Thanks for the info Evan... Im not a big fan of buying equipment twice, so I planned on buying a Ethernet smooth stepper, run through a BoB into some gecko drivers (or similar). All of this would definitely set me back a couple months saving up for electronics. Your list of equipment is doable almost immediately! I already have an Uno and bought the steppers with the kit! Im going to have a hard time coming up with a computer using a serial port but will start looking today. Cant wait for the kit to show up so I can get started. My 16 year old son is going to help me build it and I hope to teach him (learn together) how to create on this machine, with the goal of having him start his own small business or have the skills to apprentice at a shop somewhere. Id like to see him spend his early career actually learning something instead of flipping burger or running a cash register somewhere.

Thanks again for the input.

 

Here's the workbench I'm building. How to Make the Ultimate Garage Workbench » Curbly | DIY Design & Decor

Downloadable PDF plans and all.

 

Nah, Moag, it's not dangerous if you don't stand in front of it. What is dangerous is very short pieces of material that can get trapped between the blade and fence and twist. Have a couple of holes in the shop wall from that sort of thing. Long pieces are no problem, just don't stand there with your yarbles in front of the blade, and use a push stick.

I bought a carbide nonferrous metals saw blade from Amazon for $20, and I can't believe how well it works on aluminum. Doesn't cut MDF worth a crap, however.

 

Yeah, Rick 2.0, no kidding. I live in Canada where we invented the Fir tree, and it still costs an arm and a leg. And, they sure as heck don't have it at the local True Value hardware store...

 

FireHaus, you don't need a computer with a serial port. Arduinos use a USB connection. The computer just thinks its a serial port.

I'd add a Screw Terminal Shield to the Arduino just to make wiring easier. And go for the 24V supply right off the bat. It will give you way better torque on the motors compared to a 12v PS. You probably don't even need the high torque motors...

I use the cheap Chinese stepper drivers you can find on Ebay, Amazon, or at Sainsmart.com for $10 or a bit more. They work quite well enough. I just did a retrofit on an Oliver Intellicarve using an Ethernet Smooth Stepper and the Chinese stepper drivers. The guy was more than happy with how it works. I would go with the TB6600 based ones rather than the TB6560 ones, it's just a newer design chip.

BTW, love your Avatar. Hardly anyone has heard of Max Headroom these days...

MG

 

Thanks MG! I was definitely going to go with a bigger power supply. I'll admit, I'm a bit confused as to who would use expensive Geckos and $200 controllers etc vs who can get away with a $10 uno and $15 drivers.

Max is my twin, however, I don't talk like him.

 

Supposedly the G540 is much smoother and reliable. I personally dont see the difference outside of control software choices. The serial port controllers will allow you to use mach3/mach4 and other industrial contol softwares where as grbl has a more limited selection.

 

Finished up the build tonight. Off to work tomorrow for a 48, will be looking into wiring and software. Anyone have a rexommendation for cad/cam that will work with arduino?

 

Fusion 360 is where its at. Easy to use, one package, and its free.

 

Nice job FireHaus, Looks great.. It even has its own little home on that nice bench.

Have started my XL now, just submitted my build a little while ago.... I'm calling it "The Moagie Mill"

"The Moagie Mill" My C-Beam X Large

I Should win a free XL kit for that Build name LOL. !!

 

Thanks a million for the instruction write up Moag! Beautiful job!

 

I'm curious on how to wire up the steppers to a CNC xPro V2. My biggest worry is getting the two y steppers in sync

 

What part has you confused?
It should just be a matter of finding the stepper wire pairs and plugging them into the terminals. The A axis terminals is where you will plug in the second y motor.

 

Depends on the machine. If its a c-beam type with leadscrews, both motors are wired the same. If its a belt drive type like the OX, simply reverse one of the phases on one motor. With OB motors, one would be red-grn-yel-blu, the other would be grn-red-yel-blu.

 

The part I guess I'm more worried about is how do I get the 2 y stepper motors in sync with each other so that the bed on the c-beam machine xlarge moves uniformly.

 

Theyll be fine automatically as the drivers are 'slaved' and recieve the same signals from the computer. They will move the same amount of steps as long as you dont try to move too fast or run into something.

 

Just run the table to the end stops, they will synch automatically. If you make sure your table is square when you position the c-beams (measure from the table to the end of the beam on both sides), just manually running the table against the stops should ensure the motors are aligned. On the XLCBM you need to take care that both Y axis linear actuators are aligned properly when constructing it. With the XL Gantry plates you will harmlessly run the lead nut into the lock collar on the leadscrew at the end of travel. I still like to put rubber bumpers at the ends of travel on all axes to avoid jarring stops.

You should square the table every time you start a job (before doing a homing cycle) to ensure that your gantry is square to the work.

 

Thanks Glen! Looking forward to seeing how yours come along! What do you plan to run for electronics and software?

 

A quick newbie question... Can someone advise me as to the weight limit of a spindle / router on the Z-axis
for the XL?
Also, there is a good chance I will go to a Z-Axis lead screw actuator, but my concern is the X axis beam
deflection.

Cheers
Bob

 

There isnt a limit per se, but the lighter the better in general. The deflection of the x axis will be proportional to the weight on it so twice the weight, twice the deflection. My intuition tells me you can expect a few (3-5) thou of deflection with a 10 lb spindle at the center of the axis.

With more weight comes more stability though, your bit will be less likely to 'bounce' on the top of the workpiece. It will be a marginal difference though.

I wouldnt worry too much about the weight, just get something that works with your budget and isnt overkill for the machine.

 

Yeah, bolosmith59, don't try to mount a 3HP spindle on it...

You just have to live with the inherent strength (or not) of the C-Beam, and work within its limitations.

The XL already has a lead screw Z axis...

 

@FireHaus, When it comes to the electronics I have started digesting the various posts and information by the community and trying to get my head around what works and what almost works.... I don't have a problem going the Parallel route as I have old PC's etc. laying around, I just personally would rather a more modern interface per se and use an Ethernet option.

I am leaning towards an Ethernet Smooth Stepper board & Gecko G540 Combination or a SmoothieBoard (Love all the Breakout options) and using individual Gecko Drivers, not sure which model yet, (Great for fault finding cause you can swap drivers around easily). I am really not concerned about penny pinching, I would rather spend the money right the first time and get straight into the learning curve and hopefully learn with a stable platform, the danger while learning this stuff for me is I have nothing to compare with so I won't really know what should or should not be happening.

I have read quite a few posts with very positive feedback from people saying they eventually upgraded to Gecko drivers & wished they had of done that first up, this is probably the biggest reason I am leaning towards Gecko drivers, I also want to be sure that what ever I go with can supply the correct current drive for the OpenBuilds High Torque Nema23 Motors, I have read some of the cheaper options cannot supply enough current to drive them properly, so I would prefer to play it safe there.

That is my take on it so far, I have some time to decide yet so I am also open to suggestions but when it comes to the crunch, if I have to throw an extra $500-$1000 at the build just to have nice stable electronics that won't play games with me and confuse me while I am working out problems and learning, then I am more than happy to do so.

Cheers Glenn.

 

LIVE BUILD Day 1 was a success! Join us tonight for Day 2!

A must see if you are building this machine or thinking of building one in the future. Brady Kirkwood, an expert woodworker, builds his first CNC machine and let's us all in on the fun! It's totally live and anything can happen (as witnessed on Day 1! lol)

Thanks to all the OpenBuilds members who joined and shared advice from their build of the XLarge!!

LIVE STREAM DETAILS ARE HERE

 

If you want the best you can get and money isnt too much of an issue, clearpath servos look amazing.

Check out Chris Depriscos DIY VMC on youtube. He uses Clearpath servos with insane results. Fast rapids and the drivers are built into the unit as well as encoders for closed loop control.

 

DAY 2 live stream now available in the archive on twitch. Its a 2 part show with a text adventure game inbetween (you had to be there) Chat is also archived.

Brady finished the frame and began assembling the actuators. Tune in tomorrow night at 8:30pm!

 

Thanks,

Bob

 

I need a little help with a problem I have run into with my lead screws.

I ordered my parts off the BOM and the call was for (2 x 500mm) (1 x 1000mm) (1 x 250mm) Lead screws, so of coarse thats how I placed the order from the Makerstore, as you would, and these are the only specific lengths you can order from memory.

However as I have put my Y actuators together I can see that my lead screw is too short by the time I fit the endplates to the C-Beam and I cannot attach anything to them, like a motor !!.

So what am I missing, should the C-Beam be cut shorter to allow for the lead screw to poke out the end to attach to, or should the lead screw be shipped with this extra length to allow for attachment in mind. I didn't really want to cut the C-Beam shorter and therefore lose some cutting area, not that it's a huge amount but I will also have to re-tap the ends of the C-Beam again, so more work.

I would rather just buy new lead screws or get them exchanged but I am not sure if this is my fault or the suppliers fault, but then he would not of known what I was using them for, so it is not his fault really. What length lead screw ships from openbuilds if they are 500mm ?
I guess I need to know how are things shipped in the kit, is the lead screw slightly longer or is the C-Beam slightly shorter.

Cheers Glenn.