I’ve been eyeballing those tiny CNC machines for a while wondering if they could be good portable machines for the makerspace meetups and the CD earrings project.

My main objections were the tiny DC spindles looked pretty light weight with bushings, brushes and lower wattage. Also the general rigidity of the machine was a bit concerning.

Lately they’ve been coming with these “off-line” controllers so in theory you can run them without tethering to a computer. I thought this was an interesting proposition, you only need to write to an SD card.

So I managed to get my hands on one and here’s the verdict so far.

It took about 2h of assembly. I didn’t follow the instructions I just organized the pieces on the table which makes it fairly obvious where they all go. You just group the aluminum by length and the frame sort of falls out. After arranging them you put all the gussets at the junctions. I then preloaded all the gussets with the bolts and hardware and then just started screwing it together.

I plugged all the electrical together before installing, plugged it in and it just worked. I went on the little controller box and selected the preloaded job and the spindle and steppers all came alive. I then bolted it onto the frame.

It seems easy enough to operate the machine from the little controller box. It doesn’t seem to have a zero you just jog to the start position and start. I wasn’t able to read and write the SD card, I just unplugged the controller from the CNC then connected it to my laptop with a micro usb (not supplied). I then write to the SD and then move the controller back to the machine.

To control from my laptop I just unplugged the controller box and then plugged the machine in with the supplied cable. I added the driver they supplied then just launched Candle which was also on the CD. Works like a charm. It even has spindle speed control from software.

Weaknesses far: Not much to talk about.

1) I don’t know how to set zero from the controller box (from the Candle software I can do this).
2) I had to grind flats on the ACME lead screws and add loctite to prevent from coming loose. Well I just did this on one axis we’ll see if it works then I’ll do it to the other axis.

DIY CNC Mill Router Kit 30x18cm Wood Engraver Milling Machine w/Offline Control

Working area: 30cm x 18cm x 4.5cm / 11.8″ x 7″ x 1.7″
Frame size: 33x40x24cm
Mesa: 30x18cm
Spindle: 775 spindle motor (12-36V) 24V: 10000r/min
Spindle Chuck: ER11
Step motor: Fuselage length 34MM, Current 1.33A, 12v.Torque 0.25N/M
Power supply: 24V 5.6A
Software: Grbl
Supported system: Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 (Do not support Mac)
Laser: Support 500mw 405nm,12v / 2500mw 450nm,12v / 5500mw 450nm,12v (NOT INCLUDED)
Clamps:
Hold thickness: 0-30mm
Size: 50 * 20 * 3 (Length * Width * Thickness)
Inner slot width: 6mm

Seller: ebay