I love magnets... Carbide 3D Touch probe enhancement - goodbye crocodile clip :(

CNC Machines Shapeoko
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Hi guys

Whilst testing carbide motion 4.10 last night my crocodile clip broke. Not loving it I decided to ‘improve it’ (I still think it’s the best thing since sliced bread but now it’s home grown).

Here is a video I made last night.

Happy to supply anyone with a magnetic connector that can be soldiered on to the wire, or provide a whole new wire if anyone wants one made up. Alternatively, I’d happily supply to carbide 3d if they saw it as a worthwhile medication to the new probe? @robgrz :wink:

Cheers, Luke

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Now why the heck didn’t I think of using a magnet?! I’m here cursing the cheap gator clip… Now the question is… how exactly did you affix the wire to the magnet? Surely not solder? Hot glue and shrinktube?

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Nice idea!!

Give some foot for thought!

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Solder the magnet to a piece of ferrous metal, a washer maybe, then just stick the magnet to it?

I have a bunch of these from a project that fell through, a #4 screw can go through the middle, be epoxied on the other side, then the wire soldered to the screw.

https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=RC24DCS&cat=173

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Luke, such a clever guy. I shall “knock one up” today.

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well… not all of us are this ‘gifted’ :crazy_face:

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Luke,

Instead of supplying a connector, can you describe how you connect the wire to the
Magnet? I am guessing that it is a moledbium (rare earth) magnet? Did you just
Solder the wire to the back of the magnet and then heat shrink tube the assembly?

Art

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Always happy to help. I got some 6mm bar, drilled out the centre, poped a wire in one side, a 5mm magnet in the other side then compressed the one end in a die press making a sheath - then soldiered the other wire onto the earth cable and heat shrank it

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I’m still standing behind my suggestion to solder it to a washer.

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Solid option. A flat head screw would probably would a treat with a little epoxy

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Small hex head bolt maybe. Solder the wire to the threads wrap the whole thing in shrinkwrap.

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Don’t rare earth magnets lose their magnetism when heated?

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Yes but if you solder the wire to the washer or screw, that will then stick to one side of the magnet and the other can touch the bit.

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I took the quick-and-dirty approach. Just clipped a magnet with the clip lead, then touch the magnet to the spindle…

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2 options. Grab a button cell holder for electronics and use that to hold a disc magnet, or get a rare earth magnet with a hole in it already (they are made like that) and just run a screw and a ring connector to it.

(like so)

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I can tell you that

is extremely brittle and breakable from the “snap” of connecting to the router shaft.

Definitely get the ones with a “cup” around them.

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You could is a small machine screw or solder to attach to the cup made to hold rare earth magnets like this. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=58750&cat=1,42363,42348

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I bought some of these, they work and already have a stud to put a wire on:

https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MM-C-10

Dan

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Here is a DIY instruction just using a couple of magnets and sandwich the wire inside. Have not tried this yet. I like the stud magnet Dan posted though. https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Magnetic-Connectors-2/

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