FrankenVAC v2

So i had some wins last night, the LR3 managed to cut the sealing rings.

The LR3 will need to be re-leveled, as the z axis screws are now out of alignment, not to much. Enough to not cut through the last 1 or 2 mm on the bottom.

Other than that the new cut settings i put together after reading the forums were much better that the basic ones i started with. so all in all it was a good night.

Next is to do is adding the new rings and completely changing the design of FrankenVAC, hopefully this is the last set for a while. I have just committed to pulling my yacht out of the water for 2 weeks for some major work (a new bow thruster) and i am going to be using the LR3 to make some templates i need to do that. So this week is the last real spare week to get the thing at least cutting. I am tempted to not touch it now its working, but other than the vac mods and re-levelling the X gantry I am not doing much.

I know at least that I can use it with the settings i used last night. The surface finish on the rebate of the MDF was a little… fluffy, but i suspect that is more the MDF than anything else. I will be using PLY for the templates i need to cut and they don’t have a rebate, lol.

As for the performance of FrankenVAC, i found a few design issues early on, hence the changes and the new sealing rings, but ignoring those and some more mods to the dust skirt last night, i didn’t see any dust in the air, i could not “smell” the MDF and the surface is pretty clean of the dust, I could see the “high pressure” spurt of dust coming off the cutting bit being pulled back into the dust shoe. So that is really good. I found the issue with the first run of FrankenVAC, there was a leak in the collection chamber and that was just pumping all the dust into the motor/s. since then its working better, but still needs these mods.

As for the cut, it is completely chockers with the dust of the cut after the bit though, i was cutting 16mm MDF and after about halfway through, the cut was still full after the dust shoe moved along the cut.
Not the best photo in the world, but you can see the cut full of dust.

the rebate that was cut was 100% cleaned buy the shoe (this is where you could watch the "high pressure dust being ejected of the bit and then being pulled back into the dust shoe), so its defiantly got something to do with the dust shoe, maybe the bit as it is a down cut bit or cut settings.

In terms of the dust shoe, i am 100% hearing the vac “loading up” and “unloading” when i fit the hose into and out of the shoe. I have used a step drill and drilled three BIG holes in the space under where the vac hose is plugged in. I am not sure this has made a difference, but i guess that is a whole other discussion.

I might see if @DougJoseph new dust shoe with the removeable section will fit and beg some time on the brothers printer.

The dust shoe(s) on my ongoing effort for the floating-Z, should fit the previous shoe mount. As you know there are three to choose from, 1/4 open, 1/2 open, and full open.

If more air flow is needed, the drawing that is used to cut the foam bristles could be modified for a wider slice gap between each bristle.

Does it still have the clip to hold it on doug?

The C-clip feature is available by itself here: Printables

and on the new effort here: Printables

On the former, the feature is connected to the dust shoe mount at the bottom of the core.

On the latter, the feature is connected to the upper router mount.

The difference is due to where the hose gets connected being changed from normal to new.

Thanks Doug,

I sorta just banged out that response cos i was at work etc and didn’t explain myself.
I was wondering if your design still had the clip on it that allows the dust shoe to be clipped on and off.

But i just went and had a look via the printables viewer and it does. So that is on the bothers printer now, he said i can have at it for the week or so then he is going to be using it again.
(also the other 1/4 open and full open are not loaded up to the printables site.)

Ugh. I will add those missing files.

OK, those other missing parts are now in the Printables listing.

So, i had to go and fix a friends central vac last night, but I did get a little bit of time to test the prints and few other things.
I reprinted the “updated dust shoe” with the magnets by Philip (i think) as i tried to fit the original while the router was running, didnt end well, lol. I also printed one of @DougJoseph version, but it wont fit with the standard mount, i was hopeful, but its too big.
So i will zip out today and get some TPU and and maybe a sheets of that craft EVA foam and see if i can do a better job of the dust shoe.

I also mounted the HEPA filter for FrankenVAC in its new ring,

I have one more set of pre-filters that can be added to the motor unit, but they can wait. Mainly as we dont have any in stock at the moment, lol

Next is to break out the angle grinder and start cutting up the barrels to the new design!

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@robertbu
Quick question regarding the FAN0,1,2 ports if i can.

Do you know what voltage they put out at the 255 setting, or when just turned on by M106?
I am hoping that its 12v as i need it to fire a relay. (i guess I could get a relay that will trigger with any voltage, but 12v is easy to access.)

It turns out that FrankenVAC’s driver board puts out about 6V on its “WALL POINT” lines. I thought it was just a ground connection. So I cant feed that into the CNC board and will need to put a relay between it.
I am hoping the CNC board on say FAN0 will (at full on or 255) output 12v to energise the coil on a relay and close the NO contact so then the FrankenVAC “Wall Point” line with the 6v be closed and start the VAC.

I hope that makes sense…

Ryan’s standard mount is for a ~48mm hose. Mine is for a 2.5" hose (~63.5mm).

The remixed “original” foot / mount that my 2.5" shoe fits, is available here:
https://www.printables.com/model/212623-lowrider-3-cnc-makita-700-series-mount-removable-d

… and a “c-clip” version of it is available here:
https://www.printables.com/model/535165-removable-dust-shoe-v13-with-retainer-c-clip-for-v

With a lighting storm last night, i went to lab and got out the hacksaw, some glue and opened up my creation to fix the errors in my design, but it was working, it leaked like a bucket with a hole in it, but it did capture some dust…

So i got out the hacksaw and the angle grinder to do some open heart surgery, the a nice coating of some goo on all the joints, then throwing it up on the roof to get struck by ligting to get its heart started…


(Top barrel is the motor barrel, middle barrel is the vortex generator, and the bottom barrel is just a dust colector)

It looks like the vortex generator works, so that got cut down to be the middle ring, the motor barrel got cut down enough for a for a foam filter for the motors and this hepa filter when its pulled up

So with all the goo smeraed onto the joins to keep the insides in and the outsides out once rhat dires i will be able to give it a test.

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Hi Everyone,

Sorry i have been missing in action over the last couple weeks, but my boat came out of the water and i had to do a lot of work on it.
Mainly a new bow thruster, 2 weeks of work on steel boat cutting, grinding, welding and painting.

But i did manage to get the FrankenVAC assembled before that, which allowed me to steal some time on the brother printer to print the Shield that shits between the dust in (vortex generator) and the filter above

Hopefully, I will have some time to glue the shield together and onto the wood ring pictured above.
Basically I am hopping to force the vortex down and around to get under this lip. I noticed some dust built up on the filter directly above the dust inlet (vortex generator) and i am hoping to limit that by forcing the dust to swirl around a couple times to get under this ?deflector?..

More pictures tonight hopefully…

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WELLLLLLLLL…
measure once print 3 times it seems.

I got the shield printed, twice and it seems i can use a bloody measuring device. SIGH.
as its still wrong.

First of all it was the wrong dia, not by much, but the wrong dia. So fixed that, and then once i could actually fit it I realised that it wont work anyways and needs a complete redesign due to the sealing lips on the wood cut-outs.
I have been a bit stressed lately with job searching, toxic workplace and my parents getting sick. So i know i am missing something regarding this, So i am going to put it aside as FrankenVAC works.

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Well it looks good! Nice curve. Stressful times call for enjoying the shop time even more, try to have a bit of fun with it. Maybe glue it to your speakers or something

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So, the next thing on the list to make the LR3 more usable, and the reason its on a door is to be able to lift if off my work bench.

As i am sorta using a really small space in my brothers workshop, I am really limited in space. So i designed a pully system to lift it up against the bottom of the mezzanine to get it out of the way. This then allows me to use the area and the PULK table for more things.
I originally tried to use just some pullies and my own muscles to lift it. But with all the friction there was no way i could do it. (i sware its the friction, not my weak muscles…) i tried a 3:1 pully setup and it kind of worked but would have required quite a few more pullies to guide it etc.

So i broke down and just ordered a 250kg electric winch of amazon and installed that. I used the 2:1 reduction pully and it works really well after a bit of time getting the ropes the right length.
I am going to screw up some bits of chain and some cheap carbineers so the loads not on the winch.

Now i can clean it off and stop using it as storage bench, reprint the belt mounts and start to use it to make some storage objects to make is easier to actually use this space!

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Ok and a bit off topic, but have a look at how the new wheel for my boat came out.

Its had another 6 coats of spar varnish since that shot, rubbed down between each coat. it looks pretty good.
Ans seeing we are off topic here is a couple pics of the thruster I was putting in the boat .


Not exactly for this forum, but we are off topic.

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Whoaaaaaa, Off topic or not. I’m all for seeing projects!! That looks like a big thruster. I have never seen on e but imagined the ski boats that have them to be little tiny things.

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Shoot all the work boat pics I have posted… Bring it on. We love it all!

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Yeah, its big. It has to affect 12ton of metal boat.
So there is a fair amount of current running to it too, the ANL fuse is 500amps!!!

There are several designs for these things, but this is a simple and cheap-ish one. I would have preferred to use the Hydraulic version, were its powers by high displacement pump and squirts water just like a jet boat, the water is pulled from another hole in the boat farther under the water, FAR FAR FAR less work to install, three holes in the boat, big ish ones, but noting like this. but the cost was nearly double.

Its in and working and makes using the boat a heap easier, put it on and it starts to affect the bow visually after about 3-5 seconds.

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