MaxNCMill

Here's the beast: http://www.maxnc.com/maxnc_10_cl-b.htm

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/

• If you are not sure of your path, do a dry run.

• 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 )

• USE EYE PROTECTION unless you like tweezering debris out of them

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/

GCODE

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

Cadsoft EagleCAD http://www.pcbgcode.org/

Inkscape  : http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?InkscapeHowto

text / truetype : http://www.timeguy.com/cradek/truetype

Tooling

Cutting fiberglass (PCB) will eventually destroy any kind of steel cutting tool. You need carbide tooling. Available from suppliers: http://www.precisebits.com/applications/pcbtools.htm http://thinktink.com/ Note that carbide is too brittle for most metals and will just snap.

High Speed Stainless (HSS) tooling available here: http://littlemachineshop.com/

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. 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