I've been thinking about a stepper motor based power feed for the Unimat for a while.
I'm also thinking about a second stage of the project to make a full electronic gearbox
by putting a rotary encoder on the headstock to track rotation.
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Are the group as a whole interested in me working on this and releasing the
electronic and physical designs?
I'm not sure I can justify the effort just for me, but it might be worth it if enough
of you are interested.
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Basically, a standard NEMA 17 stepper should be able to drive the leadscrew,
and I can print a coupler out of flexible filament for minimum backlash, together
with a mount mount design to go on the baseboard.
There are a few options for rotary encoders, and a modern microcontroller
like a Raspberry Pi Pico should be good for speeds up to say 600 rpm.
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For those who don't have access to 3D printers and the like, I may be able
to make partial kits.
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Thoughts, comments?
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Mike
