[krymis]

ok after a lot of research on being told that the manufaturer (IH) does not use breakout boards i found out how to get the 5v for the geckos using my usb port. Apparently if you take pin one from your usb and daisy chain it to the four geckos they will work. I purchased my new SIIG Cyber parallel card today for the PC. so now i got the power cord, gecko power, and 25 pin connector worked out. Working on the switch and fuse for the power cord. What fuses do i need and where do i get them? Some post are saying fast and others are saying slow blow. What type of holder and where to get them. What gage of wire to use to wire the whole internals? And still looking for a way to power my four cooling fans(2 case fans, and 2 heatsink fans).

Am i to connect all the common wires of the 65v source to the cap on the power supply? That would be one for each gecko.

[Ron111]

I used a slow blow for my AC side and fast blows for my driver (DC) side. Let's talk about how to run your power to your drivers. I used a terminal board to distribute a separate power line directly to each driver. (You don't want to daisy chain the power the way you did for the reference power), You want a seperate line with it's own fuse going directly to each driver. The same terminal board (or strip) will have two rows of two screws (20 positions, also buy a package of jumpers) which I have seen at HomeDepot, radio shack and in electronic catalogs. Connect the power to a position on the terminal board and then use a jumper to link to another position. That leaves three positions for lugged wires to be screwed down and ran to a fuse block (which will have 4 fuses one for each driver).

Look at some of the pictures that Bob Warfield put on PhantomCow2's post about needing an enclosure in the Benchtop Machine section and you will probelly see some terminal strips being used.

Hook up wire, 18 gage should be fine, maybe also found at RadioShack (maybe, they are not into the electronics like they were in the ole days, but that's another story)

Go to MPJA Online, this one parts supplier for different things that maybe you can't find locally. You can buy computer cables cheap (USB & DB25 and fuses and buse blocks also). Look at www.pminmo.com they may have small 24 vdc power supplies for your fans.

Tell me about the break out board that you ordered, Is it passive or optical isolated (requiring power)? Either way is fine.

Your making headway!!

Ron

[krymis]

i did not order a breakout board as Aaron at IH said they do not use them. They wire direct to the drives via the db25 cable. I did however order the parallel card the Aaron recommended on his site. It should be here friday.

Ron is there anyway you can get a few good pictures of the control box setups that are not all clutered and explain the whats and whys. Its great being able to get the thing up and running but does me no good to not know what its doing. Thank you for all your help so far.

Am I correct in the fact that you are suppose to connect all the 65v commons from the drivers to the post on the capacitor with the one black wire on the power supply?

[Ron111]

Again like the 65VDC distribution, I would connect the commons to the terminal strip jumpered together and then 1 wire to the cap (-) term.

Here is the link to Bob's collection of control boxes, just study them and you will be able to pick out the drives, power supplies, fans, terminal boards, I/O 25 pin break out boards, ect.


http://www.thewarfields.com/MTLatheCNCDrivers.htm

Ron

[krymis]

I laid out the components and think that i have a plan for wiring this box. I will know more once i get the switch and fuses and power cord. Now if I have that conquered, where do i get an estop and how do i put it together? After that how do i wire for the coolant on/off, spindle on/off, and spindle speed to be controled by the pc?

[krymis]

I have found 3 different ways to control the coolant pump and spindle on and off from the pc. I am thinking the Al the Man has the best method. Now, I am really wondering how to control the spindle speed from the pc. I think after I get that squred away the wiring will be done and I will be ready to fab the box. I am going to build a box out of 16gage sheet metal. I am going to apply an Aluminum plate to mount everything to. All wires will be fed through the bottom in stain relievers and then siliconed. The fans will have filter material applied over them to protect the inside from any swarf and dust. The whole thing should be sealed against any incoming contaminates.

[krymis]

can the 5v for tripping a relay come from the same 5 volts used for the gecks? I am referencing "AL the Man"'s schematic. Where should i get the 5v from. Should i just pull it from the ps2 mouse? If i pull it from the mouse would i then affect the way the mouse moved when in use? And if i am pulling the 5v from one usb could i just use another usb or do they share the same 5v? Man the more i think I am getting close to done the further away i feel. Anybody want to wire this thing for me with the needed relays.......where is the fun in that.

[Runner4404spd]

why not just add a 5 volt power supply and be done with it. that way you have plenty of power for everything. i find it keeps me sane doing it this way as opposed to trying to steal power from other components.

[krymis]

"I am not sure what circuit of mine you refer to, but if it is using a 2n7000 for a buffer, then if you use this method of buffering the Printer port, instead of a breakout box, then the 2n7000 can drive a SSR or ordinary relay to switch on what ever you want.
If you need a 5v or 12vdc supply for the SSR you can use one of the HD connectors on your PC power supply.
Al."

What is the HD connector he is talking about?

Also where am i going to get a 5v power supply for the items....4 geckos and at least 2 relays? Hell i might as well get another one as i already had to get a 24v one for the fans. Now i know why i used hand tools for so long. This is a pain to figure out.

[Ron111]

krymis,
you may want to post the schematic or show the link to it and we will have a better idea of what and how you are building your controller.

I not sure of what card (2n7000?) that you are using, that you had purchased from Aaron so maybe you have a pdf file associated with it that you could post, or some additional info that you could post. Because at this point, there appears to be some known elements in this equation.

As far as planning to control the spindle speed, have you selected the motor and varable speed controller yet?

Ron

[Al_The_Man]

"I am not sure what circuit of mine you refer to, but if it is using a 2n7000 for a buffer, then if you use this method of buffering the Printer port, instead of a breakout box, then the 2n7000 can drive a SSR or ordinary relay to switch on what ever you want.
If you need a 5v or 12vdc supply for the SSR you can use one of the HD connectors on your PC power supply.
Al."

What is the HD connector he is talking about?

.

HD = Hard drive connector on the PC power supply.5v & 12v available, although the 5v has the most capacity (Current).
Al.

[krymis]

Thanks Al

Here is the circit Al has posted for auto on/off by m codes. Anybody got any pictures of the circit?

Ron111,

here is a link to the card that i purchased http://www.industrialhobbies.com/howto/tips/cards.htm
It is all there of why to use it...i guess?

I need help with making the circit for the turn ons. What is the measurment of resistor 2? How do i tap into the power supply on the computer for the 5v? And last but surely not least of all where or how do i get the 24v for the fans as they are 24vdc/ 0.12A? Can i just run one cord into the box to power the 65v power supply, coolant pump, spindle, and computer and monitor?

[Ron111]

krymis,

Looked at the card you bought, and it is a true 5.0 volt TTL printer port. Not a bad idea to know that the printer port that you are using will interface with the drivers ok.

But, I really think you need to use a $10 break out card. Trustme, you will end up with a bird's nest. And it will be so confusing!!!

Question 1

"I need help with making the circit for the turn ons. What is the measurment of resistor 2? "

I not familure with that component. But I'll give you an option that some of the guys around here use.

Go to http://www.cnc4pc.com and look at their c8 - AC solid state relay board for $14. (I haven't used this myself)


Question 2
"How do i tap into the power supply on the computer for the 5v? ". One of the guys eariler pointed that you could get this from an unused (IDE) hard drive power connector off your computers power supply. Then you will have another cable from your computer carring the 5 VDC power into your control box. (that's one option)

Or you could look at the c2 mini power supply at the above web site for $25, which is 5 vdc and 12 vdc.


Question 3

"And last but surely not least of all where or how do i get the 24v for the fans as they are 24vdc/ 0.12A?"

You could try to find a 24vdc power supply or scrap the two 24 vdc fans and pick up two 12vdc fans for $5 each(guessing) and use the above mentioned power supply from cnc4pc.com.

Or you could pickoff some of the rectified voltage and find a 24vdc regulator to drive the existing fans or try running them off the 32vdc which I think is what is coming of 1 set of your secondary. When build connect your supply, read the voltage avross on of your rectifiers and see if it is around 32 volts give or take, if it is, put a health capacitor across it (to filter it) and you can probelly use that power. I don't know if running a pulsating DC would be Hard on the fans.



"Can i just run one cord into the box to power the 65v power supply, coolant pump, spindle, and computer and monitor?"

I would recommend using a terminal board and run your input AC power to it and distribute your AC from there(Both your black and white). You could mount a clear plexiglass cover over it for safety, just like the real engineers do!!!!

But seriously consider using a break out board (it will keep all of those 25 pins organized in an effective layout that keep you from making expensive mistakes)

My question

"Can i just run one cord into the box to power the 65v power supply, coolant pump, spindle, and computer and monitor?"

Why did you include the computer and monitor? Your not thinking about cramming all this stuff in your computer case, are you?


Hope this helps,

Ron

[krymis]

krymis,

Why did you include the computer and monitor? Your not thinking about cramming all this stuff in your computer case, are you?


Hope this helps,

Ron

Ron I was going to put a regular outlet on the power supply box and then put the computer on top of it. Then have the computer and monitor plug ins run to the outside of the power case. That would allow for a neat and pretty setup at the machine with the custom cover i have made for it.

As for the breakout board...I already cut the db25 and ran all the wires. It is actually very nice as i plan to run the power lines on a peice of aluminum stock that sits 3" from the floor of the case and 2" away from the geckos. The db25 is ran on the floor of the case. All the wires are already zip tied in groups for the specific axis driver. Then all the intelegent wires are ran on the floor and the power wires are ran on the upper level. both top and bottom sets of wires are secured to stable surfaces via loop connectors.

[krymis]

ron thank you for that site. I think that will help me so much. I think on my next box this will be much easier. I think on the next box there will definitally be a breakoutboard.

[krymis]

Little update:

I ordered a 24v/2a power supply from mpjg for the fans, i am ordering a 2 c8 boards or 1 c5 board and 5v powersupply from the cnc4pc site, and by tuesday if everything is here I will wire the box. I will post lot of pictures from the wiring so you can advise me on how the looks and functionality will be percieved. Thank you ron111 for all your help. I don't think i would have done this with out you and the zone. The next hurdle is the wiring and then comes the easy stuff.

Ron,

What board would you use (for controlling the coolant pump and spindle) from the cnc4pc site and why? The C5 or the C8? Can you explain the difference? I assume the at eh C8 needs no power supply to it, but the C5 does. However the C5 can control up to four outputs. Seeing as I am ordering the mini powersupply i could use two of the outputs 5v signals to power the C5 board therefore cutting down the need for two C8 boards. What are your thoughts?

[CNCPlastic]

Where are the guys that have CNCed their IH Mills. I need to know if your kit came with a NEMA Enclosure, and if not where did you get yours?

I used 1 nema enclosure for the power supplies (Grainger) and a common 100amp service panel box from Lowes for the gecko's.

[krymis]

thank you for the reply but i am actually making the enclosure for the power supplies and geckos. It may not be the most compact but it will be arranged the way that i want them to be. It is easier for me this way seeing as I have a full metal fab shop. Might even go as far as making it look good....

[krymis]

well guys after much much much debating and confusion, I have decided to go with a CNC4PC multifunction board. I talked with Arturo and he and Aaron converse a lot. So he recommended a multifunction board and plug-in powersupply. I really don't know what I am in for but I am anxious to get this up and running. Do you have any better recommendations for a"multifunction board"? This is the first that I have heard of a multifunction board and I think in some way it may be a breakout board. I think it just has added bells and whistles. here is the link to it http://www.cnc4pc.com/Multifunction_CNC_Board.htm
here is the power supply http://www.cnc4pc.com/Accessories.htm its item A4

If you know of any other multifunction boards or a better option then please post any opinions welcome. I have learned so much from doing this wiring project that I now have a new found respect for the guys that build their own control boxes.

[BobWarfield]

There are a lot of similar boards out there. This multifunction board is a breakout board that adds a few goodies such as safety charge pump circuit, relays, motor speed output, and so on.

There are similar offerings from Campbell Designs, PMDX, CAndCNC, and probably a number of other sources.

Your decision is going to have to be based on which board has all the features you want, and which one you're most confident you can get running. Most of them you can download their documentation. I'd start there and read through all of it to get a sense of what looks easiest for you.

Another thing to do is to make a list of all the functions you're going to need. For example:

- How many axes? 3? Do you need a 4th someday?

- Home/Limits

- Spindle motor: Need on/off, direction, and speed.

- Coolant: On/off. Does it need to be AC or DC relay?

- Control panel inputs: Are you making a control panel, or is it all going to be handled on the PC in Mach?

Some packages are more complete than others. Look over all the stuff provided by each board maker. For example, CAndCNC will sell you a pretty complete box plus a pendant. Others may require you to cobble a lot together.

Best,

BW