[gopher]

has anyone managed to get all the electronics ( power supply, stepper/servo drivers, spindle control, breakout boards etc ) into a single box mounted directly on the rear of a X2 size machine? I am also thinking of integrating the PC ( ITX motherboard ) into the case? pros cons?

[aarggh]

It would be easily do-able, but given the fairly large current draw and cabling, you'd need to ensure there's really, really, good shielding (lots of metal mesh and star earthing) on all the parts of the control box, which also would ideally be metal, not plastic. The heat would be the next consideration with keeping dust and waste from inside it, while keeping adequate airflow. Creating a simple straight through air flow with replaceable filters on the outside would be perfect. Also, try to use shielded cabling for high current, maybe with some ferrites for clamping, to reduce the interference to the PC and control signals, the interference can and most likely will be significant.

cheers,
Ian

[SCzEngrgGroup]

has anyone managed to get all the electronics ( power supply, stepper/servo drivers, spindle control, breakout boards etc ) into a single box mounted directly on the rear of a X2 size machine? I am also thinking of integrating the PC ( ITX motherboard ) into the case? pros cons?

Putting all the electronics into a single enclosure is no problem at all, IF good wiring practices are followed (shielding, grounding, etc.). My knee mill has ALL the electronics (dual power supplies, dual BOBs, ModIO, VFD, relay board, PC, SmoothStepper, etc) in a single enclosure, and it works flawlessly. But hanging it all off the X2? Not a great deal, given how flexy the X2 is already.

[RomanLini]

I would also advise against it, due to vibration.