I mod switch for router by microswitch and 24v.reray
The board has no option to control on-off router
when it's move under top serface the router still running all the time.
So let mod it.
And I mod Z.axe to drive by ball-feed too.

 

See how it's work

 

Glad you like it's

Attached files

 

So, anytime the Z-axis goes to home, the router goes off. Nice!

Where did you get the ball-drive?

 

I got the ball-drive at 2 hand market in Thailand and seeking for Y-xis
it's length about 68 cm.

 

I was looking in the garage and found one of these (clickable image)
which is rated at 15A @ 120V. It is probably twice the size of yours. I wired it directly to the Dremel (similar to your diagram) except it doesn't need a relay at all. I epoxied a Deans socket into a hole I cut into the Dremel housing, so I can remove the switch wiring if I ever need to service either one. The switch is connected to the NC (normally closed) connections. I also mounted the microswitch on the Z-gantry (where your control wheel is) so it stays with the Dremel as it travels up and down.
Then I found one of the dozens of those big round servo wheels that Futaba used to include with the servos and free-handed a spiral ramp (gap control wheel), using my other Dremel. The gap control wheel is mounted where your switch is mounted.
btw, using my clamp-on digital ammeter, I tested the loads from the Dremel. Free-running it draws about 1.25A, but when I intentionally stalled the motor (with a block of MDF and the router reversed in the chuck) it peaked at 2.53A. That switch should never have any problems at all.

When I find my camera, I'll post a photo, along with my latest mods.

 

That's a cool mod guys, great idea!

I assume that this also turns the Dremel off while the gantry is moving between cuts too?
I've got a relay board on the way from Easy-CNC, so now i've gotta decide which method to use :? .

 

I'm setting mine so the Dremel is off anytime Z is at home. I've noticed in the G-code for many patterns that Z goes to -0.050 for "between cut" moves, so the motor would still be off.

 

Here's a photo -

Attached files

 

Here's more info for those interested -
(Sorry, I didn't take any photos while I had the motor apart.)
All I did was open the Dremel and remove one of the wires from the unit that holds the brushes. The wires just push in to the brush holder, so gently turn and pull and it will come back out. It doesn't matter which wire, since it's AC powered. Then I soldered that wire to one side of the blue Deans female connector. I got another 3" piece of wire from my toolbox, soldered it to the other side of the Deans and (after tinning the wire end) plugged the free end of that new wire back into the brush holder. After making the hole and epoxying the Deans in place, I put it all back together. Now, the only way the Dremel will run is if there is a jumper across the Deans - and that function is filled when the switch is in the "closed" position, via the red Deans male connector. (I just used the blue one 'cause that's what I had.)
Be sure to connect to the NC (Normal Closed) and Common terminals on the switch. The wires on the red Deans must not extend above the top of the u-bolt or they'll hit your PP structure and stop the Z-axis. Oh, don't forget to insulate the terminals on the outside of that red Deans plug - that's 120 VAC going across there. I just applied a "carefully designed" blob of hot-glue over the exposed terminals because I couldn't figure out how to use shrink tubing.
Hope that helps.

 

Randy - YES. All the switch does is open one of the wires to the motor, so you could cut into the power cord, patch inside the Dremel or even patch inside the power strip (for the Dremel's power only).
I just couldn't figure how to slice into the cord and leave it flexible enough for the motor to move up and down after I taped the whole thing together again.
Let us see photos when you're done - I'll probably be ashamed I didn't think of it.

 

I, as an electrician, hate cutting into the machine or the wire. The way I do it is wire a receptacle in the machine that the Dremel is plugged into. That receptacle is then wired over the switch.

Yoram

 

WARNING!!!
For anyone who was thinking about installing a micro-switch like I did to turn the Dremel on and off, DON'T DO IT! Maybe it finally reared it's ugly face with age, but the electrical noise when the switch disconnects the motor is causing my SmoothStepper to lose communication with the Easy-CNC controller board, and the system stops in mid-cut.
Mach freezes up, and the only way to get it back working (except forcing a hard re-boot) is to unplug the SmoothStepper USB cable, causing Mach to post a "Lost connection" message and allowing me to restart them both.
I don't know if it's the limit switch wires or the stepper motor wires that are receiving the noise, but as a temporary fix (until I get a set of shielded wires installed), I just disconnected the micro-switch from the Dremel and installed a jumper to complete the motor circuit. Now I just plug the Dremel in before I start the cut and un-plug it when the cut is done. BTW, the way I finally realized the problem is that I installed a "light pipe" so I can see the lights on the SmoothStepper, when the metal case is closed. I noticed the red "data transfer" light on the SmoothStepper had gone out when it froze up - every time.
I guess I need to find one of those small relays to control the Dremel, after all.

 

I use the Easy CNC relay board. It works great! It is the only thing from Easy CNC that I still have left and it is modified to work with the Gecko controller by bypassing the opto isloators since the Gecko board already has them on it.

The dremel turns on automatically when the run is started and turns off when the job ends. The gcodes are automatically present due to the phlatscript including them, so why not use it.

The cost of the relay board is inexpensive enough and it is a no brainer to install. You can still turn the Dremel on and off via the push button on the GUI, but the gcode does it all for you.

 

Thanks for giving me the source for the relay board, Flash.
What I will miss about my (now disabled) switch was that it turned off the motor every time Z dropped "below" zero (i.e. to a positive number) so I didn't have to listen to the whine of the Dremel when the PP was in rapid motion between parts. Maybe there's some way to add an "if / then" statement to the gcode file. :?:

 

Shaun, that would be great, too.

 

I venture to bet that Fozzy would be able to add an option for that in his Mangelizer or maybe Tim or another Ruby savvy programmer could add an option to the phlatscript. It should be pretty simple I would think.

My concern would be about the Dremel ramping up to speed after being shut down. But I guess if you have been doing it with a mechanical switch then doing it in gcode should work as well.

 

I venture to bet that that you're right it wouldn't be difficult to add..... But I also venture to bet that there's a much easier solution.....

Just add a large capacitor into the switch circuit and that will kill the electrical switching noise. make sure if you use a polarised electrolytic type, that you put it the right way round.... Otherwise if it's actually switching the AC then use a non polarised polyester type one rated for 300V something like 1000uf should be more than enough, and the noise problem will go away!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

 

Julian - I was switching the AC directly. Would the "non polarized polyester type for 300V 1000uf capacitor" be wired inline of one lead (say, between the Dremel and the switch) or bridging across the switch?
I ask because I've managed to short out every DPDT lighting system at least once before I get it wired correctly.

By the way, the largest capacitor I can find online is 220uf @250V