Computer – Eric Girard

Jan72018 by Eric GirardNo Comments

Site is now running on an Azure Linux VM

Computer

I'm happy to report that I'm mostly done migrating my site from Shared GoDaddy to a dedicated VM on Azure! Knowing that I would need a 2nd site for my personal business (more on this soon), I spent the last few weeks reviewing hosting options for either shared or dedicated hosting. I read a lot of review and finally made the jump to an azure VM. Reasoning Price-wise, for about the same amount I get a dedicated VM that I can do whatever I want with (multi site wordpress, services etc) Pros: Low cost (24 CAD$ / month Pay-As-You-Go or 9.95 CAD$ / month for 3 years) More consistent performance Can easily scale up / down resources (CPU + RAM) as needed Access to the full cloud infrastructure as needed (backups, virtual network, other VM, storage, tiered storage e...

May272017 by Eric GirardNo Comments

CNC Mill (late) Update

Computer, Electronics

it's been a while... I worked quite a bit on the machine and it is currently operational. I'm still missing the cable chains (lost in the shipping - replacements underway). The first parts that I machined with the machine where the aluminium parts needed to replace the 3D printed plastic parts. I have videos of the machine in operation that I'm currently editing to make a nicer video / presentation Here a pele-mele of pictures that I took lately " template="default" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]

Mar242017 by Eric GirardNo Comments

Z axis assembly

Computer, Electronics

I spent the last two evening finishing the plates for the Z axis and drilling missing holes on the backplate for the newly designed limit switches. I also decided to use connectors for the limit switches and designed a bracket for it https://youtu.be/4MC9gMEZO4k I also received 2 replacement flexible coupling for the motors, this did solve a problem I had with the motors 'wobling' on their mount : the hole I had to enlarge on the coupling was not straight... I assembled the Z axis tonight and I was glad to see how everything went together without a hitch. I will do the proper wiring of the motor over the weekend along with the limit switches. Meanhwile, here's a short video of the Z axis moving (sorry for the audio, I will make a proper video so...

Mar202017 by Eric GirardNo Comments

Wiring and first motion

3D Printing, Computer, Electronics

It's been a few days since my last post. I made a lot of progress on the construction of the milling machine. Design and printing of various brackets and panels https://youtu.be/cpSZCr0v9j8 https://youtu.be/Jzw_BS4OWUU https://youtu.be/PUjdCl345Lk I used T-Nuts + M5 screws to assemble the drives on the machine frame. I also installed a wires guide to keep everything tidy. I'm not sure how it going to hold up in regard to vibrations but I'll wait until the machine is up and running before making my mind. I'm trying to keep the electronics embedded in the machine as much as possible. I then assembled and wired the power panel. I wanted to have separate switches for the the control / power sections. ...

Feb282017 by Eric GirardNo Comments

Motors Kit for CNC Mill

Computer, Electronics

I received the motors/drives/power supplies from Wantai I decided to order from Wantai instead of StepperOnline mainly due to shipping costs (45$ vs 108$) and the 2 x 350W power supplies vs 1 x 400W, both 36V. Wantai also throws in a breakout board which provide opto-isolated outputs for the drives. Packaging is neat and everything is in good shape. Linear rails and ball screws are expected this Friday, stay tuned!