Tag: Sherline

Sherline CNC mill

Mini-Lathe Cut-Off Tool Holder: Improved Clamp Screw

Apparently all mini-lathe cut –off tool holders suffer from the same problem:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – OEM swaged screw

The clamp tightening screw is made from butter-soft Chinese steel with a swaged hex socket. As you’d expect, the hex wrench eventually (as in, after a few dozen adjustments, tops) rips the guts right out of the socket.

The screw has a M6×1.0 mm threads, but the thread around the hex recess is left-handed. While I could, in principle, print a 127 tooth change gear, rebuild the lathe’s banjo to accommodate it, then single-point a backassward M6 thread, it’s easier to just use a standard socket head cap screw:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – rebuilt screw

The clamp screw passes through the block at an angle:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – blade view

Fortunately, the screw is perpendicular to the angled side over on the left, making it easy to clamp in the Sherline’s vise:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – aligning to screw

Using the laser aligner seemed like a good idea at the time, but the top of the screw wasn’t particularly well-centered on the hole’s axis. I couldn’t screw the left-hand part (with the socket) in from the bottom and center the block near its surface, because then I couldn’t extract the screw before proceeding.

I used a diamond burr to grind out a flat for the screw head:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – clearing screw recess

The flat came from about twenty manual G2 I-2.5 full-circle passes, stepping down through the hard steel block 0.1 mm per pass, at a too-slow 4000 RPM and a too-fast 30 mm/min feed, with plenty of water squirted from one side into a shop vac snout on the other. The doodle in the background of the first picture shows a first pass at the layout, with the burr centered at X=-2.5; I actually did the grinding from X=+2.5 so most of the passes started in thin air.

The screw head started just shy of 10 mm OD and the burr just over 5.2 mm, so the ensuing 5 mm circles created a flat barely large enough. If the flat were perfectly centered on the screw axis, I wouldn’t have had to grind out another millimeter on the left side (toward the bottom of the tool holder body), but it worked out OK:

Lathe Cutoff Tool – 6 mm SHCS test fit

The trial fitting also showed the head stuck out ever so slightly beyond the far side of the block, where it would interfere with the blade, so I turned off 0.4 mm off its OD.

If I had a 50 mm SHCS in hand, I’d have used it. Instead, I extended the threads of a 75 mm screw, then lopped off the end to the proper length. I’ll spare you the ordeal, including the moment when I reached for the cutoff tool to shorten the screw. A bag of such screws will arrive shortly, in preparation for future need.

Now the [deleted] cut-off holder works the way it should have from the beginning.

2019-07-22
Drag Knife Blade Ejector Handle

The LM12UU drag knife holder buries the blade ejector pin deep inside the machinery:

Drag Knife – LM12UU ground shaft – assembled

So a handle with a pin makes sense:

LM12UU Drag Knife Ejector Pin Pusher

It’s a variant Sherline tommy bar handle, so there’s not much to say about it.

The dark butt end comes from the traces of the black filament I used for the previous part. Even after flushing half a meter of orange through the hot end, you’ll still see some contamination, even with the same type of plastic. Doesn’t make much difference here, though.

2019-07-16
Sony NP-FM50 Battery Disassembly

Having won an eBay action for a known-dead Sony DSC-F717 at $0.99 (plus $15 shipping, the seller being no fool), I now have a possibly salvageable camera, a Genuine Sony AC supply, and two more NP-FM50 batteries for about the price of any one of the components.

One battery arrived stone-cold dead, suggesting the camera had been put away with the battery installed for a very long time and they died companionably. The camera still charges a (good) battery, even though it doesn’t turn on, and perusing the schematics suggests checking the power switch, because it’s always the switch contacts. That’s for another day, though.

For the record, the battery status:

NP-FM50 – 2019-03-30

The red and green traces come from the two batteries I’ve been cycling through the camera since, um, 2003, so they’re getting on in years and correspondingly low in capacity.

The fourth battery (2019 D, the date showing when it arrived, not its manufacturing date) went from “fully charged” to “dead” in about three seconds with a 500 mA load, producing the nearly invisible purple trace dropping straight down along the Y axis.

Sawing the dead battery case around its welded joint at a depth of 0.75 mm, then prying with a small chisel, exposed the contents without histrionics:

Sony NP-FM50 battery – cell label

Now, there’s a name to conjure with. Turns out Sony sold off its Fukushima battery business a while back, so these must be collectibles. Who knew?

The lower cell is lifeless, the upper cell may still have some capacity. Three pairs of 18500 lithium cells are on their way, in the expectation of rebuilding the weakest packs.

After desoldering the battery tab on the right from the PCB, it occurred to me I needed pictures:

Sony NP-FM50 battery – PCB exposed

Yeah, that’s a nasty melted spot on the case, due to inept solder-wickage.

Unsoldering the three tabs closest to the case releases the cells + PCB from confinement:

Sony NP-FM50 battery – PCB overview

I’m still bemused by battery packs with a microcontroller, even though all lithium packs require serious charge controllers. At least this is an Atmel 8-bitter, rather than 32-bit ARM hotness with, yo, WiFi.

The cells have shaped tabs which will require some gimmicking to reproduce:

Sony NP-FM50 battery – cell tabs

Now, if only I could reboot the camera …

2019-04-08
Multimeter Probe Cable: FAIL

A reasonably good silicone-wire multimeter probe set arrived last spring and has worked well enough (I thought, anyhow) for the usual voltage measurements, but recently failed while measuring a small current. We all know how this will turn out, but the details may be of some interest.

Measuring the resistance from tip to plug located the fault to the black probe, after which I poked a pin through the insulation near the plug:

Multimeter probe – diagnosis

The two leads near the bottom go to my shiny Siglent bench multimeter. Despite their similarity to the failed probes, I’m pretty sure Siglent has better QC (well, mostly).

The probe’s resistance was near zero from the tip (offscreen to the left) to the pin and megohms from pin to plug (on the right). Figuring the wire worked loose, I pulled it away from the plug:

Multimeter probe – disassembly 1

Huh.

Although I wouldn’t have trusted those probes anywhere near their alleged 1 kV rating, seeing that exposed copper-like substance was disconcerting.

Hacking off the strain relief bushing around the wire got closer to the fault:

Multimeter probe – disassembly 2

And, finally, the problem becomes obvious:

Multimeter probe – disassembly 3

Yet Another Cold Solder Joint:

Multimeter probe – cold solder joint

Pulling a black banana plug from the heap, I decided to drill a proper hole to anchor the wire:

Multimeter probe – drilling plug

Which looked like this afterward:

Multimeter probe – soldered plug

And produced a strongly mismatched pair:

Multimeter probe – repaired

Ain’t it amazing how much fun you can have for a few bucks, all delivered by eBay? [sigh]

2019-01-04
Astable Multivibrator: RGB LED Strut Fixture

One cannot (or, perhaps, should not attempt to) solder parts to 14 AWG wires seated in a 3D printed battery holder base, so I cleaned up the edges of two polycarbonate scraps:

RGB LED Strut Fixture – flycutting setup

Then drilled holes to match the strut positions:

RGB LED Strut Fixture – drilling

The holes fit snippets of the original wire insulation, because, after all, polycarbonate is a thermoplastic, too.

Stretch some copper wire to straighten and work-harden it, add insulation snippets, then maneuver everything in place:

RGB LED Strut Fixture – assembled

I definitely need a third (and maybe a fourth) hand to hold each part, the solder, and the iron, but at least the wires won’t walk away in the middle of the process.

2018-12-27
Toy Cast Iron Stove Lid Lifter

This seemed appropriate for a day involving toys of all descriptions…

A cast iron stove (most likely a mid-last-century reproduction rather than a Genuine Antique™) emerged from a living room recess:

Toy stove with repaired lid lifter

The line across the lid lifter handle shows where it broke, long ago, likely while being played with. Back then, I’d done a static-display-grade fix with a dab of clear epoxy, but a better repair seemed called for; my repair-fu has grown stronger.

I expected the handle to be pot metal, so drilling a hole in both ends for a music-wire stiffener seemed reasonable:

Toy lid lifter – laser alignment

Much to my surprise, the carbide bit skittered off the surface, leaving fine swarf standing on the end. Turns out the lid lifter is cast iron, just like the rest of the stove!

Given that much of a clue, I aligned the pieces in a pair of machinist’s vises:

Toy lid lifter – alignment

Slide apart (the vises stand on a smooth glass sheet; the nubbly side is down), dab silver solder flux on the ends, capture a snippet of 40% silver solder in the gap:

Toy lid lifter – silver solder setup

Hit it ever so gently with a propane torch and slide together:

Toy lid lifter – silver soldered

The solder flows at 1200 °F = 650 °C, roughly corresponding to the blue-gray color near the joint. The nice purple (540 °C) on the left shows where I held the flame to start, with yellows (400 °C) on both sides. Good enough, sez I, it’s going to be a static-display exhibit.

Most of the solder went to the back side, so I filed it smooth and buffed off most of the heat coloration with a stainless-steel wire wheel in the Dremel:

Toy lid lifter – bottom

A little more wire-brush action left the front side looking good:

Toy lid lifter – top

As with most of the repairs around here, it simply makes me feel better …

Now, go play with your toys!

2018-12-25

Astable Multivibrator: NP-BX1 Base

Adapting the NP-BX1 battery holder to use SMT pogo pins worked well:

NP-BX1 Holder - SMT pogo pins — NP-BX1 Holder – SMT pogo pins

The next step is to add sockets for those 14 AWG wires:

NP-BX1 Battery Holder - Wire Posts - solid model — NP-BX1 Battery Holder – Wire Posts – solid model

Start by reaming / hand-drilling all the holes to their nominal size and cleaning out the pogo pin pocket.

Solder wires to the pogo pins and thread them through the holder and lid:

Astable - NP-BX1 holder - pogo pin soldering — Astable – NP-BX1 holder – pogo pin soldering

That’s nice, floppy silicone-insulated 24 AWG wire, which may be a bit too thick for this purpose.

The pogo pins will, ideally, seat with the end of the body flush at the holder wall. Make it so:

Astable - NP-BX1 holder - pogo pin protrusion — Astable – NP-BX1 holder – pogo pin protrusion

Dress the wires neatly into their pocket:

Astable - NP-BX1 holder - pogo pin wiring — Astable – NP-BX1 holder – pogo pin wiring

Butter the bottom of the lid with epoxy, clamp in place, set it up for curing, then fill the recess:

Astable - NP-BX1 base - curing — Astable – NP-BX1 base – curing

While it’s curing, make a soldering fixture for the 14 AWG wires:

Astable - drilling strut soldering fixture — Astable – drilling strut soldering fixture

The holes are on 5 mm centers, in the expectation other battery holders will need different spacing.

Solder it up and stick the wires into the base:

Astable - NP-BX1 base - detail — Astable – NP-BX1 base – detail

Jam a battery in and It Just Works™:

Astable - NP-BX1 3.8V - 20ma-div - cap V — Astable – NP-BX1 3.8V – 20ma-div – cap V

The traces:

Green = supply current at 20 mA/div
Yellow = LED driver transistor base voltage
Purple = other transistor collector voltage
White = base – collector voltage = capacitor voltage

The measurement setup was a bit of a hairball:

Astable - NP-BX1 base - current probe — Astable – NP-BX1 base – current probe

For completeness, here’s the schematic-and-layout diagram behind the circuitry:

Astable - NP-BX1 base - schematic — Astable – NP-BX1 base – schematic

I love it when a plan comes together!

The OpenSCAD source code as a GitHub Gist:

	// Holder for Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion battery
	// Ed Nisley KE4ZNU January 2013
	// 2018-11-15 Adapted for wire leads from 1.5 mm test pins, added upright wire bases

	// Layout options

	Layout = "Fit"; // Show Build Fit Case Lid Pins

	//- Extrusion parameters – must match reality!
	// Print with +2 shells and 3 solid layers

	ThreadThick = 0.25;
	ThreadWidth = 0.35;

	HoleWindage = 0.2;

	function IntegerMultiple(Size,Unit) = Unit * ceil(Size / Unit);

	Protrusion = 0.1; // make holes end cleanly

	inch = 25.4;

	BuildOffset = 3.0; // clearance for build layout

	Gap = 2.0; // separation for Fit parts

	//- Basic dimensions

	WallThick = 4*ThreadWidth; // holder sidewalls

	BaseThick = 6*ThreadThick; // bottom of holder to bottom of battery
	TopThick = 6*ThreadThick; // top of battery to top of holder


	//- Battery dimensions – rationalized from several samples
	// Coordinate origin at battery contact face with key openings below contacts

	Battery = [43.0,30.0,9.5]; // X = length, Y = width, Z = thickness

	Contacts = [[-0.75,6.0,6.2],[-0.75,16.0,6.2]]; // relative to battery edge, front, and bottom
	ContactOC = Contacts[1].y – Contacts[0].y;
	ContactCenter = Contacts[0].y + ContactOC/2;

	KeyBlocks = [[1.75,3.70,2.90],[1.75,3.60,2.90]]; // recesses in battery face set X position

	//- Pin dimensions

	ID = 0;
	OD = 1;
	LENGTH = 2;

	PinShank = [1.5,2.0,6.5]; // shank, flange, compressed length
	PinFlange = [1.5,2.0,0.5]; // flange, length included in PinShank
	PinTip = [0.9,0.9,2.5]; // extended spring-loaded tip

	PinChannel = PinFlange[LENGTH] + 0.5; // cut behind flange for solder overflow
	PinRecess = 3.0; // recess behind pin flange end for epoxy fill

	echo(str("Contact tip dia: ",PinTip[OD]));
	echo(str(" .. shank dia: ",PinShank[ID]));

	OverTravel = 0.5; // space beyond battery face at X origin

	//- Holder dimensions

	GuideRadius = ThreadWidth; // friction fit ridges
	GuideOffset = 7; // from compartment corners

	ThumbRadius = 10.0; // thumb opening at end of battery

	CornerRadius = 3*ThreadThick; // nice corner rounding

	CaseSize = [Battery.x + PinShank[LENGTH] + OverTravel + PinRecess + GuideRadius + WallThick,
	Battery.y + 2WallThick + 2GuideRadius,
	Battery.z + BaseThick + TopThick];

	CaseOffset = [-(PinShank[LENGTH] + OverTravel + PinRecess),-(WallThick + GuideRadius),0]; // position around battery

	LidOverhang = 2.0; // over top of battery for retention

	LidSize = [-CaseOffset.x + LidOverhang,CaseSize.y,TopThick];

	LidOffset = [0.0,CaseOffset.y,0];

	//- Wire struts

	StrutDia = 1.6; // AWG 14 = 1.6 mm
	StrutOC = 45;
	StrutSides = 3*4;

	StrutBase = [StrutDia,StrutDia + 4*WallThick,CaseSize.z – TopThick]; // ID = wire, OD=buildable

	//———————-
	// Useful routines

	module PolyCyl(Dia,Height,ForceSides=0) { // based on nophead's polyholes

	Sides = (ForceSides != 0) ? ForceSides : (ceil(Dia) + 2);

	FixDia = Dia / cos(180/Sides);

	cylinder(r=(FixDia + HoleWindage)/2,h=Height,$fn=Sides);
	}

	//——————-
	//– Guides for tighter friction fit

	module Guides() {
	translate([GuideOffset,-GuideRadius,0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);
	translate([GuideOffset,(Battery.y + GuideRadius),0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);
	translate([(Battery.x – GuideOffset),-GuideRadius,0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);
	translate([(Battery.x – GuideOffset),(Battery.y + GuideRadius),0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);
	translate([(Battery.x + GuideRadius),GuideOffset/2,0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);
	translate([(Battery.x + GuideRadius),(Battery.y – GuideOffset/2),0])
	PolyCyl(2*GuideRadius,(Battery.z – Protrusion),4);

	}

	//– Contact pins
	// Rotated to put them in their natural oriention
	// Aligned to put tip base / end of shank at Overtravel limit

	module PinShape() {

	translate([-(PinShank[LENGTH] + OverTravel),0,0])
	rotate([0,90,0])
	rotate(180/6)
	union() {
	PolyCyl(PinTip[OD],PinShank[LENGTH] + PinTip[LENGTH],6);
	PolyCyl(PinShank[ID],PinShank[LENGTH] + Protrusion,6); // slight extension for clean cuts
	PolyCyl(PinFlange[OD],PinFlange[LENGTH],6);
	}
	}

	// Position pins to put end of shank at battery face
	// Does not include recess access into case

	module PinAssembly() {

	union() {
	for (p = Contacts)
	translate([0,p.y,p.z])
	PinShape();

	translate([-(PinShank[LENGTH] + OverTravel) + PinChannel/2, // solder space
	ContactCenter,
	Contacts[0].z])
	cube([PinChannel,(Contacts[1].y – Contacts[0].y),PinFlange[OD]],center=true);

	for (j=[-1,1]) // wire channels
	translate([-(PinShank[LENGTH] + OverTravel – PinChannel/2),
	j*ContactOC/4 + ContactCenter,
	Contacts[0].z – PinFlange[OD]/2])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(PinFlange[OD],CaseSize.z,6);
	}
	}

	//– Case with origin at battery corner

	module Case() {

	difference() {

	union() {

	difference() {
	union() {
	translate([(CaseSize.x/2 + CaseOffset.x), // basic case shape
	(CaseSize.y/2 + CaseOffset.y),
	(CaseSize.z/2 – BaseThick)])
	hull()
	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1], k=[-1,1])
	translate([i*(CaseSize.x/2 – CornerRadius),
	j*(CaseSize.y/2 – CornerRadius),
	k*(CaseSize.z/2 – CornerRadius)])
	sphere(r=CornerRadius/cos(180/8),$fn=8); // cos() fixes undersize spheres!

	hull() // wire strut bases
	for (j=[-1,1])
	translate([0,j*StrutOC/2 + Battery.y/2,-BaseThick])
	rotate(180/StrutSides)
	cylinder(d=StrutBase[OD],h=StrutBase[LENGTH],$fn=StrutSides);

	translate([0,Battery.y/2,StrutBase[LENGTH]/2 – BaseThick])
	cube([2*StrutBase[OD],StrutOC,StrutBase[LENGTH]],center=true);
	}

	translate([-OverTravel,-GuideRadius,0])
	cube([(Battery.x + GuideRadius + OverTravel),
	(Battery.y + 2*GuideRadius),
	(Battery.z + Protrusion)]); // battery space
	}

	Guides(); // improve friction fit

	translate([-OverTravel,-GuideRadius,0]) // battery keying blocks
	cube(KeyBlocks[0] + [OverTravel,GuideRadius,0],center=false);
	translate([-OverTravel,(Battery.y – KeyBlocks[1].y),0])
	cube(KeyBlocks[1] + [OverTravel,GuideRadius,0],center=false);

	}

	translate([2*CaseOffset.x, // battery top access
	(CaseOffset.y – Protrusion),
	Battery.z])
	cube([2CaseSize.x,(CaseSize.y + 2Protrusion),(TopThick + Protrusion)]);

	if (false)
	translate([(CaseOffset.x – Protrusion), // battery insertion allowance
	(CaseOffset.y – Protrusion),
	Battery.z])
	cube([(CaseSize.x + 2Protrusion),(CaseSize.y + 2Protrusion),(TopThick + Protrusion)]);

	for (j=[-1,1]) // strut wires
	translate([0,j*StrutOC/2 + Battery.y/2,-(BaseThick + Protrusion)])
	PolyCyl(StrutBase[ID],StrutBase[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion,6);

	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1])
	translate([iStrutBase[OD],jStrutOC/2 + Battery.y/2,-(BaseThick + Protrusion)])
	rotate(180/StrutSides)
	PolyCyl(StrutBase[OD],StrutBase[LENGTH] + 2*Protrusion,StrutSides);

	translate([(Battery.x – Protrusion), // remove thumb notch
	(CaseSize.y/2 + CaseOffset.y),
	(ThumbRadius)])
	rotate([90,0,0])
	rotate([0,90,0])
	cylinder(r=ThumbRadius,
	h=(WallThick + GuideRadius + 2*Protrusion),
	$fn=22);

	PinAssembly();

	translate([CaseOffset.x + PinRecess + Protrusion,(Contacts[1].y + Contacts[0].y)/2,Contacts[0].z])
	translate([-PinRecess,0,0])
	cube([2*PinRecess,
	(Contacts[1].y – Contacts[0].y + PinFlange[OD]),
	2*PinFlange[OD]],center=true);

	}

	}

	// Lid position offset to match case

	module Lid() {

	difference() {
	translate([-LidSize.x/2 + LidOffset.x + LidOverhang,LidSize.y/2 + LidOffset.y,0])
	difference() {
	hull()
	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1], k=[-1,1])
	translate([i*(LidSize.x/2 – CornerRadius),
	j*(LidSize.y/2 – CornerRadius),
	k*(LidSize.z – CornerRadius)]) // double thickness for flat bottom
	sphere(r=CornerRadius,$fn=8);

	translate([0,0,-LidSize.z/2]) // remove bottom
	cube([(LidSize.x + 2Protrusion),(LidSize.y + 2Protrusion),LidSize.z],center=true);

	translate([LidSize.x/8,0,0])
	cube([LidSize.x/4,0.75LidSize.y,4ThreadThick],center=true); // epoxy recess
	}

	translate([0,0,-(Contacts[0].z + PinFlange[OD])]) // punch wire holes
	PinAssembly();
	}

	}


	//——————-
	// Build it!

	if (Layout == "Case")
	Case();

	if (Layout == "Lid")
	Lid();

	if (Layout == "Pins") {
	color("Silver",0.5)
	PinShape();
	PinAssembly();
	}

	if (Layout == "Show") { // reveal pin assembly
	difference() {
	Case();

	translate([(CaseOffset.x – Protrusion),
	Contacts[1].y,
	Contacts[1].z])
	cube([(-CaseOffset.x + Protrusion),
	CaseSize.y,
	(CaseSize.z – Contacts[0].z + Protrusion)]);

	translate([(CaseOffset.x – Protrusion),
	(CaseOffset.y – Protrusion),
	0])
	cube([(-CaseOffset.x + Protrusion),
	Contacts[0].y + Protrusion – CaseOffset.y,
	CaseSize.z]);
	}

	translate([0,0,Battery.z + Gap])
	Lid();

	color("Silver",0.15)
	PinAssembly();

	}

	if (Layout == "Build") {
	translate([-(CaseSize.x/2 + CaseOffset.x),-(CaseOffset.y – BuildOffset),BaseThick])
	Case();
	translate([CaseSize.x/2,-LidSize.x/2,0])
	rotate(90)
	Lid();
	}

	if (Layout == "Fit") {
	Case();
	translate([0,0,(Battery.z + Gap)])
	Lid();
	color("Silver",0.25)
	PinAssembly();
	}

view raw NP-BX1 Battery Holder – Wire Posts.scad hosted with ❤ by GitHub

2018-12-12

Tag: Sherline

Mini-Lathe Cut-Off Tool Holder: Improved Clamp Screw

Drag Knife Blade Ejector Handle

Sony NP-FM50 Battery Disassembly

Multimeter Probe Cable: FAIL

Astable Multivibrator: RGB LED Strut Fixture

Toy Cast Iron Stove Lid Lifter

Astable Multivibrator: NP-BX1 Base