will install much easier than
   the more optioned linux releases a there are few options to sort thru.
 Use
   something like 2GB of ram and a 3.2GHz AMD brand processor. If your
   mainboard doesn't have SATA channels  an expansion card on E-bay is
 cheap
   $2.72 thru $13.26 last week when I  bought 3 of them all free shipping.

   After installing the EMC-2 you use a parallel port (preferred) or USB to
   send signals to the stepper driverboard which will also need a power
   supply.
   The stepper motors wire into this control board. Jog the computer for
 each
   axis one microstep at a time to be sure it continues the whole rotation
   with
   all steps going the same direction and the same size step. Also they
 have
   to
   go forward and reverse. Then you coordinate the number of steps to the
   travel distance on the mill to set up the program. You may be thinking
 of
   having something like RHINO V4 on a partition of the computer, but if it
  is
   windows based you would have to reboot to start it. Best bet is a flash
   drive for the USB port. You  can load the file from it or even run off
 it
   and keep your CAD computer out of the shop dirt. When You start printing
   money don't forget your friends!!

   george grimes

   Thanks George.
   I have analog servos  so I won't be using steppers.
   The computer will be dedicated to the mill with no other OS's
   installed.

   Here is a preliminary schematic.

   Paul Lamar


  Paul, looks real good to me. I don't know what computer capabilities need
  to be for servo motors. I saw that EMC-2 would also run servo's but
 elected
  to do closed loop steppers with position encoders on the X anY axis
 motors
  but not encoded on the Z axis. I am using the 1-1/4 inch diameter .200
 lead
  ball scews in pairs with an ability to run them out of phase for
 basically
  no backlash in hopes of getting a better finish. My application is to cut
  all the "O" ring groove lands bolt holes and porting on the side housing
  castings after I face turn them on the lathe. The majority of the metal
  shaping is done with the casting. If I was doing billet parts the servo
  system might have been the  better choice. If later on I need a servo
  system
  I can use the stepper motors on the foam cutter which got the variable
  speed
  drives off the milling machine.

  george grimes


 Paul, I am gathering up hardware (now on hand) and software to convert a
 7=1/2 HP cincinatti mill. I have downloaded the EMC2.2.3 software with
 ubuntu 8.04.  I was wondering what CAM software is good to convert the
 solid
 model. I have access to solid works 2006 and could get solidcam for it but
 would rather have it at home as a stand alone program on this laptop.
 There
 are several suitable programs available on the internet that will do 3D
 surfacing and have roughing stratagies and finishing passes. I am thinking
 Delcam or  Meshcam ($295 at their site) but am wondering what ou use with
 our EMC2 or what anyone else has a suggestion about.

 george grimes


 Solid Works is the best.

 Paul Lamar


Hi Paul,

As georg said above, you are better off going to Linucnc.org and downloading
the precompliled image, and burning a bootable CD, rather than installing
Ubuntu 9.04 (whic I believe does not play nicely with the RT Kernal). Here
is the link. http://www.linuxcnc.org/content/view/2/4/lang,en/

This way you have a Linuc kernal (8.04 which is a long term supported kernal
I believe) already precompiled with the real time kernal patches and EMC.

How are you interfacing your servo drives to Linux? Jon Elson makes a
vareity of servo interface cards and has been heavily involved in the EMC
community. http://pico-systems.com/motion.html. I would imagine that he
could quickly help you with advice for getting the Kasuga up and cutting
chips.

Regards,
Mark Wrathal

That is an old message. I have it installed now.

BTW I missed you at Aero. Were you there?  We had a meeting of most
of the Wankel makers at a beer stub after the show. You should
have been there. Are you going next year. Robin and I are planning
on going next year too.


Paul Lamar