Pragmatism in code

Waxing lyrical about life the universe and everything code related since lunchtime 2006



  • Open Hardware Licensing



    A dilemma… If you’ve been following my work you will probably know about the DIY Flow Bench project. This is an open source software / hardware device that measures volumetric air flow and is used in applications like automotive cylinder head development. I created the project back in 2018 after having had the idea for some time. Since then I have worked on it off and on, covid and family permitting, to get to the...


  • Fusion 360 Plasma Post Processor - Combining Files



    UPDATE: Tim added an additional field in his plugin that lets you specify exactly which G-codes are used as end marks. This allowed me to easily remove the M5 command without needing to edit the source code. In addition to this Tims is now detecting whether spaces are present in the generated output files. If spaces are found it retains them, but if they are not found it no longer adds them. This means that...


  • ESPduino + Protoneer CNC Shield



    If you’ve been following my recent posts on building a new improved Sienci MillOne you may recall that I wanted to experiment with using an ESP32 board rather than the Arduino UNO / Rasberry Pi setup that I already had set up.Well after some experimentation I now have the MillOne running under ESP32 control. Setting up the Protoneer CNC Shield was pretty straight forwards, in fact the only modification that needs to be undertaken is...


  • Installing FlatCAM on OSX Big Sur



    One thing that I wanted to be able to do on the Mill One was to make some prototype PCBs. Generally I use JLCPCB but there are occasions that I just need a quick and simple solution to make a PCB that did not involve waiting. Making a PCB by milling or isolation milling as it is commonly referred to is not without its challenges. PCBs need to be completely flat, tooling needs to be...


  • Sienci Mill One Upgrades



    Way back in 2016 when I was running the ill fated Fabribles website, one of the many products I came across was the Sienci Mill One. At that time Sienci were just beginning and their Mill One desktop CNC was their first offering. I was pretty impressed with its simplicity and form factor and very interested in the claims that It could machine aluminium. I had long planned to build a small factor CNC and...


  • Proma THC Setup



    This week I’ve finally got around to getting the plasma table back up and running. The table has lain dormant for some time now, despite buying both a new plasma cutter and compressor some time ago it has just been sitting there waiting to be fired up. One of the big changes to the plasma table, apart from the DDCSV controller, was the installation of a Proma THC unit, that’s it in the photo above...


  • Plasma Upgrade



    Lotos LTP550D Plasma Unit If you’ve read my post about the DDCSV Fusion 360 Plasma Post Processor you may recall that I’ve been resurrecting the plasma CNC table I built. In addition to replacing the controller I decided that all of the niggling issues that impacted reliability and accuracy also needed to be addressed. One aspect that was causing issues with the previous controller was the HF start on the old plasma unit. The HF...


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