Member postings for john swift 1

try using another mouse

I have replaced faulty switches on my PC's mouse a few times

John

it looks very like the circuit from Silicom Chip Magazine in December 2008 !!

Hi Andrew

the connectors look like the ones used by Gecko Drive on their stepper drivers (G540 for example)

and your control board looks like its a version of the boards from Campbell designs / Sound Logic Combo Board

http://www.campbelldesigns.com/Combo-board.php

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 08/06/2017 00:24:44

Hi Neil

yes that's the one in the CNCZONE post that's burnt - not mine I'm glad to say !

going by the Leadshine manual its W phase that drives the stepper motor

the same connector is used on some of the infamous TB6560 stepper drivers

( but not the version that featured in Carl Wilson's Arduino controlled Indexer published in the December 2016 issue of MEW )

John

Hi Andrew

it was only last week I read a post on CNCZONE about the same problem with a   Leadshine  3ND883  three  phase stepper driver used on a Tormach CNC machine !!

the connectors are used on a large number of drivers from a variety of manufactures

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 06/06/2017 11:41:38

part of the problem is the number of fake / cheap copies of components in the supply chain

the original 1/4" blade connectors used in my mini lathe are made of a too a soft metal

once un-pluged and plugged back in they didn't have enough contact pressure and had to be replaced with connectors made by Lucas ( supplied by my local Motor Factors)

searching for SSR-25 DA 25A solid state relays , I found fakes being sold that only had a 12A triac inside !!!

http://www.ul.com/newsroom/publicnotices/ul-warns-of-solid-state-relay-with-counterfeit-ul-recognition-mark-release-13pn-52/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxEhxjvifyY

shows whats inside the fake  ssr

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 05/06/2017 22:52:50

I'd guess it will have a steel core like the 10p , 5p & 1p coins

so its metal content doesn't cost more than its face value -

if not the ones issued on Tuesday  it will sooner or later

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 27/03/2017 00:01:06

" Remember the old wartime films of young women operating capstans "

yes , my mum was one of the many Ward 2D(?) capstan operators during the war

John

Hi Robbo

I'm not sure how I missed your reply – two minds one thought I see !

Hi Dave

have you decided on what material your going to use ?

If you wanted to make a large quantity of handles I would of suggested using a form tool

(having watched a 3” wide form tool turning hex brass bar down to two diameters with a sphere on the end – a small hexagon being left to use a spanner to tighten the finished banjo coupling )

just making two handles

one option could be to make them one at a time if you

turn the handles down to the finished diameter at 3 key location then turning the rest free hand into curves blending them to fixed diameters

John

Hi Nick

If its more important to Dave to make the handles rather than just restore the rolling pin to its original condition

Then if I was Dave , I would make the handles more like the original shape in wood or nylon ( not that my choice matters )

hopefully by now Dave will enough options to choose from

John

as metal handles will be cold to the touch I would look at using two  wooden file handles and a length of dowel

with the correct diameter of handle you could cut off the metal ferrule to look like this -

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 01/03/2017 20:28:21

to avoid ear ache after "her indoors" spotted rusty swarf in her new washing machine

I refurbished the old washing machine that hadn't been collected and plumbed it in the outhouse

solving the brass and steel swarf problem

it no longer matters when swarf or grease occasionally makes it into the workshop machine

John

Yes , I have walked up to the top of snaefell a few times !

John

one for the star watchers

just watched an item on the local BBC1 NW news about the Manx dark sky

see :---

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-20005229

more about the Manx dark sky on inside out BBC 1 NW at 19:30 tonight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mrm

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 13/02/2017 19:16:20

Hi Dias Costa

after a quick web search I see your problem

the first two results I found

1) had an address hear in the UK - hobby components ebay store

delivered in 3 to 6 days , long enough to com from China

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TB6560-3A-Single-axis-Stepper-Motor-Driver-Controller-Board/141106624015?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D795afd5d39d349eab462a561b2ff2df1%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D161826535159

2) the second via amazon from sourcingmap delivered in 2 days must be from a UK address

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TB6560-Single-Axis-Controller-Stepper-Driver/dp/B00NQ8BLSI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486510095&sr=8-1&keywords=tb6560

John

PS

Hi Matt

I originally tested my arduino & stepper driver with the arduino powered from the USB port

after a quick test with my  17V motor supply powering the arduino I found it initially worked and then stopped responding  - probably the 5V regulator running too hot

and is now OK its back on the USB power

    John

Edited to add PS

Edited By john swift 1 on 08/02/2017 00:36:16

Hi Matt

with the 12V wired correctly to the arduino , I can't see any reason you would not have power to the display but

but I can see if the adjustment of voltage on the LCD pin 3 is set to a critical value

the display contrast could be OK when powered the USB cable when I'd expect +5V to the LCD pin 2 be nearer to 4.5Vdue to the voltdrop across a transistor on the arduino

( the transistor prevents the arduino trying to power your computers USB port !)

when powered by the arduino's 5V regulator when you apply 12V to Vin

the LCD (and arduino) will receive the full 5V possibly blanking out the display unless the multiturn potentiometer is adjusted

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 07/02/2017 19:01:59

Hi Matt

your wiring looks OK but you can do away with the USB cable by connecting the stepper drivers 12V supply to the ground and Vin terminals on the arduino

( the 5V regulator on the Arduino will drop the +12V down to +5V )

did you get the arduino to respond to the buttons correctly ?

from what I can see is the various manufactures don't stick to a single design for the boards they manufacture

and for the LCD / button shield the variations in resistor values in the button ladder results in changes being needed to the sketch

( note not all LCD + button shields can use PWM brightness control for the backlight !! )

see this posted by sillyoldDuffer

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=122792&p=4

,

I've been playing too and have a similar problem. I'm pretty sure the issue is the bit of code that works out which key is being pressed. It's the very last function at the end of the Sketch and it looks like this:

int read_LCD_button() // routine to read the LCD's buttons
{
int key_in;
delay(ADSettleTime); // wait to settle
key_in = analogRead(0); // read ADC once
delay(ADSettleTime); // wait to settle
// average values for my board were: 0, 144, 324, 505, 742
// add approx 100 to those values to set range

if (key_in > 850) return NO_KEY;
if (key_in < 70) return RIGHT_KEY;
if (key_in < 250) return UP_KEY;
if (key_in < 450) return DOWN_KEY;
if (key_in < 650) return LEFT_KEY;
if (key_in < 850) return SELECT_KEY;

}

the 4 switches that control  the motor current (SW1 to SW3 & S1) will need setting up fpr your motor

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 07/02/2017 18:31:45

I guess it was about 1975 one of the old factory welders came to the training centre to show us how to use gas and stick welders

his first question was "do you all have clean overalls ?"

every one nodded

then without a word , put an oily rag down and opened the oxygen on the oxyacetylene torch

after a short time , the rag began to smoulder - message received by all

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 03/02/2017 23:16:28

In the early 70's I remember commenting about the trouble I had parting off and my dads initial reply was the myford lathes I used at school was "antwacky" and myford was another company that should close

as the managers just sat back and took the money without investing in new designs and production methods

( he didn't have a good word for the management at BICC cables either , but thats another story )

I guess he was right but it took a long time to happen

John

Edited By john swift 1 on 03/02/2017 00:40:06

Hi Peter

while I was looking for a LCD / button shield to buy I found links to modify some of the shields to use PWM backlight control, hence the circuit diagrams in my album

as it happens , the linkspright / maplin shield I bought workes with the software Carl Wilson linked to from digitalmachinist

John

PS

this is the button resistor ladder for the linksprite/maplin  board with 3 changes in red for the dr robot board

Edited By john swift 1 on 10/01/2017 19:37:47