[ger21]

There are no stepper drives in that pic.

From left to right:
PILZ safety relay (Yellow)
24V power supply for my breakout board (Black)
5V power supply for my UC300ETH (White)
Terminal blocks (Orange and Black)
Contactors for switching my two spindles to the single VFD.

The drives I'm using are these:
Leadshine AM882 Digital Stepper Drive 80VDC 0.1A - 8.2A With Protection Function | eBay

I haven't used them yet, so can't give a recommendation on them. They're supposed to be very good. But some have said that they are fakes.
I'm only using them for my Z axis. The rest of my machine will be powered by AC servos.

[MajorTendonitis]

There are no stepper drives in that pic.

From left to right:
PILZ safety relay (Yellow)
24V power supply for my breakout board (Black)
5V power supply for my UC300ETH (White)
Terminal blocks (Orange and Black)
Contactors for switching my two spindles to the single VFD.

The drives I'm using are these:
Leadshine AM882 Digital Stepper Drive 80VDC 0.1A - 8.2A With Protection Function | eBay

I haven't used them yet, so can't give a recommendation on them. They're supposed to be very good. But some have said that they are fakes.
I'm only using them for my Z axis. The rest of my machine will be powered by AC servos.

Thanks , my bad

[ger21]

After playing with the VFD and spindles for the last few days, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with these cheap spindles from Ratt Motor.
While the fit and finish leave a bit to be desired, they seem to perform very well. I don't have a dial indicator to measure runout, but I put the largest bit I had in it, a 1-1/8" radius roundover bit, and ran it up to 17,000rpm. It was very smooth. This pic was actually taken with a flash, with it spinning at 12,000rpm. I would say that runout is at least better than any handheld router I've ever used.
They are also remarkably quiet, even at 24,000 rpm. I would say that the noise level at 24,000 is comparable to a handheld variable speed router, at it's lowest setting.
Time will tell, but as of right now, I'd recommend an air cooled spindle.

The VFD, on the other, leaves a bit to be desired.
First I find out that there's no circuitry for the braking resistor.
Then I find a fault FWD terminal. (I reprogrammed the REV, no big deal).
And if you see my youtube video, very poor analog speed control.
I think it's perfectly usable for my needs, but it's hard to recommend.
Tomorrow, I should be receiving am RS485 converter, and I'll try Dan's UCCNC plugin. I'm expecting it to be much more accurate.

[Khalid]

Good progress..keep us updated..

[1Jumper10]

I watched the video you uploaded using MODBUS control. I was surprised at how much more stable the RPM was compared to analog control. With the problems you had with your VFD, FWD run terminal and the RPM drift, I was thinking you had got a faulty VFD and MODBUS control wouldn't make much difference. But it worked pretty good! With MODBUS controlling the spindle, does it still want to run when it's first powered up?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[ger21]

With MODBUS controlling the spindle, does it still want to run when it's first powered up?

No, it doesn't. It no longer uses the run terminals, so I'm not using the relay on the MB2.
Modbus starts and stops it.
But I still plan on having some type of safety system in place.

I got some confirmation from a friend who's used analog control on a lot of Huanyang VFD's, and he said that what I was seeing is not normal for these VFD's. So I guess it could have been noise, due to no shielded cables.
But the plugin with modbus works perfect.

[1Jumper10]

That's great! Seems like a better mousetrap. I wonder if the MB2 will pass MODBUS data and you could forego the USB connection?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[ger21]

No.
But you can use a serial port, if your PC has one, or install a PCI serial card. That's what I will probably do.
The USB converter is just for testing with my laptop.

[OlfCNC]

I got some confirmation from a friend who's used analog control on a lot of Huanyang VFD's, and he said that what I was seeing is not normal for these VFD's. So I guess it could have been noise, due to no shielded cables.
But the plugin with modbus works perfect.

I had the exact same RPM fluctation problem with the same VFD model. A small capacitor between the analog ground and the voltage input stabilized the RPM, solved the issue. I don't recall the exact capacitor value, but it was probably a few tens of microfarads.

[ger21]

Thanks.
Something like these? https://www.amazon.com/TOOGOO-Radial...tic+capacitors

[OlfCNC]

A ceramic or tantalum or foil capacitor might work better because they have lower ESR, but it depends on the noise frequency.
Do you have an oscilloscope to check the input voltage signal?

[ger21]

No, I don't have a scope.

I can try these for $1.
3 x 22uF 16V Radial Tantalum Capacitor - FREE SHIPPING | eBay

[louieatienza]

Gerry, great to see you still have this project moving... pretty much spent the last two years emptying out the family house to sell, so I'm finally moved out and settling down again. Dusted up the mini-mill after almost a year and got it running and making parts again. Seeing this has renewed my CNC passion. Forge on!

[ger21]

Thanks. Good to see you back.

Life sure can get in the way of the fun stuff, right?

[OlfCNC]

No, I don't have a scope.

I can try these for $1.
3 x 22uF 16V Radial Tantalum Capacitor - FREE SHIPPING | eBay

I think these will do the job.

[ger21]

I'll order a few different values, and try them when they come in.
Thanks.

[OlfCNC]

Just one more comment is that you may get these tantalums even cheaper and much faster in local electric stores.
For example https://www.digikey.com/products/en/...=0&pageSize=25

[louieatienza]

Thanks. Good to see you back.

Life sure can get in the way of the fun stuff, right?

Yes it can! We might need a geologist to track this build soon!

How do you like the UC CNC stuff so far? I've been using the EdingCNC USB card with success, but there's always that need for more clock frequency. EdingCNC tops at 125kHz, but not running my mill at warp speed anyway since it's only 12" x 6" x 10" work envelope. Running my Parker E-AC stepper drives at 25x microstep and still capable of 200ipm, and a lot quieter at that resolution. But I think I can eek out a bit more performance...

[ger21]

How do you like the UC CNC stuff so far?

I haven't actually run a machine yet, but from what I've been doing, it's excellent, especially in combination with the MB2 breakout board from CNC Room in Thailand.

It's very flexible, and very reliable.
When I've asked, I've gotten new features added in a week or so. Same with bug fixes.
And it's hard to beat the price. $200, including the software, for 400Khz and 5 ports of I/O.

I looked into the Eding stuff, but it was a little too "different" for me. The nice thing about UCCNC, is that it's very familiar feeling if you're coming from Mach3.

[louieatienza]

I haven't actually run a machine yet, but from what I've been doing, it's excellent, especially in combination with the MB2 breakout board from CNC Room in Thailand.

It's very flexible, and very reliable.
When I've asked, I've gotten new features added in a week or so. Same with bug fixes.
And it's hard to beat the price. $200, including the software, for 400Khz and 5 ports of I/O.

I looked into the Eding stuff, but it was a little too "different" for me. The nice thing about UCCNC, is that it's very familiar feeling if you're coming from Mach3.

That's good to know, as I'm currently redesigning my router table for my smaller more confined work space.... Do you have the USB or Ethernet version?