I went down the same route about 2 years ago now. It was on a self designed cnc, but without ATC. AXBB-E with breakouts are so extendable, and UCCNC is great. I wish I had better coding skills to expand functionality. But what exists on the forums and trial+error modifications got me where I needed. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but totally worth it. One future upgrade I might still recommend for you is some closed loop steppers. Price is not much more than standard motors and drives, but having position fault detection is a nice piece of mind when cutting aluminum. Great video and details as always. I would love a video on some of your mcode and postprocess mods. Maybe I could learn some tricks :)
You've basically built the CNC machine I'm after. I just don't have the skills to do what you have done. Great job and I'm sure it was very satisfying.
Use the Masso controller. It requires no macro writing, has closed loop steppers and can add pretty much unlimited rooom for upgrades, incredible support and a very active community of people to help you with anything you get hung up on.
Great video! That seems like an incredibly intimidating amount of work, but I'm glad that you ended up with something that is significantly more usable for your use case. Very motivating for me to tackle a tough project!
Yes it was quite a leap of faith the only unexpected thing with the hdm hardware was that they use normally closed inductive proximity sensors for the limit switches which isn’t common for most setups. Good luck
Incredible amount of work and a huge leap forward for me in my understanding of this machine and frankly CNC capacity/capability in general. Thank you! I say start a CNC company at this point!
When I got my desktop Prolight 2000 I was lucky to have initially sided with UCCNC controller and never looked back. With that I was able to retrofit 100% of the original machines capability with ATC and probing and even added 4th axis, a custom pendant and M8 mist airblast. I am controlling 8 relays and 4 axis. I think you could use the tool rack advancement and eliminate the need for Y travel when changing tools. This could save even more room on the table.
Just found your channel and am enjoying it immensely. I did two CNC conversions last year working with the local First Robotics group. We did both machines with the Centronics Acorn, which I am very impressed with. Centronics does large machines but offers the Acorn for $325 which includes a basic software package. I just ordered a 750 x 750 Workbee Ultimate and plan on using the Acorn on that. The software we use on the team is Inventor which interfaces great with the Acorn. Anyway looking forward to more of your videos on the HDM.
@@DIYEngineering It will do up to four axis and 56 input/output with addon IO. I did use it with a four tool changer on the small mill we converted. The company has been in business since 1979 and is located in Pennsylvania.
I'm definitely interested in hearing more. Whatever CNC I buy next, ATC would be part of the plan from the beginning. The HDM has been high on my list, though I'm curious to see how the Shapeoko 5 Pro compares from a rigidity perspective, as a 2x2 would fit my needs. Thanks for sharing, I think this will benefit a lot of people.
I like the size and design changes of the shapeoko5 but the hdm is a tank and it’s probably not likely that it can compete. Mill area alone is most attractive for me on the 5
I did a ton of the same stuff, I did centroid with acorn and servos but I did the Saunders, probe, JGL spindle. Definitely lot of good info in this one
Great work as always, David. I sure am glad I dont have the space in my garage for another machine (still having fun modding the S3) otherwise I would surly tumble down the rabbit hole, but I still love watching these videos nonetheless. Keep up the great work!
Awesome job! That's basically my major complaint with the HDM: after all the work to get it where I want it, I might as well start from scratch. For me fabricating the XYZ plates and rails is trivial to get the motion components nailed down is trivial compared to all the wiring and control board programming that you tackled here
Hello, I would like to give you an idea or advice. The new cnc models that are coming out from some competitors have very large parts apart from the machine itself, such as the screens and the cnc controllers. A large screen is more comfortable, but it will be even more comfortable to work from a laptop or PC when we are inside a house and where you don't normally have an industrial type work area. An example that I give is the Stepcraft cnc machine, it has several models and sizes, it is strong but also its controller is located inside the machine itself, thus saving space and cables. I think that a design can be large and at the same time minimalist and that the client will value it very much and it will be a product that will sell well.
Feel like you probably should have bought a used HAUS. You did an awesome job and I'm sure you learned alot. But Im questioning the amount of time and money put into this. What are you thoughts on the difference in cost between the two options? The downside of a used HAUS I suppose is electrical power and the floor would have to be reinforced and you may still not have the same volume of workspace. I bought a shapeoko with the z-plus but I think when I outgrow this machine I will upgrade to a new machine. Maybe an AVID. I dont like that there is no 4th axis possibility with the shapeoko.
you're 4 Clearpath servos away from living the dream dude! nice work tho, I ended up running the Pokeys57CNC controller soooooooooooo much I/O, locked to MACH4 tho..
you said 12-15K inches per minuet rapids. Is that right or did you mean to say mm per min? Some cut shots and some stats would be nice to see. feeds, speeds, MRR depth of cut width of cut and materials to test would be 6061 T6 and 304 stainless. Lets see it do some work. And I have always been skeptical of the wats these type of machines run on the spindle. 1500 watts on a proper CNC machine would require about 1 ton of mass to back it up. So it would also be nice to see the amp draw at it's most capable cut. Nice video and thanks for making it.
Cool project and some neat tinkering, but I get an overpoweringly strong vibe that you resent the HDM for being what it is when all you ever wanted was a machine that has always existed and was never marketed towards hobbyists, as the Carbide machines are. Just buy the industrial grade machine already.
Can you provide some insights on how you got a custom large spindle attached to the HDM? I'm planning on getting the 5 Pro to do some milling on aluminum and wood, need to use a spindle like yours. Thanks.
hi, the HDM has an 80mm spindle, in this case my Jianken ATC spindle has the same diameter, it is just a bit taller because of the ATC mechanism. all said the HDM is easy. the 5 Pro on the other hand did not support an 80mm spindle mount, so when I upgraded that machine, I had to design and build a spindle mount plate that could hold an 80mm spindle. I have not done a video on that machine, but am happy to share my files if that helps you out.
@@DIYEngineering thanks for the reply. I was considering to get the 5 Pro until I found many CZcams videos of it chattering as it moves diagonally. This seems to be an engineering fault design of the 5 pro or possibly bad user assembly. Does your HDM chatters as it moves diagonally? Thanks.
Do you have custom holes for your tool length probe or is there supposed to be predrilled holes for it? I have these plates and am wondering how im meant to mount the unit.
I went down the same route about 2 years ago now. It was on a self designed cnc, but without ATC. AXBB-E with breakouts are so extendable, and UCCNC is great. I wish I had better coding skills to expand functionality. But what exists on the forums and trial+error modifications got me where I needed. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but totally worth it. One future upgrade I might still recommend for you is some closed loop steppers. Price is not much more than standard motors and drives, but having position fault detection is a nice piece of mind when cutting aluminum.
Great video and details as always. I would love a video on some of your mcode and postprocess mods. Maybe I could learn some tricks :)
You've basically built the CNC machine I'm after. I just don't have the skills to do what you have done. Great job and I'm sure it was very satisfying.
Use the Masso controller. It requires no macro writing, has closed loop steppers and can add pretty much unlimited rooom for upgrades, incredible support and a very active community of people to help you with anything you get hung up on.
Fascinating. Looking forward to deeper dives on the various changes you’ve done!
Great video! That seems like an incredibly intimidating amount of work, but I'm glad that you ended up with something that is significantly more usable for your use case. Very motivating for me to tackle a tough project!
Yes it was quite a leap of faith the only unexpected thing with the hdm hardware was that they use normally closed inductive proximity sensors for the limit switches which isn’t common for most setups. Good luck
That looks like a ton of work! Very interesting and informative thank you for creating this. I had no clue about UCCNC existing prior to this video.
mission accomplished! ;) have fun
great job on the atc rack
Incredible amount of work and a huge leap forward for me in my understanding of this machine and frankly CNC capacity/capability in general. Thank you! I say start a CNC company at this point!
When I got my desktop Prolight 2000 I was lucky to have initially sided with UCCNC controller and never looked back. With that I was able to retrofit 100% of the original machines capability with ATC and probing and even added 4th axis, a custom pendant and M8 mist airblast. I am controlling 8 relays and 4 axis. I think you could use the tool rack advancement and eliminate the need for Y travel when changing tools. This could save even more room on the table.
Awesome, uccnc for the win!
Just found your channel and am enjoying it immensely. I did two CNC conversions last year working with the local First Robotics group. We did both machines with the Centronics Acorn, which I am very impressed with. Centronics does large machines but offers the Acorn for $325 which includes a basic software package. I just ordered a 750 x 750 Workbee Ultimate and plan on using the Acorn on that. The software we use on the team is Inventor which interfaces great with the Acorn. Anyway looking forward to more of your videos on the HDM.
Thanks! Not bad, Does acorn have same extensibility?
@@DIYEngineering It will do up to four axis and 56 input/output with addon IO. I did use it with a four tool changer on the small mill we converted. The company has been in business since 1979 and is located in Pennsylvania.
You have mad skills my friend. Wish I had the patience and definitely would buy you a six pack to tour your shop.
I'm definitely interested in hearing more. Whatever CNC I buy next, ATC would be part of the plan from the beginning. The HDM has been high on my list, though I'm curious to see how the Shapeoko 5 Pro compares from a rigidity perspective, as a 2x2 would fit my needs.
Thanks for sharing, I think this will benefit a lot of people.
I like the size and design changes of the shapeoko5 but the hdm is a tank and it’s probably not likely that it can compete. Mill area alone is most attractive for me on the 5
I did a ton of the same stuff, I did centroid with acorn and servos but I did the Saunders, probe, JGL spindle.
Definitely lot of good info in this one
Love the jgl spindle… good quality
Good video thanks. I very interested to hear more on atc spindle, looking to install one myself
Great work as always, David. I sure am glad I dont have the space in my garage for another machine (still having fun modding the S3) otherwise I would surly tumble down the rabbit hole, but I still love watching these videos nonetheless. Keep up the great work!
thank you and #facts
Awesome job! That's basically my major complaint with the HDM: after all the work to get it where I want it, I might as well start from scratch. For me fabricating the XYZ plates and rails is trivial to get the motion components nailed down is trivial compared to all the wiring and control board programming that you tackled here
I agree, it’s a good platform but falls short to reach its full capability.
I was thinking something similar to this. Buy an HDM use as is, then covert to Centroid with CNC Depot Spindle and Possibly Clearpath Servos.
Absolutely, the gantry is rock solid
@@DIYEngineering better than a 2424 avid?
I'd look at sorotec as well
Hello, I would like to give you an idea or advice.
The new cnc models that are coming out from some competitors have very large parts apart from the machine itself, such as the screens and the cnc controllers.
A large screen is more comfortable, but it will be even more comfortable to work from a laptop or PC when we are inside a house and where you don't normally have an industrial type work area.
An example that I give is the Stepcraft cnc machine, it has several models and sizes, it is strong but also its controller is located inside the machine itself, thus saving space and cables. I think that a design can be large and at the same time minimalist and that the client will value it very much and it will be a product that will sell well.
Please share more really interested. Thanks very much
Will do, you want more hardware, controller, software info?
Man, this is awesome. Really makes me reconsider how dumb I want to get with my $125 Shapeoko 3.
I should probably just get the S3 assembled and use it as is before I go and start thinking about upgrades, huh?
Are you going to sell the CAD files and parts list? I would like to adapt them to my CNC.
Feel like you probably should have bought a used HAUS. You did an awesome job and I'm sure you learned alot. But Im questioning the amount of time and money put into this.
What are you thoughts on the difference in cost between the two options?
The downside of a used HAUS I suppose is electrical power and the floor would have to be reinforced and you may still not have the same volume of workspace.
I bought a shapeoko with the z-plus but I think when I outgrow this machine I will upgrade to a new machine. Maybe an AVID. I dont like that there is no 4th axis possibility with the shapeoko.
you're 4 Clearpath servos away from living the dream dude! nice work tho, I ended up running the Pokeys57CNC controller soooooooooooo much I/O, locked to MACH4 tho..
haha, facts, maybe for xmas... I'll have to checkout the Pokeys57CNC!
Just got an HDM and would love to mod it in similar way. Did you end up releasing more information on the schematics, parts, etc. somewhere?
Damn. A lot of work
Is the Laguna tools iq small version better than the hdm ? I’m thinking of purchasing either one.
It was, I’d consider a Laguna or Stepcraft( they actually use the same cncdrive setup)
@@DIYEngineering
Is stepcraft and Laguna better than the HDM in your opinion ?
you said 12-15K inches per minuet rapids. Is that right or did you mean to say mm per min? Some cut shots and some stats would be nice to see. feeds, speeds, MRR depth of cut width of cut and materials to test would be 6061 T6 and 304 stainless. Lets see it do some work. And I have always been skeptical of the wats these type of machines run on the spindle. 1500 watts on a proper CNC machine would require about 1 ton of mass to back it up. So it would also be nice to see the amp draw at it's most capable cut. Nice video and thanks for making it.
You’re right, mm per minute… I’m looking into some tools that will allow me to capture and measure loads on the machine, any thoughts?
Lotta great stuff in here but 15:49 I think your mistaken, machine could never go that high.
You’re right. I said IPM but it is units per minute. Since i run metric that works out to around 500IPM which sounds a lot better.
Can we see this thing make chips?
would there be any value in using a welded steel frame with a concrete base and epoxy floor with drains for a wet system with the HDM?
Can you link the websites, where you bought the products. Thx
where did you source your aluminum bed im looking for something similar
Cool project and some neat tinkering, but I get an overpoweringly strong vibe that you resent the HDM for being what it is when all you ever wanted was a machine that has always existed and was never marketed towards hobbyists, as the Carbide machines are. Just buy the industrial grade machine already.
Can you provide some insights on how you got a custom large spindle attached to the HDM? I'm planning on getting the 5 Pro to do some milling on aluminum and wood, need to use a spindle like yours. Thanks.
hi, the HDM has an 80mm spindle, in this case my Jianken ATC spindle has the same diameter, it is just a bit taller because of the ATC mechanism. all said the HDM is easy. the 5 Pro on the other hand did not support an 80mm spindle mount, so when I upgraded that machine, I had to design and build a spindle mount plate that could hold an 80mm spindle. I have not done a video on that machine, but am happy to share my files if that helps you out.
@@DIYEngineering thanks for the reply. I was considering to get the 5 Pro until I found many CZcams videos of it chattering as it moves diagonally. This seems to be an engineering fault design of the 5 pro or possibly bad user assembly. Does your HDM chatters as it moves diagonally? Thanks.
can you do a mach3 series?
Do you have custom holes for your tool length probe or is there supposed to be predrilled holes for it? I have these plates and am wondering how im meant to mount the unit.
Wait, what?! There was a $500 charge from Homeland Security for a motor you ordered from china?! WTF
no way it run 12-15 THOUSAND a minute hundred ok but not thousand
human error
That is without a doubt, CNC porn at its finest. Do you have a ballpark number for the time & money you invested in this?
thx, invested roughly $4k on top of the HDM sticker price... :/
𝐩𝓻Ỗ𝓂Ø𝓈Ｍ 💪