Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Newbie here and I know it sounds irrational but I have just ordered a Precision Mathews PM-835S milling machine that I would like to slowly and gradually upgrade to CNC as budget allows and skills develop. However, I want to do it in small steps, starting by adding Linear Glass Scales and a touch screen display that provides all of the features of a dedicated multi-axis DRO. I understand that Acorn cannot accommodate multiple linear scales so I'm looking at Oak as the controller. But I haven't found any documentation about Oak that would suggest it can function as a dedicated DRO with all of the standard DRO features such as milling holes in a circle or square. Nor can I find any math functions that are standard on dedicated DROs. Can someone set me straight? Cheers.

The Oak can be configured to display the oitput of your linear scales on the DRO (provided they are 5V, differential quadrature output). I have used Acu-Rite SENC scales without issue, but you will need to make adapter cables or cut the ends off and rewire them.

As for DRO functions, the Centroid does not have anything like that. You will have to use a CAD program, or phone app like FSWizard, to calculate the needed coordinates until you motorize at least the X and Y axis.

DaveB wrote: ↑Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:50 am Newbie here and I know it sounds irrational but I have just ordered a Precision Mathews PM-835S milling machine that I would like to slowly and gradually upgrade to CNC as budget allows and skills develop.

Save a bundle of $$$'s and get yourself a DRO for now. You can always convert to CNC. That is not an easy conversion on the mechanical side if your skills, money and time are lacking. You need ballscrews for X and Y, something to drive the quill, mounts for the motors, etc. I can get those parts for a Bridgeport with a little hunting and patience, but I would not count on the PM accepting those parts. A lot of the overseas BP knockoffs are very similar, but not the same. You certainly might have to do some fabrication and deal with making sure you properly install those ballscrews with angular contact bearings that are loaded properly.

DRO's are pretty cheap these days...And using glass scales on this class of machine is overkill, plus you need to purchase the Ultimate software package to use the glass scales for position feedback.

There are still plenty of Bridgeport CNC machines out there that are in decent shape and just need a new controller and minor mechanical fixing. They can be had for under $1k.