Game on!

[Voicecoil]

Had to take a break from this for a few weeks due to the pressures of (paying) work, but now I'm back with a vengeance and looking to get it finished ASAP. First I've installed the steppers and wiring into the base:

then it was time to start putting the gantry together:

here's getting the rails levelled:

Just realised I need to get the oiling sorted before I go any further, so there's been some frantic buying of bits on the bay of fleas this afternoon: more pics coming it a few days when they land!

[Voicecoil]

So I've mostly gone with an idea Lee suggested, using 4mm pneumatic connectors/tube to supply lubrication to inaccessible parts:


On the HGH15's I couldn't find any suitable adaptors so had to turn up some barbed brass push on thingies:


Tried the same on the long axis, but then realised they would foul the ballscrew covers:

Tried spinning the ballnuts through 180 degrees but then found everything was seizing up - turned out the ballnuts weren't concentric on the screws - thanks Fred - so those are going to have to be a manual lube.
On the subject of lubrication, does anyone know where I can buy a sensible quantity of synthetic semi-fluid grease please? Looks like to be the DB's for this sort of setup.
Z-axis ont' gantry:

So onto the wiring... Found that the closed-loop steppers have the connectors on the encoder cables of such a length that they would sit in EXACTLY the wrong place - half way down the drag chain

....so had to do some inline splicing......

and to finish off added a touch off probe socket into the base

So onto the wiring

[Wal]

>On the subject of lubrication, does anyone know where I can buy a sensible quantity of synthetic semi-fluid grease please?

My mini-mill has no practical way to get oil to the ball-nuts or the bearings riding on the supported rails, instead I lift the rubber skirts every once in a while and squirt a load of a TF2 Teflon oil onto the shiny bits:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tf2+...99006240699812

No doubt this isn't the done thing, but having done it for five or so years, I'll probably keep doing it. There's logic for ya.

Nice build BTW.

Wal.

[Voicecoil]

After a lengthy break due to Bonfire Night commitments I started work on the control box a few weeks back, and it's getting there now, in spite of being much more of a ball-ache than I anticipated* - I've never had to do so many screw terminals up in my life! Anyway here's a pic from a few days ago, everything's in there now apart from the stepper power supply limiter/clamp module which I'm making.

[mekanik]

Did you forget something, ventilation ?

[Voicecoil]

Errr, no - I'm a cool dude when it comes to electronics at least . Sorry for the poor pic, due to the direction of the lighting it's not too easy to see, but there's a fan on the bottom LHS, you can just about make out the chrome grille. The exit is in the top RHS, just above and behind the VFD, which I reckon is what's going to make the most heat.

[Muzzer]

Use a simple household thermostat to control a cabinet fan so it comes on at ~30C or so.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-...ermostat/7593g

Or a process controller
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PID-Digit....c100005.m1851

CPC are good place to look for fans - cheaper than Farnell (sister company) or RS. Mains or 12V / 24V
https://cpc.farnell.com/w/c/electron...=fans&aka_re=1

[Voicecoil]

Finally got the control box wired up late last night. It turned out to be much more of a PITA than anticipated, and wasn't helped by paying work/Christmas/New Year getting in the way. Anyway here it is:

Here's the little clipper/clamp thing I was talking about, seems to work OK on the bench, clips the charging waveform to the HT reservoir cap at 45.5V at high mains/off load conditions and clamps stepper back-EMF at 49V.:Whist making it I realised I could add a cap and make it do soft start as well.


If I find myself doing another machine, I'll likely do things a bit differently, having a small "sort out" box mounted on the machine to minimise the wiring, also I'll put the closed loop stepper drivers on the machine as well - that way the step/direction signals can be easily run on some small multi-twisted pair cable on e.g. M12 connectors.

[ericks]

I just completed a panel. Was going to offer it for sale but decided to use it on my own machine. The way i do the ventilation/cooling is filter on side bottom and fan on side top opposite side. Been doing it this way in control panels for many years...no issues. Separation between "noisy" and low voltage devices and wiring is also very important, that way noise related issues would be greatly eliminated :)
As you can see i used plugs for all the external devices cause this was a plug and play unit for sale. Same as you i used the AXBB-E and although it works good the way they designed it makes wiring a bit complicated....i am currently working on a better solution for that. Another thing i am working on is to make wiring to the sensor plugs easier and faster. Just thought this might give you some ideas for your next one :)

[ericks]

Good job by the way!!