AndyUK's Build - 1.2x1.0m Gantry

[AndyUK]

Lets talk cabinet layout for a moment or two.

I've just started a thread about tidy wiring (here) so I'm currently still deciding how to do my wiring channels (shown as green in the annotated diagram) as neatly as possible, but I think I've got a plan for the overall layout.



As you can see, I've silently been buying more and more electronical bits (psst... please don't tell the wife how much this stuff costs...). My plan is to have the drives vertical in the bottom right with heatsinks facing each other, right by the inlet fan. The outlet fan will then be at the top of the case directly above the VFD (or possibly top left facing out sideways... which might be better from a water point of view if the roof were to leak (a real possibility in my garage...). My thinking here is that they'll have the most urgent cooling need in the cabinet, so they get the coldest air first. I'll probably put the two X drives at the top, as they'll be working the hardest and I don't want their heat transferring to the Y and Z drives - Who knows if that logic makes any sense or not? Maybe it should even be the other way around...

This position allows the driver outputs to get straight out through the GX20 connections on the base, and the input signals can come directly in from the right hand edge (as shown) of the UB1 where all the step and direction signals come from. The drive PSU is a little awkward here, but shouldn't be too far for the power to get to the drives from the right hand side of the PSU.

The GX16 connections (limit switches, homing switches etc) also come in at the bottom and can go straight up to the UB1.

My plan is for mains to come in bottom left, skirt behind or up the side of the PSU, and into the distribution/fuses area. From there each mains device will connect via individual EMF filters and relays/contactors/big on off switch as required.

Finally, theres a low voltage section up top. My plan for this is to have the safety / 24V circuits up here. This is where the control panel will interface - I have a selection of LED buttons for this, each with a specific function in mind, but I still haven't decided exactly where the panel will go (having a glass fronted cabinet is nice, but not so many options for things like buttons!).

Anyhow, I hope that either this post is helpful to others, or someone can point out any glaring problems or things I've not thought about! Update on the mechanicals soon - there is currently paint drying, and the garage has been even messier than usual in the last few weeks so I've not gotten around to photographing and writing up the most recent developments.