I am in the process of completely rebuilding my 5'x10' CNC machine, It was a belt drive originally, but I have since switched to rack and pinion for the y axis, and Ball screw for the x-axis, I am using the new blackbox as the controller. I have three questions to start: With rack and pinion on the y-axis, do I have to switch polarity for one of the axis like I did with the belt drive? I have two NPN proximity switches attached to either side of the gantry on the y-axis. Can or should I wire these two switches in parallel? The idea was to try to ensure that the geometry is correct on the y-axis. What about doing the same thing on the left and right of the x-axis? Your comments or suggestions are welcomed.
1) Unless there is some weird way to have both Y motors facing the same way then you would wire them just like the belt drive. 2) I wouldn't bother with the dual Prox sensors on the Y, the BB doesn't support dual Prox in that manner 3) End-stops, Can be done with simple switches, you can do it but not without some other electronics (like OR logic) with the prox. You would wire switches in series and you can't simply wire prox in series, at least not that I'm aware of. Cheers Gary
Can I import my old original blackbox settings into my new X32 blackbox as a setup start point and modify the settings during the initial setup of the machine? How can I ensure that the y-axis riser are in perfect alignment and at a right angle to the x-axis or bed of the machine?
Yes. Plug in the old one > Grbl Settings tab > Backup Settings Plug in the new one > Grbl Settings tab > Restore Settings The backup/restore tools applies needed changes for you as well See Tramming: A generic guideline
Regarding the y-axis alignment, I meant how can I assure that the left and right risers are an identical distance from y=0 and not slightly skewed when I am doing my initial setup for the new equipment build?
Cutting (or a marker on the toolhead to draw one) a test square would be the best way to reliably confirm this - do it as big at the bed, and check corners with a square or by measuring corner-to-corner diagonally. Once set up properly it doesn't really go out of position. If it does, your machine is built skew - loosen screws as needed to correct and tighten up.
