[fretman_2]

Cool. I bought some of the 4 pin aircraft connectors off of eBay. But... it would simplify things greatly to make all the connections without connectors. After all, my control box is going to be mounted permanently and I won't need to disconnect anything. Something to think about!

Try catalog houses like DIgiKey, Newark, Mouser and the like. DIN connectors can be had in all sorts of configurations and frankly it is best to keep on configuration only for the steppers. Beyond that there are all sorts of other connectors that can be leveraged for use in a CNC machine from the cheap to the fairly expensive. It really depends upon your controls setup. Generally with servos and steppers you are better off to avoid connectors as much as possible. In fact some manufactures suggest no connectors at all preferring to run cables directly to the amps. That in part is due to electrical noise but other issues crop up.

For examples of other issues here are a couple that I've experienced over the years at work. A synchronous 3 phase 1/2HP motor wasn't maintaining speed even though the 3 phase driver appeared to be working well. In this case the engineer decided to run the motor power through a standard 3 phase twist lock connector. Apparently the connector wasn't in as good a shape as you would expect from newish hardware because the machine was loosing a phase intermittently. This caused instability in the RPM of the motor. Replacing the plug and socket got things on track. Another issue was with a Name brand stepper drive that had performance problems. That issue was traced down to a pin and socket plug that plugged into the face of the drive. Mind you this is a fairly common arrangement in industrial drives. The point is bad connections due to plugs and sockets are a reality that don't debug easily. None of the above where fixed instantly.

So what would I suggest if you have to use plugs and sockets. AT the cheap end probably AMP plastic circular connectors if the idea is to transition through a panel box of some sort. They are relatively cheap but do require the purchase of a pair of crimpers. In many cases DB connectors are very good and can be cheap if you don't mind soldering, the per pin current ratings though are low so only good for smallish motors/steppers.

There are actually all sorts of low cost pin and socket connectors are used in the electronics industry, the problem is most of them are not designed to keep things clean and often having no strain reliefs. Most of the DIN connectors are actually pretty good for small (low) current stepper drives, so don't dismiss them but they might not be cost effective if you need to by many parts for say a four axis machine.

[grumpygeek]

I used the 4 pin aviation connectors from ebay on my last build and I think they are great, they screw together so they won't accidentally get disconnected and short of getting them wet I think they should be no issue with contamination. Being able to easily swap to different controllers to see if it is a wiring/motor issue or a controller issue is nice. There have been times when I have moved my machines around and having everything hard wired was a bit of a pain, if you control box is part of you machine and you just need to disconnect a usb or serial cable I guess this is less an issue. I have 3 different controllers, I am planning on wiring the other 2 in the same configuration so I can swap them out if needed.

[fretman_2]

I had the aviation connectors on my Shapeoko and they worked fine, but it wasn't in constant use either. I just want to hook up the thing and not have to worry about it...LOL.

I used the 4 pin aviation connectors from ebay on my last build and I think they are great, they screw together so they won't accidentally get disconnected and short of getting them wet I think they should be no issue with contamination. Being able to easily swap to different controllers to see if it is a wiring/motor issue or a controller issue is nice. There have been times when I have moved my machines around and having everything hard wired was a bit of a pain, if you control box is part of you machine and you just need to disconnect a usb or serial cable I guess this is less an issue. I have 3 different controllers, I am planning on wiring the other 2 in the same configuration so I can swap them out if needed.

[A_Camera]

Cool. I bought some of the 4 pin aircraft connectors off of eBay. But... it would simplify things greatly to make all the connections without connectors. After all, my control box is going to be mounted permanently and I won't need to disconnect anything. Something to think about!

Previously I had permanent wiring, both solutions have advantages and disadvantages. I am in the process of upgrading my CNC and decided that aviation plugs worth the extra trouble. My control box is permanently mounted but is separate from the power supply, so I like the ability to separate the two if I need it. I will also use aviation plugs for the steppers to be able to swap between drivers if I want to.

[fretman_2]

Previously I had permanent wiring, both solutions have advantages and disadvantages. I am in the process of upgrading my CNC and decided that aviation plugs worth the extra trouble. My control box is permanently mounted but is separate from the power supply, so I like the ability to separate the two if I need it. I will also use aviation plugs for the steppers to be able to swap between drivers if I want to.

Cool...I hope to get my electronics box working this weekend. I did put 4 of the aviation plugs on the front of the electronics box. I purchased a buck step down converter to bring the 45vdc down to 12vdc for the cooling fan motor and that hasn't come in yet. But I'll just leave the top open. I don't think it'll get too hot. I'm going to purchase the cable chains and install those...it'll be basically finished after that. I've been working on this thing since January!