Eighty Three year old needs help in adding Hall effect sensors to DIY machine

My hardware
Mach 3, Gecko G540, Warp 9 Ethernet Smooth Stepper, CNC4PC C25S-SMOOTH STEPPER LPT BOB.

Built my present CNC from scratch over a decade ago and love it. Now I’m ready to go to the next level with some Hall Effect Sensors. About 18 years or so ago I built my first CNC, and upon firing it up I lost the Magic Blue Smoke, so now I don’t do anything electronically I don’t understand.

There are multiple pages of electrical jargon below, what I want to do is have the below Hall Effects work with the above BOB so I can eventually run the 2010 Screenset I have had for years but yet to run the homing, axis zeroing and many other desirable functions.

Please do not reply with technical terms such as VXXO or the such. If you could dumb it all down to point to point drawings I will be so happy. REMEMBER I’m 83.

Thanks
Hager

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr.Chips

My hardware
Mach 3, Gecko G540, Warp 9 Ethernet Smooth Stepper, CNC4PC C25S-SMOOTH STEPPER LPT BOB.

Built my present CNC from scratch over a decade ago and love it. Now I’m ready to go to the next level with some Hall Effect Sensors. About 18 years or so ago I built my first CNC, and upon firing it up I lost the Magic Blue Smoke, so now I don’t do anything electronically I don’t understand.

There are multiple pages of electrical jargon below, what I want to do is have the below Hall Effects work with the above BOB so I can eventually run the 2010 Screenset I have had for years but yet to run the homing, axis zeroing and many other desirable functions.

Please do not reply with technical terms such as VXXO or the such. If you could dumb it all down to point to point drawings I will be so happy. REMEMBER I’m 83.

Thanks
Hager

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Why would you waste your time with Hall affect sensors when you can buy cheap Proximity sensors or even Micro Switch's that will do a better and easier to setup and install. just mount and wire to the breakout Boards inputs for Homing and limits.

I agree with Mactec. Hall sensors have their place, but this is not it.

Inductive proximity switches is what you want. They are cheap, rugged, reliable, reasonably accurate, simple to install. Follow the diagram in your manual (the page that says "5.2 Connecting NPN sensors").

Here are some common Chinese part numbers (choose one). Those are all normally open NPN switches.

LJ8A3-2-Z/BX - thread diameter 8mm, detection distance 2mm.
LJ12A3-4-Z/BX - thread diameter 12mm, detection distance 4mm.
LJ18A3-5-Z/BX - thread diameter 18mm, detection distance 5mm.
LJ18A3-8-Z/BX - thread diameter 18mm, detection distance 8mm.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16110648972...item2582b1f17f

There seems to be some confusion on the definition, there are five types of electronic proximity sensors, these include Capacitive, Inductive, Magnetic, Optical, and Ultrasonic.
The most common, inductive (Hall) proximity sensors, uses the Hall effect also.
The change in the effect on an oscillator when a selected material is brought close to the sensor.
It would seem the OP has selected linear versions, which are not suitable for this application.

Hi,
snap action microswitches work perfectly well, are reliable, repeatable and most importantly for OP dead easy to understand and wire up.

https://nz.element14.com/omron-indus...15a/dp/1500340

Craig

OK, you talked me into Proximity sensors, I want the normally closed type PNP I think, please let me know if this is wrong?
The three wires are connected to +V, —V, and the third an Input pin on the BOB, Is this correct?
I see many wiring diagrams that use a relay, I don’t think that is necessary, correct?

The Proximity sensor I’m looking at operates at 6 to 24V and it would output the same to the input pin. I’m thinking to supply 12V to the sensor (should be better than the lower 6V) and reduce that 12V to the input pin using a resistor. Is this Reasonable, and what resistance? OH SO MANY QUESTIONS. I lost the magic blue smoke out of my first CNC many years ago, and need to do this correctly.

Thanks (Be Gentle, LOL)

Hi,
you claim to be an electrical/electronic illiterate correct? Then why use prox sensors which require a modicum of both?. Whats wrong with microswitches?

Craig

For one, I find the manual on the C25S manual to be very poor as many of these Chinese etc Items are, and as mentioned in post #3, there is a diagram for connecting 3 wire proximity switches on P5.2.
It is also strange that this BOB does not use isolated (Opto) I/O?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joeavaerage

Hi,
you claim to be an electrical/electronic illiterate correct? Then why use prox sensors which require a modicum of both?. Whats wrong with microswitches?

Craig

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while it may be more complicated but with some good help it can be done and be more reliable and exact than switches. I’m also going to use the C25 BOB, it is much more user friendly especially when it comes to the C25 positive screw type connections not the jumbled spring wire connections of the C25S

I’m ending this thread and will start up a new one using the C25 BOB, ESS Smoothstepper and proximity switches .
Thanks you all for the advice and help.

Hi,
I use good quality snap action microswitches, and have done for many years and get better than 0.02mm repeatability with them.

Craig

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr.Chips

I’m ending this thread and will start up a new one using the C25 BOB, ESS Smoothstepper and proximity switches .
Thanks you all for the advice and help.

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Good idea, getting back to the proximity switches NPN normally closed would be easier to use, you can wire them directly to an output on the Breakout board, no extra 24v supply needed, they work fine with the low voltage especially for a hobby install.