Clik here to view.
Using Vectric Cut2D With A Laser
Cut2D is 2D CAM program from Vectric. It is designed to quickly and easily import DXF plus several other vector formats and create G Code for CNC cutting. It is primarily designed for traditional...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using a ShuttlePro as a Laser Pendant
I have been using a ShuttlePro as a pendant for years on my router. A pendant is basically a hand held remote control for your CNC. It allows you to control a set of functions right at the machine....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mach3 Via VNC?
A guy I met at WorkShop 88 is putting together a Maker Faire like event through the local ASME group. It is called the “AMSE Open Source Microcontroller Workshop“. He wants to get a bunch of local...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MakerSlide Camera Slider Control Program
There has been a ton of interest in camera slider applications for MakerSlide. A while ago I decided to make a very simple reference design for a motorized slider. This design only required...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting More Power and Cutting Accuracy Out of Your Home Built Laser System
I have developed an inexpensive control system (less than $70) that can be used to both get more cutting power out of a DC discharge laser and significantly improve cutting accuracy for home built...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Web Page G-code Viewer
Try this Web Page G-code Viewer I met programmer and maker, Joe Walnes, through a few local Chicago maker groups. He showed me a really cool web based G-code viewer he wrote to preview his 3D...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Intro to V Carving
In a couple weeks we are going to do a CNC V Carving night at Pumping Station One. We hope to fabricate a number of designs on the CNC router. This blog post will serve as a basic introduction to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alibre is Now Geomagic
3D Systems recently acquired Geomagic. Several years ago they acquired Alibre. Alibre is a parametric CAD program. It appears that they are simply re-branding the existing version of Alibre as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Camera Slider Controller Hack
I have been having fun with my camera slider controller. It is a cool, little, general purpose motion and camera controller that will soon to go on sale at Inventables. Taking a picture is very easy....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Delta Router + 4th Axis
Overview Every year I make a new thing for ORD Camp. This year I made a delta router. The ORD contraptions I make, have one primary function; to spark conversation. This means they have to be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PSoC 5 Port Of the Grbl 1.1 CNC Controller
Image from Cypress Grbl Grbl is a high performance CNC controller. It is used on a lot of small scale CNC machines and is the motion control code behind a lot of 3D printers. It was originally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hobby/RC Servo Control in PSoC
The PSoC family is my go to line of processors for prototyping. It is like having a breadboard full of digital and analog circuits that you can wire up on the fly. I have been doing some stuff with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Yet Another Way to do the Kinematics
Paul Kaplan, originator of the Easel project, came up with another way to do the kinematics for the Line-us Clone. My method used intersecting circles. His method uses the Law of Cosines. The Law of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
X-Controller-Controller (X-Controller minus controller)
I am very happy with the X-Controller. It packs everything you need to run Grbl into a clean little package. It is super easy to hook up and move between machines. With that said, I had a quite a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Step Pulse Extender – PSoC Style
The TB6600 stepper drivers I have in the X-Controller have a “Torque” feature. You set the motor current with a reference voltage and the torque feature allows you to easily switch between that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Polar Pen Machine Kinematics
When you have a round work piece like a drink coaster, it makes sense to have a round work area. A round work area works best with a polar coordinate system. A polar coordinate system uses an angle...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using the HC-05 Bluetooth Module
In a previous post I showed how to use the HC-06 Bluetooth module. In this post we will be using the HC-05. They are very similar, but the HC-05 has more features. The ability to be a master is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
ESP32: Step Pulse Experiments with Timers
(Edit: Also check out my better “RMT” way to send the pulse) I have been playing with the ESP32 microcontroller to see how well it would perform as a small scale CNC controller. The low cost and high...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Game Audio for the ESP32
I have been working on some games for the ESP32 and needed some decent quality audio with a minimum number of additional components. I was bouncing between using the DAC and using the I2S bus. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
TWANG32 – An ESP32 Port of TWANG
I ported the TWANG game over to ESP32. I wanted to do this for several reasons. Cost: The ESP32 is generally lower cost than the Arduino Mega Speed: The ESP32 has a dual core 80MHz processor vs. the...
View Article