A productive weekend!

So perhaps in direct response to the negativity of last week, fate has bestowed upon me a weekend that was quite productive.

First, after looking around a little bit, I decided it would be worthwhile to just order a more compatible accelerator instead of replacing the ESC. Probably about $400 in savings.

Next - the CNC mill.

Just by stroke of luck, woot was having a sale last week on scratch and dent computers. Since the computer that ran everything previously was ~10 years old, and all I needed was a PCI slot for a parallel port. After swapping hard drives with my main computer (because I wasn't going to pass up a "free" windows 7 installation), ordering and installing a pci-parallel port card, installing a new OS, and changing a few parameters, things were good to go.

Cutting:

 The cut out motor mounts, still in need of some grinder love (not grindr love, which is a completely different thing):

I know more or less how the assembly is going to go together, based on experience in my senior design project (of all things). Will be ordering things from mcmaster, and busting out the welder next weekend.

Next, I pulled the sprocket off the rear wheel. Which sounds like it would be easy, but it's wasn't. But you know what they say: when life gives you lemons, get a bigger breaker bar (and shittons of WD40).

 Success!

 There was, however, one casualty.

RIP Harbor Freight Special ratchet. 2011-2015. You will be missed. (I think I popped out the ratcheting mechanism somehow, but I used my terrible wrench for a reason)

And finally, WIRING.

Not too much to report here - handled the heavy gauge stuff this weekend, and all of the loose ends are meant to be connected to either power or the motor.

SUPER BLURRY WIRING PIC!

Gee, I sure am glad I paid extra for the insulated connectors: