A somewhat productive weekend is behind me, and a new project is starting to take shape – though it’s still in proto/DIY phase. The first step is always the hardest, but progress is being made. Vacuum pump, air pump, vibrating pump, fittings, microcontroller, relays, switches, power supplies, 3D-printed enclosure – all of these components will come together to create an add-on for desktop CNC machines. It’s going to be an all-in-one powerhouse, featuring new functions I’ve been developing over the past few months. One of those functions is a compressor-less Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) system, which I’ve described in more detail in my first-ever YouTube video:
Over the weekend, I managed to clear a couple of tasks from the “todo” list, including:
- Creating the first “rat’s nest” prototype of the wiring setup.
- Tuning the on/off timings for the vibrating pump to achieve exactly one period of AC current (20ms) and ensuring it’s effective regardless of when it’s activated.
- Transferring the code and “spaghetti” prototype from an Arduino UNO to a NANO clone, and testing it with the new setup.
- Learning more about Solid State Relays and testing whether they’d be a better fit for this application.
Stay tuned for further updates.
