A coil winding machine

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karlP

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Gentlemen:

I am getting ready to build a Coil Winding machine. I want to use LinuxCNC as the control software instead of discrete electronics to manage the steppers.

The software needs to run Stepper1 to turn the bobbin at a variable rate, and also run Stepper2 in concert to move the wire guide, changing the direction of movement of Stepper2 based on LeftSwitch and RightSwitch activations which signal reaching the sides of the Bobbin.

This is not typical operation of a mill or lathe and I am seeking help, ideas or suggestions how to program/configure LinuxCNC to run this machine. The program will need to count the rotations of Stepper1 and move Stepper2 an appropriate number of steps according to the wire size being spun onto the bobbin. I would want the program to have a table of wire diameters based on guage size that could be entered into the control page.

I have LinuxCNC running on an old Pentium with a 3 axis breakout board and all the steppers ready to go. I have been searching for information and am coming up with zilch other than statements that LinuxCNC can be made to do anything...

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Karl
 
I would use a simple normal motor with a gearbox and speed control, configure the software as if it was a lathe and use it like you were going to single point thread. A simple inverting circuit would change the "dir" input on the carriage/wire guide drive. All you need is a simple index pulse on the main motor to synchronize the system.
 
Hi Karl;

Have your tried searching for Coil winding machines (coil winding DIY) ? This one popped up pretty quick for me: http://www.theprojectasylum.com/electronicsprojects/automaticcoilwinder/automaticcoilwinder.html. I know there are others out there. You may need to try the ham radio forums to get some pointers to online articles.


Gentlemen:



I am getting ready to build a Coil Winding machine. I want to use LinuxCNC as the control software instead of discrete electronics to manage the steppers.
I really can't say if that is a good idea or not, this is not a usual solution for LinuxCNC. Im only slightly familiar with LinuxCNC having it setup on a virtual machine, however it seems like a complicated approach. The Stars have yet to align to support an actual CNC machine.

I might suggest a micro controller approach such as an Arduino. There is a CNC app for Arduino called GRBL (not my choice of naming) that might be more approachable if you need to customize it to any extent. This solution still requires a PC to trickle G-Code down to the Arduino. This isn't as bad as you may think because you will likely need a second app to calculate or generate the GCode based on the desired coil parameters.

Someone above suggested that this could be handled like threading, that is certainly possible and may allow for simplification of your G-code generation. You may also want to look into the open Electronic Leadscrew forums, it may be easier to start from this sort of solution to customize your machine code. This should also allow you do extensively customize the controllers code for your specific needs. Also note that Arduino and a host of other popular micro controller solutions have stepper control libraries to help with program development.
The software needs to run Stepper1 to turn the bobbin at a variable rate, and also run Stepper2 in concert to move the wire guide, changing the direction of movement of Stepper2 based on LeftSwitch and RightSwitch activations which signal reaching the sides of the Bobbin.
If you are going to the trouble of adding all of this electronic hardware why would you bother with left and right switches? The machine should be able to operate in the right area based on code you write for it.
This is not typical operation of a mill or lathe and I am seeking help, ideas or suggestions how to program/configure LinuxCNC to run this machine.
Well you have a few ideas already. Im not convinced that throwing LinuxCNC at this problem though makes sense.
The program will need to count the rotations of Stepper1 and move Stepper2 an appropriate number of steps according to the wire size being spun onto the bobbin. I would want the program to have a table of wire diameters based on guage size that could be entered into the control page.
The more you want to add feature wise, the more time that will go into the machine. You can get what you want by writing a G-Code generator. However it might be easier to do a dedicated controller.
I have LinuxCNC running on an old Pentium with a 3 axis breakout board and all the steppers ready to go. I have been searching for information and am coming up with zilch other than statements that LinuxCNC can be made to do anything...



Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.



Karl


I would expand your horizons by searching for more examples of DIY or homemade coil winders. A lot of stuff kicked up just a few moments ago. You might also want to check and see if Rod and reel builders have a similar need and maybe know of people that have successfully used CNC in this way. Here are a few more links:
1. http://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=52241.0
2. https://code.google.com/p/ardwinder-bumblebee-lab/

The above are just two examples using the search string: "Arduino coil Winder". A bunch showed up for "LinuxCNC coil winder". Too. Lots of stuff out there.
 

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