ZIPPY Prometheus User manual
Prometheus Manual + Walkthrough
June 2019
© 2019 By Zippy Robotics, Inc
Packing List
Inside This Box
1. 1x PROMETHEUS PCB milling machine
2. 1x Starter pack of bits
3. 1x USB cable
4. 1x Power cable
5. 1x USB adapter (used for any potential future firmware upgrades)
6. 1x Mineral oil squeeze bottle (without oil)
7. 1x Double sided tape
8. 1x Bit clamp with bearing
9. 1x Brush
10. 1x Plastic sacrificial layer
11. 3x Copper-clad boards, FR-4, 1 oz. copper
12. 1x Alligator clip wire
Not in the Box
●Mineral oil
●Vacuum with HEPA or ULPA filter (needed when drilling or routing through the
board)
●screwdriver/ something to pry up the board
●Alcohol as release agent if needed
●Paper Towels
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Thank You
With your purchase of Prometheus you are taking control of the speed at which you can
prototype your PCB designs. Prometheus is not a toy. It is a precision instrument with
moving parts and deserves attention during operation for your safety. Read this manual
in its entirety before operating Prometheus.
Unpacking and Setup
Your Prometheus machine comes fully assembled. The head of the machine is positioned
all the way down onto the table for shipping. You’ll later use the ProCAM’s “Retract Z”
button or the Z-axis jogging buttons to move the head, up along the Z-axis.
Place Prometheus on a flat, level surface. Plug in the power cord and connect Prometheus
to your PC with the included USB cable. The switch above the power cord inlet will turn
Prometheus on/off. When connecting Prometheus to your PC for the first time you should
see Windows automatically install the USB drivers. There are no additional drivers to install;
Prometheus is plug-and-play like a mouse or keyboard.
To control Prometheus and make PCBs, you’ll need to download ProCAM
(Prometheus Computer Aided Manufacturing software). Visit
www.zippyrobotics.com/download to download it. You will see a text
document in the downloaded folder also. Follow the instructions in that
document to install it correctly (video here).
If you’re looking at a print version of this manual, QR codes like the one on the
right can be used with your smartphone to quickly take you to a how-to or
informational video. If you’re viewing on a PC you can instead click on the video
link.
After installation, launch ProCAM. Check that Prometheus’s power cord is plugged in, the
switch is on, and connect Prometheus to your PC via USB. You’ll hear 5 beeps coming from
the spindle motor when power is applied. In ProCAM, click the “Calibrate” button at the
bottom of the application window. This launches the Calibrate window. The top-most
button in the “Move Tool Z” field will move the spindle up (figure 1). Since the machine is
shipped with the spindle all the way down, you’ll want to move it up by clicking this button
a few times until you have about 1 inch of clearance (the exact amount isn’t important). The
lower buttons will move the spindle down towards the table which is not what you want to
do at this time (since the spindle is already touching the table - that would just crash it into
it).
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Figure 1: Use these buttons to move the spindle. The moves are short and controlled so you can
avoid crashing against the limits.
If the spindle moves you’ve installed ProCAM successfully! Otherwise read the text file
included in the download and see what’s missing from the install. Check directory paths,
and the DLLs.
Safety
●When dust is generated, use a HEPA or ULPA compliant vacuum cleaner. This is
for your health. Do not breath in the dust. For the milling operations we
recommend using a pool of mineral oil on the surface of the board so milling is
done submersed in the oil. This tends to keep all of the dust and copper in the oil
and out of the air. You should use the vacuum for the drilling and edge routing
operations.
●Keep hair and loose clothing away from moving parts. Be mindful of the Z-axis lead
screw.
●Prometheus in operation represents a pinch hazard - keep hands away from moving
parts.
●Keep hands away from the bit and spindle motor during operation.
If at any time you observe a dangerous condition turn the power switch off or disconnect
power immediately.
Keep in mind that if you ever want to shutdown or restart abruptly, you should do
the following: turn off power to Prometheus, quit ProCAM, relaunch ProCAM, unplug the
USB cable, reinsert the USB cable, and apply power to Prometheus. Do all of these steps,
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otherwise ProCAM will attempt to keep sending commands if all you did was cycle power to
Prometheus.
The Prometheus PCB Milling Machine
Fig. 2: Prometheus. Z-axis lead screw (1), spindle motor (2), motor plate plunger (3), motor plate
(4), milling table (5), X-axis rail (6).
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The Spindle
Say hi to our spindle. It is custom made and there are no others like it. Instead of a
traditional collet it uses what we call a “bit clamp”. Here is what the spindle looks like:
Fig. 3: The spindle motor (1), motor plate plunger (2), spindle housing (3), bit clamp (4).
We designed our spindle and bits to work together to provide you with fantastic specs at an
affordable price. However, the trade-off made with this design is that only our bits may be
used with the Prometheus spindle. The spindle will not accept other bits and trying to force
non-Zippy Robotics bits into it could damage the spindle bearings. You can find more bits
at our online store, shop.zippyrobotics.com.
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Installing Bits
To install a bit, insert a bit through the bearing held in the bit clamp (video).
Be careful if you’re installing a delicate (small diameter) bit - you don’t want to crash
the tip of the bit into the bit clamp or the bearing - instead, you want to thread it
through the bearing until the plastic depth ring on the bit touches the bearing.
Fig. 4: The bit clamp and the bit clamp with bit inserted. Note the bearing in the center of the bit
clamp. That bearing may come out when removing the bit from the spindle - that’s fine - just put
it back inside the bit clamp before loading the next bit.
Now you can insert the bit with the bit clamp into the spindle (video). To do so, push the
motor swivel plate to the left to ensure the pin is down and holding the swivel plate away
from the spindle block. Find the hole at the bottom of the spindle block and gently insert
the bit into that hole by pushing the bit clamp upwards until the plastic depth ring prevents
any further travel. Then, rotate the bit clamp so that it magnetically snaps in place.
The view of the spindle from the bottom. The bearing in the center has an inside diameter of .125
inches. That is where you insert the bit with the bit clamp.
The last step is to engage the motor. This is done by pulling the motor engagement
pin up and allowing the swivel plate spring to pull the motor toward the bit. If you
forget to do this, your bit will break when Prometheus tries to mill or drill with it
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because it won’t be spinning! To check that the motor is engaged you can rotate the
outside can of the motor by hand and verify that the bit rotates.
The process to remove bits is the reverse of installing them. First, disengage the motor by
rotating the plunger knob clockwise until it unlocks and then pushing the motor swivel
plate to the left until the pin drops down to lock the plate in position.
Next, rotate the bit clamp 90° so that you can then slide it downwards. Sometimes the bit
will come down with the clamp. If the bit is still held in place by the spindle block you can
just hold it by the depth ring and slide it down.
Sometimes, the bearing which is normally seated in the bit clamp may become loose or
remain on the bit when you slide the bit clamp away; this is okay. You’ll just have to put the
bearing back into place inside the bit clamp for the next bit.
The Worktable
The worktable has been milled flat for you at the factory. The brass bar that runs along the
left side is used as a touch plate. It provides a consistent reference point for the height of
the tool tip. It is how Prometheus “knows” where the tool tip is along the Z axis. Keep it
clean and ensure that tape or other objects do not cover it during operation.
The other use of the brass bar is as a clamping point for the alligator clip. One end clips to
the bar and the other clips to the copper-clad board during probing operations. ProCAM
will remind you to check this connection with a pop-up. Don’t forget it!
Before You Begin, You Must Software-Calibrate
Before using Prometheus for the first time you’ll need to calibrate it (video
here) using ProCAM (ProCAM will save it afterwards so you won’t need to
repeat this every time you use it). If you move Prometheus from one PC
to another, you will have to repeat this calibration, as the calibration
data stays with the PC and not in Prometheus’s hardware.
The purpose of calibrating is to ensure that X and Y squareness is preserved in the PCB
artwork, even if there is an angular misalignment between the X and Y axes. If you see a
square on the screen, you want a square on the board - not some other quadrilateral.
Calibrating ensures good front-to-back layer and hole alignment.
Start by clicking the “Calibrate” button on the lower part of ProCAM’s window. You’ll need to
use the calibrate card for this procedure. The steps are as follows:
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1. Ensure that the sacrificial surface is adhered to the milling table
using double-sided tape (video). It may provide a better surface for
which to place the calibrate card. We recommend at least 4 flat
pieces of tape across the length of the sacrificial layer.
2. Position the calibrate card on the table top side up just as if you
were preparing to mill a copper-clad board. Center the card
between the two notches in the milling table. The number “1” on
the card should be towards the lower-left corner of the table.
3. Retract the spindle upwards along the Z axis by clicking the buttons in the “Move
Tool Z” section. Install a small diameter bit once you have enough room to do so. In
this case of calibrating (and this case only) you may find it helpful to not secure the
bit with the bit clamp. engaging/disengaging the motor will hold the bit in place. This
gives you the flexibility to disengage the motor and slide the bit down by hand to
touch the card and check that you’re exactly where you want to be. This will make
more sense in later steps. Not securing the bit with the bit clamp is only acceptable
because we aren’t actually turning the spindle on. Never attempt
milling/drilling/routing without the bit clamp and its bearing in place.
4. Click “Go To Point 1 Setpt” if it’s safe to do so. “Safe” means there’s nothing in the
way of the spindle or table because they are going to move to position the bit near
point 1 on the calibration card. The bit will move once you click “Go To Point 1
Setpt”, to the setpoint marked “1”. It will not position the bit exactly over #1’s
crosshairs, but it will save you time for the next step.
5. Use the “Move Tool X/Y” section of buttons to move the bit in X (left/right) and in Y
(away/towards you) directions. You must position the bit so it’s X/Y coordinates put
it directly above the crosshairs near point #1. It’ll be helpful to control the Z-axis as
well. Don’t go down too close using the Move Tool Z buttons because you don’t want
to accidentally crash the bit into the table and potentially break the bit. Instead, you
can disengage the motor and manually drop the bit during the last ⅛” or ¼”. You can
also manually turn the Z-axis lead screw. Look at the bit from the front and the sides
to ensure it’s centered above the crosshairs. Once it’s centered, click “Store current
location as Point 1”. This will save your measurement.
6. Make sure the bit is fully inserted again and the motor is engaged so it doesn’t fall
out. Make sure there is enough clearance between the bit and the table for the next
move, by using the Move Tool Z buttons or manually turning the Z-axis. Then click
“Go To Point 2 Setpt” to move to the approximate point 2 location of the calibrate
card. In this step you don’t need to center above the crosshairs for point 2. Instead,
simply move the tool left and right to get it directly above the line that connects
point 1 and point 2, going through both crosshairs. This is easier to do because you
only have to move along one axis. Once the bit is directly above the line, click “Store
current location as Point 2”. This will save your measurement.
7. Repeat the previous step for point 3. Again, don’t center over the crosshairs;
position over the line, with the bit near point 3 just like it was near point 2 before.
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8. With all 3 points stored, you are now calibrated! Move the bit up along Z and remove
it. Close the Calibration window. You will not have to repeat this (unless you move
Prometheus to another computer). It might make sense to record the X and Y values
for each of the 3 points, so if you have to enter this in a new PC you can skip
mounting the card and just jog the bit to each point and click the store buttons.
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Walkthrough
How to Use PROMETHEUS
You’re now going to complete a walkthrough to make a sample PCB in order to learn
everything you need to know to operate PROMETHEUS (video here). You will use ProCAM to
import Gerber files and choose cutting tools to generate the tool path to control
PROMETHEUS. You will use PROMETHEUS to probe, mill, drill, and then flip the board and
probe, mill, and route.
Did you know? “Tools” in this context refers to end mills, drill bits, and router bits. End
mills are bits that are designed to cut from the side, unlike drill bits which are designed
to plunge into a material to make holes. Our router bits are similar to end mills but we
give them that name because they are specifically designed to cut all the way through
the copper-clad laminate and cut out the border of your PCB. Our end mills are used to cut away
the copper layer.
1. Load all your Gerber files located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Zippy
Robotics
Load your files from top to bottom using the Import Gerbers menu on the left,
omitting files if needed (for example, if your board does not have a bottom layer you would
skip that one). Why do we recommend this order? Because some PCB design software
generate drill files or cutout files that don’t include units (inches or mm) or the format; in
this case ProCAM uses what it detects in the top or bottom Gerber file, for instance, thus
avoiding an error. For the sample files, .gtl is for the top layer, .gbl for the bottom, .drl for
the drill file, and .gm1 for the edge (cutout) file.
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Click on “Browse” for each item to load the appropriate file.
2. Choose the bits you want to use to mill the top and/or bottom.
You want to use the largest size that still lets you get into the smallest spaces. .0197” is
probably quite good for most DIP through-hole boards and you may need as small as the
.005” 15° tapered end mill for SMD boards. If the tool paths (shown as green lines around
the copper in the images of your Gerber files) look good you may click “Continue” to go to
the preview screen. For these sample files we’ll choose .005” 15 deg. end mills for both top
and bottom.
3. Secure the sacrificial layer onto the milling table.
We recommend at least 4 flat pieces of tape across the length of the sacrificial layer. Ensure
there are no wrinkles or overlaps when applying the tape so that it makes good contact
and doesn’t introduce high spots/deflection in the board. Make sure it’s adhered all across
the milling table.
If you push down in one spot and the sacrificial layer lifts back up a bit, then it is
not adhered well. It needs to be sturdy. The same goes for the copper-clad board in the
next step.
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4. Set the board down with double-sided tape.
Same as the sacrificial layer, we recommend at least 4 pieces of double-sided tape that
extend the whole length of the board. Ensure there are no wrinkles or overlaps when
applying the tape so that it makes good contact and doesn’t introduce high spots/deflection
in the board. ProCAM can correct for a warped surface with its surface tracking feature, but
we shouldn’t try to make it more difficult. Most important - make sure the board is solidly
adhered to the milling table (or sacrificial layer) everywhere. There should be no “give” or
bounce when you press down on the corners/edges of the board. If there is, it may be
because the tape did not adhere well and it is recommended to clean the surface and try
again. Why is this important? Because otherwise, the board will move away from the milling
bit when it tries to mill and it may not cut deep enough. The surface tracking feature can
probe the peaks and valleys of the board to ensure a proper cutting depth throughout the
board, but only if the board isn’t moving away from the end mill when it plunges into it.
5. Click Continue to go to the Control Panel
You’ll see a preview of the board after clicking Continue.
6. Probe the top side
Make sure the alligator clip wire is connected to the brass bar and to the copper clad.
7. Mill the top side
Apply mineral oil where needed, use eye and ear protection, click the “mill” button.
8. If double-sided, holes must be drilled
9. Remove the board
10. Secure the board bottom-side up using double sided tape
11. Use ProCAM to identify the bottom-side placement
Click “Locate Holes” and follow the video.
12. Probe the bottom side
13. Mill the bottom side
14. Route out the board
You’re done!
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Generating Your Own Gerber Files for ProCAM
There are some things you must know about to import your own design files into ProCAM.
We’ve tested ProCAM with many popular PCB design packages (Altium, Eagle, KiCad,
Ultiboard, Diptrace, Upverter, etc) but If you run into issues please send us an email.
The most important thing is that you make sure that when you export your files that they
are aligned and all the PCB artwork is in the positive quadrant of the X/Y axes.
GerbView showing the top layer Gerber of the footprint test file. The X and Y axes are shown in
blue and the artwork in green. As you can see, the artwork is in the positive quadrant (the
upper-right). This is correct. If any artwork extends into other quadrants, or is greater than a 6” X
4” rectangle in the positive quadrant then it will be clipped when importing into ProCAM. 6” X 4”
is the maximum working area of Prometheus.
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