View Single Post
Old 04-26-2009, 11:51 AM   #1050 (permalink)
MPaulHolmes
PaulH
 
MPaulHolmes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Maricopa, AZ (sort of. Actually outside of town)
Posts: 3,832

Michael's Electric Beetle - '71 Volkswagen Superbeetle 500000
Thanks: 1,368
Thanked 1,202 Times in 765 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Heuckeroth View Post
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, this machine is originally a CNC plasma cutter. Now its also a CNC router table. The CNC program doesn't care what tool is on the fixture. All it cares about is X,Y,Z.

Anybody have any ideas on what type of tool / RPMs would be best milling copper?


I've been using that PCB milling bit. It says to run it at high RPM, so I've been running it at 1500 rpm. It has a 1/8" non-cutting end (to be held by the machine), and a 7/32" cutting end. It cuts very clean if you don't go too deep into the PCB. If your machine can accept 1/8" diameter objects, and can run at around 1500 rpm, I'm sure it would work.

Probably the easiest way is to get a pcb that is maybe an inch bigger in the x and y-axis direction, "lock it down" flush to the table somehow or other, and etch the designs and drill the holes, but not going all the way to the edges (since there's an extra inch in x and y direction), flip it over "precisely", and etch the other side, and then do a final rectangular cutout to the correct size. Otherwise it causes problems, and is SUPER annoying to cut all the way to the edge. Maybe if there existed a table that has a suction on it, you wouldn't need the extra length and width.

DCB: I don't think it's the fuse settings, because I've followed the documentation, but it could be that. I'll try the other possibilities too.
I've read the device signature, and it confirms that it's an ATMega8, but that doesn't confirm that it's an ATMega8-16PU. I suppose it could also be a ghetto ATMega8L, which can't be run at 16 MHz.
__________________
kits and boards

Last edited by MPaulHolmes; 04-26-2009 at 12:08 PM..
  Reply With Quote