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Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:27 pm
by Roadstercycle
So here's my encoder mount for my Charter Oaks mill. I have a air cylinder on top of the spindle shaft so I had to get creative with mounting but that's the fun, right? I used 2 skate board bearings since they are sealed, small durable and I use them in a lot of my plasma cutter builds. I mounted the 2 bearings in one piece of aluminum with about .100 between them with a spacer which makes them work really nice in single arm setups like this and there's not a lot of load on the shaft since the pulley is so close to the bearings. For the encoder I used one of the $25 Omron Ebay bomb shell specials. If you do get an Ebay encoder chuck it up in your drill or lathe and check out and see if the body wobbles. I did not do this and when I went to check it running I thought I screwed up drilling my coupler or something it wobbled so bad. So I made another and of course you already guessed, it was the same wobble. So I checked the encoder and realized it wobbled almost as much as a penguin. Well not that much but I don't think it will last. So now I know why they give us the plastic flex coupler. So that's done for the moment, I have another one coming so I can check and see if I got a bad one or they are all wobbly. I just received my Acorn about an hour ago so hopefully I'll have the mill or the lathe switched over this weekend. I have to encoder mount for the lathe almost finished. Tomorrows another day. I'll upload pics of it when I finish that mount. The lathe is a YCL1236 if anyone has one and needs ideas.

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:13 pm
by martyscncgarage
Roadstercycle wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:27 pm So here's my encoder mount for my Charter Oaks mill. I have a air cylinder on top of the spindle shaft so I had to get creative with mounting but that's the fun, right? I used 2 skate board bearings since they are sealed, small durable and I use them in a lot of my plasma cutter builds. I mounted the 2 bearings in one piece of aluminum with about .100 between them with a spacer which makes them work really nice in single arm setups like this and there's not a lot of load on the shaft since the pulley is so close to the bearings. For the encoder I used one of the $25 Omron Ebay bomb shell specials. If you do get an Ebay encoder chuck it up in your drill or lathe and check out and see if the body wobbles. I did not do this and when I went to check it running I thought I screwed up drilling my coupler or something it wobbled so bad. So I made another and of course you already guessed, it was the same wobble. So I checked the encoder and realized it wobbled almost as much as a penguin. Well not that much but I don't think it will last. So now I know why they give us the plastic flex coupler. So that's done for the moment, I have another one coming so I can check and see if I got a bad one or they are all wobbly. I just received my Acorn about an hour ago so hopefully I'll have the mill or the lathe switched over this weekend. I have to encoder mount for the lathe almost finished. Tomorrows another day. I'll upload pics of it when I finish that mount. The lathe is a YCL1236 if anyone has one and needs ideas.
Looks good!
You can not rigidly couple most motors. They have to use a flexible coupler.
This little "Omron" encoder won't likely last just mounting a pulley or gear to it. Not designed for that type of load. May have a fighting chance with the small coupler (and not that plastic thing they sent with it! :) )

Keep us posted on your progress!
Marty

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:51 pm
by frijoli
martyscncgarage wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:13 pm Looks good!
You can not rigidly couple most motors. They have to use a flexible coupler.
This little "Omron" encoder won't likely last just mounting a pulley or gear to it. Not designed for that type of load. May have a fighting chance with the small coupler (and not that plastic thing they sent with it! :) )

Keep us posted on your progress!
Marty
I don't see any real load on the encoder in this design. My guess is that the bearing load is in the mount.
Clay

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:09 pm
by martyscncgarage
Yes, he has the pulley supported as an idler. I was only mentioning needing a flexible couple between the encoder and the idler shaft and not using the little plastic coupler they send with the encoder. 😀

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:24 pm
by frijoli
martyscncgarage wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:09 pm Yes, he has the pulley supported as an idler. I was only mentioning needing a flexible couple between the encoder and the idler shaft and not using the little plastic coupler they send with the encoder. 😀
Good point. Misunderstood your comment.

Clay

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:26 pm
by martyscncgarage
frijoli wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:24 pm
martyscncgarage wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:09 pm Yes, he has the pulley supported as an idler. I was only mentioning needing a flexible couple between the encoder and the idler shaft and not using the little plastic coupler they send with the encoder. 😀
Good point. Misunderstood your comment.

Clay
Ya sorry. It was a generalized statement. I am curious to see how long the import Omron encoders last.

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:32 am
by DICKEYBIRD
A short length of rubber tubing will work as a flexible coupling. :) Silicone tubing is even better. If it's a small encoder shaft, the local hobby shop will have silicone fuel tubing in various sizes.

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:45 am
by martyscncgarage
DICKEYBIRD wrote: Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:32 am A short length of rubber tubing will work as a flexible coupling. :) Silicone tubing is even better. If it's a small encoder shaft, the local hobby shop will have silicone fuel tubing in various sizes.
Why not use the correct flexible coupling? They are dirt cheap. Just search Amazon or Ebay for flexible shaft coupling. I guess it would work for RPM, but wouldn't trust it if I were rigid tapping....I'd kinda be ticked if my tap broke off in the part because of a slip in my rubber. :o

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:33 am
by Roadstercycle
Hi Guys, Thanks for all your comments for sure. I do like the silicone tubing idea. As far as the tube slipping a little touch of super glue on the shafts will fix that, it works very well. There's no load on encoders they turn very easy. I have very little room that's why the coupling was made that way. The coupler is a combo as it's also threaded internally to be the lock nut for the bearing shaft and a coupler for the encoder. Couldn't tap and use the plastic coupler as a nut, that's for sure. I did while writing this figure out a way to murder all the birds with one stone thanks to you guys and the silicone tubing. I"ll fix it by using a threaded rod, a thin jam nut, turning down the 5/16" shaft to .240 under the encoder and use 1/4" tubing to make the encoder coupling. I may have to cut the encoder shaft off a bit, maybe an 1/8". Anyway again thanks for the comments and help. Sometimes you need a little brain storming.

Re: Encoder mount Charter Oaks Desk Top Mill

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 7:19 pm
by Commotion
I was watching some video on YouTube of a guy building a cnc router and he used rubber hose and hose clamps to connect his steppers to the lead screws. Just wow.