Help please. Dip switches and mach 3 settings

[Clive S]

nd. I did this because it says in the manual to avoid having a common ground with a welder. And I do use one quite often. I did not connect the shielding to anything. I.ve only tried yesterday to connect one end of the shielding at the vfd end to see if it makes any difference, and it did not, and also disconecting the spindle ground from the vfd did not do anything (as by default there is not a 4th wire available). No shielding it connected at any end for the steppers or the limit switches. The only non shielded wires are the mains for everything, pc, sources, drivers, breakout board and vfd.
All the wires go togheter in a cable drag chain.

It is important to connect all the shields to a star point at the control box. Including grounding the router frame.

Only ground one end of the shields. Also make sure the various mounting plates are also grounded to the star point.

With a gantry that wide I think you will need two screws to stop it racking this can be done with one motor and a long belts or two motors one each side.

[Radu_Andrei]

Hi Clive,
Thank for your reply.
What do you mean by a star point?
So I should connect all the shieldings at one end for the spindle, the steppers and the limit switches, to a common point in the case. The frame has a common ground/earth with the spindle, which goes into the vfd and from there into one iron rod in the ground. Everything else, has the ground wires sent into the main electrical grid.

After all the shields are connected to this star point, where should this star point be wired to?

Regards,
Andrei

[Clive S]

Hi Clive,
What do you mean by a star point?
So I should connect all the shieldings at one end for the spindle, the steppers and the limit switches, to a common point in the case. The frame has a common ground/earth with the spindle, which goes into the vfd and from there into one iron rod in the ground. Everything else, has the ground wires sent into the main electrical grid.

After all the shields are connected to this star point, where should this star point be wired to?

Regards,
Andrei

OK I am not familiar with how you receive you incoming mains in your country In the UK the electric company supplies a ground point (that in general is also connected to our neutral) But in Spain in the country areas the supply does not include a ground So you have you use an earth rod in the property.

In your case I think I would connect the shield of the cy4 core going to the spindle to the star point at the control box end only. Ie don't connect the other end to the earth in the VFD.

Thee start point is connected to the main ground (if that is a earth rod then that)

What you are trying to achieve is not to get any ground loops.

Do you need to take the mains for the VFD into the control box.

[Radu_Andrei]

The mains is of 3 wires, live. neutral and earth, the earth going to the utility pole as well.
I did run a separate earth metal rod, because it said in the vfd manual to avoid having the same ground with a welder, and I do weld quite a bit these days.
From what I understand so far, I.ll unite all shieldings from all components in the utility box, and only at that end, and run everything into an earth, be it back in the mains or the metal rod.
If I got it right, I.ll do so in the next days and come back with the results.

Thank you.

[Clive S]

From what I understand so far, I.ll unite all shieldings from all components in the utility box,

By utility box do you mean where your incoming mains is or your control box?

The star point should be in the control box and then connected to your incoming mains earth.

There are plenty of people that use welders without problems ( it is possible that the ground rod is creating a loop)

I use cat5 cable for signals as it has twisted pairs, but you can use any small screened cable

edit: there are other methods to get rid of EMI using ferrite rings on the incoming mains to the VFD

Good look with the mods

[Radu_Andrei]

Sorry, my mistake. I meant the box where all drivers and sources are, I assume control box it.s the name for that.

[Clive S]

Sorry, my mistake. I meant the box where all drivers and sources are, I assume control box it.s the name for that.

Yes.