Guys,

I've come to a point where I think having a small CNC milling machine right at my fingertips would be a huge time saver.  Though it takes an upfront investment that I've tried to minimize, certainly the positives should out way the costs.

The unit I'm looking at so far is the Probotix FireBall V90, since it appears to be a complete kit where one can go from zero to hero in just an evening or two.  Found some reviews and assembly info on the thing and it does look pretty straightforward to get functional.  These links have some good pictures.

http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/04/26/fireball-v90-cnc-router-assembly/
http://hobbybotics.com/tools/fireball-v90-cnc-build/
http://kits.makezine.com/2011/10/26/fireball-v90-cnc-router-kit/

I really don't know all that much about these things--the dirty details that is.  If any of you guys can point me in the right direction, I'd sure appreciate your feedback.

I asked some questions to the folks at Probotix and got this response:

Hello,

Thank you for the interest in our products.

The V90 would be perfect for use on plastics, woods, carbon fiber, fiberglass, and other composites. These material are used by V90 users on a daily basis with great results.

When it comes to machining metals, gantry type machines are not well suited for metal milling. When you have metal cutting metal, the tool will want to chatter. The only way to eliminate that is with mass. Metal working machines have heavy iron columns. There is a reason why metal working machines with the same work envelope of the V90 start in the $30K range.

The other issue is with available tooling and cooling. There is very little selection in 1/4" shank aluminum cutting cutting tools. Also, aluminum is very gummy and will pack in and clog the bit. You have to be able to run a lubricating coolant.

With that said, we use V90s to cut out thin aluminum face plates for electrical enclosures. But in that application, tool deflection doesn't affect the finished product and we mist the bit with WD40. I wouldn't be afraid to do ornamental type aluminum (think aluminum belt buckle) or simple engraving into aluminum, but I would never expect a gantry type machine to be able to make precision parts for my RC helicopter.

This may not be the answer you want to hear. I know there are some people out there who promote their gantry machines as capable of milling aluminum. The issues I describe are not isolated to the V90, but rather any gantry machine, and those guys are simply misleading.

As far as I know - we don't have a single dissatisfied V90 owner, and we don't ever want one.

You would still need the following items so you have everything you would need to get started:

CAD/CAM Software, I would recommend products from Vectric. http://www.vectric.com/

Router, I would recommend the Porter Cable 450 or the Dewalt 611.

Cutting tools, I would recommend contacting Precise Bits http://www.precisebits.com/

Also I would join our Yahoo group, the group is very active and has a ton of knowledgeable users to discuss different applications and methods for doing different materials. Here is a link to the group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fireballcnc/

Hope this helps and if you have any other question please let us know.


Thank You

Jeremy Turner

So it in a week or so, I may take the plunge.  Think I'll make this little gadget out of plastic as my break-in project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkLfpXpO5sQ

Those of you that have a good eye for dimensions, give me your take on the wheel size.

Cheers!

Quote from Dog-One on October 2nd, 2012, 11:31 AM

So it in a week or so, I may take the plunge.  Think I'll make this little gadget out of plastic as my break-in project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkLfpXpO5sQ

Those of you that have a good eye for dimensions, give me your take on the wheel size.

Cheers!

That looks just AWESOME.
I just have to build myself one of these.
It looks too good to be true.
Let's hope it's not.
Thanks for sharing :D

Perhaps try a Bud first? :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS1KXMsE2qk

Quote from Lynx on October 2nd, 2012, 01:15 PM

That looks just AWESOME.
I just have to build myself one of these.
It looks too good to be true.
Let's hope it's not.

It's something relatively simple like this, that if I can get it to work, it will be all the incentive I need to get lots of other stuff working too.  Think I'll coin the term, The Motivator.  hehe  :D

Quote from Dog-One on September 30th, 2012, 10:07 AM

Guys,

I've come to a point where I think having a small CNC milling machine right at my fingertips would be a huge time saver.  Though it takes an upfront investment that I've tried to minimize, certainly the positives should out way the costs.

The unit I'm looking at so far is the Probotix FireBall V90, since it appears to be a complete kit where one can go from zero to hero in just an evening or two.  Found some reviews and assembly info on the thing and it does look pretty straightforward to get functional.  These links have some good pictures.

http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/04/26/fireball-v90-cnc-router-assembly/
http://hobbybotics.com/tools/fireball-v90-cnc-build/
http://kits.makezine.com/2011/10/26/fireball-v90-cnc-router-kit/

I really don't know all that much about these things--the dirty details that is.  If any of you guys can point me in the right direction, I'd sure appreciate your feedback.

Hi Dog one, if you don't mind my asking, have you bought yet and how much is this unit ? The reason I ask is because I built a CNC Plasma cutting machine, made allot of the parts either out castings of aluminum I made then milled or steel. It's a 5' x 5' table XYZ axis. I bought all the electronics in kit form including: steppers, all wiring, power supply, end stop switches, torch height control box, remote wired jog control and software. They have several kits to choose from, these kits are very strong, you can route aluminum plate easily, the nicest part of all is you can make the table any size you want . If you are interested here is the link.:D

 http://www.candcnc.com/

Here are some photos of what I built.:D

Quote from Jeff Nading on October 3rd, 2012, 07:09 AM

Hi Dog one, if you don't mind my asking, have you bought yet and how much is this unit ? The reason I ask is because I built a CNC Plasma cutting machine, made allot of the parts either out castings of aluminum I made then milled or steel. It's a 5' x 5' table XYZ axis. I bought all the electronics in kit form including: steppers, all wiring, power supply, end stop switches, torch height control box, remote wired jog control and software. They have several kits to choose from, these kits are very strong, you can route aluminum plate easily, the nicest part of all is you can make the table any size you want . If you are interested here is the link.:D

 http://www.candcnc.com/

I do like your unit and I checked out the link.  Just a little out of my budget to get everything needed and be ready to roll.  It's also a bit big for my workspace.

Probotix has just released a slightly larger X90 unit that is almost perfect size for my needs, my space and my budget.  Have a look:

Probotix X90

Using the little drop down pricing on that link, you can get into a USB controlled version for $1562 plus shipping.  Get you a router, precision collet and some bits.  Then add something like Vectric Cut3D and Rhino for your CAD/CAM solution.  I suspect the whole package should come in just short of $2K.

I haven't done the deed quite yet, but this is the angle I'm leaning towards.


Side note:  Arriving today should be my shiny new E-Cores.  I finished winding my step-up 2.5" Nano Crystalline torroid last night--48 feet, 180 turns AWG 24 secondary, 3 feet, 18 turns AWG 18 primary.  When in resonance, it draws 20mA at 6V and outputs a healthy 95V.  The Arduino is set to 3% duty cycle with a pulse frequency of 6000Hz.  I see 12KHz on the output side--doubling in effect.  Had a little trouble figuring out how to use the Darlington opto-isolator that sits between the MOSFET and the Arduino, but finally managed to get the right biasing.

So tonight should be fun winding the bifilar E-Core and hooking it up to what I have running already.  Hopefully only water gets the crap (HHO) zapped out of it this evening.  hehe :D

Quote from Dog-One on October 3rd, 2012, 11:15 AM

Quote from Jeff Nading on October 3rd, 2012, 07:09 AM

Hi Dog one, if you don't mind my asking, have you bought yet and how much is this unit ? The reason I ask is because I built a CNC Plasma cutting machine, made allot of the parts either out castings of aluminum I made then milled or steel. It's a 5' x 5' table XYZ axis. I bought all the electronics in kit form including: steppers, all wiring, power supply, end stop switches, torch height control box, remote wired jog control and software. They have several kits to choose from, these kits are very strong, you can route aluminum plate easily, the nicest part of all is you can make the table any size you want . If you are interested here is the link.:D

 http://www.candcnc.com/

I do like your unit and I checked out the link.  Just a little out of my budget to get everything needed and be ready to roll.  It's also a bit big for my workspace.

Probotix has just released a slightly larger X90 unit that is almost perfect size for my needs, my space and my budget.  Have a look:

Probotix X90

Using the little drop down pricing on that link, you can get into a USB controlled version for $1562 plus shipping.  Get you a router, precision collet and some bits.  Then add something like Vectric Cut3D and Rhino for your CAD/CAM solution.  I suspect the whole package should come in just short of $2K.

I haven't done the deed quite yet, but this is the angle I'm leaning towards.


Side note:  Arriving today should be my shiny new E-Cores.  I finished winding my step-up 2.5" Nano Crystalline torroid last night--48 feet, 180 turns AWG 24 secondary, 3 feet, 18 turns AWG 18 primary.  When in resonance, it draws 20mA at 6V and outputs a healthy 95V.  The Arduino is set to 3% duty cycle with a pulse frequency of 6000Hz.  I see 12KHz on the output side--doubling in effect.  Had a little trouble figuring out how to use the Darlington opto-isolator that sits between the MOSFET and the Arduino, but finally managed to get the right biasing.

So tonight should be fun winding the bifilar E-Core and hooking it up to what I have running already.  Hopefully only water gets the crap (HHO) zapped out of it this evening.  hehe :D

That's a cool machine and looks well built. Glad to hear you got your parts and making progress.:cool::D:P

Quote from Dog-One on October 3rd, 2012, 11:15 AM

So tonight should be fun winding the bifilar E-Core and hooking it up to what I have running already.  Hopefully only water gets the crap (HHO) zapped out of it this evening.  hehe :D

Well?
Wtf, I expected to see a complete document of a fully functioning Stanley Meyer WFC here already.
Get zapping, and leave out the current and the heat, atleast in the cell anyway :D

Quote from Dog-One on October 2nd, 2012, 11:31 AM

So it in a week or so, I may take the plunge.  Think I'll make this little gadget out of plastic as my break-in project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkLfpXpO5sQ

Started playing with a CAD package to see what I can come up with.  Have a look at my attached screenshot.  Not too shabby aay?

I got a demo of IronCAD 2012, MeshCAM 5 and USBCNC 4.  Went through the complete process of building the part and saving the STL file.  Next, I fire up MeshCAM, load the STL file, setup the stock and the tooling, then save the NC file.  And lastly, crank up USBCNC, home and calibrate the (simulated) machine, load in the NC file and start the cut.  It all seems pretty straightforward.  When I get the real machine I need to do the grunt work of boring some calibrated holes for press fitting bearings.  Not sure exactly if 0.001 inch is enough slop or not.  This will be a bit trial-n-error until I get the hang of it.  Also do not know about what end mills will be most efficient as well as cutter paths.  Some of my simulations approximate run time to be 40 hours which seems way too long to me.  I'll figure it all out though, it will just take some experimenting and some patience.  Anyway, cool stuff.  I only wish I hadn't waited so long to dive into it--could have actually built a few of my million dollar ideas; now I can't even remember those ideas.  hehe.

So this is it, the Probotix FireBall X90:


Bought it with the USB option and relay board, Dewalt DWP611 router and some plastic cutting bits from ToolsToday.

Running IronCAD, MeshCAM and CNC USB Controller from my desktop machine.

So far everything is working.  I need to make an adjustment to some shelving that overhangs the right side of the machine--didn't know how tall it was when I assigned a location to it.  Should be able to make some real cuts later this evening, to determine the best "Feeds and Speeds" and see what the accuracy looks like.

Awesome, happy milling ;)

Quote from Dog-One on November 9th, 2012, 08:04 AM

So this is it, the Probotix FireBall X90:


Bought it with the USB option and relay board, Dewalt DWP611 router and some plastic cutting bits from ToolsToday.

Running IronCAD, MeshCAM and CNC USB Controller from my desktop machine.

So far everything is working.  I need to make an adjustment to some shelving that overhangs the right side of the machine--didn't know how tall it was when I assigned a location to it.  Should be able to make some real cuts later this evening, to determine the best "Feeds and Speeds" and see what the accuracy looks like.

Wow, looks very good dog-one.:cool::D:P

Quote from Jeff Nading on November 9th, 2012, 06:00 PM

Wow, looks very good dog-one.:cool::D:P

Thanks Jeff.  Couldn't find a decent way clamp stock material down, so I went and did some other stuff.  Then it hit me, shelving material...  Tomorrow I'll run down to the box store and get me four pieces of that steel U-channel rail.  

Drill some holes in those rails to bolt down two pieces on the X-axis and those pieces will hold the other two pieces across the Y-axis.  That will make the two Y-axis pieces fully adjustable to hold any material I want to mill.  I should even be able to use the existing four bolts that holds the MDF spoil board down, so I won't even have to modify the machine at all.

I suppose I could do like a lot of other folks and just drill into the spoil board and use screws, but I really didn't want to bugger that up if I can help it.  Anyway, I'll try Plan-A first and switch to Plan-B if I have to.

One other idea is to make T-slot boards that screw to the existing board, just a thought.:D