Does anyone have any experience with the CNC machines from mydiycnc.com? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ivaylo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2014, 09:16:41 pm
content: Saw them on Maker Faire last year. Didn't have anything but plans, parts and partial kits then, but now I see two turnkey systems:http://mydiycnc.com/content/new-sprite-desktop-cnc-machine-turnkey-systemhttp://mydiycnc.com/content/new-bigfoot-desktop-cnc-machine-turnkey-systemAnyone tried them?

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2014, 12:49:24 pm
content: seems a rather crappy and unstable machine, i'm sure china can offer a lot more for the same price.

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2014, 10:04:01 pm
content: Quote from: ivaylo on March 10, 2014, 09:16:41 pmNo experience with that machine, but what do you intend to do with it?It uses leadscrews and a rotozip/dremel for the spindle. Honestly, unless you are just using it as a toy - the results will be shit. I have "real" CNC machines, and I have also built a few machines before (using a rotozip). The results are not comparable. The rotozip machine was maybe OK for prototyping or cutting plastic panels for switches and such, but it was really just a toy.Anything that will be expected to do any real work needs ball screws and a real cartridge milling spindle at a minimum...and I'd personally say probably servos as well, although I know a few people who do acceptable work with stepper machines.CNC mills are sort of like cars... if you can't afford a new one, better to buy a quality used one than to try to get a new car for $1k (which will end up being a Chinese moped).

author: ivaylo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 07:09:25 am
content: QuoteI was thinking strictly PCB fabrication. You think it would do that reliably? SMD and all?

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 11:12:20 am
content: http://www.damencnc.com/en/tools/kress/kress-milling-motor/42A spindle motor is a viable option too. Kress makes quality tools and this is no exception. It certainly has enough power to cut aluminum and other soft metals using 1/8 endmills. Downsides are that you cannot implement RPM control from CNC software, it only goes as low as 10krpm (i think one model can do down to 5k), it also used brushed air-cooled motor which means it LOUD. Good thing is a standard 43mm mounting point.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2014, 02:24:54 pm
content: Quote from: ivaylo on March 13, 2014, 07:09:25 amno it will never be able to

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2014, 04:14:01 pm
content: Quote from: ivaylo on March 13, 2014, 07:09:25 amI think it would probably do it with constant fiddling and messing around... but I would personally not call that "reliably". Even if the hardware itself is reliable, the machine is just too flimsy to do any real serious work with. It uses off the shelf crappy bearings and ACME threaded rods. It uses a no-name Dremel-like tool as a spindle with thin aluminum clamps against a *plastic* housing. It uses flimsy box aluminum for the base and thin aluminum sheet for the bed. The machine is crap. A toy, IMO.I've built a few CNC machines over the years, and I now have a few professional name brand full size CNC machines in my shop. Of course, the big machines weigh tens of thousands of pounds and use 3-phase power, but they will give me tens of thousands of hours of reliable service and hold tolerances over that time of less than 1/1000th' of an inch, and can change tools, use coolant, have variable spindle speeds, take heavy cuts, etc.There is such a massive difference between a "real" CNC machine and these little toys sold on the Internet - I don't think most folks realize the vast difference in usability or performance when they buy a little "CNC machine" like that.From my experience, not having a tool changer is a big pain in the ass. It makes swapping tools a chore, which means you end up using smaller bits when you would ideally use larger. You also have issues getting tool lengths correct which further reduces your results. Add in a machine with a lot of inherent flex and using a dremel tool as a spindle... well, I think you might be able to get usable results if you spend a lot of time dickering with the machine and tweaking it every time to get it to produce something half decent, but I don't think you will ever be cutting boards usable for fine pitch parts.My advice is always to buy a reliable and proven machine when you need real results. If it's just a toy, better to build yourself, IMO. All the parts are available off the shelf, and for $800 you could buy real aluminum CNC-intended extrusions and a real small milling cartridge, then use off-the-shelf controllers and servos and have a machine that could actually produce something.My .02.

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2014, 04:16:43 pm
content: One other thing...The "mydiycnc" guy has no phone number on his website, no email, no physical address. Just a "contact me" form and a forum filled with people generally having issues with his machines and his customer service. Nothing worse than a shoddy product and no support to back it up, all coming from an anonymous company who might disappear at a whim. Contrast it to real CNC machines where there is a support network and forums to help DIY'ers maintain them.I'd buy a used LPKF (sp?) machine if I wanted to do PCB's for anything beyond just tinkering. And I'd probably save up for an LPKF for tinkering also.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2014, 04:21:52 pm
content: You guys may want to seehttps://www.buildyourcnc.com/I only mention him because he's the guy behindhttp://newbiehack.com/and he has a youtube channel with Arduino tutorials and various CNC videos (building cnc from zero, assembly of some designs etc).Here's the channel :https://www.youtube.com/user/anajonesr/playlists- see the bottom row.

author: riccnc
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 21, 2014, 03:31:26 am
content: Quote from: Corporate666 on March 14, 2014, 04:16:43 pmWow Corporate666. All I can say is "Wow". I have a MyDIYCNC machine and use it all the time to mill my boards I design in Eagle, using the pcb-gcode plug-in. It works great. It is precise and reliable and the repeatability is awesome. I can mill multiple boards, do both sides, and drill all through holes with precision and without the issues you describe. For someone who doesn't have one, nor has seen or used one, I find your negative commentary so disappointing.Furthermore, they have great customer service (byphoneas well as e-mail) and helped me get through the setup and first boards. They were patient and helpful despite my noob questions as I got up to speed. They say they use their own machine for their own board prototyping and from the depth of knowledge I experienced with their tech support I believe them. At least in myexperiencethey stood by their product and I'm a happy customer.