Comments sought on new build: A CNC Router for RC Gliders and Planes

**njhussey** · 02-07-2015

Well bits came the other day so swapped out the MCB'S for fuses on the PSU to driver +ve leads as well as the 240V supply to the X axis driver.

Should I put a D type MCB in the 240V power feed before it goes through the door interlock (1st item the power goes through)???

**njhussey** · 03-07-2015

A bit of wiring this afternoon...

I've taken one end of the screen back to the star point by soldering an earth wire to the screen and taking that back via the signal side of the cabinet.

**Clive S** · 06-07-2015

Originally Posted by njhussey

A bit of wiring this afternoon...

Beautiful work.

How about making some of these;-

**njhussey** · 06-07-2015

Originally Posted by Clive S

Beautiful work.

Cheers Clive!!

How about making some of these;-

If I had a 3D printer I would.....now if there was someone out there who could make those then I'm sure I'd be in the market for 3 of them (plus a Nema34 one...).....

**routercnc** · 06-07-2015

Looking good now Neil !

I'm no expert here but on my control layout I earthed the stepper driver end of my shielded cables, with the shield running all the way out to the motor without interuption. It looks like you have earthed the 'middle' of the cable if you intend to connect another cable from the terminal blocks out to the motor?

The photos are close in so I might have mis-understood. But you might be better turning the stepper cables around so the earth connection is done on the driver end, and the shields are joined to each other at the terminal block. Or better still might be to complete the run from stepper driver to stepper motor in one complete un-interupted cable, and earth the shield at the driver end.

Someone may jump in with the science on this one, and I could easily be wrong (!) but that was how I interpreted the earth shielding requirements.

**Clive S** · 06-07-2015

Originally Posted by njhussey

If I had a 3D printer I would.....now if there was someone out there who could make those then I'm sure I'd be in the market for 3 of them (plus a Nema34 one...).....

I made a few on the 3d printer but they take quite a few hours each.

But since then I have made them on the mill. I have made them with various plastics and also the reconstituted rubber from tyres that they seem to make decking and posts out of but that is full of crap and holes.
.
On the mil they take about 20 min with the tool changes once setup. For the undercut I use a T-slot cutter.
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The order in the way I do it is from the solid drill the 4 holes then reduce the block down, hollow out the centre, profile the outside, do the undercut then turn the piece over in the vice then cut the bottom off to release the part. Then put it back in the vice to profile the gland hole out. This was all done from a dxf file with Vetric Aspire ..Clive

edit Tool used 6mm endmill, T-slot cutter and drill.

Here is a link to buy them http://www.soigeneris.com/nema_23_st...r-details.aspx but you would need to check carefully if they fit

**Jonathan** · 06-07-2015

Originally Posted by Clive S

Here is a link to buy them http://www.soigeneris.com/nema_23_st...r-details.aspx but you would need to check carefully if they fit

The advert says they're for 57mm motors, not 60mm, so yes... be cautious.

**njhussey** · 06-07-2015

A bit more wiring.....

I moved the -ve terminals from on the PSU to the din rail, neater and shorter wires...

Wired up the Z stepper...

Put a cable tie holder just to stop the cable from pulling for the time being until there is a cover on the Z axis and a cable gland in the cover...

Unpacked the new PC for the router...

Started it up....just need to load Mach3 on and do some configuring, wire X & Y steppers up and then we'll see what happens...

**njhussey** · 06-07-2015

Barry, im going to have the cables from the steppers coming in to the control cabinet and earth them to the star point and the cables from the drivers are also earthed at the star point. They connect via the din terminals. I'm also contemplating having a junction box on the machine and wiring to that and then the motors etc....

**Clive S** · 06-07-2015

Originally Posted by njhussey

Barry, im going to have the cables from the steppers coming in to the control cabinet and earth them to the star point and the cables from the drivers are also earthed at the star point. They connect via the din terminals. I'm also contemplating having a junction box on the machine and wiring to that and then the motors etc....

I think you are fine with the earthing effectively earthed part way down the cable as long as you don't make a loop ie earth both ends. I don't think it is a good idea with the junction box on the router in my humble opinion what is the point in chopping a perfectly good cable and then putting a join in it. ..Clive