Sharkfins A-10C pit (WIP)

[sharkfin61]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb crash test pilot:

I used this display for my cdu and plan to use another one for my arc-210:

 

https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-5in-ILI9486-Control-IC-TFT-LCD-Display-Module-320x480-for-Ar-Mega2560-16-Bit-R/133455625846?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Thank you for the input. As long as you are designing and milling/lasercutting your own ARC-210 panel (and not using the pre-fabricated one from pcflights.com, as I had to do) a 3.5" display will be a fine solution, as you can use it as a shield for the Arduino and every pin will fit into a correspondent right I/O socket on the board.

 

My first approach was this display:

3.2" SPI display   (fits perfectly, but runs on 3.3V and didn't work at all, no specific documentation included, also)

LCDwiki.com gave me a little bit of hints, but I still can't convince the d..n thing to run.

 

Next was a 3.5 display, formerly advertised as a 3.2" :

TFT module for Arduino Mega/Uno

 

The one I'm waiting now for is another shield-like:

3.2" shield for MEGA2560/ UNO

 

I hope this time it will be really a 3.2". On the other hand, as long as the ARC-210 isn't implemented in the simulation, there is no need to hurry.

Although a new fiscal year has already begun, I'm still struggling to explain my expenses for the last projects, products and tools. So, to not annoy the Secretary of Treasury, I have to lower my pace a bit...

Edited January 31, 2021 by sharkfin61

[sharkfin61]

Latest toy:

 

 

To be honest, I'm a little bit scared of the new learning curve for a CAD program. But having so much trouble to find a working screen for pre-fabricatred panels and the constant need to alter something to make another part fit pushed me to that decision. I plan to upgrade it with a 15 W Laser Module, soon. But maybe the CNC engraving of the acrylic is enough for nice panels. 

May the new madness begin.

[amido]

hi sharkfin61,
I have the same identical one .... if you need help just ask .... the only thing I haven't been able to do yet is mill the plexy to make the last layer of the panels, for now I'm satisfied of 4mm engraved wooden panels and I went over the writing with a very fine white pen.
I will follow your posts to see if you have better luck than me with the plexy ..
anyway it's a great car I'm having a lot of fun ...

Edited February 6, 2021 by amido

[No1sonuk]

I've had some experience milling acrylic with one of those.
The trick is to get a decent carbide single-flute cutter.

I also use something called a "bit fan" - it blows air down onto the cutter, cooling it and blowing away the chips of plastic that usually melt and gum up the cut.

https://support.bantamtools.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000723673-Installing-and-Using-a-Bit-Fan

If you want to see what a combination of methods can achieve, my P51 fuel panel is a combination of CNC router, the same router fitted with a laser, a 3D printer, a lathe and a mill.

And this is just the switch:

The whole thing was designed in Fusion360.
The Wood parts are CNC drilled and routed on my "3040".
The face plate was laser engraved first using a 2.5W laser fitted to the 3040.
The acrylic plate was machined by my 3040.
The PCB was isolation-engraved and cut out on the 3040.
The Detent pentagon and arm, the switch rotor and the main handle were 3D printed on an Ender 3 Pro.
The brass bushings were turned on a lathe.
The steel shaft has a square section milled at the top to fit the handle.

It could have been designed to not need the lathe and mill, but I have them anyway.

BTW, the lenses on the gauges are CNC cut from CD boxes using the 3040.

[sharkfin61]

Thank you, No1sonuk  for your encouraging words, that was exactly what I needed yesterday, before I went to sleep.

I was just about to throw al my plans and tools into the bin. After frying my controller board of the 3018 with a stronger spindle and breaking two bits while fiddeling around with setting on the mill, I was close to a nervous breakdown. Well, I guess I'd been playing around with fusion360, grbl, candle, ugs a.s.o. for too long that day and having such a fiasco gave me the rest.

Nevertheless, today is a new bright day; I'll start all over again and write it on a big piece of paper: "Rome wasn't built in a day", followed by "Haste makes waste".! 

Wanting too much too fast, isn't a good idea and I have to realize that I'm still in my baby shoes as a carpenter, locksmith, coder, painter, electrician and .....

 

When you mill acrylic, you mean cast acrylic, I suppose?

Nice addition is that bit fan. I'm still searching for a location to buy it on the old continent (last time I bought some Leo Bodnar boards or ordered something at pcflights.com, I almost fell off my chair when paying customs and import tax for the parts and shipping).

 

Well, life will go on and today I will try again to mill the baseplate for my electrics panel. Pics when it't done  

[No1sonuk]

NP.
Add a Mythbusters favourite: "Failure is always an option", and more importantly: "failure is a bruise not a tattoo." 

 

10 hours ago, sharkfin61 said:

Nice addition is that bit fan. I'm still searching for a location to buy it on the old continent (last time I bought some Leo Bodnar boards or ordered something at pcflights.com, I almost fell off my chair when paying customs and import tax for the parts and shipping).

I used the files on this link to make my own.  I didn't have a 3D printer at the time, so I used my 3040 to mill it.

[sharkfin61]

Am 14.3.2021 um 17:43 schrieb No1sonuk:

 

I used the files on this link to make my own.  I didn't have a 3D printer at the time, so I used my 3040 to mill it.

Well I'll have a look into that option. Do you have to turn it around after milling the first side?

Meanwhile, I think not so bad for the first attempt:

 

 

At the moment I am trying to figure out how I can engrave the letters into a black-coated acrylic board without clearing the insides of, let's say, an "A" or a "R" or an "O". 

Edited March 15, 2021 by sharkfin61

[amido]

hello, don't worry, unfortunately it is easy for us newbies to make mistakes and want to give up, but I assure you that when you do it it is an immense joy !!
I ask you the settings you used to mill the plexy.
forward speed?
depth of cut?
tip thickness?
as for the letters I suggest, if you use fusion, to make passes with the tip 0.2 mm of 0.1 mm and letter height not less than 4 mm.
the most difficult letters are: A - M - R
I made them like this and they turned out quite well. do some tests.
I'm close to you, don't give up !!

[sharkfin61]

vor 11 Minuten schrieb amido:

...
I ask you the settings you used to mill the plexy.
forward speed?
depth of cut?
tip thickness?...

As for the data while cutting the panels/ clearing the pockets:

8000 rpm

FwdSpeed was under 200 mm/min (78 inch/min)

Depth of each cut was 0,5 mm (1/5th inch)

tip thickness : 3,175 mm (1/8th inch) single flute upward endmill bit

Software was "Estlcam"

When I tried engraving the letters afterwards, I used different bits.

A 30° engraving bit that came with the saintsmart genmitsu 3018pro, a dremel V-nut with 8 flutes or so, and a blue-coated endmill 2mm.

I'll upload a picture of the outcome.

Edited March 16, 2021 by sharkfin61

[amido]

as you can see, I made the writing on black colored wood, but the work is the same also for the plexy, or rather more precise because it has no veins.
I used the tip supplied with the knife 3018, 0.1mm deep

ADF - 4 mm

1-2.. - 6 mm

A/P, IFF.. - 5mm

Edited March 16, 2021 by amido

[sharkfin61]

Well here are my efforts so far:

 

Yesterday, upper left is the knife you mentioned,

the white spot below was the 3,18mm (yes, I forgot to change the bit after cutting

the "backwards" letters where done with teh dremel bit (better as <i expected)

The white spot in the middle was the 2mm blue-coated endmill.

 

Some more

The circles were all engraved at 0,05mm depth, in different forward speeds (left slowest, right fastest, 1500 mm/min iirc)

The best result, from my point of view, is in the middle (scaled the letters to 150%)

Plexi was coated with 1 layer of paint, dryed overnight in my ice cold garage.

 

Nevertheless, I just ordered the 445nm lasermodule. Hoping for thursday to arrive.

Edited March 16, 2021 by sharkfin61

[No1sonuk]

On 3/15/2021 at 5:23 PM, sharkfin61 said:

Well I'll have a look into that option. Do you have to turn it around after milling the first side?

I didn't bother.  I just milled what would be the underside.  It works fine, and is probably a bit stronger for it.

[sharkfin61]

So, looks like I received my MTO (milling tasking order) for this afternoon

 

Thank you.

[sharkfin61]

The laser module arrived today.

Wow, what a difference to the engraving, although it's just a 5.5W diode laser.

I hope to burn the faceplate of the elec. panel tomorrow, keep you updated.

[amido]

hi shark,
have you tried to sand lightly? or before milling, cover the piece with paper tape so it shouldn't create too much slag.
well I too would like to buy the laser, let me know how it goes !!

[sharkfin61]

Am 30.3.2021 um 18:47 schrieb amido:

hi shark,
have you tried to sand lightly? or before milling, cover the piece with paper tape so it shouldn't create too much slag.
well I too would like to buy the laser, let me know how it goes !!

amido, for engraving, I can definitely recommend the laser module. I used bi-colored acrylic to act as a cover plate. Took some approaches to find the right settings for speed and power, but the outcome was worth the hassle.

Cut out the contour, pockets and holes with a Dremel by hand; I think in the next version, I will try to mill them with a tool change in-between.

(Sorry for the dust)

Edited April 6, 2021 by sharkfin61

[amido]

the engravings are perfect !! great job ... why didn't you try to puncture your pockets with the laser? i know many pc modders use it on plexy up to 6mm.

[sharkfin61]

Well I tested to burn it though with a piece of scrap acrylic. It just left some very ugly molden edges and a lot of soot. Also the black coating of the acrylic started to change  color. What I didn't do, was to lower the Z-axis after several passes to bring the laser focus point into the material. This might be a part of the problem.
 
Actually, I'm in the process of gathering information about the k40 lasers now. Maybe the budgeting Secretary of the Treasury will give it a go, later this month , still have to find a decent birthday present for her....
But I'll give it another try today. 
 
Meanwhile the first version of the electrical panel has been put together:
 


Next will be to disassemble it again and paint the middle layer and the battery protection piece black.
I

Edited April 5, 2021 by sharkfin61

[agrasyuk]

And that already looks serious - you are almost there. Consider gluing the front plate to the mid layer and painting together. 

 

You probably dicovered by now that lasers need ventilaton. Before buying whatever machine you decide on do take a look at situation with filtering fumes and build yourself a good extraction solution.  The tiny fan that comes with the unit is a joke, prepare to budget for a suitable blower

 

 

[sharkfin61]

vor 20 Stunden schrieb agrasyuk:

And that already looks serious - you are almost there. Consider gluing the front plate to the mid layer and painting together. 

 

You probably dicovered by now that lasers need ventilaton. Before buying whatever machine you decide on do take a look at situation with filtering fumes and build yourself a good extraction solution.  The tiny fan that comes with the unit is a joke, prepare to budget for a suitable blower

 

 

 

I already ordered a "ring-vent" to attach to my laserhead. Airflow will be generated by a 32 W aquarium pump (60l/min) and blown throug a 2.5 m hose. That should do the thing when it arrives tomorrow.

 

For fumes extraction, I use my noisy shop-vac to pull the gas out through the window. (Up to now, the neighbours didn't try to lynch me or where standing at the gate with pitchforks and torches)

 

I will try to install the powerbox for the 20k spindle today, along with a pwm poti and an on/off switch, as it seems, I fried the mosfet on the new control board once more. Rest is still up and running (laser and mill) I just cant controll the spindle rpm and on/off directly from the software. Small lapses, compared to other failures, that happened in worlds history now and then.

Time to go for milling the armament panel again.

 

Appologies to all people, getting attracted by new posts in this thread and expecting to see more progress in my 'pit.

 

I do my very best, time and money will allow.

ED's forum is such a great platform with so many helpers and motivators.

Edited April 7, 2021 by sharkfin61

[agrasyuk]

While the bigger quarium pumps are usable for air assist I absolutely hated the noise and the vibration. 

 

Shopvac for fume vent ? Oh boy... That is a one loud party. 

Vaccums provide good static pressure , but in this case you want high airflow. If you are in it for the long game you will need to look at air scrubbers sooner or later. DIY options do exist

[sharkfin61]

Am 7.4.2021 um 18:10 schrieb agrasyuk:

...

 

Shopvac for fume vent ? Oh boy... That is a one loud party. 

Vaccums provide good static pressure , but in this case you want high airflow. If you are in it for the long game you will need to look at air scrubbers sooner or later. DIY options do exist

Already on the way  

It will also fit the planned K40 laser or even as an air-purifier (combined with a HEPA filter) in my workshop.

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by sharkfin61

[sharkfin61]

Another day, another lesson learned.

I tried to laser-cut a part of the caution panel with my 5500mW laser.

- Failed-    (I wasn't convinced from the beginning of the operation, anyway)

The first 8 rectangles literally fell off the panel after the first session (1:45 h), but the rest sticked in. As you can see on the reverse side of the acrylic, the last cut lines are simply missing.

It looks like the absorbed heat was too big and the panel winded up, loosing the focus of the laser beam.

So fellows, don't try this at home, having the might light burning for almost 1,5 hours, ending this morning at half past midnight (at 80%, running with a pace of 75 mm/min, 4 passes with Z-1mm/pass) can't be good for the diode and the lens. Gave it another chance today with another 1:35h. 

 

So back to milling a new panel, rounded edges instead of clean laser cuts.

 

(:runs back into the cave to find a way to convince the secretary of treasure that an investment in a 40k laser is inevitable: ... )

 

Here's the milled one:

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by sharkfin61

[sharkfin61]

New gadget, working on my first knobs.

[sharkfin61]

My first self-designed toggle cap for the AHCP:

 

Data:

height 28mm

outer diameter top: 12mm

outer diameter bottom: 8.5 mm

inner diameter: 5.6 mm

drill hole height: 13 mm

filament: PLA (210°C noz/60°C bed)

filling: 60%

layer height: 0.20 mm

 

Button Eaton v2.stl

Edited May 25, 2021 by sharkfin61
data