SparkFun Electronics Commentsurn:uuid:214d0e4e-f1b1-d287-ce26-ac5b4c9f82492024-03-29T08:16:39-06:00SparkFun ElectronicsRobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:e8754f44-28ec-1c5a-29f5-c05d11d45d102014-10-22T12:40:53-06:00<p>The PM30 seems like a good mill so far. I'm much farther along in the conversion than my site shows. It's fully converted now with a belt drive, and seems to be similar in performance to a 770. My friend has a 1100 and a PM30 as well and they seem to be similar for lighter materials.</p>
Customer #403458 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #403458urn:uuid:f83a948e-b783-39d8-ace8-b4b5471360012014-10-22T10:53:42-06:00<p>My bad. I remembered the Sparkfun Robotics 101 video Casey did awhile ago, and there was a 770 in it...I thought it belonged to Sparkfun. I'm interested in your PM-30MV-L conversion. I have a 770 in my basement, but would like a manual/2-axis CNC mill to go along with it. I'll be watching your site for updates.</p>
urjaman on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)urjamanurn:uuid:e4b642c8-ffcf-0f77-7183-b718c00de0d32014-10-22T06:00:21-06:00<blockquote>
<p>laptop like</p>
<p>I think its this.</p><p>http://www.fringeneering.com/2012/12/the-sfe-80-micro-computer-system.html</p></blockquote>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:f77adca4-d166-b0ae-619e-3b71d2f4c2c32014-10-21T14:52:51-06:00<p>We don't have a Tormach. I made one part on a 770, but I didn't have access to it, so I just ended up making them on my smaller mill. We only have a manual knee mill which isn't all that great.</p>
Customer #403458 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #403458urn:uuid:747acb01-58af-f390-c67f-179ad7a0aeaf2014-10-21T13:59:31-06:00<blockquote>
<p>"Using our laser cutter and some basic hand and power tools, I was able to make really terrible motor mounts"</p>
<p>I thought Sparkfun had a Tormach 770? Why not make your mounts with it instead of a laser cutter and hand tools?</p></blockquote>
Build_it_Bob on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Build_it_Boburn:uuid:b792c95e-d5a5-05a1-bb16-563171abe6dc2014-10-19T08:40:56-06:00<p>This is Gold ! I have always felt that organised work areas are critical to efficiency and sanity.
I LOVE to build and create ( and mostly learn! ) . I spent more than 25 years with a small bench in the Laundry room.This was the same in the 3 homes that I have lived in all my married life. Many times I was using the washer , dryer and chest freezer as work surfaces . It was time to get serious about doing what I enjoy so much!
This past year I have moved my " Lab " into a spare bedroom in the basement that is no longer required.
I tend to think in an abstract fashion , so I know what I want to achieve in the end ...so it is all about building one section at a time. Bench surface was critical ...and I picked up a nice kitchen cabinet set with an " L shaped " countertop . Now I am working on other areas of the lab , namely a cutting / drilling ( messy area ) that will include built in shop vac to keep it tidy.
I will be looking forward to the next installment of this and I will also be re-organising my too chests ! Love Adam's ILM tool chest build ! I always envisioned this approach ...now I need to realize the benefits of taking the time to make it a reality.
Build_it_Bob</p>
Purple People Eater on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Purple People Eaterurn:uuid:64017d58-9275-fa71-4a1e-84abc15f1a222014-10-19T05:56:05-06:00<p>Looks like I have similar you YouTube subscriptions to Nick.</p>
Issyroo on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Issyroourn:uuid:58cb3464-b1af-f460-7896-feecbfbd48bc2014-10-17T17:32:01-06:00<p>A couple of pointers: Keep tasks together to prevent uprooting equipment. Move the work, but only when switching major tasks. When multiple projects converge (when don't they?) I have packed projects up in a box when it it time to work on the next one. This DOES NOT WORK! If you have the workspace, dedicate a work surface to a project when possible. These tips will help keep the mental inertia moving, while keeping it somewhat together.</p>
Kjata1013 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Kjata1013urn:uuid:e2e838e5-ff94-8b0c-68ef-e5aeeca728d32014-10-17T14:08:46-06:00<p>I cannot express enough how thoroughly excited I am about this series of articles! I'm currently <em>trying</em> to convert a small bedroom in my apartment into a bedroom/workshop and this is just perfect timing! And it's written by <em>one</em> of my favs, Nick Poole, who is someone I very much admire. Thank you!</p>
Pharmwelder on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Pharmwelderurn:uuid:2f1f1132-a4bf-c3e7-232c-1cc525049f5d2014-10-17T11:33:26-06:00<p>I have known a few very creative (makers in today's term) individuals in my lifetime and virtually all had meticulously organized work spaces. Some were as small and compact as a dedicated corner in a crowded appartment or as large as an old victorian multistory house. The largest contained a second generation Italian/American violin maker and his passion for love and care his stringed instruments. The smallest was that of a fellow GI who produced the most detailed scenes starting with off-the-shelf plastic models and his skill at transporting them into scenes reflecting the dust, dirt, wear and tear of combat. Each had their unique method of storage, indexing, cataloging and placing their tools to optimize their creative time. Thanks for the excellent topic. This article illustrates the wholistic approach to realizing the most successful creativive projects.</p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:20f07367-fbb8-3e14-656b-a1f62ceca2862014-10-16T16:04:07-06:00<p>That looks like a very solid mill. I think one of the main downfalls of the shapeoko is the out of the box material clamping solutions. I've milled some platforms and clamps and added T-nuts to my machine, but your mill's clamp looks very sturdy. All this talking is making me want to mill some things :)</p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:c1c59f88-1771-4024-9660-e81036ac01bd2014-10-16T14:00:09-06:00<p>Yeah, this is my 3rd conversion, so I was a bit more prepared this time. Here's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT5-ZEurwqk" rel="nofollow">video of the new mill</a>. I've rebuilt the spindle, so now it can do ~7500 RPM, and has better bearings too.<p>The Shapeoko is a great machine. We might have some news regarding them in the next few months...</p></p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:2a16f193-a76f-2c38-737a-d38016ed8d092014-10-16T13:54:42-06:00<p>I see, Beatty robotics had the same realization (it would be great to have a CNC mill to build a CNC mill - http://beatty-robotics.com/cnc-mill/)<p>I ended up getting a shapeoko 2 (https://www.inventables.com/technologies/desktop-3d-carving-cnc-mill-kit-shapeoko-2) which I have been pretty happy with. I can cut a lot of things, but not ferrous metals. It has been a great way for a biologist to get into cnc milling.</p></p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:96e5eb25-f283-1e8d-b77e-83a8a3d2f4792014-10-16T13:46:52-06:00<p>In this case, it's not so much yak shaving. there's really no other way to build some parts for a CNC conversion, other than having a CNC mill already. So I bought the cheap X2 clone off craigslist for a couple hundred bucks. Using our laser cutter and some basic hand and power tools, I was able to make really terrible motor mounts. I kept the original screws, and just used oversized motors to drive the X and Y axes. The motors eventually went on the bigger mill. Since they were so oversized, I was able to really clamp down on the ways, allowing for relatively smooth and tight motion with the original screws. I still had a lot of slop and backlash, but I designed my parts so that it didn't matter on the critical components. I ended up getting about 0.0005" backlash on the bigger mill using these parts, which is pretty good. tool deflection and other factors will be a bigger factor.<p>sometimes the shortest route between two points isn't necessarily a straight line :-)</p></p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:6ce53312-b40e-28eb-5b0b-06b60fb2e8452014-10-16T13:43:12-06:00<p>I've often found that Yak Shaving (https://www.sparkfun.com/news/343) is about the journey not the destination.</p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:f6bb6e9c-9f81-809e-bf88-6848b592633c2014-10-16T13:25:23-06:00<p>Thanks. I actually build that stand just for that mill. Then, I converted that mill to CNC, so it could build the parts for a bigger mill, to convert to CNC :-) The smaller one is now sold and I have a much more capable CNC mill. It was all part of my grand plan. haha.</p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:75600da9-5cb3-f568-8f99-e1378c2930952014-10-16T12:47:50-06:00<p>Wow, great documentation. I've always been disappointed by the craftsman tool chests as well. And nice mill, I've got a CNC mill, but never got to use a hand powered mill and so I sort of feel like I forgot a step in my machinist development. BTW that setup looks like a great way to mill around...</p>
RPK2K5 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RPK2K5urn:uuid:3dbaba54-1579-2694-f82d-f8660053d4b42014-10-16T11:02:45-06:00<p>A clean, empty bench is like a blank piece of paper, or a canvas. It's just waiting to create something awesome. My favorite feeling is looking at the empty bench and saying hmmm, what now? That's my drive to keep stuff clean.</p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:f955a764-e5ed-f0b2-a512-e2b90821a6712014-10-16T09:23:11-06:00<p>Yeah, the drawers might get hard to open after adding some weight. I currently use <a href="http://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-7-drawer-glossy-red-end-cabinet-for-roller-tool-chest-68785.html" rel="nofollow">this cabinet</a> for all my machine tools, measuring and layout tools, etc. It's actually surprisingly well built. It's just a side cabinet, but I <a href="http://imgur.com/a/WPTpQ" rel="nofollow">modified it to have casters</a>. Ignore the last picture, that's my old mill ;-)</p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:81d7b33f-b3de-eed1-2a27-43f0a51917a52014-10-16T09:00:10-06:00<p>Those Listas are nice. I'm not sure how the Bisley cabinets would hold up to heavy machine tools. The Bisley's don't have any bearings on the drawers and so the bottom of the aluminum drawer slides on aluminum rails inside the cabinet. I was worried about the lack of bearings at first, but I have been surprised by the ease of drawer sliding and durability thus far. I haven't loaded up the cabinet with 100 lbs of machine tools though.</p>
MetabolicCloth on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)MetabolicClothurn:uuid:198ad394-886c-f810-3ebb-5f320cc955742014-10-15T22:50:24-06:00<p>What is that laptop like device. This is a great post all your sources were fantastic, and ones i also frequent.</p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:0efe6355-6e5e-9511-1d74-415ff086e3b82014-10-15T21:06:32-06:00<p>ah yeah, I've seen that before. those are nice. I always like buying something once, especially for tools.</p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:3cbe2acb-8761-41e9-31ac-7148590842452014-10-15T21:05:31-06:00<p>Yeah, I use just basic drawer liners in my cabinets for my machine tools. it works well. I use stationary organizers (for office stuff) for my smaller tools.</p>
Robomaniac on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Robomaniacurn:uuid:84af1b51-f2e5-3f0a-437f-aca12b4fb4012014-10-15T19:38:30-06:00<p>Robert, buy this for your drawers. <a href="http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Kaizen-Foam-p13435.htm" rel="nofollow">Kaizen foam</a> ! You will thanks me later!
http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Kaizen-Foam-p13435.htm<p>I have that in my Pelican case to hold my DJI Phantom and all my gear. It's very easy to use and cheap!!
I have this 2'x4' sheet waiting to be cut to fit my drawers.</p><p>Google it to see ton's of amazing thing people do with it. Show it to Nick.</p></p>
Robomaniac on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Robomaniacurn:uuid:9cb8fbea-083c-14c3-ffb0-bfb846118d042014-10-15T18:40:50-06:00<p>yes Listas, I was going to say, get some <a href="http://www.rousseaumetal.com/" rel="nofollow">Rousseau</a> cabinets (Made in Québec, Canada).
It's high end metal cabinets. Yes it's exepensive but it will last for a life time!!</p>
Robomaniac on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Robomaniacurn:uuid:52944cb9-7bd3-ac77-8ac6-fcbbb0d7fd922014-10-15T18:36:56-06:00<p>Have you guys seen Adam Savage man cave on <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@37.75373,-122.420676,3a,75y,225.45h,75.78t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sY6f_G8OlXbkAAAAGOvHulw!2e0!3e2" rel="nofollow">google map</a>?!? Check it out!!
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.75373,-122.420676,3a,75y,225.45h,75.78t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sY6f_G8OlXbkAAAAGOvHulw!2e0!3e2</p>
Myself on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Myselfurn:uuid:00e37e94-0efb-acca-1939-46220ab64bf62014-10-15T13:33:58-06:00<p>Replying to myself here with a bit more detail:<p>"First-order retrievability" is an even bigger deal in a shared space than a personal workshop. Because it equates to first-order-put-away-ability, which turns out to be the crucial one. People will dig to find a tool or a part, if they know where to look, but they will not dig to put things away. At least, not everyone will, and if you haven't tried to maintain resources in a shared space yet, I have some sad news about the distribution of messy jerkfaces among your idealized amazing-hacker-member population.</p></p>
Yodaob1 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Yodaob1urn:uuid:e5ea08aa-4978-284c-5ccd-6319529625502014-10-15T12:23:24-06:00<p>I have done a <em>Poor Mans</em> version of Adams Sortimo system with Plano 3700 boxes. I have a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RGARB2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow">Rack</a> and Some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plano-2-3700-Prolatch-Stowaway-four/dp/B007N5ZULO/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1413397155&sr=1-1&keywords=plano+3750" rel="nofollow">Plano 3700</a> that I use to keep the Small items neat and tidy. I also have a Tackle box that allows me to store 3 of them or 1 normal 3700 and 1 Dubble hight 3700 box in the Tackle box so I can grab the boxes I need for in the Filed or take with my R2 unit for repairs.</p>
Myself on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Myselfurn:uuid:91cf12d6-276b-8999-a12a-8752185605d92014-10-15T11:27:55-06:00<p>I love this, it validates so much stuff we've already been doing at our hackerspace! Most of the members immediately understand the "clear workspaces completely when you're done" concept, and this article is further encouragement to nudge the others into playing nice with the shared toys.<p>Here's a fairly recent panoramic shot of the lab:
https://www.i3detroit.org/wiki/File:Eroom-pano-resized.jpg</p><p>And the parts drawers themselves, this is definitely dated (we've added 4 more cabinets but things are largely in the same relative locations, even as things shift slightly):
https://www.i3detroit.org/wiki/File:NewERoomWithOverlays-output.jpg</p></p>
Customer #260321 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #260321urn:uuid:99084cbb-a5b6-ecd6-ef7c-39898e9c5de72014-10-15T11:20:40-06:00<p>Certainly such organization is vital in an area that is shared, such as a school or club.<p>However, in a personal space not a showplace some slack might be in order. I can instantly locate the Jacobs Chuck wrench or any other tool that I bought 40 years ago, I use labeled shoeboxes for parts and have separate toolboxes for my most common tasks. Between my ears lies a marvelous card catalog.</p><p>A (totally) clean desk is a sign of a diseased mind.</p></p>
KloudVine on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)KloudVineurn:uuid:281f2bac-7460-c4c9-5ead-9f5ee568fdbe2014-10-15T11:15:14-06:00<p>This is going to sound absolutely insane, but here's how my parts organization system works.<p>Every part (over 400+ distinct inventory SKUs, totaling over 40k pieces) has it's own compartment or bin. Each bin or compartment is labeled and barcoded. Every item is then counted and entered into a custom excel spreadsheet.</p><p>The barcode scanner interacts with a custom piece of java to manage the inventory status. This way I always have a count of exactly what parts and how many I have.</p><p>Some things that make this possible include Harbor Freight 40 drawer bins, parts trays, and compartment boxes. SMD parts are cut into strips and placed into the compartment boxes or drawers. If I order a large roll I'll keep around 50-100 in the drawers for day to day usage and keep the rest on the reel. (Inventory locationing is supported).</p><p>The excel spreadsheet contains a category, description, sku, part number, and quantity by location. What's also nice is this facilitates a personal datasheet database held by the SKU.</p><p>Needless to say this is a work in progress and lots of little things aren't inventoried yet.</p></p>
Customer #403458 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #403458urn:uuid:587609ae-092c-9730-264d-af98f02e05782014-10-15T10:58:38-06:00<p>We used similar boxes to Adam's in the Marines. Each shop had a certain number of boxes that were kept in the tool room. You had to check them out, and back in at the beginning and end of each shift. Each box had a specific place for each tool, and if a tool was missing the planes were grounded until it was found. Also each box was identical and specific to which shop it belonged to (I was in Avionics). Wish I had a picture to share, but you probably get the point.</p>
OldFar-SeeingArt on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)OldFar-SeeingArturn:uuid:fd5a7700-50ba-094e-3803-7803219ada5f2014-10-15T10:23:51-06:00<p>Here's my idea of a great workbench:<p>http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm//wp-content/uploads/2012/08/williams-workbench.jpg</p></p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:34021109-ce59-477b-c8dc-ee703cf6ffdd2014-10-15T10:16:08-06:00<p>Those look pretty nice, I've been wanting to get some <a href="http://www.lista.com/int-en/products/drawer-systems/drawer-cabinets/" rel="nofollow">Listas</a> for awhile, but they're pretty spendy. I have a lot of machine tools so I need very sturdy drawers.</p>
Customer #341578 on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)Customer #341578urn:uuid:88fc3e1d-9163-5382-235c-0ff356999e492014-10-15T10:07:48-06:00<p>Nice overview! I've come to appreciate the "Bisley Collection Cabinets" (8 and 10 drawer) for storing a lot of my smaller tools, circuit boards, projects, etc.:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/drawers?productId=10000342<p>They are a little pricey for a poor grad student, but I got them on sale and they have worked really well for me. The shallow drawers are perfect because I'm not tempted to break the "First-Order Retrievability" rule and they slide nicely. They also look pretty nice in my living room and have a place for labels in case I don't remember which drawer is which.<br>
Thanks for the write up, I'm looking forward to part 2!</p></p>
RobertC. on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)RobertC.urn:uuid:1098802f-4bd4-2c6a-bf88-534b146e43952014-10-15T10:07:32-06:00<p>For anyone interested in home workshops, you should check out the forum over at <a href="http://www.garagejournal.com/" rel="nofollow">Garage Journal</a>. They have a lot of tool reviews, workshop builds, and more. Be prepared to empty your wallet and bank account though...</p>
ME heat o nator on SparkFun's Rapid Prototyping Lab (Part I)ME heat o natorurn:uuid:ead9f488-b7c8-cbd4-74a5-a7b3374dc4622014-10-15T09:59:14-06:00<p>I have been looking at articles like this. Thank you!</p>