G.O.A.T holder for Pen / Drag Knife / Drag Bit (e.g. RDZ Engraver) for LowRider 4

LowRider CNC Advice
21

Thank you! Also for linking @CABix clamping pen holder!

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22

hi Daryl.

i m new to lowrider, completed it right now mainly for router. before do hard wood cuts, looking for some nice pen-tests.

ended to see your automatic pen with servo, great job

a part of 3d model, etc… i do not see you using classical LR4, right?

can you share electronics details and software to use correctly for lifting the pen

thanks, appresciate

23

Correct, not on an LR, it’s on my 8’x20’ laser cutter.

Connect the servo’s position input to a 5V output on your controller. Configure the output either as a servo axis (probably easiest to control with your existing CAM software) or as an analog output.

Control is really no different than the CAM used for your router, just command the servo axis instead of the Z axis.

If you’ve got a flat coplanar work surface and aren’t doing a whole lot of pen plotting, the common method of strapping a pen to the core/router bracket works just fine. In my case, I was doing so much that I wore out the lead screw on my Z-axis so switched to the servo (and in the process gained a bunch of speed, reducing job times considerably).

I needed the floating pen holder as my 85% perforated work surface (1/2" grid) isn’t compatible with a fixed pen height.

Any future iterations will use my servo lift design and incorporate a few different diameter’s of @CABix’s clamping collet pen holder to accommodate smaller fabric pens up-to larger paint pens and Sharpie markers.