I linked above to one of my builds. Was it that one?
3 Likes
Yes! I swear I read what other people postā¦ usually
4 Likes
Is there a way to permanently mount the wire instead of using a magnet? I was thinking of adding a fork lug to the wire that normally has the clip and place it under one of the cap screws on the Makita router. I wasnāt sure if that screw however would touch metal or just plastic. It would just be nice to only deal with the one wire and plate and never worry about connecting the other side.
Ok, so I confirmed that the metal housing is isolated from the shaft. I think it can still work if I attached a copper leaf to the core and have it just ride against the upper part of the shaft.
I am not excited about connecting the router and control board in any way while it is running. Routers can be extremely electrically noisy, you do not want a kill your board or have random job issues.
5 Likes
Iād say why not go with a magnetic breakaway connection on the plate and a separate magnetic connection to the core?
Personally I would love a thicker touch plate with some weight to it so you can put it down instead of one you have to hold in place. Doesnāt have to be to big a 2.5cm/1ā in diameter would be more than enough.
I was already thinking about making my probe disconnect-able by using a mono mini jack plug. And gluing the female part to the core
And on the male part a magnetic connector to the shaft and the plate of course.
I went the oter way and use aluminum tape and a lalagator clip on it that i disconnect! And leave the tape in place it wont move and can be a reference point kater on for mill changes
2 Likes
Can you share a picture of that setup?
Aluminum tape? That looks like a gum wrapperā¦
1 Like
Ha, that was the first thing I thought I saw as well, had to remind myself what he said in his post to have the brain recalibrate to see tape.
Glad I wasnāt the only one craving a piece of gum (without knowing it) when looking at the photo.
Got me craving double mint or juicy fruit. 
3 Likes
Hereās my current solution -
molex plug to 2 ring terminals.
Magnets with indents for a countsersunk head
M3 bolt as a terminal post and nylock nuts.
Magnet to collet, magnet on steel ruler for probing
The magnets stuck to the X stepper when not in use
The only thing Iād like would be wiggly wires for a bit more length but meh.
3 Likes
The ripped edge in the low-res image looks like the sawtooth cut on gum wrappers. At least he didnāt use pinking shears to cut the tape, then it would have really looked like a gum wrapperā¦
2 Likes
Thats a good idea
Iām testing this idea, Iām thinking about to use this touch plate with a macro, and work always using Spoilboard as reference. This will keep tool changes easier. The touchplate will use G53 coordinates.
The internal mechanism is made with two magnets repelling each otherā¦ more tests will follow.
I also added a relay for the router that works with M3/M5 codes, and a physical button that will run the āprobe macroā.
3 Likes
The 4 has a spot already built in.