Computer Controlled, Servo Positioned, Router Table Fence

[RoyG]

Not really a CNC question - but the project would draw it's hardware from the CNC world.....

Does anyone know of a home-built equivalent to the Rockler "Ready 2 Rout". As the subject of this thread says, it's a computer controlled, servo positioned router fence. Here's a link to the item on the Rockler web site, and a second link to a Youtube video of someone demonstrating the device.

http://www.rockler.com/ready2rout-router-table-fence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16E43WO8SjY

Unfortunately, by the time you get one shipped out to Australia, the price is out of my budget. Hence, my reason for considering building one.

So, back to my question ......

Does anyone know of a home-built equivalent to the Rockler "Ready 2 Rout".

Looking forward to your feedback ?

Regards,

Roy

[FenceFurniture]

Roy, did you get a price on the freight from Rockler - if so how much and what weight?

I was going to say that the voltage would require a transformer, but very cleverly they have made it work off an adaptor so it can be made to work anywhere in the world.

[Master Splinter]

Computer and screen, secondhand, suitable for XP - say $120
Mach 3 software license - $160???
Stepper drive controller - $120
Stepper motor and power supply - $120
Linear rail x2 and bearings x4 - say $120
Acme screw and nut - say $80
Other hardware (screws, couplers etc - $50-150)

You could substitute skate bearings and vee rails, standard threaded rod etc and save maybe $50-100ish, then save by using one of the open source CNC drivers instead of Mach 3, you might already have an old repurposable computer so you don't need to buy one...but controller, motor and power supply are the critical ones.

[SawDustSniffer]

but then its still a stepper , not servo driven
( why it needs to be servo driven ????,its stepper driven on the video )
dual small size 17 steppers with a small stepper driver board ( 1.5amp max ) on an arduino would work , but then you would spend more time writing the software than 10000 manual fence adjustments would take

[RoyG]

but then its still a stepper , not servo driven
( why it needs to be servo driven ????,its stepper driven on the video )
dual small size 17 steppers with a small stepper driver board ( 1.5amp max ) on an arduino would work , but then you would spend more time writing the software than 10000 manual fence adjustments would take

My terminology error. It's about 30 years since I last worked in Electronics (ex-RAAF) and it seems that I've forgotten the difference between a servo and a stepper motor.

I stand corrected ... . It is indeed a stepper motor.

In reply to FenceFurniture's question about the weight and freight cost......

Rockler quote it's weight as 18.34 pounds, which they tell me excludes the weight of packaging. Rockler's web site quotes freight as; US$137.70 for US Postal Service Priority International Mail, or US$167.45 for US Postal Service Express International Parcel Service, or US$381.31 for US Postal Service Worldwide Expedited Parcel Service. The only difference between the three quotes is the delivery time into the freight terminal at Mascot - quicker the more you pay. But, the Australian part of the delivery service will be via StarTrack Express and is 7 to 10 days for all three freight options.

As far as power supply is concerned, the unit uses a plug pack. The one that Rockler supplies is a 120 Volt AC input with a 12 VDC 5 amp output. So I would need to source a suitable 240 Volt power supply with the necessary 12 VDC 5 amp output (should be an over the counter item at somewhere like Jaycar).

The price for the unit itself is US$599.99 - add on the cheapest freight option - equals a total cost of US$737.68, which this morning is approximately AUD$725.00. It's under AUD$1,000 so there should not be any GST or Customs Clearance Fee payable on arrival in Australia.

It's an interesting concept, but may be too much of a single purpose tool unless the new programs that they come up with offer much more functionality. In my case I initially would use it for production run routing of Box Joints, dados, etc. It should make production box work much faster. The half blind dovetail functionality doesn't interest me as I don't like the look of that style of routed half blind dovetail.

The documentation available does not explain what the RS232 socket on the back of the device is for. Some US forum posts speculate that the RS232 serial port is used to load software updates, whilst other posts speculate on rumours of the possibility of using the serial port communications to drive the unit directly from an external computer to gain additional functionality. I've also seen other photos that show a USB port instead of an RS232.

So - thanks for the input. I still haven't made up my mind whether to buy one. A home made unit that has the added functionality of a second Stepper Motor driving the Router's plunge mechanism to set the cutter height, sounds like the beginnings a much more useful unit functionality wise. Access to the software would also allow much more flexibility in what the unit could be programmed to do. More traditional CNC like functionality, rather than the Ready-2-Rout's closed-source, closed-system approach, where the user is limited to only those options that exist on the machine's menus.

Food for thought.

Regards,

Roy

[jhovel]

Roy,
have a talk to Frank (ftkalcevic) here orJohn Dammeyer at http://www.autoartisans.com/ about this project.
Both have experience designing stepper motor controllers for special stand-alone purposes and both have designed single and two axis contollers that could be adapted.

[epineh]

This is a project that is on my to do list...unfortunately that list is growing rather than shrinking, but I will get them all done...if I live to 300 yrs of age !

The simplest method I could come up with is a servo motor, the leadscrew (could be threaded rod, ballscrew rack and pinion just depends on needs) and of course the mechanicals required for the fence to move.

The reason I am thinking servo is actually for simplicity, believe it or not, but servo's are actually a hell of a lot simpler to build drivers for and use than steppers, also use half the power FET's for the power stage. Yes you need an encoder but if you search ebay long enough you will find a small servo, something along the lines of about a 200w Electrocraft that includes an encoder.

For the drive there is one called an Elm Chan servo drive, aimed at low cost servo's. I currently use them on my CNC router.

The original firmware has a simple G Code interpreter, for straight line moves anyway, so you can tell it (via serial connection) to move 100mm and it will do so. Of course there is configuration to do but it is about as basic as you are going to get, it has a trapezoidal accelleration profile that I believe (I don't use this mode) can be configured so motion is nice and smooth.

To control it you would need either a hyperterminal type connection to PC, I have heard that usb to serial convertors work fine, I currently use a serial port on my PC but they are a thing of the past, or you could find a microcontroller based serial circuit that you enter numbers onto a numerical keypad and hit enter then the machine moves accordingly...this is what I had in mind, so all there is is the servo board, the microcontroller board and the keypad.

That is my 2c feel free to ask any questions but for me this is all hypothetical, I cannot commit to building any hardware right now, time is against me (as it is for everybody these days):

Cheers.

Russell.

[epineh]

Peter Homman sells new servo's, this one :

http://www.homanndesigns.com/store/i...roducts_id=156

would probably do the job, so long as it is geared down sufficiently.

Add an encoder for good Measure :

http://www.homanndesigns.com/store/i...roducts_id=154

and you are in business, for not much than a hundred bucks.

Of course there is the electronics but my drives cost me about $20.00 bucks each, though I had a pretty neat PCB printer at the time

Russell.

[epineh]

Actually to be honest my idea was for a table saw fence...but everything else is exactly the same.

I have seen industrial sheetmetal guillotine's that do the same and I thought it would be nice to be able to do that on a table saw, or compound mitre saw for that matter.

[Chris Parks]

If you wanted one why would you go to the trouble of trying to build and program it for a sub $1000 unit landed in Oz. Some things are just not worth doing especially if it is going to earn money. You could get a months production out of it before the home built one was anywhere near ready and that is before all the bugs were worked out of it.

[broomy]

I reckon I have enough or most , parts for this project in my collection in my shed. New mounted rails good condition ball screws all 1 metre long but can be cut. Electronics driver kits new, old stepper motors [free] some might work. other odds and sods,may be of use.
I'm at Burpengary PM or email if you wish,done a bit of mucking around with these sort of contraptions so advice [good or bad] will be free. I reckon you could build one well under the figures you are looking at.Baz

[Chris Parks]

And it will have all the software capability such as box joints, blind DT's etc as the Rockler one has?

[broomy]

And it will have all the software capability such as box joints, blind DT's etc as the Rockler one has?

dunno mate,I wouldn't think you would get much technology for a less than 1K package ready to go,but maybe I wasted my,yours,and everyones time, sorry ,baz
to be quite honest I thought blind DT's came from homebrew

[Chris Parks]

Baz, I don't doubt it can be built as a project but I think the secret is in the programming and that is where a project would fall down. The ready to run version has all the programming built in and debugged (hopefully) with further capabilities being added in updates. I reckon what is being offered is a bargain and no one could touch it for the price. A remote touch screen would be nice but perhaps not as the thing has such limited capability a screen would be overkill. With router lift control tied in it will be an awesome product at double the price. Achieving a zero point with a change of bit is the only issue there.

[NCArcher]

Achieving a zero point with a change of bit is the only issue there.

They've got that sorted with the touch plate add on Chris.
I agree, a bargain at that price. Just the little touch screen by itself is going to set you back a few hundred.
I wouldn't mind one to play with.