First Proper CNC Router

[diycnc]

Transformer arived today. Very please to see it came with a mount bracket too. Couldn't wait to test it so wired it up, only to spend half hour trying to figure out why there was no output voltage... turns out my multimeter had died! Try again tomorrow with a new one.

Thinking of building a small wooded cabinet for all the electronics, maybe with a plexiglass window if I can keep my wiring looking nice and tidy. Are wooded cabinets considered safe?

[AndyUK]

Thinking of building a small wooded cabinet for all the electronics, maybe with a plexiglass window if I can keep my wiring looking nice and tidy. Are wooded cabinets considered safe?

I don't think theres anything wrong with a wooden cabinet - plenty of people do it. I think metal is probably better at keeping moisture out, (electrical) noise in, and means anything that manages to go bang is contained by a strong earth-connected box, but its probably overkill for many of these machines. From a financial perspective, my metal cab certainly wasn't cheap, and I'm pretty sure its not going to add any functionality to my build. I have a sneaking suspicion mine is mainly for aesthetics....

Another option is to grab yourself a server rack with a glass front (reasonably inexpensive on ebay - especially the kits or 2nd hand), or use a large PC case.

[cropwell]

Another option is to grab yourself a server rack with a glass front (reasonably inexpensive on ebay - especially the kits or 2nd hand), or use a large PC case.

Server cabinets are cheap enough, the larger ones can't be given away sometimes. I have one dismantled in storage, deep enough to put a tool cabinet in the front and the control electronics in the back.

I built my control box in an old computer case, with the computer in another :-


It got a bit messy recently when I splashed it with a solution of black ABS, nothing like the mess when a spray can exploded on my garage

Cheers,

Rob-T