# Wellllll I Guess I Am Going To Cnc My Enco 45 But Slowly



## bvd1940

First I want to thank Jumps4 (Steve) for helping me get as far as I have, he is a good resource for any CNC conversions you might be considering to do.
Well I have my ball screws all installed and my one shot oilier hooked up. Jumps4 (Steve) wanted me to start a thread on the conversion and I have not taken any pic,s to this point but just recived my pkg from Wantai on Fleaybay with a 4 axis kit with 1600 oz in double shaft steppers, drivers, power supply's, breakout board, and cables, 6 micro switch's, 2 e stops switches, 3 motor plugs M/F, a box from my junk box to put the electrics in, a old laptop for the the PC control but I find out I need a PCMCIA plug on the laptop so I have to go shopping for a adapter, they have them available from what I see on flebay for about $15 which will be cheaper than getting a used desktop just for the plug in ability of the break out board.
I will try to keep this thread updated as best I can but but the build will go slowly as that is my only speed at 74 pushing 75yrs old.
Any suggestions or ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Is mach 3 the accsepted cnc program for operation or is there better options???
Bill


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## Boswell

I look forward to following your build. As for Mach3. There might be others but Mach3 seems to be the most popular by a huge margin and the only one that I am familiar with for home built hobby use.


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## jumps4

mach3 is the only one I can assist you with... LOL
Steve


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## dracozny

Better is subjective. I use linuxcnc.


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## bvd1940

Then I guess it will be mach 3, I have seen enough conversions that rate mach 3 the best and most used.
Bill


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## bvd1940

dracozny said:


> Better is subjective. I use linuxcnc.


I had hand to hand combat with linux and cant get along with it with my 74 years of age LOL
Bill


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## dracozny

bvd1940 said:


> I had hand to hand combat with linux and cant get along with it with my 74 years of age LOL
> Bill


hog wash, I actually detest windows in comparison. Too much BS to deal with. Ubuntu is not that hard to deal with, it also has many similarities to windows, more secure and I find it more practical to administer. But as the old saying goes "different strokes for different folks"


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## bvd1940

dracozny said:


> hog wash, I actually detest windows in comparison. Too much BS to deal with. Ubuntu is not that hard to deal with, it also has many similarities to windows, more secure and I find it more practical to administer. But as the old saying goes "different strokes for different folks"


If you read the post the way I intended it it was me being 74 years old trying to learn cad/cam mach 3 AND linux  was the problem with it.
I got tired of trying to find drivers that would work with Ubuntu and gave up.
I liked it EXCEPT for the problems finding drivers (I have no problem with drivers for windows) and they work always.
I had Ubuntu on 3 different pcs and could only get one on line to the internet.
I would rather spend my time learning how to program with the CNC aspect that hunting the internet for programs that will work in Ubuntu.


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## bvd1940

Well  a update (i guess) downloaded Mach 3 and looked it over. Ordered a PCMCIA to LPT card after checking if it would operate the equipment and the consensuses was it would. I find I have to shut a few things off on my laptop so I guess that is next.
Still waiting for a few parts to arrive yet then I guess I start testing the electrics.


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## dracozny

bvd1940 said:


> If you read the post the way I intended it it was me being 74 years old trying to learn cad/cam mach 3 AND linux  was the problem with it.
> I got tired of trying to find drivers that would work with Ubuntu and gave up.
> I liked it EXCEPT for the problems finding drivers (I have no problem with drivers for windows) and they work always.
> I had Ubuntu on 3 different pcs and could only get one on line to the internet.
> I would rather spend my time learning how to program with the CNC aspect that hunting the internet for programs that will work in Ubuntu.


My "hog wash" comment is in reference to age. all limits of ones mental capacity are in their head (almost a pun, like the neurologist that told me my headaches were in my head.....). 
I am curious how long ago you had the driver issue. Linux is a different animal, as most drivers are actually implemented at the kernel level and many of them are loaded as modules during bootup. It's possible that the hardware you were trying to support had zero support at that time. Linux Mint has a little more support for a lot of hardware. All of the hardware I installed on my mill had 100% support in Ubuntu Linux since it was mostly server grade hardware. The only dilemma I had was the touch screen. It works, but no second mouse click or multi-touch functionality. I've had to use a gesture app to fix the second click issue. otherwise no hunting around to fix anything. My internet issue is due to not being able to get a physical line out to my shop area, nothing to do with Linux.


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## bvd1940

dracozny said:


> My "hog wash" comment is in reference to age. all limits of ones mental capacity are in their head (almost a pun, like the neurologist that told me my headaches were in my head.....).
> I am curious how long ago you had the driver issue. Linux is a different animal, as most drivers are actually implemented at the kernel level and many of them are loaded as modules during bootup. It's possible that the hardware you were trying to support had zero support at that time. Linux Mint has a little more support for a lot of hardware. All of the hardware I installed on my mill had 100% support in Ubuntu Linux since it was mostly server grade hardware. The only dilemma I had was the touch screen. It works, but no second mouse click or multi-touch functionality. I've had to use a gesture app to fix the second click issue. otherwise no hunting around to fix anything. My internet issue is due to not being able to get a physical line out to my shop area, nothing to do with Linux.



Last year  and gave up in the fall as I could not find printer drivers, internet connection and I tried Mint, and Ubuntu and spent many hours on there respective forums MANY HOURS!!! and will not get into that loop trying to make the operating system fit my PC (why reinvent the wheel) when now all I have to do is get Mach 3 to make my mill move the way I want.
As far as secure pc this old laptop wont be on the internet and will be stripped down to bare bones with NO bloat wear.
Just saying


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> mach3 is the only one I can assist you with... LOL
> Steve


Steve did you the same size steppers and drivers? 
What gauge wire for the 4 stranded with shield?
I know you bought a roll of 18 gauge but was that for the steppers?
Cornfused
I know dumb question


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## jumps4

I used the 18ga shield wire on everything low voltage
the white black and green wires are 110v ac everything else is shielded wire
Steve


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## bvd1940

Here are some pics of electrics
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/gallery/albums/cnc-conversion.367/
Hope this works


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## TomS

There are a few of us that are, or have, copied Steve's conversion.  It was thought out very well and the documentation was wonderful for a CNC newbie like me.  

My build thread is in the Precision Mathews section of this forum if you are interested titled Taking the CNC Plunge.  I watch all of the build threads so I can learn as much as possible.  So I'll be watching yours on a daily basis.  Good luck and have fun.

Tom S


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> I used the 18ga shield wire on everything low voltage
> the white black and green wires are 110v ac everything else is shielded wire
> Steve
> 
> View attachment 98187


I just made an offer on some 16/4 shielded to a seller on Fleabay I like heaver wire but if you can run yours on 18 gauge I guess  it will be ok.
Old fart thinking bigger is better












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## bvd1940

TomS said:


> There are a few of us that are, or have, copied Steve's conversion.  It was thought out very well and the documentation was wonderful for a CNC newbie like me.
> 
> My build thread is in the Precision Mathews section of this forum if you are interested titled Taking the CNC Plunge.  I watch all of the build threads so I can learn as much as possible.  So I'll be watching yours on a daily basis.  Good luck and have fun.
> 
> Tom S


I have been watching every build I could find on similar mills soaking as much up as possible BUT hard to retain lol
Thanks
Bill


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## bpratl

Bill, it looks like it is coming along great. I was looking at your photos and I would like some information on your oiling system as I have been looking or one similar to yours. Bob


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## bvd1940

bpratl said:


> Bill, it looks like it is coming along great. I was looking at your photos and I would like some information on your oiling system as I have been looking or one similar to yours. Bob


I stole the idea off Jumps4, Jbolt, hoss and every where else I could find. I picked up a one shot oilier off Fleabay for about $40 shipped a bunch of 2mm & 6mm nylon tubing, a bag of straight & 45 degree  push lock fittings, two brass manifolds with metering needles  from China dirt cheep (I be a cheeeeeepscate) If you need I could go on Fleabay and get the list of suppliers. some builders put check valves in line but so far I see no great need of them.
It was a low budget solution and I would rather have to much oil than to little


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## bvd1940

bpratl said:


> Bill, it looks like it is coming along great. I was looking at your photos and I would like some information on your oiling system as I have been looking or one similar to yours. Bob


here is what i bought off ebay except for the straight and 90s fittings
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Hand...223?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3b108a8f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Clear-Nylon...784?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a441fc380

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Clear-Nylon...981?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a37bd093d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brass-6-Way...499?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8d3d6a2b

also made a mistake on tubing in last post it was 6mm & 4mm not 2mm


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## bpratl

Bill, your great, thanks for the lube info, just ordered the 4 items for $85.00 shipped. You saved me a lot of web time, much appreciated. I finished converting my Grizzly G0602 to CNC and now I'm in the process of converting my G0619 to CNC. The mill is at the right point for the oiling system. Bob


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## jbolt

One thing I have found with the one-shot oil system is that the line bleed out the lowest point. On my machine that is the Y ball nuts. To solve this I installed check valves on each outlet of the manifold. http://www.pneumadyne.com/check-valves-c-1_2_52-l-en.html

Another Issue I had was getting oil evenly to all the ports, specifically the Z dovetail and ball nut. A lot of people use valves on each line to meter the flow. I didn't want to deal with setting up and tuning 12 valves so I added a second pump for the Z only. 

Jay


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## bvd1940

bpratl said:


> Bill, your great, thanks for the lube info, just ordered the 4 items for $85.00 shipped. You saved me a lot of web time, much appreciated. I finished converting my Grizzly G0602 to CNC and now I'm in the process of converting my G0619 to CNC. The mill is at the right point for the oiling system. Bob


Glad I could help, you will need to round up your push on fittings and check valves if you chose to use them, (see jbolts post above for more info)
Bill


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## bvd1940

jbolt said:


> One thing I have found with the one-shot oil system is that the line bleed out the lowest point. On my machine that is the Y ball nuts. To solve this I installed check valves on each outlet of the manifold. http://www.pneumadyne.com/check-valves-c-1_2_52-l-en.html
> 
> Another Issue I had was getting oil evenly to all the ports, specifically the Z dovetail and ball nut. A lot of people use valves on each line to meter the flow. I didn't want to deal with setting up and tuning 12 valves so I added a second pump for the Z only.
> 
> Jay


I probably will do that also but for now it will be what it is as I have a bunch of other fish to fry
This is turning into more of a challange than I thought BUT!!! I shall preserver


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## bgraves

Where did you get the ball screws and mechanical parts?
I have an older RF-45 and am interested in the conversion.


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## bvd1940

bgraves said:


> Where did you get the ball screws and mechanical parts?
> I have an older RF-45 and am interested in the conversion.


I got my ballscrews off Fleabay from http://stores.ebay.com/linearmotionbearings?_rdc=1 but do not opt for the free shipping as it will take forever and I made all my mounting parts including machined ends like the did on flash cut conversion.
I just bought long not machined screws and put ends on separately, Hope I made it clear not to good at describing
Just Google flash cut and look at video section  on install on a Grizzly mill.
Most all parts I have purchased has been from Flebay


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## bpratl

Thanks guys for oiler info, I just moved it from the "wish list" to the "to do list". Bob


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## bvd1940

Well today & tomorrow will be no shop time, wind is gusting to 50+mph with dust for good measure and tomorrow I go visit another member of the forum who has kindly offered me some Aluminum for my project  and show me the resources he has available to him 
Bill


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## bvd1940

Well it was a rewarding trip, I scored a piece of 6061 aluminum about 5 foo long by 6 inches  shafting.
This is hard to come by living out here in the desert so could not pass it up.
Matt was kind enough to give me some aluminum flat bar which will come in handy on the conversion.
Bill


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## bpratl

bvd1940 said:


> Well it was a rewarding trip, I scored a piece of 6061 aluminum about 5 foo long by 6 inches  shafting.
> This is hard to come by living out here in the desert so could not pass it up.
> Matt was kind enough to give me some aluminum flat bar which will come in handy on the conversion.
> Bill


Good find, I never have enough or the right size of scrap metal; but I'm always on the lookout.

Quick question on the oiling system. What is the recommended oil and weight you guys use? Bob


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## TomS

bpratl said:


> Good find, I never have enough or the right size of scrap metal; but I'm always on the lookout.
> 
> Quick question on the oiling system. What is the recommended oil and weight you guys use? Bob



I use 90 wt gear oil on my mill and lathe.  Been using it for years and I like it because it's tacky and stays on the ways longer then regular oil.  Probably should use way oil but I can run to the local auto parts store and get gear oil.  I have to order way oil.

Tom S


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## jbolt

bpratl said:


> Good find, I never have enough or the right size of scrap metal; but I'm always on the lookout.
> 
> Quick question on the oiling system. What is the recommended oil and weight you guys use? Bob



On my manual lathe I use non-detergent 30w motor oil or 30w machine oil. The motor oil with detergent has additives to suspend particles in the oil to help carry to the filter. Not good for machine tools.

On my CNC mill I use way oil from ENCO. Way oil has properties to help it cling to the ways and reduce stiction. Some say it is not necessary for the home shop. I'm not sure if ENCO still sells the generic branded oil or if it is just the Mobil Vactra way oil.

If not way oil I would use 30w non-detergent motor oil or regular 30w machine oil.

Jay


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## bpratl

I was just informed the chain saw bar & chain oil is the same as Way Oil, can anyone confirm?
I may try it, since  I have a full gallon of it, when I finish installing the pump oiling system.


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## bvd1940

bpratl said:


> Good find, I never have enough or the right size of scrap metal; but I'm always on the lookout.
> 
> Quick question on the oiling system. What is the recommended oil and weight you guys use? Bob


I use way oil from Enco with free shipping, it lubes good and it is sticky (i think that would be the word)
Bill


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## bvd1940

TomS said:


> I use 90 wt gear oil on my mill and lathe.  Been using it for years and I like it because it's tacky and stays on the ways longer then regular oil.  Probably should use way oil but I can run to the local auto parts store and get gear oil.  I have to order way oil.
> 
> Tom S


Probably the same oil LOL I have just gotten lazy and its delivered to my door
Bill


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## bvd1940

No shop time today as I have to keep the wife happy and clean up storm damage (a downed tree) from the last wind storm.
It gave the excuse to work on the tractor that had not been started all winter.
Got that darn Russian olive tree drug over to the shop and cut into manageable chunks for burning.
Bill


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## TomS

bvd1940 said:


> Probably the same oil LOL I have just gotten lazy and its delivered to my door
> Bill



I'm lazy too.  I wait until I'm out of oil and I can't wait for the way oil delivery cycle.  

Tom S


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## dracozny

bvd1940 said:


> I stole the idea off Jumps4, Jbolt, hoss and every where else I could find. I picked up a one shot oilier off Fleabay for about $40 shipped a bunch of 2mm & 6mm nylon tubing, a bag of straight & 45 degree  push lock fittings, two brass manifolds with metering needles  from China dirt cheep (I be a cheeeeeepscate) If you need I could go on Fleabay and get the list of suppliers. some builders put check valves in line but so far I see no great need of them.
> It was a low budget solution and I would rather have to much oil than to little


check valves for the Z is a must. I have a pool of oil on my floor from all of that oil flowing out my X and Y ways from the Z and very little oil was getting to the Z as a result despite the manifolds valve settings. also beware on those brass manifolds from China, the screws sometimes like to strip causing you other problems.


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## bvd1940

dracozny said:


> check valves for the Z is a must. I have a pool of oil on my floor from all of that oil flowing out my X and Y ways from the Z and very little oil was getting to the Z as a result despite the manifolds valve settings. also beware on those brass manifolds from China, the screws sometimes like to strip causing you other problems.


What type check valve you use on Z? The manifolds can be re taped for different fittings, I figure the price covered the brass involved.
I have one more smaller manifold for the Z axis that I will incorporate a check valve into.
Bill


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## dracozny

bvd1940 said:


> What type check valve you use on Z? The manifolds can be re taped for different fittings, I figure the price covered the brass involved.
> I have one more smaller manifold for the Z axis that I will incorporate a check valve into.
> Bill


 I cheated on the check valves, I saw a post over on cnczone so I have two smaller manifolds on order and I ordered these check valves to keep from having back flow troubles. the bijur will feed a 6mm Y split which will then feed the check valves and then the manifolds.


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## TomS

I too had the same problem with the Z axis bleeding down on my one-shot lube system.  Instead of using check valves used ball valves.  I split the feed line into two circuits with a tee.  One side of the tee feeds the X and Y axis and the other side feeds the Z axis.  Each of the feed lines has a ball valve so I can close off one of the feed lines and pressurize the other.  In essence the ball valves are manual check valves.  I no longer have a problem with the Z axis bleeding down.  Just another way to solve the problem.

Tom S


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## bpratl

Good input, thanks. What size ball valves did end up using? Bob


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## TomS

bpratl said:


> Good input, thanks. What size ball valves did end up using? Bob



They are threaded 1/8" pipe female on each end.  I'm headed out of town this morning.  Will post a picture of my setup when I get back on Monday.

Tom S


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## bvd1940

dracozny said:


> I cheated on the check valves, I saw a post over on cnczone so I have two smaller manifolds on order and I ordered these check valves to keep from having back flow troubles. the bijur will feed a 6mm Y split which will then feed the check valves and then the manifolds.


That is the way I am setting up mine with 2 manifolds. Thanks I will get them coming.
Bill


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## bvd1940

Well I have gotten most of what I need to start configuring the motors, drivers, mach 3, and break out board set up in my shop with the laptop all cleaned up and spiffy.
Steve the post you made on http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/rung-fu-clone-rf-45-zx45-cnc-conversion.8187/page-15 your set up, will mine be the same????
I will take pics of my operations center this evening and see if I have missed anything. Thanks again for all the help.
Bill


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## bvd1940

This is my assembly/ testing area, hope to get the system hooked up and tested soon.


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## TomS

TomS said:


> They are threaded 1/8" pipe female on each end.  I'm headed out of town this morning.  Will post a picture of my setup when I get back on Monday.
> 
> Tom S



Here's a picture of my setup.  The valve on the left feeds the X and Y axis manifold and the right valve feeds the Z axis manifold which has the three feed lines for the two dovetails and the ball nut.  Notice that the Z axis feed lines are filled with oil.  I pumped up this circuit about a month ago and closed the valve.  There is still oil in the lines up to the push-to-connect fittings.

Hope this clarifies my description in my previous post.

Tom S


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## bpratl

That's great...thanks for sharing. Bob


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## bvd1940

Yes thank you, that looks easy enough to use.
Bill


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## bpratl

Toms, thanks for the valve photos, clears up a lot. Bob


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## bvd1940

Well cant do much as the OLD man got the gout and am not moving much but I was perusing the web and found a pretty good you tube channel that hits on a lot of different phases of DIY CNC. I found some useful material for the dummies like me on CNC wiring & setup.




Hope this helps someone as it did help me.
Bill


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> mach3 is the only one I can assist you with... LOL
> Steve


How close dose the 5 volts for breakout board have to be and what is min amps needed to drive it? sorry for such a stupid question but from what I have found so far on the wiring setup the 5 volt pwr supply goes to the breakout board and all 3 stepper drivers right?
I have some wall warts but they are pretty low milli amp and thinking I would buy a 5 volt 5 amp pwr supply to run it to be safe

I can probably test the mtrs with the wall warts one axis at a  time?
Bill


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## jumps4

they are a signal and not a load so any usb type power supply would work as long as it is 5v dc
Steve


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> they are a signal and not a load so any usb type power supply would work as long as it is 5v dc
> Steve


Well I ran into a hangup on my PC talking to Mach 3 and will have to get it talking or look for another PC to use 
Oh well the beat goes on & on & on
Bill


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## bvd1940

Well got to delving into the PC/breakout board and realized that I was only getting 3.5 volts DC at the ports, shouldn't that be 5 volts dc? 
But even with the 3.5 volts I still could not get the signal to go hi to low with arrow keys or page up or down.
I enabled 2nd port in mach 3 but no go.
Bill


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## jumps4

hi Bill
what windows system are you using ?
open the mach3 directory and in there are a few programs that may help
run the application called drivertest first to make sure the driver is installed
when you push an arrow key do you see the dro's in mach3 change? if not you may have to set the keyboard up in 
mach3, config at top of screen, system hotkeys setup
pics of what you have wired up so far may help
some breakout boards may work on 3,5? 
Steve


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## jumps4

if this is a vista pc this may help
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bgeppl8ceab7ajda6ok8atbdo1&topic=2385.0


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> hi Bill
> what windows system are you using ?
> open the mach3 directory and in there are a few programs that may help
> run the application called drivertest first to make sure the driver is installed
> when you push an arrow key do you see the dro's in mach3 change? if not you may have to set the keyboard up in
> mach3, config at top of screen, system hotkeys setup
> pics of what you have wired up so far may help
> some breakout boards may work on 3,5?
> Steve



I am running a HP zv6000 with windows XP Home edition.
all 3 axis are indicating on the mach 3 panel properly.
I just can not get a hi to low on the db25 pins??
The driver states pulse is fast but system states excellent?
I do dot have it hooked up to the breakout board, just checking for signal pulse on the DB 25 plug on the pc.

Here is a copy of the specs on the PCI card to DB25 port.
Description

100% Brand new and high quality
Connects any parallel peripherals to laptop notebook computer using CardBus technology.
Fully compatible with IEEE-1284 Parallel Port Standard.
Supports all parallel port devices that requires hardware parallel port from PC.
Installs as a fully featured I/O mapped parallel port as LPT1,LPT2 or LPT3.
Cost-effective add-on card solution for adding a standard parallel port for notebook PC''s to connect printers and other parallel devices( JTAG chip programmers, data acquisition, machine process control, scientific measurement systems and software protection dongles).
Plug & Play - Automatically selects IRQ and I/O address.
Fast data transfer rate up to 1.5 MB/sec.
Compatible with SPP, PS2, EPP and ECP modes.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Bill
This system has an AMD Athlon 64 processor but I think windows XP Home is 32 bit?


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## jumps4

I would continue to do the wiring for at least the x axis, then bench test.
mach3 may be set to be receiving a 5v+ signal coming from the controller to ground or not ground. in that case you will not see anything checking from ground terminals and pins.
look at this drawing the 5v+ is going in on the pin not out.
Steve


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> I would continue to do the wiring for at least the x axis, then bench test.
> mach3 may be set to be receiving a 5v+ signal coming from the controller to ground or not ground. in that case you will not see anything checking from ground terminals and pins.
> look at this drawing the 5v+ is going in on the pin not out.
> Steve
> 
> View attachment 99236




OK Im off to the shop to play & thanks Steve
Bill


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## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> I would continue to do the wiring for at least the x axis, then bench test.
> mach3 may be set to be receiving a 5v+ signal coming from the controller to ground or not ground. in that case you will not see anything checking from ground terminals and pins.
> look at this drawing the 5v+ is going in on the pin not out.
> Steve
> 
> View attachment 99236



My BOB pins do not match up with your drawing??
Pins are different #  and tags
Bill


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## bvd1940

Steve

Hope you can read this as I scrawled it out in a hurry but this is what I have for BOB.


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## jumps4

look at the drawing I gave you again and you will see the pin numbers on the board
" 1 " is skipped but rest are the same as your board
your board says P2 P3 P4 ect...
looking at your board face up and the parallel port facing you the bottom two connections  on the left side are where the 5v power supply hooks up
they say + and - the 2 connections above them are not used.  you have to power this bob and the 5v+ to the controllers.
run a 5v+ wire to every connection marked + on the controllers pul+ dir+ en+ thats all the jumpers you see
on the controllers in the drawing plus another one to each en+
then run pul- and dir- back to their pin numbers for " X" they are p2 for pul- p3 for dir-
                                                                                       " Y" are   p4 for pul- p5 for dir-
                                                                                         "Z"  are  p6 for pul- p7 for dir-
                                                                                       all connections marked en- get jumpered together and run to pin p17
I hope this makes sense
Steve


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## bvd1940

OK sorry to be a pain and thanks again Steve, I will go back at it tomorrow morning and will wire one axis and use it to learn how to get things talking.
Here is a video I found that goes trough the wiring step by step #6 & 7 of the series and I think it covers my setup I am trying to get set up (I hope)




 but I could be wrong LOL.
Good night and thanks
Bill


----------



## jumps4

that's not your breakout board and could confuse you worse, I am sending you a pm with my phone number call me tomorrow
here is a pic of my power jumpers on my controllers this one is A but it is the same for all of them notice the red wire 5v+ jumpers to every  connection marked +
if this is X axis then the white wire ( pul-)would go to pin p2 on your breakout board
the green wire (dir-) would go to the p3 terminal and the black (en- ) goes to p17 on the breakout board
if you click on the image you can zoom in and read the side of the controller
Dont use these switch settings for your controllers they are for a different motor on a rotary axis.
do not run the drivers without the switches set, the power supply for the "motors" connected and a motor connected, it's hard on the driver to power without the motor connected and some driver models can be damaged.
Steve


----------



## jumps4

here is another view the wires i'm talking about are the top ones above the switches
notice all the red jumpers
these are also the correct switch settings for your controllers if your motors are the 1600 oz/in


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> here is another view the wires i'm talking about are the top ones above the switches
> notice all the red jumpers
> these are also the correct switch settings for your controllers if your motors are the 1600 oz/in
> View attachment 99299


Just so everybody else knows the laptop with the PCI printer port aint gunna work and thanks to Steve for all the help over the phone 
So if you are thinking about a laptop it will be an up hill battle to get it working, I wint down to the local PC repair shop and the guy gave me 4 desktops 2 monitors ande 1 keyboard from his scrap pile, the first one I plugged in fired right up but monitor craped out after a few minutes, tride #2 monitor fired right up with a brand new install of win XP media edition and Steve got me on the right track with wiring and setup on Mach 3 
So I figure I should have motor testing and running tomorrow
Bill


----------



## TomS

bvd1940 said:


> Just so everybody else knows the laptop with the PCI printer port aint gunna work and thanks to Steve for all the help over the phone
> So if you are thinking about a laptop it will be an up hill battle to get it working, I wint down to the local PC repair shop and the guy gave me 4 desktops 2 monitors ande 1 keyboard from his scrap pile, the first one I plugged in fired right up but monitor craped out after a few minutes, tride #2 monitor fired right up with a brand new install of win XP media edition and Steve got me on the right track with wiring and setup on Mach 3
> So I figure I should have motor testing and running tomorrow
> Bill



I'm setting up a system using a laptop with electronics the same as yours.  I don't have a printer port on my laptop so I'm using a UC-100 fed from a USB hub  The breakout board is powered by the hub.  The hub gets "signal", for lack of a better word, from the laptop.  Check out my build here on the Precision Mathews forum.  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/taking-the-cnc-plunge.24858/page-5#post-291558.  Steve's been helping me out as well.  Wouldn't be where I'm at without him and others keeping me headed in the right direction.

Tom S


----------



## bvd1940

TomS said:


> I'm setting up a system using a laptop with electronics the same as yours.  I don't have a printer port on my laptop so I'm using a UC-100 fed from a USB hub  The breakout board is powered by the hub.  The hub gets "signal", for lack of a better word, from the laptop.  Check out my build here on the Precision Mathews forum.  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/taking-the-cnc-plunge.24858/page-5#post-291558.  Steve's been helping me out as well.  Wouldn't be where I'm at without him and others keeping me headed in the right direction.
> 
> Tom S



Steve & I  found on investigation of my laptop (HP ZV6000) that I could not change the bios to turn on the printer port and my DB25 adapter was a PCI slot model so I think it is a laptop specific problem.
I may fuss with it after I get my freebee E machines operational, I like the idea of the laptop for the space it wont take up and it can be closed up when not in use.
Your cabinet looks real nice (im jealous)  I ended up with a large aluminum electrical panel to put my controllers Etc in that is set to hang on the wall.
Bill


----------



## TomS

bvd1940 said:


> Steve & I  found on investigation of my laptop (HP ZV6000) that I could not change the bios to turn on the printer port and my DB25 adapter was a PCI slot model so I think it is a laptop specific problem.
> I may fuss with it after I get my freebee E machines operational, I like the idea of the laptop for the space it wont take up and it can be closed up when not in use.
> Your cabinet looks real nice (im jealous)  I ended up with a large aluminum electrical panel to put my controllers Etc in that is set to hang on the wall.
> Bill



Thanks for the compliment on my cabinet.  The pictures don't show it but there are a "lot" of extra holes in the mounting plate.  Took me several iterations to get the layout where I wanted it. 

Wouldn't be where I'm at without help from this forum.  Steve, Jim, Jay and many others have helped get me to where I'm at with my conversion.  Many thanks to them.

Tom S


----------



## bvd1940

TomS said:


> Thanks for the compliment on my cabinet.  The pictures don't show it but there are a "lot" of extra holes in the mounting plate.  Took me several iterations to get the layout where I wanted it.
> 
> _*Wouldn't be where I'm at without help from this forum.  Steve, Jim, Jay and many others have helped get me to where I'm at with my conversion.  Many thanks to them.*_
> 
> Tom S


I agree with that statement 100% I would not have attempted to do this on my own without all the help provided by such patient teachers
I finally got a XP desktop put together and running now all I have to do is copy the settings file from my laptop to the mach 3 on the desktop and hope I did it right, if i did it right then time to move on to making chips to mount stepper motors YESSSSSSSSS.
Bill


----------



## bvd1940

Here you go Steve pics of trial wiring.
I am not so sure about that wire to pin 17.
I had the system powered down with the DB25 hooked up to PC and BOB and with no external power the LED lit up????
Did a bunch of Goggling now and  have a better understanding of that particular BOB and how it works
I had to quit as my wife wanted me to spend some time with her, she said she had not hardly seen me for days from me working on the CNC project.
Bill


----------



## jumps4

i don't see anything wrong with the wiring
I still have to check my jumper settings on my board and compare to yours
your 5v power supply does say "DC" on it correct?
the hot capacitor on the bob and neither bob you have tried shows a power led makes me think they are no good
the voltage from the power supply dropping to less than 2v when you connect to the bob makes me think they are shorted out.
but why?
either they were bad from the factory and that is why they sent you 2 to try or maybe when you were trying to
wire them something got wired wrong and shorted them out is impossible to say with any certainty but I really think they are both bad.
Steve


----------



## jumps4

our next option is to buy something like ebay item number 
120765154477
it is powered by the pc's usb and comes with a cable for power and has a com terminal for each drive
it is easier to wire


 plus this powered usb hub that has a wall powered power supply to isolate the breakout board from the pc.
ebay item number 
351085595629


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> i don't see anything wrong with the wiring
> I still have to check my jumper settings on my board and compare to yours
> your 5v power supply does say "DC" on it correct?
> the hot capacitor on the bob and neither bob you have tried shows a power led makes me think they are no good
> the voltage from the power supply dropping to less than 2v when you connect to the bob makes me think they are shorted out.
> but why?
> either they were bad from the factory and that is why they sent you 2 to try or maybe when you were trying to
> wire them something got wired wrong and shorted them out is impossible to say with any certainty but I really think they are both bad.
> Steve



I Emailed the seller and he did not even hesitate a bit and said he would send another BOB out right away (makes me think they knew it was flaky) but I am thinking that the other BOB you showed might be a good idea, dose it have any track record, that BOB ids not that much cost so I think I will order it up anyway. Is there any better options??
Oh by the way the wife is going shopping so I get to work on my system (blackmail me thinks)
Bill


----------



## bvd1940

Went ahead and got the blue BOB you recommended, estimate 17th Del. date.
I will work on the other parts while I wait for parts.
Thanks Steve


----------



## jumps4

the bobs that come with the kits like the one you got  are called "free offering" by the company
and every person who has asked me about copying my mill build I  have told them to throw it away.
the one I showed you, I used in my zx45 and recommended several times with no problems. I just recommended
it to TomS also last week with the same usb hub also.
you spent the money lets make it work right.
Steve


----------



## jumps4

if I would have told you to throw it away without you trying it you would have always wondered why
our first conversations you said you didn't want to spend much money so we tried.
Steve


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> the bobs that come with the kits like the one you got  are called "free offering" by the company
> and every person who has asked me about copying my mill build I  have told them to throw it away.
> the one I showed you, I used in my zx45 and recommended several times with no problems. I just recommended
> it to TomS also last week with the same usb hub also.
> you spent the money lets make it work right.
> Steve


Well you were right from the looks of things. I double checked the wall wart and it is 5.6 V DC according to my VOM, boyh wall warts are 5.+ V DC but I do not have a oscilloscope to see how clean it is.
You are right about not trying but it was not a waste because I have learned a bunch from researching the BOB and how it is supposed to function (your never to old to learn).
Bill


----------



## Old Iron

Looking good bvd1940 I'll be watching you to see how it is going.

Paul


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> the bobs that come with the kits like the one you got  are called "free offering" by the company
> and every person who has asked me about copying my mill build I  have told them to throw it away.
> the one I showed you, I used in my zx45 and recommended several times with no problems. I just recommended
> it to TomS also last week with the same usb hub also.
> you spent the money lets make it work right.
> Steve


looked up the BOB manual on the site this is coming from and here is the file Steve, take a looksee and see if it looks right to you. 
*Zen Toolworks Stepper Motor Driver Breakout Board(5 Axis Output with on board spindle relay)*

3x Expandable Control Package
Printer Parallel Cable. (Male to Female)
This will be used to communicate from your computer to the breakout board via CNC control software.

*Contents*
[hide]

1 Mach3 Sample Configuration File
2 Features
3 Single Axis Toshiba 6560 Stepp Driver DIP Setting
3.1 Decay Setting:
3.2 Microstep Setting:
3.3 Current Settings:

4 Pin Definitions of 5X Breakout Board
5 Wiring Instruction
6 Software Installation
7 Homing Switch Wiring
8 Emergency and Limit Switch Wiring
9 Spindle Relay Wiring
* Mach3 Sample Configuration File *
You can download this file and put it under your Mach3 install folder. Launch Mach3 loader(not Milling or Turning), and select this profile to load the default settings for using ZTW 5X breakout board. This is just a sample configuration to get you started quickly. Please refer to Mach3 online documentation to adjust the settings as needed.

*Sample Configuration file for Mach3*[download]



The breakout board is powered by a USB Cable (5V) (A Male - A Male USB Cable)
A USB cable is need to give power to the breakout board.It can be connected to a computer or our switchable power supply.


* Features *

Compatible with Mach3, EMC2 Control Software
Support up to 5 Axis stepper motor drivers
Onboard spindle relay allows the on/off spindle control through Mach3 software
5 Input signal pins for homing, probing and EStop/Limit switches.
Using USB for signal processing 5V power supply
Parallel port communication between the driver board and desktop computer (with Parallel port)
* Single Axis Toshiba 6560 Stepp Driver DIP Setting *
* Decay Setting: *
SW1 - OFF, SW2 - OFF - 0% Decay mode off

SW1 - OFF, SW2 - ON - 25% Decat mode

SW1 - ON, SW2 - OFF - 50% Decay mode

SW1 - ON, SW2 - ON - 75% Decay mode


* Microstep Setting: *
SW3 - OFF, SW4 - OFF 1 Microstep setting 200x1 = 200 steps per revolution

SW3 - ON , SW4 - OFF 2 Microstep setting 200x2 = 400 steps per revolution

SW3 - ON , SW4 - ON 8 Microstep setting 200x8 = 1600 steps per revolution (used by us as default settings)

SW3 - OFF, SW4 - ON 16 Microstep setting 200x16 = 3200 steps per revolution

* 
Current Settings: *
SW5 - ON , SW6 - ON 0.6A Current setting, not enough for our CNC Kit.

SW5 - OFF, SW6 - ON 1.2A Current Setting, recommended for our 7x7, 7x12 model, using NEMA 17 steppers

SW5 - ON , SW6 - OFF 1.5A Current Setting, recommended for our 12x12 model, using NEMA 23 steppers

SW5 - OFF, SW6 - OFF 2.5A Current Setting, use this setting only if you need extra torque. Most cases, check your assembly, whether any alignment issue causing extra friction what requires more torque from the motors.


* Pin Definitions of 5X Breakout Board*
Pin 1 - Enable

Pin 2 - Motor 1 Step

Pin 3 - Motor 1 Dir

Pin 4 - Motor 2 Step

Pin 5 - Motor 2 Dir

Pin 6 - Motor 3 Step

Pin 7 - Motor 3 Dir

Pin 8 - Motor 4 Step

Pin 9 - Motor 4 Dir

Pin 10 - Input Signal, can be used for estop and limit switches

Pin 11 - Input Singal, can be used for X homing

Pin 12 - Input Singal, can be used for Y homing

Pin 13 - Input Singal, can be used for Z homing

Pin 14 - Input Signal, can be used for Spindle on/off control

Pin 15 - Input Signal, can be used for probing

Pin 16 - Motor 5 Step

Pin 17 - Motor 5 Dir


* Wiring Instruction *



This diagram can be used as a reference throughout this tutorial.  




*Step 001*

Along with your recently purchased ZTW breakout board package, you will also need a male-male usb cord, stepper motors, and parallel port cable. You will also need some wires to connect everything together.




*Step 002*
Let’s start by connecting a piece of 4-wire cable to the breakout board. Be sure the ends are stripped and the wire is exposed approximately ¼”. Start by connecting to one of the 3 front terminal blocks.




*Step 003*
Be sure to tighten down the terminal screws snug enough so they will not pull out. I have the colors coordinating as follows: Black=EN , Green=DIR , Yellow=STEP , Red=COM




*Step 004*
Do the same procedure for the other 2 terminals, being sure to keep the color order the same for each. This will make things easier later.



*Step 005*
Now we can connect the other end of the wires to the stepper drivers. We will start with X and then move onto the other 2.




*Step 006*
Now, when connecting to the driver board, I used the following color sequence: Yellow=PUL- , Red=PUL+ , Black=EN- , Green=DIR-




*Step 007*
Now, since the COM terminal on the breakout board is positive, we want to connect all the positive terminals on the stepper driver with jumper wires. So, start by inserting a jumper with our red wire and snug the screw down.




*Step 008*
Now we will want to insert the previous jumper, along with another new jumper into EN+ together




*Step 009*
Lastly, insert the remaining jumper end into DIR+. Essentially all we have done is connected PUL+, EN+, and DIR+ all together.




*Step 010*
Here you can see all the connections.




*Step 011*
Now we can do the same procedure for Y. Start by connecting the breakout board to the Y-Driver board the same as was done for the X.




*Step 012*

Now connect all the jumper wires between the “+” terminals again.




*Step 013*

Follow the same procedure for a third time for the Z-Axis. You now should have all 3 stepper drivers connected to the breakout board.




*Step 014*

Next, grab your power supply. I will be using our 12-24V switching supply, but the 12V supply included in the kit work the same way.




*Step 015*

Connect the power supply to one of the driver boards. Be sure to get the positive from the power supply to the “+” on the driver board and negative from the power supply to the “-“ on the driver board. Don’t tighten the screws down just yet.




*Step 016*

We now need to add two jumper wires to the previous connection. I will use the black jumper for the negative and the yellow for the positive 12V. Plug those in and now go ahead and tighten the terminal screws, being sure both wires are tight and don’t pull out.




*Step 017*

Run the other end of the jumper wires into the positive and negative on the next driver board. Along with those, insert another set of jumpers in order to connect the third driver board.



*Step 018*

We now essentially have the 12V power supply connected to all three driver boards.




*Step 019*

Here is the final setup.



*Step 020*

If you are using the switchable power supply or any other, be sure it is set up for 12V.



*Step 021*

Now we can go ahead and connect your male to male USB cord to the power supply (or computer if your power supply does not have a port). This cable is not used for any data transfer, just for power.



*Step 022*

Connect the other end of the cable to your breakout board.



*Step 023*

Here is what should be connected at this time.



*Step 024*

Now, grab one of your stepper motors and let’s determine the wiring. Detailed specs on our Shinano Stepper Motors can be found here http://www.shinano.com/motors/stepper.html



*Step 025*

Begin touching pairs of wires together with an ohm meter to determine which pairs of wires are connected to each other. Once you get 2 wires that give a resistance, keep them together (this will give us the “A” pair and the “B” pair.



*Step 026*

Here I have separated the 2 pairs of wires.



*Step 027*

Now plug in the “B” pair to the stepper driver. (Which pair is “A” and “B” does not matter at this time.)



*Step 028*

Finish by connecting the “A” pair to the stepper driver. Perform the last 5 steps over again for the other 2 motors.



*Step 029*

Go ahead now and plug your parallel cable from your computer into the breakout board.



*Step 030*

Connect your power supply’s power cable.



*Step 31*

Connect the power supply to the wall. You are now finished with the hardware installation. Next we will work on the software.


* Software Installation *


*Step 001*

Start up Mach3.



*Step 002*

You may want to create a new profile here. I created one called “Zen Breakout board”.



*Step 003*

You should now have Mach3 page opened up.



*Step 004*

Click the “config” tab, then choose “ports and pins”.



*Step 005*

Choose the “motor outputs”, and be sure to copy the settings that you see in the above screen shot. If after completing this entire tutorial, your directions are reversed, you can return to this page and click the “Dir LowActive” for the axis that is moving the wrong direction.



*Step 006*

Now choose the “input signals” tab and copy the settings above over.



*Step 007*

Scroll down a little ways until you see the “Estop” signal. Be sure and copy these settings for the Estop.



*Step 008*

Lastly choose the “output signals” tab and copy over these settings. Then you can click “apply” and “OK”. You should now have the proper settings to run Mach3.


NOTE: If this is your first time setting up Mach3, you should check out our other wiki pages on configuring Mach3’s settings.


* Homing Switch Wiring *



Use the above diagram to wire up your homing switches. This method of wiring will work with the way we just set up Mach3. There are several ways to go about doing this, so this is just one example.The switches shown here are wired in the "normally open" position. If you do not have these exact switches, you can use a ohm meter to determine which 2 terminals are normally open. Basically touch the two terminals to the ohm meter, when the switch is depressed the ohm meter should display 0.00 Ohms.


* Emergency and Limit Switch Wiring *



Use the above diagram to connect your limit and emergency stop switches. Each of the switches gets one terminal connected to the common ground, and the other terminal gets connected to the Emergency/Limit terminal on the breakout board. Like before, there are several ways to do this and this is just one example. All of these switches are wired in their normally open position just as before. If you purchased your emergency stop mushroom switch from us, you can wire it exactly as shown. Otherwise, use an ohm meter to determine which terminals are used for the normally open setup. The setup of Mach3 performed earlier will work properly with this wiring method.


* Spindle Relay Wiring *



Use the above diagram to wire your spindle if you would like to be able to turn it on and off via Mach3. This setup utilizes the breakout board's onboard relay to act as a switch. The relay is controlled via Mach3 to in turn control your spindle. If you set up Mach3 as shown previously, you will be able to utilize the relay to turn on and off your spindle.
















View attachment DSCN7148.jpg


----------



## bvd1940

Here is a link to the manual from the outfit I bought the 5 axis BOB from, http://www.lightobject.info/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=492&hilit=5+axis+breakout+board+manual
Take a looksee and see if you think it is right.
I had to go into the Drs office and have my left arm carved on today and been told by Dr light duty only cause he don't want stitches to pop open so that's going to slow me down fer a few days. Aint old age fun fun.
Bill


----------



## jumps4

yes that is the correct board, did you also order the usb hub?
I hope your arm gets well soon
Steve


----------



## jbolt

Personally if I were to use a USB hub with Mach3 I would use a good quality name brand one. I went through this with my astro-photography  gear where inexpensive generic usb hubs would not play nice with the peripherals attached to it. 

Belkin, Anker, Monoprice, D-link, Macally and Plugable are some of the hubs I and others I know have used with great success.

Jay


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> yes that is the correct board, did you also order the usb hub?
> I hope your arm gets well soon
> Steve


No I did not order the hub, did not think it was necessary as this gives me the option of using the pc usb (I thought?) am I wrong??


----------



## bvd1940

jbolt said:


> Personally if I were to use a USB hub with Mach3 I would use a good quality name brand one. I went through this with my astro-photography  gear where inexpensive generic usb hubs would not play nice with the peripherals attached to it.
> 
> Belkin, Anker, Monoprice, D-link, Macally and Plugable are some of the hubs I and others I know have used with great success.
> 
> Jay



Thanks J if this wont work I will try one of those you suggest. I welcome any help for this as it is new ground for this OLD retired machinist trying to learn new ways to do things (and I am tired manually doing repetitive jobs).
I have read about all your builds I could locate an thanks for taking the time to post them fer us newbies to CNC.
Isn't Mountain near Victorville ? I enlisted in the USAF while I was living at Victorville in 1958, its a lot like where I live now in the high desert.
Bill


----------



## jbolt

Mountain View is in the San Francisco Bay area, in the heart of Silicone Valley. 

My Dad is originally from Oakley, not too far from where you are. Pretty country. You enlisted in the USAF the same year he got out.

I'm sure you are a way better machinist than I will ever be. I wanted to be a machinist and worked for several years in a R&D shop but got lured away by better money in construction. I find CNC machining fascinating but it can be terrifying at times when the operator screws up and things don't run as expected.

Looking forward to seeing your machine make chips!
Jay


----------



## bvd1940

well I had to purchase 2 more cables to hook up the BOB as the BOB had a DB 25 male and pci has DB25 female, the usb needed 2 male type A connection so waiting again for parts 
Ho well the beat goes on and on.
Bill


----------



## jumps4

they sell db25 gender changers, but I'm a bit late if you ordered. I had the same problem on my mill and had forgotten about it, Sorry.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DB25-mini-g...994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item338751f372
just an example not sure it is the one you need
Steve


----------



## bvd1940

Yes I have them on order already & also got tired of cutting and stripping jumper wires just for testing so I ordered up a bunch of them also.
Found out the thing they cut out of my arm was cancer but the Dr thinks he got it all (I hope).
Still laid up with one arm to tinker with for a week or more, will know Friday when he pulls the stitches (I did not know that they could stretch the skin so far).
I am going to spend the downtime on studding the ins & outs of the BOB and stepper drivers.
Bill


----------



## jumps4

They have gotten a lot better at removing it all. I hope your back to tinkering soon
Steve


----------



## bvd1940

jumps4 said:


> They have gotten a lot better at removing it all. I hope your back to tinkering soon
> Steve


Well I have had all I can stand so I progressed a bit on the mounting of the Steppers & power supply (see attached pics)





I tried to give plenty of room for cooling and running wires, have to place the vent fans and IO cables & cut them in.
The last of my order (I hope) will be here by weeks end.
I get my stitches out Friday at 10:30 YESSSSSSSSSSSS then I am going to try getting this wired and checked out so I can move on to the motor mounts. 
Bill


----------



## TomS

bvd1940 said:


> Well I have had all I can stand so I progressed a bit on the mounting of the Steppers & power supply (see attached pics)
> View attachment 100075
> View attachment 100076
> View attachment 100077
> View attachment 100078
> 
> I tried to give plenty of room for cooling and running wires, have to place the vent fans and IO cables & cut them in.
> The last of my order (I hope) will be here by weeks end.
> I get my stitches out Friday at 10:30 YESSSSSSSSSSSS then I am going to try getting this wired and checked out so I can move on to the motor mounts.
> Bill



You are making progress from a health and hobby perspective.  Good for you.  I found the wiring portion of my conversion to be the most difficult but the most rewarding.  I've learned a lot about electricity but still leaning on other forum members to help me fix my mistakes.

Good luck with your build.

Tom S


----------



## bvd1940

TomS said:


> You are making progress from a health and hobby perspective.  Good for you.  I found the wiring portion of my conversion to be the most difficult but the most rewarding.  I've learned a lot about electricity but still leaning on other forum members to help me fix my mistakes.
> 
> Good luck with your build.
> 
> Tom S


Thanks Tom 
I have been reading and learning how the circuits work with one and another and finally have a grasp of whats going on now so it should come easier wiring this bundle of boards together (I hope).
Bill


----------



## bvd1940

Well guys have gotten some wiring done and would like you guys to check it out BEFORE i fire it up, do not want to loose the magic smoke out
Any how here are the pic,s
Bill













View attachment 100655


----------



## JimDawson

It's a little difficult to tell if everything is wired correctly, but I don't see any glaring errors.


----------



## bvd1940

bvd1940 said:


> Well guys have gotten some wiring done and would like you guys to check it out BEFORE i fire it up, do not want to loose the magic smoke out
> Any how here are the pic,s
> Bill
> View attachment 100640
> View attachment 100641
> View attachment 100641
> View attachment 100642
> View attachment 100643
> View attachment 100645
> View attachment 100647
> View attachment 100649
> View attachment 100650
> View attachment 100651
> View attachment 100652
> View attachment 100653
> View attachment 100654
> View attachment 100655


I followed the above instructions & went pin by pin on the BOB & steppers. 
Jumps4 (Steve) has the same components, the one thing I have not set on all the drivers is the switches. I will get back to the shop today and go trough all the wiring & switch settings just to make sure.
Bill


----------



## bvd1940

Its Alive!!!!!!!
Tested all the components & they all work as they should, now to get it mounted into the panel and hang on the wall.
Then on to making motor mounts etc. 
Can not thank you enough Steve & all the rest for getting me this far Lot of telephone support
And what Jumps4 said about understanding what as going on with the interaction of all the parts was a real aha!!! moment after getting it moving 
Bill


----------



## bvd1940

Also I am running on my laptop with a PCI printer port and seems to be working great!!!!
Bill


----------



## jumps4

good job Bill
Steve


----------



## coolidge

bvd1940 said:


> Well guys have gotten some wiring done and would like you guys to check it out BEFORE i fire it up, do not want to loose the magic smoke out
> Any how here are the pic,s
> Bill



Consider this 'tough love', some of your wiring sucks. In the pics I see poorly stripped wire, too much insulation stripped with exposed wire, a couple of very poorly soldered wires that are not soaked through with solder, jumpers that are way too long, exposed shields that should be covered in heat shrink, there is room for improvement my friend. These CNC builds can be tricky enough to troubleshoot, take the marginal amount of extra time to do your wiring well to avoid chasing wiring issues later on.


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## bvd1940

coolidge said:


> Consider this 'tough love', some of your wiring sucks. In the pics I see poorly stripped wire, too much insulation stripped with exposed wire, a couple of very poorly soldered wires that are not soaked through with solder, jumpers that are way too long, exposed shields that should be covered in heat shrink, there is room for improvement my friend. These CNC builds can be tricky enough to troubleshoot, take the marginal amount of extra time to do your wiring well to avoid chasing wiring issues later on.



This was all temporary lash up to find out if all components worked and was NEVER meant as a finished product ever.
Even the power supply's are not wired in the permanent configuration as they draw 6 amp per unit and ether need a relay or split circuit to run at that load. This whole exercise was to see if all the components would play nice together and worked as there is always a question on ANY Chi-com products working at all and the testing is finished and has been knocked down for final assembly 
I am familiar with good soldering practices as a advanced class ham radio operator but was grateful to Steve for the help and did not want to waste his time with mundane project of finished product, this would have been liken to a breadboard test, nothing more.
Thank you for your feedback and when I get the control panel done I will post the pictures and  I would appreciate any feed back I can get.
Bill


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## bvd1940

Have been busier than I care to admit, I have started making motor mounts and cleaning up the wiring (in between the Honey dooos) and hope to have some pictures to show soon showing the progress ( I said the build would be slow).
Had another run with the vertical band saw and tried to get rid of my middle finger on my right hand, DAMMMMM that smarts.
Bill


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## bvd1940

Well I have all the harnesses for the power supply's and drivers all cleaned up and now have hit a bump in the road with the Bob as the DB25 and usb need to be accessed from outside the main panel which means I will have to hand fit the Bob into the side of the panel as I am not blessed with anything else to cut it out with but drills,  jig saws and files. (reminds me when I was working with ham radio projects)
I have laid out the first stepper motor mount and am about to cut them out and mount them. (will take pics and post)
Bill still doing it slowly.


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## bvd1940

Here are some pictures of the elect. panel I have been working on and am now trying to figure out the DB25 and USB access on the panel.
Not much but I am moving again.
Bill


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## coolidge

Wiring looks a lot better, note its a best practice to bring all of your grounds back to a single point in the chassis and to use star washers that bite into the metal.


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## bvd1940

coolidge said:


> Wiring looks a lot better, note its a best practice to bring all of your grounds back to a single point in the chassis and to use star washers that bite into the metal.



That aluminum Plate is a common point as far as my 74 tears of life has learned me me about electrical grounding but never to old to taught sumptin new but this setup will suffice for the job its doing me think, the grounds are tagged together as a rule if you look at the white shrink tub covering the ground lead not yet attached by the BOB board.
The screws I use for grounding have built in teeth like a star washer so not needed
How about any ideas about mounting the BOB inside the case and easy access for the USB/DB25 cables????????????????

I worked fo a lot of years in the Vancouver area, are you native to that area? Do you know a older gent there named Ray Wohorten ?? (spelling??)
Scuba dived into battle ground lake crater way back when, dam that was cold down there.
You a member of the Clark County Radio Club? I used to spend much time with field day outings and such with them.
Bill


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## JimDawson

bvd1940 said:


> How about any ideas about mounting the BOB inside the case and easy access for the USB/DB25 cables????????????????




Here are a couple of options

http://www.l-com.com/usb-usb-adapte...ziRjbm3RtK_FNe1nZ2PVMt0v6yJyJCP9LIaAgg68P8HAQ


http://www.cablesondemand.com/produ...rs/Items/Library/InfoManage/CS-DSRHDB25MM.htm

.
.


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## John Hasler

bvd1940 said:


> That aluminum Plate is a common point as far as my 74 tears of life has learned me me about electrical grounding but never to old to taught sumptin new but this setup will suffice for the job its doing me think, the grounds are tagged together as a rule if you look at the white shrink tub covering the ground lead not yet attached by the BOB board.
> The screws I use for grounding have built in teeth like a star washer so not needed
> How about any ideas about mounting the BOB inside the case and easy access for the USB/DB25 cables????????????????
> 
> I worked fo a lot of years in the Vancouver area, are you native to that area? Do you know a older gent there named Ray Wohorten ?? (spelling??)
> Scuba dived into battle ground lake crater way back when, dam that was cold down there.
> You a member of the Clark County Radio Club? I used to spend much time with field day outings and such with them.
> Bill


It's conventional to put all the grounds on one bolt but the way you've done it will work fine.


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## coolidge

bvd1940 said:


> That aluminum Plate is a common point as far as my 74 tears of life has learned me me about electrical grounding but never to old to taught sumptin new but this setup will suffice for the job its doing me think, the grounds are tagged together as a rule if you look at the white shrink tub covering the ground lead not yet attached by the BOB board.
> The screws I use for grounding have built in teeth like a star washer so not needed
> How about any ideas about mounting the BOB inside the case and easy access for the USB/DB25 cables????????????????
> 
> I worked fo a lot of years in the Vancouver area, are you native to that area? Do you know a older gent there named Ray Wohorten ?? (spelling??)
> Scuba dived into battle ground lake crater way back when, dam that was cold down there.
> You a member of the Clark County Radio Club? I used to spend much time with field day outings and such with them.
> Bill



Your BOB isn't designed to be panel/chassis mounted that's the issue. I would mount it internally where it makes the most sense, then run a cable from there over to a panel mounted coupler for the USB and DB25. That gets you through your cabinet to the outside world, just connect a cable from there to your computer.

For the USB I would use something like this so I could just drill/punch a round panel hole for it http://www.amazon.com/Switchcraft-E...sbs_147_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0C4G79KJHFJ19AY3XF04

Go to Digikey's web site, search on DB25 and have a look at the "housings" here's an example that might work for you. http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/205165-1/1122-1149-MIL/132220

When building vacuum tube guitar amps you have to be quite careful about the grounding scheme and AC power routing so that you don't have 60 cycle AC hum coming out the speakers. You can induce AC hum by routing AC power too close to signal wires or components. Poor placement of the transformers in the chassis. You can induce AC hum by poor chassis grounding schemes grounding signal carrying components down stream of large current AC power sources, where the chassis has become a ground wire basically.

There are a number of best practices, twisting AC pos/neg wires together for example so that they cross each other a few times per inch, a cordless drill is a good tool for this. Here's another tip, discover "top coat" wire, its still flexible and comes on a spool but has a top coat of tin so that if you bend it into a shape it holds that shape. With Teflon insulated wire the top coat is less effective but helpful. You can find this type of wire for sale by suppliers who cater to guitar/amp builders. Shoving twisted pair AC power wires into the corner of the chassis e.g. the corner of the chassis provides a bit of shielding. Where you have to cross an AC power source with a signal wire cross it at a right angle vs say running them parallel to each other.

Many have probably hear a guitar amp humming loudly but its entirely possible to build a 100 watt monster amp with zero hum. On my first successful build I wasn't hearing any hum at all, turned the amp up to like 8 and all I heard was some white noise hiss, thinking something was wrong I hit a cord and about blew my ear drums out. Don't let the 100 watts fool you, for a tube amp that is stadium concert loud as all hell.

Possibly overkill for wiring up a CNC control box but proper layout of components with some logical thought to separating large AC currents from small, or AC from DC is a cheap way of avoiding glitchiness.


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## bvd1940

JimDawson said:


> Here are a couple of options
> 
> http://www.l-com.com/usb-usb-adapte...ziRjbm3RtK_FNe1nZ2PVMt0v6yJyJCP9LIaAgg68P8HAQ
> 
> 
> http://www.cablesondemand.com/produ...rs/Items/Library/InfoManage/CS-DSRHDB25MM.htm
> 
> .
> .


That looks like a good option and simple, Thanks Jim
Bill


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## bvd1940

coolidge said:


> Your BOB isn't designed to be panel/chassis mounted that's the issue. I would mount it internally where it makes the most sense, then run a cable from there over to a panel mounted coupler for the USB and DB25. That gets you through your cabinet to the outside world, just connect a cable from there to your computer.
> 
> For the USB I would use something like this so I could just drill/punch a round panel hole for it http://www.amazon.com/Switchcraft-E...sbs_147_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0C4G79KJHFJ19AY3XF04
> 
> Go to Digikey's web site, search on DB25 and have a look at the "housings" here's an example that might work for you. http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/205165-1/1122-1149-MIL/132220
> 
> When building vacuum tube guitar amps you have to be quite careful about the grounding scheme and AC power routing so that you don't have 60 cycle AC hum coming out the speakers. You can induce AC hum by routing AC power too close to signal wires or components. Poor placement of the transformers in the chassis. You can induce AC hum by poor chassis grounding schemes grounding signal carrying components down stream of large current AC power sources, where the chassis has become a ground wire basically.
> 
> There are a number of best practices, twisting AC pos/neg wires together for example so that they cross each other a few times per inch, a cordless drill is a good tool for this. *Here's another tip, discover "top coat" wire, its still flexible and comes on a spool but has a top coat of tin so that if you bend it into a shape it holds that shape. With Teflon insulated wire the top coat is less effective but helpful.* You can find this type of wire for sale by suppliers who cater to guitar/amp builders. Shoving twisted pair AC power wires into the corner of the chassis e.g. the corner of the chassis provides a bit of shielding. Where you have to cross an AC power source with a signal wire cross it at a right angle vs say running them parallel to each other.
> 
> Many have probably hear a guitar amp humming loudly but its entirely possible to build a 100 watt monster amp with zero hum. On my first successful build I wasn't hearing any hum at all, turned the amp up to like 8 and all I heard was some white noise hiss, thinking something was wrong I hit a cord and about blew my ear drums out. Don't let the 100 watts fool you, for a tube amp that is stadium concert loud as all hell.
> 
> Possibly overkill for wiring up a CNC control box but proper layout of components with some logical thought to separating large AC currents from small, or AC from DC is a cheap way of avoiding glitchiness.



That is what my plan was when done with the wiring was to wrap with shielding but the bulkhead plugs are a good idea and will order tonight, Jim gave a similar suggestion also so now just loo0k for best unit for my app.
Thanks Coolidge & Jim Dawson
Bill


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## bvd1940

I have the DB25 panel mount on the way and have taken care of the 5 volt USB by installing a 110volt outlet and will plug in a wall wart phone charger for power, it will make it easier to power the vent fans with a cheap 12 volt power supply also.
all I need to do is finish mounting the BOB to the panel, wire up the drivers and plugs (Then shield shield & more shielding) 
Bill


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## Ed of all trades

Thanks for the info Bill.  I am planning to get a mini mill sometime this year and was planning to install a DRO but you and Steve have me reading all I can find on converting a mill to cnc so I can do that when the time comes.  Thanks again, I will be following closely.  Ed.


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## bvd1940

Well I got back to the shop FINALLY!! and made some progress on the electrical s BUT still waiting on the plugs for the stepper to panel cables.






Here are a few pics showing what I have been up to. I said SLOWLY on this build but did not think it would be this slow.


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## TomS

bvd1940 said:


> Well I got back to the shop FINALLY!! and made some progress on the electrical s BUT still waiting on the plugs for the stepper to panel cables.
> View attachment 106272
> View attachment 106273
> View attachment 106272
> View attachment 106273
> View attachment 106276
> 
> Here are a few pics showing what I have been up to. I said SLOWLY on this build but did not think it would be this slow.



Nice job on the enclosure!  It took me about 10 months to convert my mill to CNC and work out the bugs.  Keep working at it.  

Tom S


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## bvd1940

Thanks Tom
It has turned out to be more of a job than I thought it would be.
Yours turned out real nice, I am jealous.
Bill


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## jbolt

Looking good Bill!

One recommendation I would make would be to put a fast blow fuse or breaker between the power supply and driver. I stalled one of my 1600oz steppers for a half second but it was enough to blow some of the rectifier diodes on the driver board.

Jay


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## bvd1940

jbolt said:


> Looking good Bill!
> 
> One recommendation I would make would be to put a fast blow fuse or breaker between the power supply and driver. I stalled one of my 1600oz steppers for a half second but it was enough to blow some of the rectifier diodes on the driver board.
> 
> Jay


I know I would forget sumptin, what amps you put in yours??? I will have to get on fleabay and find some online fuse holders.
I did get the panel mounted on the wall today and took the plugs in the panel and am direct wiring to the stepper motors and will put a plugin at the motors. Got the cooling fans in (1 sucking 1 blowing) also and test powered the panel & guess what no sparks,smoke and all lights came up green yeaaaa!
Thanks for the heads up on the fuse/breaker I will go hunting for ? amp breaker/fuse.
Bill


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## jbolt

bvd1940 said:


> I know I would forget sumptin, what amps you put in yours??? I will have to get on fleabay and find some online fuse holders.
> I did get the panel mounted on the wall today and took the plugs in the panel and am direct wiring to the stepper motors and will put a plugin at the motors. Got the cooling fans in (1 sucking 1 blowing) also and test powered the panel & guess what no sparks,smoke and all lights came up green yeaaaa!
> Thanks for the heads up on the fuse/breaker I will go hunting for ? amp breaker/fuse.
> Bill



No fireworks = good!

Look at what you have the driver amps set for and use a fast blow fuse of that amperage or the next closest size up.

Jay


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## bvd1940

Well got my vent ducting installed and panel hanging on the wall so next step will be motor mounts and wait for inline fuse holders.
According to my driver switch settings it calls for 4.8 amps so it will be 5 amp quick blow fuses if I am not mistaken? 
To darn hot today to work in the shop this weekend as it is going to be in the 100+  and the house is nice and cool so time to play with the PC.
perhaps this evening it will be cooled down enough.
Bill


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## bvd1940

Well that was a long hiatus from the CNC conversion and today is my 75th Birthday so  thought I had better check in, at my age might not be a lot of check ins left LOL.
This summer has been so busy in the shop I have not had time to address my conversion at all but I think I will be back to my project as soon as the weather turns cold. Cant complain about the work in the shop as it pays pretty darn good so I can buy new toys for the shop.
Just started digging my way back into the shop today with tools and materials piled up everywhere.
Bill


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## bvd1940

SOLD I am going to get rid of my drivers, stepper motors, etc. if anyone is interested look at this thread and it will show most all the parts, just PM me with phone number and we can talk.
God bless
Bill
Sold, no longer available


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