Electrical Musings

Here is the MGB when I bought it.  My boys helped me make my purchase. It had sat there for 4? years since the PO bought it from a classic car junk yard for $3500.  I gave him $1000 and had it running with only an alternator, fuel pump, and battery. It is titled as a 1970 but appears to be a 1969 in the parts and design. My older son asked if he could drive it to prom and the younger reminded him.  "Paul, remember what Dad said about when we could drive it if he buys it?"  Paul replied, "Oh yeah.  NEVER!" ​​ It isn't close to pretty yet but I work on one piece at a time and do it right.  I don't always use original mechanical components but I do a valid redesign on with each piece.  I am an engineer so I do have to make my mark on the car.  I do like everything else  original .  I have learned over the years that a worn but working original piece is always better than a new repop. I do restoration for the love of the original desi

Found this post on Craigslist in Twin Falls, ID Old lathe - $50 (Sun valley) Cool old lathe for decoration                                                                       make / manufacturer:  ? Yes, that is a Hardinge Cataract BB57 Bench Lathe such as the one pictured below: Photo from http://www.lathes.co.uk/cataract/ It has a 7" swing, a 36" bed with 17" between centers, and a 5C collet.  The thing weighs a ton and has a massive Jacobs chuck in it.  Yes, I know because I drove down to Ketchum, ID and bought it. I have the tailstock in a electrolysis bath of water and washing soda right now to see if the metal is pitted. If it is usable I will have a nice lathe after some paint. It is missing the bottom portion with the pulleys and speed change mechanism.

I started back into my work on Python CNC as the Bozeman Makerspace has a Shapeoko that my son wants to learn to use. I looked at a bunch of software packages and feel there is a need for a simple SVG based drawing program that has direct g-code output.  Sure you can use a plugin in Inkscape and there is  jscut but I want something that is a little parametric.  I imagine a program with a list of shapes on the right where you can link a milling function to each with a graphical display of the tool paths on the right. This is based on my own process and the tools I used to mill on my Bridgeport CNC.  I started with a CAD drawing and then built code from the drawing with my own Python objects.  Then after outputing the g-code I would import it into NCplot to verify the tool paths.  Then off to EMC2, now known as LinuxCNC, to run in air first and then on a test piece. For the Shapeoko the process is similar: SVG in Inkscape Load it in jscut Output the g-code Load it in GRBL