I am in the research phases of this idea and just posting this to see if anyone else has went down this road…
I think what you’re asking after is covered at:
— there’s been a bit more discussion on this on the Shapeoko forums — let us know if there’s anything notable I missed.
Mental note: need to clean up / edit that page…
EDIT: the need to clean up / edit such things is a big part of why the wiki was allowed to go off-line.
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Hey I took up the challenge and made a version of a VFD for a makita router.
EDIT: Etsy link removed.
I would be glad to help anyone who is trying to make one for themseves.
also @WillAdams the link you provided does not seem to be working anymore.
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Nice bit of work!
For those who are curious, the product is easily found on Etsy at this time by searching for “Shapeoko Upgrade - Make an Automatic Spindle with your Makita router for your CNC - Makita router RT0701C”
Good luck w/ it!
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@WillAdams thank you for the edit. I also made a video of the installation, it can be found on youtube under this name : Shapeoko : Control your Makita spindle speed (bitrunner with PWM speed control)
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Nice! So this will take the place of the bitrunner. Is there a way to overide it at your controller? Or are the wires that get clipped eliminate the router’s potentiometer?
Yes that would replace a bitrunner. The wires eliminate the potentiometer. So it is basically the G-Code thru PWM that controls the RPM and the on/off of the router.
How would you build one???
I used this - SuperPID on my DeWalt Router for years before buyinig a VFD and 1.5kW spindle. It worked fantastically.
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I got one to use on my S3XXL when I first ordered my it. Took 4 years before I finally had the motivation & time to finally get it all hooked up & setup nicely in a project box. Works great! But it is unfortunate that they do not sell it as a more complete kit.
Was it reasonably easily to set up? Which do you have and did you have to modify it?
You do have to take apart your router to install the optical sensor for measuring the RPMs of the router. I had to disassemble my router a second time because the marking wasn’t contrasting enough. I ended up using gloss white paint and matte black paint on the rotor to get reliable speed reading up to 30K RPMs.
Depending on your router, you may have to disable the “soft start” feature as well. But they have instructions for lots of routers.
They have a pretty thorough set of instructions you can follow.
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What was the main advantage?
Running at lower RPM or the auto adjustment of RPM based on the feedback?
For me, the main advantage was knowing the actual RPM. I was not a fan of “put it between 3 and 4”.
Plus, it was nice that the RPMs were kept constant when cutting into material.
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