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      1. Build Progress:
        • Build in Progress...
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      Mechanical Build
      Purchased an xl version of the cnc kitset c- beam . July 2017
      Purchased a 4 axis motor stepper kit set complete with
      2x dc supplies 36Volt
      4x stepper drivers
      4x nema 23 motors
      1x mach3 breakout board (parallel version )​
      Electrical Controls
      Purchased a Dell optiplex 755 complete
      Purchased a Dell optiplex 755 case only
      Purchase win 7 pro license for above.
      Down loaded trial version mach 3
      Down loaded trial version Inkscape software
      The Dell had a license to the school that sold it so I had to reformat the hard drive and load a legitimate win 7 pro.
      The Dell case was a stroke of luck as it provided a faraday cage to house and protect the controls from unwanted noise (spikes).
      Cables - I was able to make use of a lot of cable and materials I had in my shed. Any sundry and extra items have been source through local market in New Zealand
      Begin assembly of c beam following step by step instructions - August 2017
      this part of the build was really good as long as i followed the instructions precisely but I had to back track a couple of times after I decided to wing it on my own.
      Thank you for clear instructions , they saved my life!!!!!.
      A welcome break was when I thought I'd see how the controls fitted into the dell case. This started when I stripped out the mother board and power supply and cd player.
      It was not long before I realized that I could not wire up an partly finished build, so returned my efforts back to the c beam assembly and the trolleys. .

      A warning here - I was often times caught up in the build to the detriment of my garden and lawn.


      Safety Circuit
      I purchased limit switches and emergency stop button, and was able to build a led array to show status along with a reset button to reinstate the safety circuit. I used an 8 channel relay board of arduino fame to interface the 5 volt inputs and the 24 volt safety circuit.
      I used a buck converter c/w voltage display to reduce 24v to 5v dc for input relays and circuit
      The above safety circuits were housed within the Dell empty drive enclosures and kept away from the motor circuits.
      Dc to Dc conversion
      An extra I didn't forsee, was the mismatch of dc voltages of the supplies at 36v when drivers and break out bout required 24v dc.
      5x buck converters c/w display , with adjustable output ,input range 0-37v dc.

      The live commissioning was delayed when I realized that the 36 volt dc supplies that were in the kit were incompatible with the stepper drives 24v input, this was causing the drivers to shutdown under over voltage protection. To make good and not waste the 36v supplies I have invested in another 5 buck converters for $16.00 each ( which was the cheapest remedial option).

      Date 4-11-2017 - Have taken time while waiting for buck converters to arrive to get some records down here.
      The interesting stuff is to come.

      Attached Files:

      1. Special Notes

        Making sure your kit is compatible with all it's controls voltages would have been handy.
      Beubuilt likes this.
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  • Build Details

    Build License:
    • CERN (CERN-OHL1.2+) Open Hardware Licence

    Reason for this Build

    needed doing

    Inspired by

    An article promoting a build using wood and mdf for a frame
  • Attached Files:

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