wiring e-stop button

[deannos]

the link works now

[JAZZCNC]

What a shit manuel that is why bother.?

Anyway to answer your Q just put one of the wires from the E-stop to any input connection then the other wire to Ground connection. Then in the control software IE Mach just assign that input number to the E-stop input option in ports n pins setup.

Edit: Regards Switch being wired 2 ways it will be either normally open (NO) or normally closed (NC) wire it NC. If your using Mach and it won't reset or doesn't come out of E-stop then just toggle the active hi-lo setting in ports n pins.

[deannos]

What a shit manuel that is why bother.?

Anyway to answer your Q just put one of the wires from the E-stop to any input connection then the other wire to Ground connection. Then in the control software IE Mach just assign that input number to the E-stop input option in ports n pins setup.

Thanks Jazz,

But how do i wire the switch, am i breaking a circuit or making one

[JAZZCNC]

Wire the switch so the circuit is made (NC) then when you hit the switch it breaks the circuit. Really it doesn't matter which way because you can change the active hi -lo setting but best wired NC then if the wire breaks the machine will stop letting you know something is wrong.

If your just testing the system then wiring the E-stop this way which is basicly software controlled is ok. But if you want to be truely protect your machine and your self then you ought to look at using a hard wired E-stop that kills the power rather than just tells the software to stop. Software driven E-stop is NOT safe.

See my Edit of #4

[Jonathan]

But if you want to be truely protect your machine and your self then you ought to look at using a hard wired E-stop that kills the power rather than just tells the software to stop. Software driven E-stop is NOT safe.

Another way is to make the E-stop switch interrupt the stepper motor step signals (resistor + switch to ground would do it, or better an AND gate on each), or use their enable input if they have one. That way the motors remain powered upon e-stop and make sure the axis' doesn't move. If you just cut the power to the stepper drivers then there's a very slight chance they may be damaged (but then it's an emergency after all, so that shouldn't matter?), but more importantly the motor could keep spinning for a bit due to it's inertia, or gravity with the Z-axis. I once had a power cut whilst my machine was cutting aluminium and it caused the cutter to plunge into the material and shatter - the Z-axis dropped due to gravity.

Having said that I've not bothered with any of this :whistling: ... but that's not reason for anyone else not to.

[JAZZCNC]

Another way is to make the E-stop switch interrupt the stepper motor step signals (resistor + switch to ground would do it, or better an AND gate on each), or use their enable input if they have one. That way the motors remain powered upon e-stop and make sure the axis' doesn't move. If you just cut the power to the stepper drivers then there's a very slight chance they may be damaged (but then it's an emergency after all, so that shouldn't matter?), but more importantly the motor could keep spinning for a bit due to it's inertia, or gravity with the Z-axis. I once had a power cut whilst my machine was cutting aluminium and it caused the cutter to plunge into the material and shatter - the Z-axis dropped due to gravity.

Having said that I've not bothered with any of this :whistling: ... but that's not reason for anyone else not to.

Yes this works ok for killing motion but it won't do much for you if the spindle grabs you. Plus interia will still move a powered stepper if going fast eneough.
If you want a truely safe EMERGENCY STOP then you kill power and that includes the spindle. . . It's not difficult or expensive just a few relays and some wire.
Lots of folks think because it's just Hobbie CNC then this level of safety hisn't required. . . this will be ok 99% of the time but it only takes 1% to chop your fingers off or crush your hand.!! Even the smaller steppers will crush your hand in the blink of an eye just as will the light duty trend/kress spindles slice your fingers off.! . . . His it worth the risk for £10-15 quid more.? Not to me it hisn't. . . .To use none at all is just plane stupid.!

[Jonathan]

Yes this works ok for killing motion but it won't do much for you if the spindle grabs you.

Yes of course you'd include the spindle in the circuit I described ... though that was obvious! Just don't do it by cutting power to the VFD - that's safer I guess but it's likely to break the VFD.

Plus interia will still move a powered stepper if going fast eneough.

Potentially, but nowhere near as much as if it was just disconnected.