Gathering stuff for a plasma table

[airmanwilliams]

Ok I am not very build smart on some things and need some help from some of you builders/fabricators. I just got plans to build a 4x4 plasma table and although it has everything to build the initial table and motor for it I am not sure what I need to connect it to a computer so I can start gathering some of the small items periodically. Can some of you point me to what I may need to connect it? The motor it is pointing me to get is a Nema 23 stepper motor of 270oz or larger with 1/4" shaft but other than that I do now know which controllers etc. I may need.

Myself and a friend have been wanting to get a table for a couple years and now that I picked up a second job at Summit Machine I thought heck why not get some plans now that I have access to some equipment to machine some of it.

 

[I Lean]

My advice--cheap components will cost much more in the long run than buying good stuff initially. There are ways to cheap out on the table, that will very likely come back to bite you later. Lots of good advice and build threads on CNCZone and Plasmaspider, start your searches there.

Also, the picture you posted is pretty small, but it's looking like it uses V-bearing carriages, right? Can't see what they're rolling on...I have V-bearings on mine, and it is fine and fully functional, but I don't think I'd do it again. I do have hardened steel V-rails, which helps the longevity of the whole system. If they roll on something softer, you'll get more wear issues and junk.

 

[airmanwilliams]

Not sure I will really go too cheap on some things and will upgrade a few items for sure but looking at the bill of materials and all the pdfs that I have I really havent researched it much yet and am not sure what else I need to make the connection to a computer. This also will not be something that will probably happen this year but I will definately be buying quite a few things to get ready to build it.

Is this what you were looking at http://www.modernlinear.com/product/guide-rollers/

 

[Cascadia]

My advice--cheap components will cost much more in the long run than buying good stuff initially. There are ways to cheap out on the table, that will very likely come back to bite you later.

Like when Carl first built his table he used a marker to cut everything. It didn't work that great. The ink ran out and eventually had to upgrade.

 

[Spork]

Like when Carl first built his table he used a marker to cut everything. It didn't work that great. The ink ran out and eventually had to upgrade.

I thought the ink was pretty cool though :greg:

 

[Cascadia]

So did I.

 

[MikeGyver]

Marker then hand cut with the plasma.

 

[UFAB]

Software?

 

[Deleted member 12904]

The interface is typically serial. Even if it's USB it's likely a serial driver. Db9 or the old db25 printer ports are the most common. Since it doesn't take much of anything computer wise to run it I would build a PC with an older motherboard with a db9 connector and avoid the USB conversion as they can be less reliable.

 

[N-Smooth]

I saw Carl's table yesterday and it's awesome. I'd love to have one but it makes no sense to invest that much money into it. Plus it's a real perk to go talk to Carl

 

[I Lean]

The latest/greatest is an Ethernet connection, which opens up a whole lot more options for a computer since you don't have to worry about having a parallel port anymore. It also removes the THC control from Mach3, so you can have much faster Z response. Pretty dang cool. CandCNC calls it their "DTHC IV with Ethercut" and it is badass.

Mine's just a basic parallel port connection. Actually, I'd have to check and see--I might have both a serial port and the parallel port being used.