Great looking build @Jake Fry This would be an awesome build on its own! Looking forward to more pictures as well. Thanks Jake Mark
Nice build. I'd like to see how you put that enclosure together as I plan to do something similar with mine.
Tim I posted some more pictures of the inside of the electronics enclosure. Let me know if you have any questions.
M1les, The dimensions are exactly the same as Mark's plans (the v-slot is 750mm for the Y axis and 500mm for the X axis). As far as cost... I intentionally didn't keep track so I could maintain plausible deniability when asked by wife about the seemingly endless stream of boxes arriving from OpenBuilds, Amazon, McMaster-Carr, etc. If I had to guess, I'd say around $1000. I'm sure I could have saved some loot along the way, but I'm a little OCD and I wanted things done right. Hope that helps!
Thanks for posting those pictures. Is that a relay I see to control the router on/off through software? I'll be using the same router and have plans to do that when building my enclosure.
There is a relay and a transistor to turn the spindle on/off. The transistor uses the 5V logic level from the xPro to switch 12V to the relay which, in turn, switches 110V for the router. I followed the plans on the xPro CNC wiki: https://github.com/Spark-Concepts/xPRO/blob/master/Drawings/Simple_MotorConrol.pdf?raw=true
Hello Jake! I'm extremely impressed! I am very new to all of this (CNC's that is) and I was hoping I could get a helping hand/advice. I have all my Ox parts on the way except for a spindle mount, and the switches. I would love to be able to copy your controller box setup if that's ok, it looks very clean and in order. I have several questions if you don't mind. Otherwise I apologize in advance!! 1)What size stepper are you using for the Z-axis, I plan to use my Porter Cable 892, and I'm worried the Nema 17 won't suffice. 2)Were did you get your spindle mount? 3)Did you cut the panels for the controller box with your CNC? 4)Also, do you have a .skp or .dxf file you could share if so? 5)Are the illuminated switches on the front momentary and what are their specs? 6)What type of plugs on the front did you use for the motors/limit switches (they look like 4 pin aviation plugs)? 7)Are you slaving the second Y-axis or using "<A> Motor" on the XPro? 8)What software are you using? Last question I promise! 9)Where did you get everything for the controller box that isn't on the openbuilds part store?
No worries on the questions, I'm happy to help. 1) All the steppers are NEMA 23 2) The spindle mount came from Chris Laidlaw (chrisclub1 on eBay) 3) I did cut the panels for the enclosure with the machine. Acrylic is a little challenging. The minimum speed of the router is still pretty fast so I had some melting issues with the engraving but it turned out well. Cutting the acrylic worked great with a 2 flute upcut spiral from Inventables.com. 4) I'll get back to you on the .skp or .dxf (see question 8, I'm not sure what format I can export) 5) Switches are momentary. I bought them on eBay here. One tip, the LED has a MAX voltage of 6V. Don't hook it up to 12V... it will be very bright for a very short time. 6) The aviation plugs for the motors/limit switches came from Amazon here. Some are 4 pin, some are 2 pin. They are not the greatest quality, but they did the job. One thing to note, I used 1/4" acrylic and there were barely enough threads on the switches to get the nuts on the back. If I had to do it over, I would use thinner acrylic, or mill out around the holes where the plugs mount. (I did this on the back panel for the switches from the power supply and the the 110V outlet for the router.) 7) I use the <A> Motor input on the xPro for the second Y-axis motor. 8) I'm currently using Universal gCode Sender to talk to the controller and VCarve Pro for the CAD/CAM. I also played around with SketchUCam/SketchUp. 9) Most of the electronics enclosure is actually the guts from an ATX power supply. I took the power switch, 110V/220V selector switch, power cord plug, cooling fan, and the power supply PCB out of the ATX enclosure since I wanted to use the 20x80 vslot and it was too tall in the box. The acrylic for the front/back/top/bottom and all the screws came from McMaster Carr. The E-Stop button, panel mount USB cable, and 110V outlet came from Amazon. The relay, transistor, and fuse holder came from Mouser Electronics. The xPro CNC came from SparkConcepts. The V-Slot and T-nuts came from OpenBuilds part store. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you Jake! That was very helpful. I am still curious about some of the wiring. I have the 12V 30A DC power supply. 1)Is there any advantage to using ATX? 2)Could you take a picture of the back panel with specs on the outlets and switches? I'm assuming you have a power switch on the back and I saw the E-stop on top? Can you explain the wiring of the back switches, etc. 3)Could you explain the wiring of the pause, start, reset buttons, I see where the white/green/black plugged in, but I couldn't see exactly where the red and black went from the photos (probably me, your photos are great!) If it isn't too much trouble, could you explain all of the wiring in terms of everything except the steppers, I'm just worried about my ability to wire a power switch and E-stop, which leads to my 4th question. I apologize for redundancy, I'm just trying to get all the question I have in my head on the screen, and worried I am forgetting something I might need help with, and that I am asking to much of you. 4)I'm also curious how I can wire a power switch and E-stop with the 12V 30A DC power supply instead of the ATX. I have looked at the wiring diagrams of CNC xPro, and the LED switches worry me, but I definitely want LED buttons. 5)Should I use 24V or the ATX power supply? 6)Can you explain the Buffered Output (N-MOSFET) and Buffered Output (NPN Darlington)? What are they for/what do they do? 7) Take your time on a DXF or SKP or whatever format you have access to for the controller box, but what is the length of the box? I have access to AutoCAD and Sketchup, so whatever works for you, I'll find a way to accommodate to you, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your help! Lastly! 8)Where did you get the plugs for the momentary switches/E-stop & stepper motors, did you just cut off the ends from the steppers. Once again, I apologize for redundancy and the multitude of questions. I promise I'll pass the knowledge you are giving me along to the next Openbuild-er who needs help, and I'll definitely refer to your build as my goal/inspiration, its awesome!
Where did you get the grey and black wire conduit for the aviation plugs? I have searched everywhere and can only find heat shrink. Please Help!!
Nice electronics housing. If I wanted to learn more about making enclosures like that and proper wiring setups where would I look? I've just been playing with this rep rap stuff and cars, but I need to get on your level! lol