Project Schedule and System Diagram Updates

The Project Schedule sticky post has been updated. Things are more or less on schedule. Assuming the kit arrives in 2 weeks or so the plan to assemble everything during the Thanksgiving holiday week still holds.

The update to the System Diagram was to note specifics such as EMC2 and Gecko 540 as the actual components being used.

Controller PC Fires Up

I mentioned the new components that were purchased and the old parts that would be brought back into service to build the CNC Controller PC here. This morning I assembled everything and was relieved when the system fired up without a hitch. This first boot up was using the original boot drive that has Windows XP installed. Since I transferred the Windows license to my newer system when I built it a few years ago I am in a position where I need to either purchase another license for Windows and purchase Mach 3, or give Linux and EMC2 a go. I decided to try Linux/EMC2.


Information about the Enhance Machine Controller (EMC2) can be found here. Linux comes in different flavors, known as 'distros'. EMC2 comes bundled with the Linux distro known as Ubuntu. As a result, when you install EMC2 you also install the Ubuntu flavor of Linux. This turned out to be a painless process. It is possible to create an 'ISO image' of the OS and EMC2 application and then boot the system from a 'live' CD-ROM. Since the boot up from the CD went well I went ahead and installed everything on the hard drive. Here is the process I followed:

• Download the EMC2 Live CD file image from here (this takes awhile since it is a large file).
• Download CDBurnerXP, a freeware application capable of making 'ISO 9660 Image' discs.
• Burn the ISO Image to CD.
• Boot the controller system using the CD.
• Launch EMC2 application.
• Whoohoo! We are in business!

The next step will be configuring EMC2 for my controller hardware. Hopefully this will prove to be as easy as the basic installation.

CNC Controller Progress Report

I have spent the past few days gathering the various bits and pieces to connect up the controller electronics. I have mounted the three stepper motors in a test stand built from some left over pieces of Baltic birch plywood. I also cut a piece to mount the power supply and Gecko G540 on. The A/C power chord will connect to the power supply through a fuse and lighted rocker on-off switch. Pictures to follow when this comes together.

Avoid Release of Magic Smoke - Read the Documentation

While awaiting the delivery of the CNC Router kit one of the best uses of my time is to get the CNC Controller setup, configured and tested. When working with any type of electronic device it is important to avoid releasing any of the magic smoke hidden within. When the magic smoke is allowed to escape from an electrical component it usually ceases to work, clear evidence of the importance of the magic smoke to its proper functioning.


One of the best ways to avoid the inadvertent release of magic smoke is to make sure everything is connected correctly before applying power. To this end I will carefully review the following documents:

• Power Supply Spec Sheet
• Stepper Motor Spec Sheet
• Gecko G540 Manual
• Gecko G540 Initial Setup Guide

Electrical Components Arrive

Arriving home from work today I was pleased to find my CNC Router Parts order had arrived. As mentioned previously this past Sunday I placed an order for the stepper motors, power supply, cables and Gecko G540. Ahren at CRP apparently got the order out right away and made the necessary arrangements for a prompt delivery by a uniformed agent of the Federal government.

No excuse now for not making some progress this weekend.

PC Reanimation

One of the pieces of the CNC puzzle is a computer system to function as the CNC Controller. This system does not require blazing speed or the latest and greatest components. I have decided to bring back into use a motherboard, Pentium 4 CPU and 1GB of Ram that I replaced a few years ago. I also found the 60 GB hard drives I used in the older system. The video card from this older system has less memory than required by Mach 3 so I purchased a new PCI video card with 128Mb. I also needed a case, DVD ROM drive, keyboard and mouse to have a complete system. As usual newegg.com delivered the needed items in record time. I hope that everything will work as well as it did when they were decommissioned. Hopefully the CPU will be reanimated running Linux sometime this weekend. The following costs will be added the Project Cost Sheet.

• Keyboard and Mouse $23
• Video Card $40
• DVD ROM $19
• Mid-Tower Case $50

CNC Spending Spree

The past 24 hours has been significant for this project. I made the BIG purchase decisions and pulled the trigger. The Project Cost Sheet has been updated and a big chunk of the budget has been expended.

I placed an order with Fine Line Automation for the FLA100-00 Complete 2x3 Router Kit. This kit includes all of the hardware to build the CNC Router described in this post. The kit includes everything needed in the following categories:

• Fasteners
• Power Transfer Components
• Linear Motion Components
• 80/20 Aluminum Extrusion

I also placed an order (actually yesterday) with CNC Router Parts for the electronics kit for the project. This includes:

• Stepper Motors (3)
• Parallel Cables
• Gecko G540
• Power Supply (48v/7.3A)

When the electrical items are delivered the process of setting up and configuring the CNC Controller system can begin. We are on or slightly ahead of the Project Schedule so far.

My goal for the remainder of the week is to build the PC that will be used for the CNC Controller. I am also considering using EMC2 under the Linux OS. Nate at Fine Line Automation mentioned in an email that he uses EMC2 rather that Mach3. I have found some information on how to create a bootable ISO image of Linux and EMC2 on a CD. It will either work or not. It seems worth a try before spending money on an OEM XP license and purchasing Mach3. My brother Vern has volunteered to provide 'phone support' on the Linux install. I will post on progress on the PC build soon.