I finally got the CNC router back up and running last night.
Here's the details on what happened last week
It was quite the task. I ended up troubleshooting the whole mess for 2 days before deciding that it would be easier to just reinstall Windows and start fresh. There were some other issues with the computer anyway, like system language stuck in French, unable to go into 'safe mode', and inability to reset Windows through the menus.
One problem kept leading to another with this issue. Once I decided to reinstall, the computer wouldn't let me do it so I had to find a spare USB drive and make a boot disk for windows. That led me to some various organizing around the house as I looked for a spare USB drive. It was almost a day before I actually was able to even start the Windows install.
It did fix the problem though, and I also managed to save my half finished project that got messed up when these whole computer issues started.
By the time everything was set up and ready to start cutting, it was almost 3 p.m. I wasn't thinking about the time and hit start on the cut.
About 3 hours in I realized just how long it was going to take. It was a 12 hour cut in total. Aside from having to get up and go out in the cold a few times during the night to check the progress and shut things down when it finished at 3:30 a.m. I'm satisfied with the results.
The next step is to get the rest of the computer set up to add some extra features out there.
Firstly, I'm going to add in a webcam so I can stream the router cutting. That way I'll be able to monitor everything remotely and respond to any issues faster. I'll also be able to post the stream here and maybe make a few Hive from the cut as well.
Then, I'll be adding in a smart electrical plug so I can shut the router down remotely once I know it's finished. This will give me the ability to leave things run through the night without having to venture outside and shut things down. This will also give me the ability to shut things down incase something goes wrong like breaking a bit or the project moving and I notice it on the webcam.
Now I'm off to run last nights project through the sanding process. Usually it just takes a few minutes with a sanding mop to take off any left over fuzzies on the wood, but this one might need a bit more work. There was one noticeable line in the project where the two different cuts overlapped. I think I'll be able to sort that out with some sandpaper easy enough, though. It won't be noticeable when I'm done.
